After experiencing two bizarre encounters with two unexpected people within the Royal Gala, Leo finally found his opportunity to interact with Duke James, as Luke and Cervantez seemed to have concluded their discussions with him.
There were a lot of eyes on him, especially after his heated discussion with the Virex operative, as he began giving off the aura of a shady individual, involved in a lot of political mess.
As Leo approached the West Duke, he seemed to be engaged in conversation with another ArchDuke, The East Duke, Victor Orban, who spotted him walking towards them from a distance and chuckled aloud.
"I'm so jealous of you James, you had those two kids already seeking you out at the very start of the banquet and now you have this one looking for you too!
Seems like you and Jerome have worked hard in roping potential talents this time around before the banquet even began" Victor joked as he slapped James hard behind the back.
Momentarily, Duke James developed a deep frown on his face when he was slapped so hard on the back, however, he was quick to mask it off with his usual indifference, as he gave the East Duke a cordial smile.
"I've done nothing, it's all Jerome's work. He's friends with the quarter-finalist SkyLion and he's also the one to prepare a preliminary offer for this kid here after he defeated Jerome in the round of 32.
I've had no hand in this-" James said, diverting the credit on to his son so that his social image improved, even though it was actually him who had masterminded both moves.
"Young Jerome is growing up just like his sly father. Hahaha-" The East Duke joked, however, there was an audible undertone of jealousy in his voice when he said these words.
Leo could see it on his face that the East Duke seemed very jealous of the West Duke and it was a type of jealousy that Leo could benefit from.
"Actually, you've misunderstood East Duke, I'm actually here to meet you and not the West Duke" Leo said, as his sudden declaration caught everyone off-guard.
"Here to meet me?" The East Duke said in surprise, before grinning widely.
"Of course, of course, I'm always happy to indulge a talent. Pleased to meet you" He said, extending his hand for Leo to shake, which Leo shaked happily.
"It seems the two of you might wish to discuss business, I'll let you be then" The West Duke said before politely taking his leave as being the true noble that he was, he did not wish to pry into the private matters of others.
Although he was taken by surprise when Leo said that he wished to talk to the East Duke and not him, he later smiled widely looking back at it, as he realized that Leo had picked his opportunity well to leverage a better deal than what he could have gotten with the West Duchy.
"I'm sorry father, I did not think that he would disrespect us like this…." Jerome said, apologizing to his father, as the West Duke smiled and waved it off.
"It's fine, just goes to show how smart he is….. so there's nothing to hold against him" James said, as he did not take this matter to heart at all.
*************
"Let me be frank with you, East Duke. I've received an offer from the West Duchy to join their army as a commander, but frankly, it holds no appeal to me..." Leo began, carefully gauging the East Duke's reaction.
He knew the Duke valued respect and admiration, and Leo tailored his words to leverage these preferences, aiming to engage the Duke's favorable attention by subtly dismissing the rival faction.
"I'm not an army type of fighter, I'm a rogue, I'm more of a unique fighter that can sneak into an enemy fortress and kidnap the enemy princess or assassinate the enemy commander type of guy.
But open warfare is not my speciality…." Leo said, as he candidly admitted that he was not a military man.
"While the West Duchy that's known for being traditional can't utilize my talents properly, I've heard that the East Duke is different.
I've heard about how creative the East Duke is and hence have hope that if it's you….. you can surely find an appropriate use of my talents" Leo said, as a wide smile spread on the East Duke's face, when he grasped what Leo was suggesting.
Basically, Leo had offered the East Duke to become his mad dog, the dirty mercenary that would handle the filthy jobs for him, however, do so under the official banner of the East Duchy.
" *cough*, well indeed you have approached the right man. The stringent and traditional James could never find a proper use for your talents, but I surely can" The East Duke said, as he felt excited about roping in a talent like Leo.
According to the report he had received, Leo was either an assassin in training or definitely had links to some underworld organization as his fighting style and skill set was very close to that of an assassin.
Such a talent, while useful in one vs one combat, was not very useful in an open Battlefield as a commander, which was why Leo was not approached by many major factions that were looking for future pillars of their army.
Luckily for him, The East Duke was exactly the sort of man who did not care about such stuff, as for him, as long as he could use Leo to kill civil unrest movement leaders, assassinate rebels and threaten subordinates, he was a talent worth picking up, as he was extremely interested in roping him in.
"What sort of a salary structure are you looking for? Or are you perhaps seeking a Barony?" Victor asked, as he put an idea into Leo's mind that initially did not even exist.
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/// A/N - Chapter 2 of 5 for today's mass release! Enjoy- ///