Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

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

Aveline looked at him, surprised by his words.

"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

"Certain." he replied with conviction.

"Otherwise you wouldn't have come to help me against two exceptional knights. You could have just let me face these two knights alone without endangering your life."

They stayed like that for a while, sharing a moment of complicity while the mercenaries nearby ate quietly.

Aveline finally stood up, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

"Thank you, Maxime.

"No worries, I wish you a good night, Aveline."

She walked away to her tent, and Maxime sat for a moment, thoughtful.

"She's got a pretty dark past," Laura commented, setting down her empty bowl and putting her head on Maxime's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's pretty peculiar." replied Maxime simply, putting his arm around Laura's waist.

He understood better now why she seemed so distant at times, and why she wore armor not only on her body, but also around her heart.

At daybreak, Maxime summoned Kaite and Langus to a secluded spot near a stream that meandered at the foot of the camp.

The murmur of the water drowned out their voices, shielding them from prying ears.

"It's time to talk about your captured men," Maxime announced quietly.

He didn't need to appear to be anyone in front of them now, he could just be himself.

Kaite nodded thoughtfully. Langus, for his part, seemed more hesitant.

"They have sworn fealty to the Duke," he said.

"Even if they join us, they could betray you at any time."

Maxime smiled.

"And that's where you come in. You've been like them. You know how they feel. You know that they only see us as a group of mercenaries, but you have to explain to them that we're more than just a group of mercenaries."

Kaite nodded.

"If we explain to them that their deaths won't change anything except bring sadness and desolation to their families, it might change their minds."

Maxime nodded.

"I'm going to offer them an opportunity. A new life, far from the chains of their oaths."

"A life that will have far more value and potential than they could ever have dreamed of."

"But it's up to you to plant that seed of doubt towards the duke in their minds."

Langus took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. Kaite, on the other hand, already had a plan in mind.

Clearly, both Langus and Kaite had resigned themselves to reality.

They would forever be subordinates of the young man in front of them, and no longer of Duke Devron.

Twenty minutes later, the ten apprentice knights, captive and unarmed, were gathered in a clearing away from prying eyes.

All were on their knees, hands tied behind their backs.

On most faces, it was impossible to see any expression.

Before they were apprentice knights, they were soldiers.

When they had taken this path, they knew that death was an option not to be ignored.

But when they saw Langus and Kaite before them, equipped with weapons and in good shape, some of them couldn't help but feel a hint of anger mixed with a sense of betrayal.

Langus and Kaite stood facing them, the former grave, the latter impassive.

Langus spoke first, his voice calm but tinged with emotion.

"I know how you feel. Anger, humiliation... the desire to see us dead to clear your honor." He paused, gauging their reactions.

Some looked away, others stared at him with a mixture of contempt and curiosity.

"I, too, have been in your shoes," he continued.@@novelbin@@

"Loyal to the Duke, ready to die for my ideals... until I understood one thing. Until now, I didn't live for myself, I lived for others."

Kaite, taking over, stepped forward, his eyes piercing every glance.

"Langus is right."

"If you die here, your families will never know what happened to you. Your names will be forgotten and the duke will simply train other men to succeed you."

"Meanwhile, your family will mourn your death without comfort from anyone."

"Your parents will die in sorrow, your children will grow up without a father or mother, and your brothers and sisters won't be able to share their lives with you."

She paused, letting the words sink in.

"But there is another way. Maxime, our leader, is ready to offer you a place among his mercenaries."

"You'll have a new family here, and in the future you'll be able to visit your family as you wish."

"In the short term, to guarantee your safety and that of your loved ones, we will pass you off as dead. That way your families will be protected, safe from reprisals."

The apprentice knights, some of them middle-aged, exchanged troubled glances. The idea of betraying their ideals was unbearable for some, but the prospect of death, useless and cold, weighed heavily.

Many of them were touched by Kaite's words.

Especially those with children.

As they thought of their cute little faces becoming so sad upon hearing of their death, they couldn't help but feel as if an arrow had been thrust into their hearts.

And who would protect them in the future?

In this world, there was no law to protect commoners like them.

If someone wanted to harm them, without their presence, it would be very simple.

After Kaite's explanation, Langus resumed and concluded, his voice firmer:

"I ask you to consider what you can accomplish by staying alive with this group of mercenaries."

"For the mercenary leader possesses a magical talent that will enable you to reach previously unimaginable heights."

"For example, becoming a knight."

Langus's voice resounded among the captives with great impact.

Surprise and shock could be seen on the faces of the apprentice knights.

What was the dream of most apprentice knights?

It was a simple question.

90% of them had the dream of becoming a knight.

To become a knight was synonymous with glory, strength and wealth.

Who wouldn't?

Now they understood better why these mercenaries were so strong and had been able to defeat them so easily.

Their leader's magical talent must have been particularly powerful!

After a long moment of silence and reflection, Maxime appeared at the edge of the clearing, advancing slowly towards them.

He stopped near Langus and Kaite, passing them by a few paces to face the captives.

"I know Langus and Kate's words aren't enough," he began, his voice calm but authoritative.

"So let me be clear: I'm not making this offer out of kindness. I see potential in you, and I hate to waste talent."

He placed both his knees on the ground, as if to level the difference in status between them.

He then found himself at the same height as them.

"It's not a life of submission I'm offering you. It's a chance to become something greater, under a banner that respects your strength and ambitions."

"Accept, and I promise you two things: your past will remain buried, and your future will be yours to build."

The apprentice knights, though reluctant, began to think.

Kaite and Langus continued to convince them, and gradually some showed signs of acceptance.

Maxime straightened up, observing their inner transformation. The seeds had been sown, and soon a new blaze would be born.

After that, everyone had a meal for lunch, including Duke Devron's former men.

However, all had covered themselves with black masks covering most of their faces except for their mouths.

With their elite equipment, they were definitely intimidating.

Fortunately, these were the masks Percival had bought on the way to ambush the sSaber-toothed Tigers.

So even if Duke Devron himself saw these masks, he wouldn't recognize the people wearing them.

The atmosphere at breakfast was quite special, with the mercenaries observing their new allies with some reservations.

The latter remained equally silent, still pondering the many implications of the change in their allegiance.

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After breakfast, Maxime ordered the men to break camp and resume their march.

There were still 2 days to go before they reached the capital.

The group of mercenaries moved silently along the rugged path, the hooves of the 10 horses striking the dry earth, punctuating their progress.

The newcomers, these masked knights and apprentice knights, walked among them like shadows.

They had somehow blended into the group, but their bearing betrayed a different discipline.

Their movements were precise and controlled, their posture upright, as if they still carried the weight of their former honor, despite the anonymous masks that hid their faces.

Noticing this too, the mercenaries unwillingly began to adopt this discipline.

After all, they looked much stronger and more cohesive walking this way.

Come to think of it, when they used to walk, you might have thought they were just a group of bandits, given their chaotic gait.

Maxime had never taken part in team training and discipline courses, as personal strength was favored.

However, the mercenaries had not yet fully accepted their new masked allies.

They watched them with suspicion.