"Furthermore," he continued smoothly, his voice remaining calm and professional as though what he was about to announce was nothing more than a routine matter.
"The compensation payment previously demanded by the royal treasury shall be reduced by half in recognition of your contribution toward ending the war."
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
Rathlos's eyes widened slightly as he turned toward Ethan, disbelief clearly visible on his face as he processed the envoy's words.
Even Ethan himself looked genuinely stunned now.
Half?
That was not some insignificant reduction that could simply be ignored.
That was billions of gold coins being erased with a single sentence.
A burden that had been hanging over his head for so long had suddenly been cut in half without any warning whatsoever.
Under normal circumstances, this should have been a moment of happiness.
Any noble in the Empire would have been celebrating after hearing such news.
