Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

"You can choose to extinguish yourself under the pressure, or grow up to be part of this inferno that nothing and no one will be able to extinguish."

A murmur ran through the assembly. Some straightened their shoulders, others exchanged emotional glances.

Maxime sensed the moment. He added a final note, the one that would turn fears into ambition.

"I won't promise you an easy life, but I can promise you today that I'll give you a meaningful life. Keep following me, and you'll be able to accomplish absolutely anything you wish."

He let the silence fall, watching their reactions. Slowly, but surely, he saw their faces change. The fear hadn't disappeared, but it was now tinged with a glow of determination.

"Rest tonight," he concluded.

"But from tomorrow, I want to see warriors in the making, not broken souls."

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Night fell quickly and Maxime and his men began to set up their tents not far from the previous battlefield.

The captives were tied together, heads bowed.

Kaite and Langus chatted amongst themselves, observing the main camp in the distance.

According to the role Maxime had given them, they were not to mix with the other mercenaries, so that as few people as possible would be aware of their existence.

This position enabled them to intervene at any time should danger arise.

To sleep through the night, they had set up two tents not far from the main camp.

"So, Kaite, you're resigning yourself? Are you willing to be his puppet? Don't you want to fight to the bitter end?"

Kaite, leaning against a tree, slowly looked up at him.

"Fight? Against what, Langus? Against a contract that binds us to him until our last breath? It would be like trying to break invisible chains with bare hands."

Langus clenched his fists, his face contracted in anger.

"A knight should never be forced to follow someone like that. There's nothing honorable about this bond... this cursed bond."

Kaite sighed, but a glint of frustration briefly passed into his eyes.

"Honor, Langus? How many times has that honor protected you on the battlefield? How many times has it saved you from death?"

Langus planted his gaze in hers, jaws clenched.

"It's nothing to do with that. We swore fealty to ideals, not to a kid who manipulates our souls like toys."

Kaite straightened, his tone more incisive.

"And yet, he won, Langus. If we were stronger it wouldn't have happened, but we lost. He could have killed us, so it's always better to stay alive."

Langus looked away, his anger giving way to a more muted bitterness.

"Winning, eh? Playing with forces we don't even understand... That's not what I call courage."

Kaite approached him, his gaze hard but not devoid of understanding.

"Maybe it isn't. But this contract, unfair as it is, forces us to face a truth we can't ignore: we're not strong enough."

"At least compared to him, we're too weak."

Langus remained silent, Kaite's words resonating within him.

She continued, her voice softer.

"And if you really want to talk about courage, then let's face it. Maxime didn't just bind our souls together; he gave us a new chance. A chance to become more powerful, more useful. And I refuse to throw that away."

Langus shook his head slowly, his features marked by doubt.

"A chance... or a golden prison. He controls our lives, Kaite. We're no longer free."

Kaite laid a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Maybe he controls our lives. But what we do with this life, Langus, that's for us to decide. This bond is no excuse to remain bitter. If we're going to follow Maxime, then let's do it our way. With everything we are."

Langus inhaled deeply, trying to contain the storm inside him.

"I hate it... being forced. But you're right. I'd rather move on than sit here and complain."

Kaite smirked.

"Then stop sulking, Langus. And show this kid what you can do."

They exchanged a look, a fragile but real resolution settling between them. It wasn't a cheerful acceptance, but a pragmatic acknowledgement of their reality.

And under the starry sky, the weight of the contract binding them to Maxime seemed a little lighter.

The camp was silent, lulled by the crackling of the flames and the murmurs of tired mercenaries.

Most of the VentBois recruits were more discreet than usual.

Only Garen and Jean continued to chat with other mercenaries as before, such as Andrew and Charles.

For her part, Lira lay comfortably in Terry's arms. The two seemed surprisingly well-matched and deeply in love.

Yet that didn't stop them from chatting in this position with other mercenaries, the latter obviously not caring.

Only James liked to tease them.

There were a few bursts of laughter here and there, but most of the men and women preferred to enjoy the peace and quiet after the battle.

It had been a hard day, and the wounds, though tended, left the bodies sore and tired.

Maxime was sitting by the main fire, a bowl of stew in his hand.

He was eating quietly with Laura and other mercenaries at his side.

Aveline approached gently, a blanket over her shoulders and a thoughtful look in her violet eyes.

"May I sit down?" she asked softly.

Maxime nodded and patted the floor beside him.

"Of course, Lady Aveline."

Aveline smirked.

"Just Aveline, I've already told you."

Laura gave her a strange look, but quickly withdrew it, clearly not caring about Aveline.

She trusted herself and Maxime enough to know that no other woman threatened her position.

Or so she convinced herself.

For her part, after the day's events, Aveline had done a lot of thinking and told herself that this young man wasn't scary as long as he was on her side.

If he were really crazy, his men wouldn't respect him so much.

And... there wouldn't also be such a beautiful, strong woman by his side.

Only the enemies had to be afraid of him.

She just had to be careful not to offend him.

"Old habit," Maxime replied with a smile.

They remained silent for a moment, watching the flames dance. The shadows of the fire cast strange shapes on the surrounding trees.

"Your men respect you," Aveline remarked.

Maxime shrugged.

"They respect me because they know I care about them."

She nodded slowly, admiring the simplicity of his answer.

"You're a good leader," she said finally.

"And you, an impressive warrior. To hold out this long against a knight seasoned in the stage of small success like Kaite, you really have to be strong.

If he still had the same strength he had in the village of VentBois, where he fought orcs for the first time, then Aveline could have been stronger than him.

Aveline lowered her eyes slightly, a flicker of sadness darkening her gaze.

"My father didn't leave me much choice," she murmured.

Maxime frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Aveline pulled the blanket tighter around her, her hands clutching the fabric.

"I had two brothers," she began in a deeper voice.

"Strong, brilliant men, destined to take over the reins of our family. They died on the battlefield, one after the other. I was only a child at the time..."

Maxime remained silent, understanding that she needed to empty her heart.

"My mother died when I was born, from internal bleeding. So when I was born, as far as my father was concerned, I was the only one left."

She inhaled deeply before continuing.

"My father, Count Ardan, devoted all his time to making me what he thought was the only solution: a weapon. Not a daughter, not a noblewoman, not even an heiress... A knight, ready to fight and survive where my brothers had failed."

Maxime looked at her, feeling the weight of her words.

"He trained you hard," he guessed.

"Hard is an understatement."

As she said this, Aveline lowered her gaze slightly with a bitter smile.

Then she raised her eyes, as if scenes from her past were flashing before her.

"Days began at dawn and ended well after sunset. Swords, strategy, survival... all subjects having to do with war were discussed and developed."

"Even when he congratulated me, it was to push me to go further. I think he loves me, in a way, but..."

She paused, searching for words.@@novelbin@@

"But he never saw me as just a child. Only as an heiress who shouldn't fail."

Maxime nodded, respecting the silence that followed.

"It's a big responsibility," he finally said.

Aveline looked at him, then sighed.

"You know, Maxime, I'm not angry with my father, really I'm not. But sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if my mother had still been here... or if my brothers had come back."

"My childhood would have been so different and probably...with more love."

Maxime gently laid a hand on her shoulder, a simple but sincere gesture.

"You're so much more than what he wanted to make you. What I saw today is not a weapon."

"It's a strong, courageous woman who isn't afraid to put her life on the line to protect others."