Two fools.
"Karyo ordered after a few seconds' thought.
"Ok!" replied Jessica quickly, then left as if she were running away.
Karyo looked at the small crystal ball on his desk and placed his hand on it.
A dull star appeared on the crystal ball.
A faint sigh escaped from the desk.
...
Jessica stood at the top of the stairs, her mouth gaping at the chaos that had occurred in her absence...
"Rodrigo, come here! My sword thirsts for your blood!"
"Ernest it was just a joke!"
"A little joke!"
"There's no need to want my life, is there?"
The well-dressed man had already drawn his sword, while the well-built man fled in all directions.
The various customers avoided their path as best they could.
Maxime and his band of mercenaries looked on in amusement, laughing lightly at the exchanges between the two.
"It's too bad for Ernest that he left his gun at home haha!" exclaimed Peter, laughing loudly.
"I wonder why he left his gun at home?" said Andrew in a curious tone.
"A real man always keeps his gun close to him, it's his fault if he dies," muttered Izo, but everyone could hear him one way or another.
Maxime glanced at him and saw a glint of light on his sleeves.
"Pretty smart," he thought.
"It's a shame the guards got ours outside," James commented sadly.
"Yeah I really feel like I'm helpless, what a horrible feeling." said Ronny.
At the same time, the two men creating chaos headed towards Maxime's mercenary troop.
"Hey genius mercenaries, come and help me or I'm really going to die because of this damned nobleman!" shouted Ernest in a panic.
"Fuck you," Andrew replied dryly.
"What an idea to make noble friends too." thought Terry.
"Haha I'm coming anyway!" exclaimed Ernest, laughing as he came dangerously close.
Maxime sighed slightly, knowing that he'd have to act, or else their group's reputation would suffer.
But just before he took a step, noise came from outside.
"The town guard's here!" exclaimed one of the customers nearest the entrance.
"Tch." said Ernest, sheathing his sword.
"Haha I'll live another day Ernest!" laughed Rodrigo gleefully.
"Those who break Baron Barthon's rules, name yourselves and follow us!" shouted one of the men at the front of the newly arrived guard team.
A heavy silence fell over the room, but Ernest and Rodrigo quickly broke it by coming forward and walking towards the guards.
In any case, Ernest wouldn't have too much trouble, given his connections, so he moved with a light, carefree step.
Rodrigo didn't care either, since he was the victim, and with a friend like Ernest he was used to it.
"Ernest, Rodrigo!" intervened Maxime in a loud voice attracting all eyes.
"What do you want, peasant?" replied Ernest arrogantly.
On the other hand, Rodrigo looked rather curious, though he didn't answer.
"The saber-toothed tigers are recruiting soon. Come and I'll teach you how to become a strong man," replied Maxime with a smile.
But there was a slight arrogance in his words that irritated Ernest, while a glint of appreciation appeared in Rodrigo's eyes.
Ernest wanted to make a gesture, but finally held back as he was being watched by many people at the moment.
"If you really do have the kind of talent that would make even the best mercenary groups jealous, I'd certainly come," Ernest finally concluded with a curt tone before leaving.
Rodrigo nodded in agreement before leaving.
As they left, Andrew asked:
"Why recruit these two sick people?"
"Because they're interesting, so I want to see them on a battlefield."
"And because they're fun." continued Maxime with a cheerful smile.
"Fun? Is that really a selection criterion in our group?" thought Andrew, looking closely at Maxime.
Terry watched the scene, thinking of something to say, but finally restrained himself.
At the same moment Jessica arrived.
"Gentlemen, the manager would like to welcome you to his office. Please follow me upstairs," she invited, having regained her previous composure.
"Of course, we'll follow you," replied Maxime on behalf of everyone.
Walking for a few seconds, Maxime asked:
"Jessica, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, of course, I'll answer it to the best of my ability."
"You seemed really surprised that we have 3 2-star mercenaries and 1 3-star mercenary, is it really that rare?"
"Well yes, in this city with over 100 years of history, there may only have been 3 groups registering with such a large workforce. But more importantly, each of them already represented a significant force in the milieu, as several thousand mercenaries were affiliated with them."
Thinking for a moment longer, Jessica continued:
"Generally speaking, mercenaries with a potential of 2 stars or more seek to obtain a position with a certain status to go on the battlefield with people ready to protect them in case things go wrong."
"So small groups of mercenaries usually have no expert apart from the leader."
Maxime smiled slightly and said:
"Thank you for this valuable information."
After this brief discussion they arrived in front of the office door, but before stepping through it, Jessica paused for a moment.
"May I ask a question too?
"Yes, of course."
Jessica approached Maxime very closely and whispered innocently in his ear:
"How did you manage to attract so many experts close to you?"
She pulled back slightly and their eyes met as they were almost glued together.
A few seconds passed in this situation while the mercenaries next to them watched the exchange intently.
Noises from their throats could be heard.
"It's a secret," Maxime asserted, laughing lightly and breaking the atmosphere at the same time.
"Yeah," confirmed Jessica, pouting.
"Maxime and the others heard them through the door.
"Maxime replied loudly as he entered with his group and Jessica.
An hour later, they emerged from the door with broad smiles on their faces.
"Haha super chef! A 30% discount on the rent, that's more than we could have hoped for!" exclaimed James.
"Yeah, but we'll have to help this branch in case they have a problem. For the moment, we don't know if this business will be profitable for us," commented Terry.
"We'll see what the future brings," intervened Maxime with a brilliant look that made the whole group feel confident, while Jessica looked on in curiosity and shock at this mysterious leader.
At the same moment, a murmur was heard in the office:
"Eight 2-star mercenaries, one 3-star mercenary and a leader of unknown potential."
"Monsters. A group of monsters."
...
"Ernest."
"Yeah?"
"I thought you hated mercenaries?"
"Yeah."
"Well?"
"Maybe I'd understand them better if I stood in front of one."
"Okay."
"And this guy is interesting." finished Ernest with a deep look.
A few seconds passed in solemn silence.
"Are the bars of this prison that interesting?"
"Fuck you Rodrigo."