Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

"She looks invincible..." he breathed to himself.

Lira chuckled and nudged his ribs with her elbow.

"Are you dreaming or what? She's a noblewoman. She relies on people like us to protect her."

Jean watched the other mercenaries, who also seemed captivated by Aveline's appearance.

Some looked at her with respect, others with curiosity, but all seemed to recognize that she was no ordinary presence.

"It doesn't matter whether she can fight or not." he murmured, crossing his arms.

"What we have to remember is that she's our responsibility."

Lira rolled her eyes, but she knew Jean was right.

Aveline guided her horse through the ranks of mercenaries, her violet eyes sweeping the crowd with a certain intensity.

She seemed neither frightened nor impressed, but rather focused. As she passed by the trio, she briefly turned her head in their direction, and Garen felt his breath catch as she looked at him, even if only for a moment.

If she knew what these new recruits thought of her, she'd probably have laughed.

She knew that if she'd been a student at the Purple Knight Academy, she'd have been invincible.

After all, when you had the director as your personal teacher as well as a good talent, it was hard not to become strong.

When she had passed their position, Lira whispered, an amused smile on her lips:

"Well, Garen, you look like you've seen a ghost.

Garen blushed to his ears and stammered:

"It's just that... she looks so..."

"Untouchable?" finished Jean, her tone neutral but slightly ironic.

"I guess..." replied Garen weakly.

"Maybe one day you'll be able to have her heart." a soft voice came from behind Lira and embraced her, drawing Jean and Garen's gazes.

"After all, I myself captured the heart of someone even more magnificent than her."

Recognizing the voice directly, Lira looked up.

"I know Terry that I'm not as beautiful as she is."

"In my eyes you are." replied Terry immediately with confidence.

Garen and Jean watched the little scene, smiling.

They were used to it by now, Terry regularly coming to see Lira during training sessions.

Everyone knew not to touch Lira or even have any thoughts about her, otherwise Terry would arrive straight away to deal with the situation.

And among the first-year, second-year and3rd-year students, no one was his opponent, even if there were apprentice knights among them.

Terry's fighting power was extremely formidable, despite his small stature, which might lead one to believe otherwise.

Moreover, an incident had become rather well known about Lira and Terry.

Shortly before leaving to defend Irina, a4th-year genius named Tecos tried to get close to Lira.

He was notorious for getting any girl he wanted in the school.

The girls he had conquered numbered in the dozens, and all of them were very pretty.

Such was his reputation that even in Lapi, he was well known.

After all, he was handsome, well-spoken and also an apprentice knight in the early stages of success.

When he set his sights on Lira, who was a rather pretty girl with a very good figure thanks to her training, he naturally met Terry.

The two started fighting very quickly, but Terry was no match for him. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

An apprentice knight at the stage of small success and gifted in combat was too much for him despite his combat experience.

The physical difference was far too great.

Garen, Jean and the new recruits tried to help Terry, but they all ended up on the ground very quickly.

But when Tecos approached Lira with a vicious grin, he met the bodies of Andrew and Romuald blocking his way.

The two mercenaries looked at him with very peculiar eyes, as if they were looking at someone already dead.

And that was more or less what he had become.

Even today, he was still unconscious in hospital.

He hadn't been able to block a single blow from Andrew and Romuald.

This incident quickly became notorious in the academy, and from that day on, no one dared to have the slightest thought about Lira.

After all, to dare have the slightest thought, you had to have at least the power of a knight.

Then again, according to rumors, even if the student in question were a knight, he'd undoubtedly have to face the mysterious mercenary leader of unknown power.

From all accounts, no matter what happened, mercenaries tended to protect each other.

It would be strange if something were to happen outside the mercenaries' power, for the leader not to intervene.

Simultaneously, while Maxime went to talk to Aveline about the details of the trip, things were happening in the Drevon family.

