Chapter 47
Hearing this couldn’t help but cast curious glances at Maxime.
Noticing these glances, Maxime quickly moved on, coughing slightly.
“In less than an hour I’ll be leaving with Andrew, Rodrigo, Ernest, Piedro and Terry for the town of Hypocamp to meet Baron Irut.”
“We’ll probably stay there for a few days.”
“During that time, everyone will be under Romuald’s direction.”
“When we return, I hope there will be some progress.”
“By the same token, I’d like to welcome our new comrades to our mercenary group.”
On hearing these words, the former mercenaries applauded the arrival of the former bandits.
Some even whistled to add a little atmosphere.
The new mercenaries seemed happy to be joining Maxime’s group, especially after noticing that certain constraints on their bodies seemed to have disappeared and that their training would be several times more effective in the future.
Maxime continued to talk for a few minutes, getting things organized before he left.
Once the meal was over, and everyone was back to their duties, Maxime equipped himself for the departure to Hypocamp.
Andrew, Rodrigo, Ernest, Piedro and Terry also geared up, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“All right guys, are you ready?”
Everyone nodded.
The moment having come, Maxime went to kiss Laura discreetly and quickly under the amused gazes of his fellow passengers.
Then they set off together for the town of Hypocamp.
It was 80 kilometers to the city, but with their exceptional physique and the fact that they were traveling light, Maxime had planned to arrive in the evening.
In the forest, they ran slowly due to the vegetation and lack of visibility, but once out, they could simply take the beaten dirt roads created for transporting goods between the various villages and towns.
This way, when they saw a small band of 6 armed men traveling light, no one dared stop them.
As the moon shone down on the world, Maxime and his comrades reached the top of the hill just opposite the town’s entrance.
From where they stood, the mercenaries could see the thick stone ramparts surrounding the town, a vestige of the days when cities defended themselves against invaders.
Whether human or not.
Ahead of them, the dirt road led up to the main gate, massive and made of dark wood, barded with fittings rusted by the years.
On either side of the entrance, round towers stood with a few torch-bearing soldiers, watching for the slightest suspicious movement outside.
The cool evening wind brought with it the scent of damp earth and wood fires, a familiar aroma to Maxime’s companions.
From their vantage point, the faint sounds of nightlife could be heard.
The muffled sound of conversation in the taverns, the distant neighing of horses in the stables, and occasionally, the metallic clink of an anvil, perhaps from a blacksmith working late.
They made their way down towards the town, and soon arrived not far from the town’s entrance gate.
At this hour there wasn’t much traffic, so the 6 men were quickly spotted by the soldiers.
As they approached within a few meters of the gate, a dozen soldiers intercepted them.
Among them, a soldier stepped forward and greeted them.
“Welcome to the town of Hypocamp, may we know the reason for your visit?”
Maxime advanced towards the soldier while his men remained at their position.
“We’ve come here to meet Baron Irut.”
The soldiers were surprised, and their leader whispered something in the ear of one of them, who immediately ran off.
He returned thirty seconds later and whispered something to the soldiers’ leader.
The latter seemed surprised.
“We’ve confirmed your identities. You can go back to town, but please remember not to disturb the peace, otherwise we’ll be forced to intervene and apply the corresponding sanctions.”
As he said this, the leader looked slightly menacing.
Maxime’s face looked a little grim at being threatened in such a way when he’d been invited here in the first place.
But he held his breath.
“We understand. Let’s go, guys.”
Maxime walked through the crowd of soldiers without giving them another glance, but Andrew and Rodrigo cast cold glances at them.
Of course, they said nothing that might aggravate the situation.
After all, they were on someone else’s territory, and they’d come here to do important business.
So no one wanted to spoil things.
They headed straight for the baron’s residence, but as they didn’t know where it was, they asked the locals they met along the way for directions as they went along.
It deserved to be the capital of a baron’s territory, and even though it was night, the town was far from quiet.
The taverns, scattered throughout the town, formed the epicenter of a certain nocturnal effervescence.
Maxime passed a tavern called Les chasseurs de cerfs, located near the main square in the center of town.
Its large, solid wooden tables covered with delicious dishes, mugs of mead and spiced wine seemed particularly appealing to those mercenaries who had been traveling for a long time. Loud laughter and bawdy singing could always be heard, while the waitresses moved skilfully between the customers.
Maxime glanced at his comrades and said:
“Well-deserved rest, let’s take a walk and fill our stomachs.”
Everyone was happy to hear these words.
Indeed, after running for over 6 hours, they were all starving.
Their peculiar clothes and bad smell drew disgruntled glances from some customers.
But when they saw their weapons strapped to their waists, no one said anything and the party went on.
A waitress greeted them.
“Welcome deer hunters, there are six of you correct?”
Maxime nodded, and the waitress led them to a table that had just been vacated by a few customers.
“So what would you like?” asked the waitress.
“Bring a dozen of your dishes please,” replied Maxime, without bothering to look at the menu.
A dozen dishes for 6 people might seem like a lot, but even Terry, who had the weakest physique, was considered strong among elite soldiers.
Their bodies demanded a lot of energy, not to mention the fact that they had already exerted themselves on the way.
They were soon served several delicious dishes by a couple of waitresses.
“Bon appétit, dear customers!” one of them said softly with a big smile before heading back to the kitchen.
As he ate, Maxime discreetly asked:
“So, guys, what do you think about getting involved in this business?”
Obviously, Maxime wasn’t going to mention Baron Irut’s name on his turf.
Andrew stopped eating.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of becoming a mercenary since I joined you, and I think the very meaning of a mercenary group is to wage war, no matter what side you’re on.”
Rodrigo and Ernest nodded as well.
“I’ll speak for Rodrigo too, as we’ve already discussed it a little, but for us it’s a wise decision. It’s only in this kind of conflict that the group can grow further and we can gain in renown,” declared Ernest as he continued to eat delicately.
Maxime nodded and looked at Piedro and Terry.
Terry spoke first.
“For us Maxime, it’s like you’re giving us a second life, because if you hadn’t passed through our village, we’d have died that day like everyone else.”
Piedro nodded and added:
“We’ll follow you in everything you do.”
Maxime was somewhat relieved to hear these words.
After all, he alone had decided the fate of some sixty people by taking them to war.
After talking about the subject for a while, they began to tell a few anecdotes about what had happened last night.
Maxime was also treated to a few mischievous jokes from his men.
As they continued to laugh, eat and drink in good spirits, a group of people burst into the tavern.
But Maxime and his men didn’t notice the movement and carried on talking and laughing.
“What the hell do you mean there’s no more room?” shouted a bald man with a long scar on his face.
The waitress was intimidated.
“I’m sorry, but at the moment we’re fully booked. Feel free to come back later.”
The bald man and his friends didn’t seem satisfied and scanned the tavern with their eyes.
He quickly noticed some unfamiliar faces at the back of the tavern.
6 young men, one with blond hair, another with blue hair and yet another with red hair.
There was also one young man who looked particularly short and skinny.
Only the remaining two looked particularly strong, but for the bald man they were the perfect targets.
Without hesitation, he advanced towards Maxime’s table, jostling the waitress and knocking her to the floor.
“Move over, this is our table now.”