Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Chapter 119 Just before leaving for the capital

"That's why we have to be unpredictable. We're not going to take the route that was planned, we'll take detours to avoid this kind of thing happening."

"After all, with these families' pasts, there's bound to be spies everywhere."

"The only place where there are no spies is in our mercenary group."

She smiled softly, reassured, but one point still worried her.

"But they won't be the only obstacles..."

"Meaning?" asked Maxime, frowning.

Laura sighed.

"I was able to have a little chat with Aveline, since you were so busy..." as she said this Laura looked at Maxime with mischievous eyes.

But she quickly regained a serious air.

"She has no desire to marry, least of all to such a macho man."

Maxime didn't answer immediately.

After a few moments, Maxime explained his point of view.

"It's not our role to discuss and intervene in politics. All we have to do is escort her back to the capital alive. If she wants to run away from this wedding, it'll be up to her to find a solution afterwards."

Laura watched Maxime's face carefully as she approached.

Their faces were almost glued together.

"I know you now, and I think everything you're saying right now is wrong."

Her sweet voice, beautiful eyes and perfect face melted Maxime's heart.

And she was right, so Maxime didn't answer.

"Promise me one thing: if things go wrong, if things get too dangerous, you won't play the hero. It's your duty to your men and to yourself, Maxime."

Maxime continued to remain silent.

"Promise me, Maxime, please."

"If you won't do it for yourself and the others, do it for me."

He bit his lips; he himself knew how uncontrollable his emotions could make him.

It had happened in the past, and it would undoubtedly happen again in the future.

"Maxime, you can't make me go through moments again where you might die."

"You can't."

"You don't have the right."

Tears began to appear in Laura's beautiful eyes.

But Maxime answered nothing, his heart still conflicted.

He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep.

He knew that if the genius of the Valderic family dared to touch Avenline in front of him, and especially to hit her, he probably wouldn't be able to control himself.

It wasn't a matter of logic, but of value.

After a while, Laura sighed as she pulled her face away from Maxime's.

"Who made me fall in love with such a crazy man?"

Maxime smiled a slight spite, but it seemed Laura understood he couldn't give in on that ground.

Laura regained control of her emotions, but a gleam of concern remained in her eyes. She rested her head on his chest, and murmured:

"Then I'll stay with you, whatever happens. All the way."

Hearing these words, Maxime was touched, and decided to make her a promise.

"Don't worry, you'll always be my number 1 priority. If anything really happens, I'll guarantee your safety."

"Idiot."

In the soothed silence of the room, the two remained in this position, and fell quietly asleep.

On the morning of departure, the Sabertooth Tigers stood ready at the entrance to the academy.

The massive doors of the Purple Knight Academy were fully open, and the Saber-toothed Tigers, lined up in small groups, waited for Maxime to give the signal for departure.

10 horses loaned by the Count were snorting softly, and the murmur of conversation rose faintly in the cool morning air.

3 carts filled with food and water were lined up to the side.

"Everyone in shape?" asked Maxime with a smile, without raising his voice.

"Obviously, Chief, this isn't our first mission." replied Andrew.

"That's clear, especially since compared to what we've been through before, this mission is relatively simple." added James.

But Maxime shook his head, wanting to warn his men how dangerous this mission was.

"This mission might not be so simple, so don't let your guard down the whole way."

Some of the mercenaries frowned, including Tena, Ernest, Rodrigo, Henry and Ultia, who were beginning to think that Maxime had information they didn't have.

Others kept the same face, simply thinking that the future had already been mapped out, and that what had to happen would happen.

Among those who felt this way were Charles, Laura, Romuald, Izo, Terry, James and Piedro.

And then there were those who were already stressed and were now stressing even more since it was their first mission, such as Garen, Jean and Lira.

The latter stood slightly back from the main group. Their nervousness showed in their posture, and their low voices mingled with the discussions of the other mercenaries.

"So... this is going to be our first real mission," Garen breathed, tightening the strap on his armor for the tenth time.