The cunning and calculating Duke Drevon gathered his advisors in an austere room lit by meager torches. The Drevon coat of arms, a silver bear's claw on a black background, adorned the stone walls.

"Count Ardan is playing with fire." Devron declared in a deep voice.

"If he allies himself with the Valderics, the power the Valderic family will gather will be far too great, to the point where they could suppress us on the political scene."

An advisor, a frail but quick-witted man, nodded while pointing to the map they had in front of them.@@novelbin@@

"It's to prevent this sort of thing from happening that we've sent agents near the Purple Knight Academy. Their convoy will cross these hills to reach the capital. And that's where we should strike."

Count Drevon pondered for a moment, then sketched a cruel smile.

"Mobilize our forces, but discreetly. An ambush will be perfect. And make sure it's seen as a bandit attack. We can't afford to be directly involved."

"How many soldiers are we sending?" asked an advisor.

"A few apprentice knights leading a score of elite soldiers should suffice."

The duke said this casually; from his point of view, it would be more than enough against an ordinary mercenary group.

"Monsieur le Duc, according to our reports, it would be completely insufficient."

The duke frowned at this remark.

"What do you mean insufficient?"

"From what you've told me, the Count has only hired unknown mercenaries. How strong could poor mercenaries be?"

But the advisor shook his head.

"According to our agents, most of the mercenaries have the level of apprentice knights, with a few reaching the combat power of apprentice knights at the stage of great success, or even peak."

"And it's said that their leader has the combat power of a knight."

Duke Devron was very surprised.

"Mercenaries can really be that strong? Interesting..."

"Then send 3 knights including Perceval as well as about 30 apprentice knights."

"That will be good experience for Perceval."

Perceval was a knight in the petit-success stage at the age of 23, and was one of the Drevon family's geniuses.

The consultant was reassured.

Without a breathing method, no group of mercenaries could withstand such strength.

Another advisor added:

"What about the girl? Should we capture or kill her?"

Drevon swept the question aside with an impatient gesture.

"Don't be stupid. If she disappears, Count Ardan will go mad." Thinking of this man sent shivers of fear down Drevon's spine.

Even if there were several great knights in their duchy, he didn't know if they would be a match for this man.

Even the Snow Wolf of the Valderic family might not be up to the task.

It was a pity that the old man himself didn't know how powerful Count Ardan was, otherwise the Valderic family would have sent forces of their own to retrieve Aveline.

"Just make sure you capture her and send her back to Count Ardan's territory unharmed. That will be enough for the Valderics to reconsider the marriage."

Back at Maxime, the silhouette of the Purple Knights academy still loomed behind the mercenary group as they had just set off.

The horses moved forward at a measured pace, their hooves tapping gently on the hard-packed earth.

6 horses had the task of moving the 3 wagons forward, while the other 4 were reserved for Maxime, Andrew, Laura and Ernest.

Maxime had hesitated for a long time over which fourth person to choose, since Andrew was the obvious choice, given that he was like his right-hand man, while Laura obviously enjoyed preferential treatment.

After careful consideration, Ernest's mastery of the bow meant that mounting him on a horse could have unexpected effects.

At Maxime's side, Aveline rode in silence, her cape fluttering slightly behind her.

Laura, for her part, was chatting quietly with Andrew, behind Maxime and Aveline.

She was aware that this was a very important mission, so Aveline had to be supervised by Maxime himself.

Knowing that she had Maxime all to herself at night, she kept smiling.

For her part, Aveline seemed deep in thought, her violet eyes fixed on the horizon.

"We'll reach the hills in three days, if the pace holds up," Maxime declared loudly. His words were addressed as much to Aveline as to the nearby mercenaries walking around them.

Aveline nodded.

"I'm afraid the road will become more complicated in this region. The hills have always been a good place for ambushes."

"That's why, at the last minute, we'll be taking a detour. We won't go through the hills even if it delays us a day's travel." he replied lightly.