Chapter 140 A wild evening
Chapter 140 A wild evening
"However we could become family if you join my mercenary group."
Dorian smiled in response.
"An interesting idea...but I refuse."
But Maxime still wanted to insist a little.
"Why not? You could be much happier than you are right now."
"Our mercenary group has already saved many innocent lives."
Dorian, however, shook his head.
"You don't realize the repercussions there would be if I joined your group."
As the eldest son of a Duke, Dorian's vision was much broader than Maxime's, who was currently just the leader of a mercenary group.
But Maxime was rather intelligent, and suddenly realized a few things from Dorian's words.
If a genius knight like him were to join them, it would imply that he himself was stronger than Dorian, and that he could also have knight-level mercenaries.
Duke Devron could directly link the failure of the ambush to his group of mercenaries, since until then he'd had no idea that mere mercenaries could repel a group of apprentice knights led by 3 knights.
Duke Valderic might also start paying unwanted attention to them.
In short, the group's reputation would grow far too quickly.
Maxime became pensive, his mind whirling under the avalanche of revelations and possibilities.
He set his glass down on the wooden table, his gaze fixed on Dorian.
"I see... You're not only a talented knight, you also have a brain that works pretty well."
Dorian shrugged with a mischievous smile and raised his glass to Maxime.
"So you say."
Then he drank his glass in one gulp and let out a big belch.
Clearly Dorian had left all noble superficiality behind.
Maxime, intrigued, leaned back in his chair.
"Tell me about the repercussions. What exactly would happen if you joined our group?"
Dorian the alcohol rising to his brain was beginning to find it hard to think about such profound things.
"Flemme to think, but believe me, you don't want your group caught in the middle of a succession dispute."
Maxime sighed at Dorian's state, but it also made him laugh.
"But why help me then? Why tell me all this if you're not going to join our group?"
Dorian stared at Maxime, smiling.
"Because, even if I can't officially join you, that doesn't mean I'm your enemy."
"Quite the contrary. You have enormous potential since you're not attached to any important family, but by the same token you're going to become a thorn in the side of many nobles."
"And I hate the idea of someone with your potential being crushed by the heavyweights of this kingdom."
Maxime's gaze softened; he sensed Dorian was sincere, but that didn't mean he was telling all.
"So, what do you propose?"
Dorian smiled, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head.
"A discreet alliance. No official promises, no contracts."
"If you need information, access to certain networks, or even a helping hand in the shadows, I'll do what I can."
"In exchange, I want you to stay true to yourself."
All this was bound to be more than interesting for Maxime, since building an information network was one of his ideas, and he'd already begun to do so by building his secret force.
But above all, this alliance was interesting because, on the surface, he had absolutely nothing to do with it.
So he didn't understand, he felt like he was using Dorian and being of no help to him.
"I don't understand, what good would it do you?"
Dorian seemed suddenly sober again as he stared at Maxime with sparkling eyes.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked with a puzzled smile.
"Maxime, I want you to change this world."
...
Silence filled the room, with only the sound of melting candles and the wind tapping lightly on the window and wooden walls.
The two men's gazes almost seemed to clash, but Maxime finally shook his head.
"Your demands are too great."
"No, I feel you're capable of it, Maxime," Dorian insisted with intense eyes.
"How can you be so sure? We hardly know each other," Maxima continued, refusing.
Dorian continued to drink his wine, but this time more moderately.
"Because I've been watching you and your men. And what I've found is more than astonishing."
At the same time, Dorian tapped his fingers excitedly on the table.
"How did you manage to get knights to join your ranks?"
Maxime didn't answer, and just stared at Dorian.
"Haha, to each his own."
"But a guy who comes from nowhere, who's barely come of age, he dares to challenge me, Dorian Valderic one of the best geniuses in this Kingdom, and on top of that he has many strong men from nowhere including 2 knights..."
"Are you the king's illegitimate son?" Dorian finally asked, laughing.
Maxime laughed too, but he knew that Dorian was warning him by gently mocking him.
His personal strength and that of his group had become far too powerful.
The day everyone knew his strength could be the day he died.
"No, unfortunately I'm not the king's illegitimate son and so I couldn't change the world."
"Yes you can, and you will," Dorian immediately replied with confidence and firmness.
"How can you be so sure?" asked Maxime.
"Because you've already started doing it, without realizing it." explained Dorian in a light tone.
"Meaning?"
Maxime was confused, not understanding what Dorian was referring to.
"Dancing with the only princess in the kingdom, doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Maxime opened his eyes wide at this.
"Are you talking about Selene?"
"Who else?" replied Dorian as if exasperated.
"You've unintentionally created a huge tsunami in the kingdom."
"No one had ever danced with the princess in public, no one had even spoken with her in private."
"But you did both these acts in the same evening, creating rumors not to be ignored in the capital and even in the Kingdom."
"And in the process you've made many of the kingdom's young nobles jealous and attracted the attention of the 6 princes."
"Some are already starting to say that the princess's heart was stolen by a commoner."
Maxime was suddenly embarrassed; he hadn't thought that a simple one-night stand would lead to so many consequences.
"The point is, the princess proved a fact without knowing it."
"People are naturally drawn to you Maxime, somehow you really do have charisma."
"Your actions are also in line with what the common people want right now."
Maxime didn't believe a word Dorian said.
In his opinion, without his talent there wouldn't be a single person who would follow him.
Without his talent, he would never have been able to accompany Aveline to the banquet, nor would he have met the princess.
Nor would he have talked and danced with her.
But time would prove him wrong.
What had to happen would happen.
It was not for nothing that Maxime was the man who had attracted the attention of a god who was once the most powerful of gods, and the goddess who had saved the universe.
"And what do the common people want?"
Maxime genuinely wondered.
"To feel safe."
"And for that, people will be willing to follow you and fight Maxime."
In saying this, Dorian had a real conviction.
He'd always had a particular instinct, as well as a very flexible brain.
He could more or less determine a person's fate after observing and testing them for a while.
And above all, he was ambitious and decisive, allowing both talents to be exploited to their full potential.
"Right now you have to be on the lookout to notice your talent, but you'll see that little by little enemies as well as friends will approach you."
"And whether you like it or not, you'll change this world."
"But to change it positively, you'll need my help." Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire
"After all, nobility controls this world."
"If you want to control this world, you have to bend to its rules. That means becoming a noble yourself."
"In the meantime, I'll be your noble support in this world."
Dorian took the time to explain a few things to Maxime.
"But how do you become noble?" intervened Maxime suspiciously.
"You'll find a way. You could marry the princess, for example," Dorian laughed.
"That's not a bad idea," Maxime replied seriously, sipping his drink.
"Wait, you don't mean it?"
But Maxime looked at him without looking like he'd been joking.
Even if he had Laura, there was nothing to stop him from having several women in this world.
And with his talent and good looks, he thought he'd have chances with all the women in the world.
"Why not?"
Dorian was speechless for a moment.
"Well, when are we going to do the face?" asked Maxime, downing his glass of wine in one gulp and holding it out to Dorian.
Dorian was taken aback for a moment by the surprising request.
Then he burst out laughing.
He also downed his glass in one gulp, then rose to grab another bottle of wine from the cupboard and uncorked it with ease, generously filling their glasses.
And so began a friendship between the sword prodigy from the Kingdom of the Frost Eagle and...