Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 230: Start of the attack

"I'm counting on you."

The young man gave the baron a confident smile and then turned away.

"Come on, guys, it's time to see which of us is the strongest: our mercenary group 'The Lightning Blades' or the 'Saber-toothed Tigers'."

One of the men with a well-groomed mustache, resembling a butler, stepped forward with a confident air.

"There's no doubt about it, captain, we're bound to be the strongest. After all... each of us has the fighting power of a knight." he said, stroking his mustache.

The young man shook his head.

"These guys have a wyvern, let's not underestimate them."

But even as he said this, the young man still seemed very confident, as did his men.

This reassured Baron Barthon.

"I invested this money well." he thought secretly.

...

Meanwhile, on the side of Baron Irut's army.

Maxime and Baron Irut were on horseback, at the head of the army that was advancing slowly towards Baron Barthon's camp.

Not far from Baron Irut were Ron and Tersan, the two knights who served under his command.

Two knights at the stage of great success not to be underestimated.

Baron Irut himself was a knight at the stage of minor success.

As for Maxime, all his mercenaries were at the front of the main army, as if protecting them.

Kaite and Langus, wearing their black masks, followed Maxime very closely.

Andrew stood very seriously in front of most of the mercenaries.

Erwan and Lioran, wearing their masks, as well as Charles, Ultia, Henry, and Laura were at his side.

All of them were part of the main force in this battle, and were at the front in order to take the maximum pressure from the opposing army and minimize that of Baron Irut's soldiers.

This idea didn't come out of the blue, it was a request from Baron Irut. Once the battle was over, he promised Maxime 500 gold coins for this task.

Maxime didn't see any problem with it, and accepted immediately when the idea was put forward.

He wasn't afraid of running out of talented mercenaries, but he was afraid of ending up with mercenaries who were physically strong but incapable of fighting on a battlefield as a team.

Otherwise, in this situation, even if they were strong, they would be no better than orcs.

Moreover, after Baron Barthon's attack on the village, only 50 of the 80 mercenaries who resided and trained there remained.

More than 30 mercenaries had been lost forever, and just thinking about it made Maxime feel sick to his stomach.

They were really heavy losses.

But at the same time, he felt sincere gratitude towards Kavasta, who had given him the mysterious card that allowed him to unlock a new epic class.

Without it, he would never have actively searched for Maria, nor would he have formed a bond with her.

He would have arrived several days after the attack, and what he would have found... Even he didn't want to think about it.

Despite this, after last week's skirmishes, there had also been a few more casualties among his men.

After holding a ceremony for each of the victims and burning the corpses of his mercenaries, Maxime had no regrets.

The path of a strong man was made up of countless corpses, and those who followed him had all decided to follow him for their own reasons.

Those who survived the trials would naturally become stronger and more elite than those who had not experienced their baptism of blood.

And indeed, even though there were more than a thousand men under Baron Irut's command, in terms of aura alone, everyone knew that the true fighting power was in Maxime's hands.

In total, adding the 20 elite mercenaries who accompanied Maxime from Plouta, plus the VentBois recruits and the assassin troops of Duke Devron, the group of mercenaries under Maxime's command now numbered 90 men, all highly experienced and powerful.

As for Baron Irut, Ron and Tersan were the wild cards in his hands, ensuring that he always had a certain amount of influence in this battle.

The troop of more than 1,000 soldiers continued to march in discipline.

The morning light promised a beautiful day for many people, but this day would also be the last for many people.

The opposing camp came into view. Silhouettes were stirring behind the wooden palisades, and knights in armor could already be seen preparing for battle.

The heavy atmosphere of the impending battle began to weigh on the soldiers, but Maxime remained perfectly relaxed.

"So this is Baron Barthon's famous camp," he said lightly, his eyes quickly analyzing the position of the enemy troops.

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Baron Irut nodded, his face grave.

"It was originally a training camp that Ron had spotted a few months ago, but now it is definitely a military camp."

Maxime smiled slightly.

"After this battle, we will finally be able to discover how Baron Barthon managed to have so many knights under his command."

Both Maxime and Baron Irut were truly surprised when they learned that Baron Barthon had a total of 10 knights under his command, in addition to himself, who was a powerful and well-known knight.

Baron Irut's territory was only slightly smaller than Baron Barthon's, and yet he had only two knights under his command.

Having 10 was completely crazy, unless there was a particular reason that could explain it.

But it didn't matter, the battle was about to begin and it had to be won.

Baron Irut's army and the mercenaries continued to advance until less than 100 meters separated the army and the military camp

At that moment, Baron Irut raised his hand.

The whole army stopped momentarily.

Maxime took a deeper look at Baron Barthon's military camp.

