Rupert found himself frowning as he said that. Naturally, he was going to be reluctant to part with his assents, and since he was still alive, he was definitely going to at least attempt to negotiate further.

Fixing his gaze on Rupert, Gerald simply replied, “A third!”

Hearing that, the elders found themselves exchanging glances with one another. It was already obvious that the knife was at Rupert’s throat, so there really was no reason for him to continue trying to bargain with Gerald. With how things were currently going, the elders knew for a fact that there was a very real possibility of Rupert losing the entire valley to Gerald by the time all this was over.

Taking in a deep breath, Rupert—who was still unwilling to just agree like that—then said, “Please don’t take advantage of us knowing that we’re already at our weakest, young lad! So be it! I’ll hand you a fifth of the valley, just as you’ve asked before! Is that agreeable?”

“Half of King Valley! Nothing less if you st