Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Chapter 46 A pleasant night

The gentle rocking of the hammock and the sound of birdsong greeted him in the subdued light of the forest. His head was still reeling from the previous day's excesses.

Without looking down, Maxime quickly guessed that he was several meters up, the hammock tied between two trees.

"How could this happen?" sighed Maxime, feeling groggy.

He opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust his vision. The majestic trees towered around him, their leaves dancing gently in the wind.

A cool breeze caressed his face, bringing with it the earthy scent of the forest.

Then he felt a light weight on his chest.

Intrigued, he looked down to discover silky black hair splayed across his chest.

A woman, sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and calm. Her long hair cascaded down her torso, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding greenery.

He stood still, observing the delicate features of her face. A feeling of confusion mixed with curiosity invaded him.

Who was she, anyway?

How had she ended up there, with him, in that hammock suspended between two trees?

Every detail of the scene seemed unreal, like something out of a dream. But the warmth of her body against his and the soft perfume of her hair confirmed that it was all real.

Maxime remained motionless, enjoying the wonderful sensation of waking up with a woman in his arms.

Only a few items of clothing concealed their private parts.

Time passed quickly, during which Maxime enjoyed the gentle swaying of the hammock in the wind.

Life in the forest came to life as the birds sang, signifying the start of a new day.

But for the moment, Maxime wanted nothing more to do with it.

Drop in on Baron Irut?

Go to war to get stronger?

It was all bullshit. He simply wanted to stay here.

At the same time, he tried to remember the evening before.

A few flashbacks came to mind as he asked Organ and Laura a few questions during the evening.

At that moment, he was doing his job as chief and wanted to know more about his new men and what responsibilities he was going to be able to entrust to them.

He also wanted to know their aspirations.

He soon learned that Organ was very excited at the prospect of joining the mercenary group, since this opportunity would mean that, if he didn't die on the battlefield, he'd be able to enjoy life a little longer.

On the other hand, Laura was quick to admit that her life's goal was to find her lost sister.

But she didn't want to say any more, and clearly wanted to carry the weight of this mission alone.

Maxime, not wishing to rush things, moved on to another subject, and as time went by, the discussion passed very naturally between them.

Their laughter echoed through the festive evening, and noticing their complicity, no one disturbed the two lovebirds during the evening.

Time passed quickly, and then somehow what had to happen did, but Maxime couldn't remember how they'd ended up in that hammock.

With the flashback ending here, Maxime remained confused, but now he wondered how to interact with this woman in the future.

Suddenly, a slight movement was felt on his chest.

Looking down, he met her light green, almost emerald eyes. Her eyes seemed to reflect the sweetness and depth of his soul.

Maxime felt his heart beat faster, as if he'd found something important to him.

"I'll protect you," Maxime declared softly.

Laura blinked slightly, as if trying to understand both Maxime's words and what she was doing here.

After a few seconds, she remembered many things.

"Fuck you, Maxime, I don't need your protection," Laura replied firmly, her eyes menacing.

The mood changed so suddenly that Maxime found himself speechless.

Then he laughed so loudly that it woke up many of the mercenaries who had taken the earth as their mattress and the sky as their blanket.

Hearing this laughter, the mercenaries cast knowing glances at each other.

"The chief and Laura must have had a lot of fun last night," said one of them with a mischievous grin.

"The chef and the cheffette you mean now haha!"

"Cheffette or not, it makes no difference to us, either way she was far too strong for us to dare answer her!" said a former bandit with a laugh.

"Peter grinned, having spent the night out too.

Next to him was James. The relationship between them had grown closer during the evening, and they had even sworn an oath to become brothers.

"Surely only the chief is worthy of Laura here," James added, looking up at the sky.

...

While gossip was going on outside the grotto, Maxime finally finished his giggle.

"What's got into you?" asked Laura softly with surprised eyes.

"Nothing, it's just...you're perfect, don't change a thing," Maxime replied with a smile.

Laura also smiled in response.

"Just, do you know how we ended up in that hammock? I have hazy memories of that part of the evening."

Laura blinked innocently several times.

"No, absolutely no idea."

She said nothing more, for her the experience of the evening before was also a first for her.

But unlike Maxime, she remembered everything, and for the part about the hammock...she was mischievous and didn't wish to reveal the truth of what had happened.

"Hm...strange," Maxime thought, but didn't dwell on it.

A few hours passed, during which Maxime and Laura talked about everything and nothing.

Their laughter could sometimes be heard by the mercenaries, children and women outside the cave.

But unlike them, everyone began to work.

Some went off to cut down some trees to start building the huts, others made food, and a few washed their clothes and armor in a nearby river.

Izo, who was normally an extremely discreet person, never revealing his emotions, showed a certain talent for storytelling by teaching the children some important information about the outside world.

And he did so with energy and vigor, eliciting a few amused and surprised glances from the Quessoi mercenaries who had known him for some time.

For the children, this information was something extremely new, and they listened attentively with starry eyes.

These children, who had almost always grown up in the cave, knew for the first time what life was really like, and some even began to daydream.

"Uncle Izo, do you think I could ever become a royal knight?" asked a shy 8-year-old.

The other children also listened attentively, even some of the mercenaries had fun listening to Izo's stories while working.

"Good question. I couldn't tell you myself, since I've never been to the capital", Izo replied with a smile.

All the stories he told were simply what he'd already heard from the villagers of Quessoi, as well as what he'd heard recently when traveling with the saber-toothed tigers.

"However, what I know for sure is that as long as you follow the chief for part of your life and remain loyal to him, you can become absolutely anything you want!"

Speaking of Maxime, Izo's eyes filled with admiration.

He firmly believed that in this world, nothing could stop Maxime from reaching the top.

Of course, all this was on condition that he survived by his side for a few years, but he wouldn't tell children such details.

What these children needed right now was hope for the future that awaited them.

Izo also wanted them to stop worrying about going hungry and being captured at any moment by evil-doers.

The sun soon showed that it was time for lunch, and everyone happily made their way to the few pots filled with food.

The atmosphere was excellent, with everyone eating together, talking and laughing.

Maxime and Laura also joined them towards the end of the meal, prompting curious and mischievous eyes from the mercenaries.

Naturally, they arrived dressed in light armor.

Somehow, Laura remembered where their clothes were, which prompted a few questions from Maxime, but she managed to avoid them with some ingenuity.

At the end of the meal, Maxime stood up with a serious face.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a pleasant night."