Shawn was genuinely taken aback by the proposal.
He quickly weighed it in his mind. It would have been a lie to say he was not tempted.
And the other side was certainly showing plenty of "sincerity."
For six months, the Double Serpent Society would cause no overt trouble or obstruct his efforts to build his forces and alliances. They would also withdraw five hundred undercover officials from various countries, greatly reducing suspicion within those nations.
Every one of those terms looked almost like aid to the enemy.
The rules of the duel were fair, too. On the surface, there were no flaws to pick at.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Shawn was about to decide, Dumbledore and Grindelwald Apparated to either side of him. The two old men first checked whether he was injured, then began trying to dissuade him.
"Shawn, you cannot agree. Those terms are red apples laced with poison."
"No matter how difficult things are at first, we'll stake our lives on giving you enough room to grow."
"Exactly, Shawn. You're still young, with enormous potential. Soya is deliberately cutting short the time you have to develop."
"..."
The two old men pointed out Soya's malicious intent outright.
Soya did not argue. He simply watched Shawn steadily, betting on a young man's eagerness for quick results.
Of course Shawn knew Soya had no good intentions.
But it was like doing business: if you wanted to make a fortune, you had to take risks.
Soya wanted to trap and kill him before he had fully matured, but Shawn was just as eager to break the Double Serpent Society's backbone in one stroke.
Whether on a chessboard or a battlefield, orthodox tactics and surprise moves had to work together.
As long as his opponent never discovered his trump cards,