SOTBW - 69

The exiled citizens lived in Noctis as residents but needed citizenship to send their children to school or use the clinic when they were sick. Without citizenship, they couldn’t attend school and had to pay twenty lirangs each time they visited the clinic, in addition to the treatment fees.

It was also impossible to live wherever they wished, and any crime would lead to expulsion or execution. Even if they were falsely accused, their fate was sealed.

Occasionally, wheat and barley were distributed at the fortress, but without citizenship, they couldn’t receive it. When young girls were kidnapped, most of the time, they were just marked as missing, with no investigation taking place. If one gained citizenship, they couldn’t avoid conscription, but in a world like this, it was clear what would be beneficial in the long run.

Jacob believed that Maximón had made a winning proposal, so he spoke confidently.

“Of course, citizenship only grants rights within the fortress. If you leave, you’ll return to the status of a resident. But I believe you understand just how significant that is without me needing to explain.”

“Then, with all those benefits included, what about the Seriths eyes...?”

“Twenty would be appropriate,” Maximón said.

The mercenaries exchanged glances. Jacob, sensing that things were going well, eagerly pulled them in and even mentioned the reward written in the contract.

“There’s also compensation. For every mission in the field, Noctis will pay the mercenaries seven lirangs directly. I believe this is a favorable offer for Phylonos as well.”

The mercenary leader didn’t respond, but he couldn’t deny Jacob’s words. It was true that many mercenary groups had turned their backs on Noctis because of the incident with Maximón executing mercenaries.

However, smaller groups like Phylonos couldn’t afford to join in such actions. As newcomers, they had to struggle to secure jobs against the larger mercenary bands. In that sense, teaming up with Noctis was an excellent opportunity to quickly grow their mercenary group.

Mercenaries who fought the Seriths would naturally make a lot of money. Though it was a dangerous gamble with their lives, no mercenary would turn down such a deal.

“But how can you guarantee that the mercenaries will be hired as knights?” one mercenary asked suspiciously. Jacob answered without hesitation, as if he had anticipated this question.

“I’m also from the mercenary ranks. I came to Noctis to repay a debt to the commander here. You don’t have to doubt that.”

Najane was slightly surprised that Jacob was from the same background as the mercenaries. How had he ended up owing Maximón a debt? Come to think of it, she didn’t know how her friend Daniel had joined Noctis either.

She realized once again how little she knew about the people here. Not only did she know little about Noctis’ knights, but she knew almost nothing about Maximón. She didn’t even know he was engaged or that he was the adopted son of the Elgort family...

Najane didn’t understand what Maximón wanted from her. After her conversation with Gwyneth, it had become even harder to understand him. It didn’t seem like he wanted to use her as a knight, and if it wasn’t love, then what exactly did he want from her?

Was it just sex? Or some childish game?

Najane lifted her gaze from the table, briefly meeting Maximón’s eyes. It was as if he had been waiting for her to look up, and as their gazes intertwined, he faintly smiled. That smile made Najane feel embarrassed.

At that moment, the mercenary leader, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

“Alright. Let’s finalize the contract.”

Jacob’s face brightened with the long-awaited response.

“Before that, please promise you won’t treat the mercenaries as you did before.”

“As I did before.” The meaning was obvious. Maximón didn’t think much of the actions he had taken that day, but Jacob was naturally cautious.

The mercenaries’ eyes still held distrust toward Maximón. Their gaze reflected fear, the kind of fear that one would have if they feared being abandoned on the field as useless or obstructive. Jacob couldn’t assuage their anxieties; only Maximón could do that.

Maximón stared intently at the mercenary leader across from him. The “incident” was likely the one where he had killed the mercenaries who were carelessly collecting Seriths eyes on the field.

He couldn’t understand why that had been such a problem, and he didn’t see the point of swearing not to act in the same way again. Without his intervention, those mercenaries would have naturally become prey for the Seriths anyway.

