Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 72: Recruit Henry and Ultia!

"And that’s precisely why we can’t fail that every step must be carefully calculated."

As they chatted, Ernest entered the tent, his bow strapped securely to his back. Enjoy exclusive chapters from novelbuddy

At his belt, a sheath housed his sword.

Although he had made significant progress in the art of sword fighting, he wasn’t ready to give up his bow. With it, he could accomplish things that the sword couldn’t, and the bow held inestimable sentimental value for him.

With a quick glance, he assessed Maxime and Laura.

"You look preoccupied. Is something going on?" he asked matter-of-factly.

Maxime looked up at him, a discreet smile on his lips.

"Nothing to worry about. We’re just getting ready to head south."

Ernest frowned, a gleam of skepticism in his eyes.

"Have you thought about the distance? How long a walk is that? Not to mention the strength of the orcs and what our allies can really bring?"

Maxime replied with a soothing smile, which allayed Ernest’s concern a little.

"Absolutely not," he said with a touch of irony.

Ernest sighed deeply.

"It’s far too chaotic..." he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

"We do have a plan, though," Maxime replied, visibly more sure of himself.

Laura and Ernest exchanged a glance, before staring again at Maxime, eager to listen attentively.

Maxime, having obviously already thought everything through to the last detail, continued:

"To begin with, we’ll be taking only the elite with us. Twenty men at most."

Ernest nodded as Maxime continued.

"The rest of the troops aren’t ready yet. There’s no point in sending them to the slaughterhouse when they can still make rapid progress with a little more training. Besides, in a vast battlefield like the one ahead of us, having too many people would only make us more visible to the enemy. We’d risk attracting them unnecessarily while slowing our progress."

Maxime paused, glancing confidently at Laura and Ernest.

"And there’s another advantage to leaving our troops here."

Laura frowned slightly, intrigued. Maxime continued in a calm but determined tone:

"By leaving a garrison in Plouta, the village will remain protected. This way, Baron Barthon won’t take the risk of launching a hasty attack if the village is still well guarded."

He let a brief silence settle before concluding:

"We can entrust the management of the situation to Killian in our absence. In the event of an attack, agile and hardy mercenaries will be able to quickly warn Knight Ron."

Ernest remained silent for a moment before replying.

"So be it, as long as you know what you’re doing."

As the conversation between Maxime, Ernest and Laura drew to a close, a slight noise was heard in the doorway. Ernest immediately turned his head, still on guard, while Maxime squinted, intrigued.

The wooden door opened softly, revealing two familiar figures: Henry and Ultia, two of Baron Irut’s young apprentice knights.

Maxime watched them curiously.

"Henry, Ultia... what are you doing here?"

Henry, the first to step forward, held Maxime’s gaze without flinching.

"We’ve thought long and hard," he began, his voice full of determination.

"And we’ve come to a decision. We want to join the Sabertooth Tigers."

Maxime crossed his arms, wary.

"You want to leave Baron Irut to join us? You know that the life of a mercenary is far riskier than that of an apprentice knight. What drives you to make such a choice?"

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Ultia, more reserved but just as determined, spoke up in turn.

"We’ve seen what you can do. It’s not just about fighting or battles."

She stared at Maxime, her gaze piercing.

"It’s because of you, Maxime. We know you have a special talent. A talent that could make us stronger."

Maxime raised an eyebrow slightly.

"My talent?" he said, feigning surprise.

Henry took another step forward, his eyes shining with ambition.

"We’ve seen with our own eyes ordinary people quickly become stronger just after joining your mercenary group. And we want to get stronger too."

Ernest, who until then had been watching in silence, leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

"So you think Maxime can offer you more than Baron Irut?"

Ultia spoke up.

"We’ve learned all we can in the Baron’s service, and despite our titles as geniuses, we know that our talents will allow us at most to become knights, and even then, the odds are still against us."

"But Maxime, you and your group have something different. If we want to go beyond our limits, we feel this is the place to do it, with you."

Maxime remained silent for a moment, measuring their words.

Laura, who had been watching the scene with growing interest, finally spoke up.

"You know it’s not that simple. Just because you join our group doesn’t mean you’ll become stronger overnight. There’s a price to pay, sacrifices to be made."

Henry nodded without hesitation.

"We know that. But we’re willing to do anything to go beyond our limits."

Ultia added, her tone serious:

"Baron Irut trained us, but he can’t give us what you can. We’ve seen what you’re capable of, and we want to fight alongside you."

Maxime stared at them for a long moment, assessing their sincerity.

The gleam of determination in their eyes was undeniable, but he knew this path wasn’t for everyone. Being a mercenary, especially with the Saber-Toothed Tigers, was more than just a career choice.

It was a total commitment, a way of life where every decision could be a matter of life and death.

Finally, Maxime took a deep breath and replied in a calm but firm tone:

"Very well. You want to join the Saber-toothed Tigers, but know one thing: My talent simply amplifies what you already have, so it doesn’t create things out of nothing."

Henry and Ultia exchanged a knowing glance before replying in one voice:

"We’re ready."

Maxime thought again despite their words, stealing two promising young geniuses from Baron Irut was not something glorious.

"We might as well see their potential first, then make a decision," Maxime thought silently.

[Recruitment condition met, apprentice knights Henry and Ultia have expressed a wish to join the mercenary group, the Sabertooth Tigers, do you wish to accept them?]

"Yes."

[The apprentice knights Henry and Ultia have been successfully recruited].

[You can view their profiles at any time].

"Show me their physique, their talent and above all their potential."

Henry: Four-star potential. Weak knightly talent. Physical: 2.1

Ultia: Four-star potential. Weak knightly talent. Physical: 2.1

"Pardon!?"

Maxime suddenly stood up in surprise, drawing all eyes to him.

"Impossible, it’s impossible that they have four-star potential!"

Simultaneously Henry and Ultia looked at each other doubtfully, sensing that something had changed deep inside them.

"Maxime, what’s wrong?" asked Laura with doubt clearly visible on her face.

Maxime ignored her completely, calmed down and plunged into his thoughts.

"In terms of probability, it’s almost impossible to find a three-star talent other than Charles in the area."

"Nor do I seem to have heard that Henry and Ultia had better strength than other children of the same age when they were small."

"Then why?"

He’d never heard of such a thing in class.

Then Maxime suddenly thought of something.

"Could the knighting talent modify the mercenary talent to some extent?"

"Or rather, does the mercenary talent automatically adapt to the person’s physique?"

"No, otherwise Romuald would also have 3-star potential since he’s exceeded the limits."

"But the breathing method is ultimately something that can be considered extraordinary."

"Perhaps the very principle of the breathing method is to improve potential..."

Maxime seemed to have touched on something he should never have known.

But he was excited by this discovery.

"So all apprentice knights must have 3-star potential!"

"And more importantly, that would mean that a knight would then have 4-star potential, and if I managed to recruit him, then he would have 5-star potential?"

"5 stars!"

Maxime’s eyes were full of stars.

It seemed that his talent was surprisingly compatible with this world!