Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 60: Farewell (1/2)

All the mercenaries and soldiers fiercely blocked the men’s passage, even if it meant putting their lives in danger.

If these people were allowed to leave, then they’d only come back stronger next time!

Maxime positioned himself directly in the path of retreat of Ernest’s 3 opponents.

Several incoming mercenaries and soldiers stood not far from Maxime and the 3 apprentice knights.

Everyone knew that the most important thing was to kill Baron Barthon’s high-end power!

The 3 apprentice knights began to panic.

What’s more, they didn’t dare underestimate the young man in front of them after seeing so many young people with such monstrous power.

Armed with his sword, Maxime charged bravely towards the 3 apprentice knights, then confronted his sword with that of one of his opponents.

"What power!"

The apprentice knight at the stage of small success seemed surprised.

He had trained for years and years before reaching this level of strength and technique!

But he had just been pushed aside by a young man who looked to be only around 18 years old!

"Die."

The sword made a semicircle towards the apprentice knight’s neck.

"No!"

But no matter how much he didn’t want to see that sword come near him, it still continued in his direction.

Then, finally, the sword moved away from him.

Or rather, it was his head that moved away from the sword, while his body remained in the same place.

"The baron had told us that this would be an extremely simple mission, how could our squad have encountered so much resistance in an ordinary village?"

Had he known, he’d never have proposed his participation in this mission.

Looking back, he was full of enthusiasm, with a fierce desire to perform meritorious deeds to win the Baron’s recognition and receive more resources.

But that night his eyes were filled with regret.

It was a pity there was no medicine for regret.

"So weak."

Maxime had a physique exceeding 3 points counting bonuses, which represented a chasm compared to the mere apprentice knights in front of him who didn’t exceed 2.5 points.

What’s more, his mastery of the sword had already reached a milestone with Killian’s help, so the gap between the parties was enormous.

By rough calculation, Maxime was at least 30 to 40% stronger than apprentice knights at the entry stage or at the stage of minor success.

The two remaining apprentice knights immediately tried to escape, but at the cost of serious injuries, the mercenaries and soldiers who had positioned themselves managed to block them and even wound them!

With their help, Maxime put an end to the lives of the remaining apprentice knights.

Orac watched his men die one after the other, a look of anger and sadness on his face.

He also wanted to run, but every time he started to leave, Killian blocked his path.

At the same time, Killian surrounded Orac with Laura’s help.

Orac’s strength was similar to Kilian’s, so Laura’s help was the last straw.

Or rather, given her strength, it was another bucket of water added to the first!

Orac was completely submerged, her body full of wounds.

"You’ll pay dearly for this!"

"No one who dares offend the baron ends well!"

Orac was really furious at this point.

"Who offended whom? It’s your baron who should have thought twice before offending our chief."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Laura already knew the ins and outs of the case from talking to the former mercenaries.

Orac kept his mouth shut at this point; he also knew his baron’s plans for this group of mercenaries.

But who would have thought that this group would be so strong?

At the same moment, Laura took advantage of a loophole in Orac’s guard and cut his neck.

Orac’s head flew up, his eyes filled with incomprehension and anger.

Soon, only the mercenaries and soldiers remained.

The cold night wind rippled the tall grass, whistling softly between inert bodies and abandoned weapons.

The ground was littered with corpses, a landscape of death frozen under the stars.

Dented armor, broken swords and shattered shields lay on the ground, testifying to the fury of the battle that had raged hours earlier.

Very few of the enemy had had the chance to flee; those who had tried to escape had mostly been blocked or caught.

From now on, the only thing that remained was victory, but there was nothing glorious about it. It was heavy, silent, almost oppressive.

Maxime began to issue orders.

"Those who are slightly wounded, be sure to pierce all opposing bodies to make sure they’re dead, then take back everything of value.

"The apprentice knights dressed in black all hid iron armor, make sure you take them back, they’re precious."

"Those who still have energy, gather the bodies of our comrades at the forest clearing, in the same place where we had a duel with Killian."

Romuald, full of wounds but still very much alive, approached Maxime.

"What do we do with the corpses of Baron Barthon’s men?"

Romuald’s eyes were complex as he said this.

He knew most of these men, but the sword has neither wit nor wisdom.

"Let’s leave them here."

Answering this, Maxime’s eyes were deep.

Having ordered this, Maxime approached Andrew, who was still on the ground.

"Still alive?"

No answer.

Maxime gave a little kick.

"Who’s that? Leave me alone."

A faint voice finally emerged.

Maxime breathed a small sigh of relief.

"It’s your boss, get off your ass if you’re still alive."

"Maxime? No, the floor’s so comfortable... And so warm...I wouldn’t move."

"Idiot, you’re bathing in your own blood, of course it’s warmer on the ground."

"I don’t care."

Maxime laughed lightly, but he was still worried. Andrew had lost a lot of blood. Even though he had an extraordinary physique, it could be fatal.

"Somebody bring that idiot back."

Several mercenaries came immediately and lifted Andrew.

Andrew said nothing, seemed to have lost consciousness and was moved like a puppet by a few mercenaries, then taken back to town for treatment.

Maxime then went to Organ’s body.

Rodrigo was on his knees beside him, tears falling to the floor from time to time.

Maxime observed the scene for a moment, sensing the gravity of the moment, then gently knelt down beside his subordinate.

His knees sank into the still-warm earth, soaked with the blood of the dead.

Apart from the blood that continued to flow, Organ simply looked like an old man smiling in his sleep.

As if he’d found peace in this hell of iron and blood.

"He’s gone in peace," Maxime murmured.

He reached out a hand to the young mercenary’s shoulder, feeling the tension and sadness in his tense body.

Rodrigo clenched his fists, his dirty fingers digging into the damp earth.

"He had told me he intended to stay alive for a very long time yet, he wanted to see what it was like to have power."

"He believed in you, Maxime."

Maxime didn’t answer.

Silence fell again, a moment of contemplation that even the night winds seemed to respect.

All around them, mercenaries and victorious soldiers gathered their dead and dressed their wounds, but this corner of the field seemed strangely isolated from the rest.

"We’ll honor him, like all our fallen comrades tonight," Maxime said solemnly, rising to his feet.

"He deserves a farewell worthy of what he accomplished. But for now... we must move on. He would have wanted that too."

Rodrigo nodded, still perturbed, but determined.

"Thank you, Chief."

Before leaving, he leaned over and closed the old man’s eyelids, covering his face with a simple cloak.

Then, with one last look, he straightened up, his heart heavy but his shoulders straight.

Together they left that dark corner of the battlefield, leaving behind them the old man who now rested in peace, the smile still fixed on his lips as if he were finally living in a better place, far from the noise of battle and the fury of the world.