"Do you think we're really ready?"

Jean, still calm and collected, shrugged as he adjusted the bow on his back.

"We're trained, equipped, and following the leader. Frankly, we should be fine."

"Yeah, but escorting a noblewoman, isn't that a bit... how can I put this... risky?" retorted Garen, grimacing.

"You know, with all this politics between powerful families," he continued.

Lira rolled her eyes at Garen's remark. She crossed her arms and murmured with a touch of impatience:

"Garen, you're kidding yourself. She's just an escort. We drop her off at the capital, collect our pay, and that's it. End of story."

"Yeah, but imagine if someone tried to attack her. "Garen insisted.

"We're talking about Aveline Ardent! She's important, isn't she? Like, she's a count's daughter."

"Besides, I heard that Count Ardent only had this one girl left in his family. He had two sons, but both died on the battlefield. And as if that wasn't enough, his wife died when she gave birth to Aveline."

"If anything should happen..."

Jean frowned slightly, glancing toward the rest of the group.

"Look, even if it did, we don't have to worry about it. The chief and the veterans will handle the situation if anything happens."

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Lira nodded, but her tone was softer this time.

"Look around you, Garen. We're surrounded by super-strong guys. Laura, Andrew, even James... they're all as strong as4th or 5th graders at the academy!"

"Whereas we're always struggling against first-year students..."

"Then stop stressing, you'll give us cold sweats."

Garen took a deep breath and looked at his two classmates, seeking some comfort in their words.

"You're right." he muttered.

"But you know, I keep thinking about what Maxime said earlier, isn't that a bit of a strange warning for an escort that should be straightforward?"

"What did he say?" asked Lira.

"He said: this mission might not be so simple, so don't let your guard down the whole way."

Jean shrugged to ease the rising tension.

"It's just him being careful. That's his job as chief."

"Yes." said Lira with a smirk, agreeing with Jean.

"Besides, if you ask me, he has to say that on every mission."

Garen tried to smile, even though his face still betrayed a hint of nervousness.

"Maybe you're right, but still... I've got a bad feeling about this."

Lira gave him a light tap on the shoulder, a mocking smile on her lips.

"Well, keep your bad feeling to yourself."

Jean gave a discreet laugh, and even Garen ended up smiling in spite of himself. The tone of the conversation softened, and the tension seemed to dissipate a little.

Simultaneously, the rhythmic clatter of a horse's hooves could be heard.

Garen turned his head first, intrigued by the sudden silence that had fallen over their comrades. What he saw left him speechless.

A young woman was approaching, mounted on a magnificent white horse.

Her blond hair, almost golden in the sunlight, floated lightly behind her, framing a face both gentle and determined. Her violet eyes, deep and luminous, seemed almost supernatural, as if she carried within her a glow from another era.

She was in light armor, finely engraved with delicate motifs, protective enough for battle, but elegant enough not to hide her slender figure.

A short cloak of royal purple, emblazoned with the Ardan family crest, rested on her shoulders, adding to her noble allure.

"By all the gods..." murmured Garen, unable to tear his gaze away.

Lira followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow as she caught sight of Aveline. But instead of Garen's naive wonder, she crossed her arms and blurted out, a little mockingly:

"What's this? A princess in armor?"

Jean, more pragmatic, watched Aveline carefully without commenting right away.

"Not just a princess." he finally replied.

"Look at her posture. She's holding the reins like she's used to riding."

Lira squinted, detailing Aveline more closely. She had to admit he was right. There was something about the way Aveline held herself, straight and confident, that betrayed a certain competence, or at least rigorous discipline.

"Maybe." Lira conceded.

"But that doesn't mean she knows how to fight. She's still a noblewoman."

Garen, for his part, wasn't even listening to their exchanges anymore. All he could see was a woman who perfectly embodied the chivalric ideal he'd heard so much about in the stories of his childhood.

"She looks invincible..."