Within the Boule Chamber of Tie Mu Fort, it was high noon. Sunlight illuminated the chamber, filling it with a warm, bright glow.

The spring sun felt gentle on the skin, unlike the summer sun, which could make one’s skin sting painfully. It was a comfortable, cozy feeling.

Unfortunately, only Richard, Ron, and Viscount Soutte seemed to be enjoying this sensation. Viscount Nade and the other three barons felt quite the opposite.

The chamber was silent, save for Viscount Soutte, who stared into space, seemingly digesting something. The three barons kept their heads down, as though trying to count the grain in the table’s surface, leaving Viscount Nade as the only one looking up, seemingly wanting to say something.

Richard had just presented a plan to reorganize the war zones during the meeting. To better improve the war potential of each territory, the Hunter family would appoint law enforcement and tax collectors to each of the four territories’ villages.

They would manage the territories like they governed their own Hunter’s Dominion, including managing the military forces raised by each territory. Tie Mu City’s official school would also select suitable students from these villages. In exchange, each family would only need to manage their immediate surroundings.

Richard also promised that the Hunter family would audit the revenues of each noble’s domains and that no village would see a reduction in the taxes they paid, even if the Hunter family’s administration led to a decrease in income. If such a decrease occurred, the Hunter family would make up the shortfall themselves.

This proposal silenced all the nobles sitting around the table. Naturally, no one was happy with these terms, especially the Nade family, who governed one of the larger baronies.

The Nade family held sway over more than a hundred villages of varying sizes, which together held a population of nearly fifty or sixty thousand souls.

This was roughly equivalent to the former House of Wil. If they agreed to Richard’s terms, the Nade family would essentially forfeit control over their own villages. After two years of administration by the Hunter family, how many villagers would even remember that the Nade family was their rightful lord?

For the same reason, the other three noble families collectively held territories and populations comparable to that of the Nade family. Who would be willing to cede control as local sovereigns to outsiders?

“Master Richard, I think we should discuss this point further.” After a moment of hesitation, Viscount Nade finally spoke up, reluctant but determined to fight for his rights. Yet, perhaps even subconsciously, he had no idea how vastly different their bargaining positions truly were.

Viscount Nade had unconsciously begun using formal language with Richard, incapable of negotiating on equal footing with the man.

“What’s there to change? I think this is quite generous!” Before Richard could open his mouth, Viscount Soutte, who had sat by quietly on the dais, suddenly spoke up. Glaring at Viscount Nade, his expression full of discontent, Soutte saw this proposal as a good deal.

They would not need to manage the day-to-day operations, yet could still collect taxes as usual. This was a great bargain, and if it were him, he would happily accept the offer right away.

“But…”

“Bang!”

Viscount Nade still wanted to say something, but Soutte slammed the table, forcing Nade to swallow back his words.

“Clang, clang…” The sound of metal striking metal came from outside.

The moment Soutte slammed the table, several crusaders standing near the door stirred. They rushed over to investigate, though they did not enter the room. However, the clanking of their armor drew everyone’s attention.

Viscount Nade and the others instinctively reached for the swords at their waists.

Richard gestured to the handful of crusaders, assuring them it was nothing, and dismissed them. He had no intention of sending the message that he would throw down the gauntlet, forcing the crusaders to take all the lords hostage, leaving them trapped in the castle.

Doing such a blatant deed would hardly have any benefits aside from causing trouble for himself; even if he were to occupy their territories afterward, he would not gain legal recognition for his claim.

If he openly tried to annex territory by force, the kingdom would intervene without hesitation. Richard had no intention of courting such a confrontation, especially when he couldn’t even take on the Marquis of the Northern Lands. However, this unexpected turn of events had yielded excellent results: Viscount Nade, visibly shaken, didn’t dare open his mouth again.

“Does anyone else have any objections?”

Viscount Soutte glared at the crowd, and several nobles lowered their heads, afraid to meet his gaze.

After Viscount Nade backed down, the other three barons were even less likely to object.

“If no one has any objections, then we will proceed as planned.”

Viscount Soutte settled the matter with a few words.

From that moment, Richard decided to let Viscount Soutte take the lead, as he realized the man was more than capable of handling the situation. In fact, Viscount Soutte truly believed the Hunter family’s offer was generous beyond measure, and that anyone refusing it would be both ungrateful and ignorant, failing to recognize a good deal when it was offered.

With this conviction, Viscount Soutte spoke with unshakable confidence, to the point where some of the nobles present momentarily felt that the Hunter family genuinely wanted what was best for them.

“Come, come, let’s sign the agreement.”

This was Viscount Soutte’s first time taking the lead in such a meeting, and he seemed excited. He gestured for an attendant to bring prepared scrolls of parchment, quills, and ink to each lord.

Under Viscount Soutte’s gaze, Viscount Nade finally signed his name, albeit reluctantly. The three barons watching from the side saw that the most powerful noble in attendance had signed, so they quickly followed suit.

Thanks to Viscount Soutte’s natural performance, the entire affair took less than two hours, much faster than Richard had anticipated.

Viscount Nade sighed after signing, finally feeling as if he’d been released from a burden, even though he wasn’t completely unwilling to accept the terms.

The Nade family would still manage the lands around the castle, and the villages’ tax contributions would remain the same as before. As long as they received their due, the Hunter family could do as they pleased with their side of the bargain.

This thought popped into Viscount Nade’s mind as he signed the agreement.

Perhaps it was just a matter of circumstances, but if the Hunter family had only three to five knights, Viscount Nade would never have agreed to such terms. However, the Hunter family had so many knights that Viscount Nade felt numb, and their numbers continued to grow.

The next time Viscount Nade noticed a few more knights in the Hunter family’s ranks, he probably wouldn’t be surprised.

In the face of such a formidable Hunter family, Viscount Nade had no confidence in winning against them, so he could only convince himself that this outcome wasn’t so bad.

This isn’t actually that terrible.