Raul's words were quite shocking to hear, but what stood out to Daneel, even more, was the way in which he said them.
They were the sincere words of a man who had nothing more to lose.
Curious, Daneel asked, "Do you think I'll kill you?"
This question made Raul look at Daneel and humph, before saying, "Either that, or I'll rot away here for the rest of my life. You may be a just King, but no-one like you who has risen to their stage step-by-step, by scheming and utilizing each and every opportunity presented to them, would ever trust me, no matter what I say. At least, if I were in your boots, I wouldn't trust me. First of all, I'm your bargaining chip. If you don't keep me hidden, my dad might be tempted to try and break me out, or even ask for the Head's help in the matter, no matter how much he hates him. I may be an Exile, but the Head wouldn't sit for a King of the Central Continent using me to mand a Hero under him. His means are unimaginable, and I would advise that you not get on his bad side. Secondly, even if you did trust me, what would you bind me with? We both know oaths aren't good enough when it es to the matter of life and death. And it is a matter of life and death, as, even though you managed to defeat and capture me using that Paragon spell, I doubt that you have enough confidence in yourself, as a Warrior, to actively always be capable of defending yourself against an all-or-nothing blow from me, an Amateur Champion. With all that in mind, even if you did trust me right now and ask me to follow you, I would always have the suspicion that you might have some other ulterior motive, which wouldn't allow me to trust you. Third, there would be no way to hide that me, a Champion, is following you, an Exalted Warrior, from the Big 4. Even if I used a camouflage spell, I would be busted easily, which is something you definitely would not prefer. Even if you wish for me to operate discreetly, it would be too big a risk, as a Champion in the Central Continent would stand out like a fish in a clear lake. The Big 4 might look like they don't actively care about the Central Continent, but they do have their eye on everything, you know. Of course, this cell is special, as I suspect that you used the Core formation of your Palace, which is an ancient formation that they typically do not pierce. So…that's that."
As Daneel listened to this long, carefully analyzed and logical explanation from Raul, he couldn't help but sit back and chuckle, thoroughly impressed.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if he was lucky right now, as he had e across two capable people, one after the other.
Indeed, even if the question regarding what he would do with this guy remained, Daneel was definitely impressed by his capabilities.
What he understood from this exchange was that Raul was a calm, collected, analytical person who would keep his cool no matter what was happening.
In other words, he had all the traits of a leader.
Which…had exactly been his role before he met Daneel.
"Did you prove yourself capable of leading all those rogue Warriors by showing your analytical skills? Or was it through fear of your power?
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