Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

"But if you don't have the shoulders for it, then this territory will be your grave."

Maxime hesitated for a moment while closing his eyes.

This was a truly extraordinary opportunity, because he knew something:

His first talent was so powerful that he didn't need to be a mercenary to get his blessing.

Anyone under his command could naturally benefit from [Nox Limit].

This meant that if he had a territory, all residents could potentially receive his blessing.

Namely that Maxime knew that the mercenary group model was difficult to sustain in the long term.

Or at least it was without a territory to support and give missions to the mercenary group.

This was also one of the difficulties for those who followed the path of the leader of men in the real world, and this explained the rarity of those who took this path.

And the larger the mercenary group became, the more the finances needed to feed and equip the mercenaries increased. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

But obtaining a territory could immediately alleviate some of this financial pressure or even erase it completely.

And one of the advantages of having a territory was that finding talent would naturally be much less difficult.

After a moment of reflection while closing his eyes, Maxime imagined a scene:

He stood alone before an army of hundreds of thousands of men, all extremely well equipped.

He himself wore resplendent armor, looking extremely majestic.

Flying monsters such as griffins screamed in the sky while some of his men rode them.

All the television channels in the world were filming him and his army, confronting all the invaders who dared to set foot on Earth!

No matter how many came, his troops exterminated them without fear or mercy.

Because this army could be resurrected every 24 hours!

At that time, it was literally a powerful and immortal army!

After imagining this scene, he opened his eyes.

"A hundred thousand men, eh?"

"Griffons?"

Maxime's pupils seemed to firm up.

"I'm still not ambitious enough."

"My army will have many more soldiers than that, and my men will ride dragons, not griffins.

Determination and resolution filled Maxime's eyes, and he stared at the king.

"Please entrust this territory to me."

The king nodded in satisfaction.

"Great, glad we can cooperate, Maxime."

It was only at that moment that the king, Arthur Ravenwood, recognized Maxime, and it was for that very reason that he began to call him by his first name.

Maxime shook the hand that the king extended to him.

"Glad to cooperate with the Kingdom of the Frost Eagle."

He didn't know at the time if he was really making the right decision, especially since he hadn't consulted his men at all.

But he wanted to try and experience the unique experience of being a lord.

In the worst case scenario, he would fail and come out of it a greater man, that was what he sincerely thought.

"But, your majesty, why give me Baron Barthon's territory?"

Arthur shook his head.

"No need to call me your majesty or king anymore, you can simply call me Arthur in the future in private circumstances."

"And to answer your question..."

"Because I needed a territory that was valuable enough and up to the task I was giving you. And my friend Victor informed me of this baron's unscrupulous dealings a while ago."

"So it became the perfect opportunity."

But on hearing this, Maxime was more than surprised.

"You knew about Baron Barthon?"

He sincerely thought that only nearby barons such as Baron Irut knew about it.

At that moment, Count Ardan intervened.

"How could a lord not know what is happening on his own territory? Unless he is incompetent, he must have his own sources of information."

"Without information, you can't control your territory and make wise decisions."

"Theoretically, as long as you have enough valuable information, you can control the world."

On hearing Count Ardan's words, Maxime agreed. But he knew that information could be a double-edged sword.

If you could control people with information, others could do the same to you.

There were endless examples of this on Earth.

"I see, and you intend to do something about Baron Barthon?" Maxime finally asked.

If the king or Count Ardan could intervene, Maxime would be relieved.

In truth, he didn't know exactly how to handle the situation, even though he currently had greater military power than Baron Barthon.

Or at least, that's what Maxime thought. As far as he was concerned, his group of mercenaries could even defeat a viscount's army as long as they used guerrilla tactics.

Because even a baron had an army of at least 1,000 men, several dozen apprentice knights and generally 2 to 3 knights if not more.

As for a viscount's army, these figures could easily be multiplied by at least 3 to get an approximation of a viscount's military strength.

But in any case, even if Maxime was confident of winning against Baron Barthon, he did not think it would be without casualties in his ranks.

So, if it were possible to avoid casualties, it would be preferable.