"According to the information obtained over the past week, there should be at least 1300 soldiers, about twenty apprentice knights and six knights including Baron Barthon."

"But obviously, they are not all there. Numerous troops must be located in the center of the camp, ready to respond to our maneuvers and be deployed quickly."

However, Maxime was very confident.

As the skirmishes of the past week progressed and one victory followed another, the morale of Baron Barthon's troops was not high, and could even be considered low.

Maximus estimated, conservatively, that last week more than 700 soldiers, around 30 apprentice knights and 5 knights from Baron Barthon's troops had been killed or captured.

Almost half of the fighting force had been wiped out even before the main battle began, while Baron Irut's troops had lost fewer than 100 soldiers and no apprentice knights.

Even among his men, there had only been a few casualties after the Battle of Plouta while they were still leading the charge.

But in all cases, Maxime remained cautious and solemn. This was not due to his personality, but rather to the prevailing atmosphere, and he was not yet accustomed to it.

For indeed, the silence that preceded a battle was heavy. Each side sized up the other, whether it was Baron Irut's 1,000 soldiers and a dozen or so apprentice knights, or Baron Barthon's troops.

Sweating under armor and clammy hands were commonplace. Only experienced fighters like the Saber-toothed Tigers mercenaries seemed calmer.

But even they had hearts beating faster than usual.

Maximus, still at the front, looked over at his men. They were all focused, ready to fight. He could feel their determination, their thirst to prove their worth despite their racing hearts.

"Kaite, Langus."

The two masked mercenaries approached slightly, ready to receive their orders.

"We will strike first."

Maxime's heavy words echoed in the minds of the two mercenaries.

Langus nodded, while Kaite glanced towards the opposing army.

"I imagine you're calling us, captain, to lead a detachment and attack on a flank?" asked Kaite, very calm at the moment.

"Exactly, you and Langus, you will take twenty men and attack on their right flank. Be careful not to go deep into their camp, otherwise you risk being surrounded."

Kaite nodded.

"There will be attacks on the other flanks?"

Maxime gave a mysterious smile. This battle had been in preparation for several months by Baron Irut and he himself had discussed the battle plan at length with Baron Irut over the past week.

Nothing was left to chance.

"Yes, when the attacks on the other flanks begin, start breaking through the enemy lines."

Kaita nodded again without saying another word, then turned briefly to Langus, their eyes met and seemed to speak to each other.

Both were very solemn, as they had already taken part in such battles, and they knew very clearly that no matter what the appearances, all could be lost.

But this moment was very fleeting.

Kaite quickly began to call out the names of 20 mercenaries, all from Plouta, including Liam and Ivan.

Seeing this scene, Baron Irut glanced at Knight Tersan.

"As planned, take 300 men and 5 apprentice knights, and accompany the Saber-toothed Tigers in their attack."

Knight Tersan nodded, and made a few hand gestures while giving some orders.

A negligible part of the soldiers thus separated from the main army.

...

"Baron Irut and the Saber-toothed Tigers have begun to deploy their men," whispered Baron Barthon, still standing in his office.

The Lightning Blades were no longer there, and had already begun to position themselves.

Only three messengers stood behind him, kneeling and ready to pass on his orders.

"Tell my 5 knights and 500 men and 10 knight apprentices, who are still in the center of the camp, to take up position in the south."

The soldier who was tasked with delivering the message was surprised and couldn't help but ask:

"Will all the knights go and protect the south of the camp, sir? Who will then fight against the opposing knights in the west?"

Baron Barthon turned slightly, giving the soldier a frightening look.

The latter seemed to feel his head separate from his body for a moment.

Then the pressure momentarily subsided.

"Just do your job, and everything will be fine."

"Yes, sir." replied the soldier immediately, momentarily happy to still be alive.

Then he got up and ran to carry out his mission.

"The pieces are in place, now only God knows what will happen over the next few hours," thought Baron Barthon silently, while keeping a close eye on some twenty figures to the west of the camp.

Behind them, more than 1,000 soldiers were silently awaiting orders.

The walls of the military camp were made of wood, like a common village wall, and were less than a meter high. They were not even thick enough for the soldiers to stand on.

Thus the two armies could see each other completely.

Then Baron Barthon smiled, visibly filled with confidence.

"Once this battle is over, I could completely conquer Baron Irut's territory."

"Once this territory is digested, it won't be long, maybe only a few years and at most 10 years to conquer the territory of the other nearby barons."

Baron Barthon's eyes hardened.

"10 years... And I will become a viscount."

Then he clenched his fist, filled with determination.

"With this immense territory, and over the years, I will finally gain the strength to protect my territory even if an orc army appears."

"And maybe even becoming a great knight is not impossible."