Cyrus did not receive the envoy sent by Helgoda. Instead, Ferdinand met with him to negotiate.
Helgoda wanted to redeem their cavalry.
"Certainly. No problem."
But the condition was that they had to pay for them. Each cavalryman would be priced individually, and higher-ranking ones, such as knight commanders, would be assessed separately. Once the terms were agreed upon, payment and prisoners would be exchanged simultaneously.
Helgoda was furious but dared not speak out.
After all, circumstances were stronger than people. They had no choice but to bow their heads, swallow their anger, and accept such terms.
Among the cavalry captured by Desinia's army were quite a few Helgoda nobles, or sons of nobles.
Their status was too distinguished for them to remain imprisoned in Gaina's dungeons. They had to be brought safely back to Helgoda, regardless of the cost.
But the envoy Helgoda had sent tactfully stated that they had not brought enough money this time... their purses were rather empty. Could the price be lowered a little?
Ferdinand said he would consult the lord, then returned and asked, "Who will provide the money used to redeem the prisoners?"
The envoy paused before saying, "Naturally, His Majesty the King."
Ferdinand said, "The lord has an idea."
"Since the money you brought is not enough to redeem all the cavalrymen, how about we escort them to Helgoda first, then have their families come claim them one by one?"
"For each person who comes, they pay for one man. As soon as we receive the money, the cavalryman can go home."
"As for who provides that money, you can discuss it among yourselves. Whether His Majesty the King of Helgoda pays half or pays nothing at all..."
The envoy stood there with his mouth open, looking stunned and blank. That was