"I will write a document stating that I approve the creation of an independent territory on my lands and that the noble status of the Kingdom of the Frost Eagle no longer has any effect on these lands. But that is all I am going to do."

"It's up to you to prove your own political skills. Without them, you are not worthy of becoming a lord and you will fall faster than you think, despite the military force at your disposal."

What Maxime did not know was that the king was even aware of the transactions between Maxime and Baron Irut, although he did not know the details.

But it was enough for the king to know that even if Maxime's political skills were poor, his intelligence and interpersonal skills would make up for it. And in the short term, it was enough for a small territory.

Maxime nodded slowly as he heard the king's response. He understood that this territory was given to him as much as an opportunity as a test. The man in front of him was not offering him a gift; he was throwing him a challenge.

"I understand, Arthur." He paused before adding,

"I will prove that this decision was the right one."

Arthur Ravenwood smiled.

"That's what I expect from you."

After talking for a while, Maxime bowed his head slightly in greeting, then took a few steps back before turning and leaving the room.

As he closed the door behind him, he let out a slight sigh.

He had just crossed a point of no return.

Until now, he had been nothing more than a mercenary, an independent fighter who answered to no one. But by accepting this territory, he was taking on a role far more extensive and complex than that of a simple mercenary.

He would no longer be responsible only for a band of warriors, but soon for an entire people.

"What can I even call this territory?"

"And what would I be? A king? That would be a bit awkward..."

The weight of this thought hit him as he walked down the corridor. The excitement was still burning inside him, but a doubt remained.

He knew how to lead on a battlefield. But how to manage a territory? Manage civilians, negotiate with nobles, ensure the economic stability of an entire region?

"I guess I'll have to learn, and fast."

Baron Barthon had no idea that a young boy not even half his age was already thinking about how to manage his territory.

When Maxime went outside, his men were not there.

"I wonder where they've gone to train?"

Maxime was certain that even if he had announced that today was a day of rest, his mercenaries would not relax and would train anyway.

However, a familiar figure was still outside, so he naturally went to meet him.

The latter was still training the apprentice knights.

"What's the point of training if you don't give your all with every movement you make!? It's completely useless!"

The apprentice knights on the training ground, all of them swinging their swords, replied simultaneously:

"Yes, instructor!"

The instructor's voice rang out again.

"You must put all your energy and soul into every blow you strike, that's the only way you will improve!"

"Yes, instructor!"

"Otherwise, don't expect to become a knight with your talents! Only perseverance and a strong will can make you knights!"

"We're going to become knights, instructors!"

Maxime arrived at that moment at the instructor's side.

"Professor, it's been a long time. Do you want us to train together?"

Instructor Alaric turned to Maxime and smiled.

"My old bones were starting to rust. You're just in time."

He did not intend to ask Maxime what had happened with the king and the count, because although it intrigued him, he was only a knight.

The king's business was not something he would dare to touch.

"Theo, you take on the role of instructor while I'm away."

"At your service, instructor!"

After leaving a few words, Maxime and the knight Alaric went to the private training yard, the same one in which they had both trained in the past.

As the knight Alaric was one of the strongest knights in the kingdom, ranking firmly in the top 5, his mastery of the sword was always something that Maxime admired.

The two took a wooden sword and assumed their positions.

"Have you improved since Maxime?"

"A little, yes." he replied with a provocative little smile.

Of course, he would limit his strength. The goal was to improve his swordsmanship, even if only a little.

"Then let this teacher see how much progress you've made since then," said Alaric before rushing towards Maxime.

The two thus began to fight, having hours of fun like children.

It was not until sunset that the two stopped completely.

As he wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel, Alaric felt exceptionally good.

"You've really improved a lot. Normally, it would take even a talented knight years to improve that much. How did you do it?"

"With a little more than average talent and training, anything is possible." Maxime replied, teasing Alaric.

He couldn't tell him that he had been fighting for several days on a dimensional battlefield.

Combined with his passive traits conferred by his swordsman class as well as the passive of his talent [Nox Limit], his sword mastery had skyrocketed and had already reached the 50 points of level 3.

Another 50 points, and his swordsmanship would reach level 4, which was synonymous with being a sword saint in the Kingdom of the Frost Eagle.