Doomed to Die in 3 Minutes

War of Words

Agarde’s ears prick up at Alisa’s small proposal, it if was a show of gratitude she could accept it. If it is simply pity for the defeated, her pride would never allow it. Still, the excitement on her face sends waves of discomfort down Corai’s spine. Her eyes were sparkling like a child about to get a new toy, and that was incredibly disturbing, there’s hunger there that Alisa finds quite amusing. “Oh, did you think I was serious? Though, you do look like an adorable puppy with the way you’re wagging your tail.” Corai blinked as he realised that wasn’t a form of expression. He only now noticed a bushy grey tail at the rear of Agarde. It seemed to be the only non-human part of her that he could see and he hadn’t bothered to pay attention during the fight earlier.

“I-I would not have accepted anyway! I am a knight! I do not take consolation prizes from my foes! I proudly accept victory and defeat without regret! Anything less would be a mark of dishonour to both myself and my family name! No, it’d also be a disgrace upon the Knights of the Hammer and the military force of my entire nation! Do not shame me further with your half-hearted propositions!” Corai and Alisa share a thought in response to the blushing frustration shown by the lady knight who responded with a noble but almost childish tantrum. “How cute.” 

Alisa decides then and there, she’ll start a battle of wits with the girl she just defeated with raw force. She was going to make her bow her head to her in every field. “Hm? What a strange response. You just used a lot of effort to redirect your men out of here and spare this city. Is that not against the wishes of your noble superiors who would like to mercilessly crush any hints of rebellion? If you are their foe in intent, why bother protecting their names? If you’ve already taken the first steps of resistance, why not enjoy yourself more freely?” The match has begun. Alisa moves forward a single pawn two spaces and right into the heart of the matter. An aggravating simple opening move that asks for an aggressive response.

“...Do not paint us all with the same brush. Not all of the nobility are bloodthirsty fools that wish to cling to power with extreme measures. Many of us do not see it necessary to soak our hands in innocent blood as a show of force or a sick hobby.” A standard but an expected response, exactly what Alisa was hoping for. “Ah, of course! I know of many who are decent and wonderful people! Still, by your own admission, there are many problematic members too. Far too many repeat the same unjust and cruel actions, much like the former lord of this city. Should it not be your duty to remove or at least rein in such troublesome associates and reeducate them? Then things like this wouldn’t happen. At least half of the honour you uphold is covered in trash. Half the value is besmirching the rest and dragging it down.” 

Corai was impressed. Alisa has been born an orphan and was known as a tomboyish girl who butts heads with authority all the time, so her being so refined in her speech came as quite a shock. Seeing her use dignity and intellect to attack another being another field she excelled at, it seemed to him that heroes were formidable in many fields and not just raw power. It’d make sense, adventurers were also held to similar expectations when they applied to raise their rank. To excel and climb the ladder you needed to be more than just a pretty face, more than a smooth talker, and more than an iron fist. You needed to be a shining star. Alisa charges into enemy territory without slowing down or taking a moment to look behind her.

“Tch. I… how dare you! I and many others are working hard to chip away at the power of the stubborn, tradition obsessed, and greed filled officials! It takes painstaking effort and careful strategy to take down even one of these abusive miscreants! Do not say we are doing nothing! The ridiculous daggers in smiles, the war of words at court, the amassing of evidence and blackmail to strike down your enemies while not revealing vulnerabilities in your own faction? On top of that, we have to make sure our territories are kept safe and managed! Many of us also hold additional responsibilities such as myself being a Knight of the Hammer, we take the gruelling jobs in exchange for prestige and power, the things those layabouts that kick up their feet and let the efforts of their distant ancestors carry them to comfort are far too lazy and unskilled to even attempt!” The more she speaks, the angrier she gets, the more she exposes cracks in the mask covering her heart. Alisa sinks deeper into her weaknesses.

“I see! Such an amazing battle in the shadows your kind has been waging! I applaud you! You flap your gums while we commoners work in the fields, get attacked by wild beasts, tortured by others, eat crusty bread, and go to sleep on hard mattresses. You get to stay safe in your little castles, drink tea and eat soft crumpets, slumber as much as you like in large and fluffy beds whenever you feel like you’re done for the day or want to quit. We have to do what we do every day or else we can’t even feed ourselves. I soooooo sympathise with your plight.” 

Alisa had completely ignored all the good points to Agarde’s argument on purpose. Pretending she heard only what she wanted to hear and stabbed at the throat with a piece of broken glass with no refinement whatsoever. The perfect piece of bait.