Chapter 494: Outrageous Proposal

(A few minutes later, The Skyshard Mansion)

Leo sat on the porch swing, while Dupravel settled on the floor in front of him, the two locked in an unbroken stare, caught in a strangely awkward arrangement that felt both tense and absurdly casual at the same time.

“So… why exactly can’t you go back to the righteous faction?” Leo asked, his curiosity piqued as he wondered just how badly Dupravel had burned the bridges that once supported him on that side.

“It’s suicidal to return without having fulfilled my mission. If I go back now, Mauriss will have my head,” Dupravel replied plainly, as Leo raised an eyebrow, his suspicion deepening with every word.

“And the Serpents?”

“They’re gone. The Universal Government seized our treasure and wiped Twin Fang Planet off the map for daring to resist. Those thugs don’t play games.” Dupravel spoke without a flicker of emotion, yet the aura dancing faintly red around his frame betrayed the depth of what he truly felt inside.

“I see…” Leo muttered, taken aback by the sheer scale of destruction, for he had lived on Twin Fang Planet for a few months and knew firsthand just how formidable that place once was.

“Mauriss spared me. He had me extracted from Twin Fang before its fall, likely because he wanted to use me as a pawn to eliminate the Dragon. But he played me like a fool. He sealed my Monarch-level strength to help me slip into Cult territory without alerting Soron, then handed me a vial, claiming it would restore my full power. But that was a lie.”

Dupravel’s voice remained steady, but Leo could sense the undercurrent of resentment behind every word, as the man laid bare the full extent of his betrayal.

“I see…” Leo mused, his fingers brushing his chin as pieces began falling into place. He recalled watching Dupravel fight and wondering why the man moved with such dulled power, but the sealed strength now explained it all.

“So you realized you’d been betrayed, and over the last twenty-four hours, you’ve decided that since they screwed you over, you’re going to return the favor by switching sides and seeking sanctuary with the Cult?” Leo asked, as Dupravel nodded slowly in response.

“I only agreed to serve Mauriss because he promised to help me recover my son from the Cult’s grip, but that hope is gone now. The only path I see left to live a real life with my son is by joining the Cult instead,” Dupravel confessed, his tone bitter, as he scoffed at the irony of his own words.

*Scoff*

“You must think I’m a fool for loving my son this much. But you won’t understand what it’s like to be a father until you become one,” he added with a self-deprecating shake of his head, while Leo’s lips curled into a faint smile.

He didn’t think less of Dupravel for caring about his family. If anything, it made him respect the man even more. Because deep down, Leo knew that had the roles been reversed, he would have done the exact same thing.

“Alright. Let’s say I do believe your story, and that you genuinely want to join the Cult. But given your recent actions, I’ll be honest—negotiating terms for your surrender will be next to impossible unless you present something outrageous.”

He leaned forward, his tone flat and practical.

“So let’s not waste time. What’s in it for me? What’s in it for the Cult? And just how far are you willing to go to start over?”

Dupravel inhaled deeply, his fingers briefly interlocked before he finally spoke again.

“I’ve thought this through, and the only way I see to protect my life is to bind it to yours. Even if I’m the most wanted criminal on this planet, surely the Cult won’t risk killing me if doing so also kills the Shadow Dragon.”

He paused, but before he could continue, Leo shot him down.

“No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. That is never going to happen—”

Dupravel raised his hand calmly, cutting him off with a gesture for patience.

“Listen to me, boy. I haven’t finished speaking.”

Leo exhaled and leaned back again, motioning for him to go on.

“I’m willing to sign a Master-Slave contract with you, binding myself to you for a full twenty years. My only conditions are that I be allowed to spend at least thirty days a year with my son, and that he be raised in the Cult as a free man.”

Dupravel’s voice hardened, no longer pleading, but resolute.

“In return, I will become the Cult’s war-dog. Send me wherever you please, throw me into any mission or battlefield. But if I somehow survive those twenty years, I want to walk away a free man.”

Leo’s eyes widened, taken aback by both the audacity and the sincerity of the proposal.

“There’s no need to actually include a clause tying my life to yours in the contract.

But you must agree to claim there is one.

That lie will ensure they don’t deploy me recklessly into suicide missions they wouldn’t dare assign to you and is the only safeguard I have against being disposed of the moment I surrender.”

He sat upright now, his tone sharpened by clarity.

“In theory, I will be your personal guard, your servant, your slave. But in practice, I expect to be treated with the respect due to a warrior of my caliber. I will fight for you. I will protect you with my life. But don’t expect me to clean your boots, wipe your ass, or run errands like a lowly manservant.”

Dupravel’s voice quieted as he reached the end.

“If you wish, I’ll even teach you every secret I’ve ever learned as an expert assassin. I might not be as good as Soron, but I’m no weakling either.”

And with that, he locked eyes with Leo one more time.

“So what do you say, Leo Skyshard? Do you find the terms of my surrender acceptable?”