But Maximón didn’t consider it murder. It was just a necessary action at that moment, like swatting flies caught on a fishmonger’s stall.

Maximón wasn’t interested in taking lives. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty madman who craved violence. While he disliked and sometimes even hated people more than dogs and cats, that was the extent of it. Of course, if it were Amelia, he might still want to dispose of her, but even Maximón knew when and where to draw the line.

To build up the mercenary group properly, Maximón would need to pull Najane off the field. He could easily say whatever was needed, offering insincere excuses, just to ensure her safety. Maximón intended to pretend to reflect on his actions and swear that such tragedies would never happen again, as the mercenaries had requested.

However, Najane gently touched Maximón’s hand. Maximón, who was about to speak, paused and looked back at her. Was it a mistake, or was it intentional? He hesitated, but then lightly tapped her fingers.

At that moment, Najane called the mercenary leader by his title and subtly grasped Maximón’s fingers. It was as if she were a child holding an adult’s hand to avoid losing her way.

“I understand what you’re concerned about, Leader,” she said calmly.

“The commander I serve is known for his great reputation, but he also carries a notorious one, doesn’t he? However, I swear, as long as the Phylonos mercenaries respect the rules of the Noctis Knights and avoid acting individually on the field, the troubles you worry about won’t happen again.”

The mercenary leader cleared his throat awkwardly and lowered his gaze. It was no secret that after some mercenaries, blinded by greed, attacked the Holy Relics—taken by the knights of Noctis—Maximón unilaterally executed them, leaving the front lines in disarray.

The mercenaries knew this too, but they couldn’t forgive Maximón. Had they gone to trial, they might have been exiled or enslaved. The knights on the field understood Maximón’s actions, but the mercenaries’ perspective was different.

The leader of the Phylonos mercenaries looked at Najane with a slightly displeased expression.

Najane held Maximón’s hand tightly. She herself had been shocked when she first heard about the incident from Amelia. But as Belshua had said, after witnessing the mercenaries’ atrocities firsthand on the field, Najane understood why people had quietly overlooked the event.

Of course, what Maximón had done was murder. That fact couldn’t be justified. No matter how urgent the situation had been, that was undeniable. But Najane regretted hastily labeling Maximón as a killer.

“If the leader introduces mercenaries who respect the rules, we will act accordingly. Have you ever heard a rumor that the Noctis commander treated knights or soldiers unfairly for personal reasons? At least I haven’t. The commander is not that type of person. He is fair to everyone.”

Najane defended Maximón passionately, but then realized she might have gone too far. People in the meeting stared at her as if they were watching something interesting. Feeling embarrassed, she lowered her gaze to avoid their scrutiny.

She thought she had spoken as gently as possible, but perhaps it had been too much. Still, Najane desperately wanted this contract to succeed, and her indebtedness to Maximón remained unchanged.

Jacob, on the other hand, was surprised by Najane’s courage but also thought that her claim about Maximón being fair to everyone needed adjustment. Maximón was sharp as a knife and cold as ice toward everyone except Najane. Over time, favoritism and discrimination would only increase.

It might not be very obvious now, but if the unobservant knights of Noctis started gossiping, rumors would soon spread throughout the fortress.

It seemed Najane had not yet realized what it meant to live with Maximón in his private quarters. Usually, that fact alone would cause a stir...

Fortunately, it seemed that Najane’s sincere words had reached the mercenary leader’s heart. After a moment of hesitation, he signed and stamped the contract Jacob had handed over. When they exchanged a copy of the contract and Maximón shook hands with the mercenaries, Jacob couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion. He wanted to shout out loud in excitement.

Although small in scale, Noctis now had a mercenary group fighting alongside them. It would be hard to take two days off a week until more skilled mercenaries joined, but Jacob could already imagine the cheers of his fellow knights when they heard the news.

Jacob struggled to hold back the smile that kept forming as he followed Maximón and Najane out of the room.

Now, all that was left was to go to the commander’s office, file the documents properly, and notify the knights.

Najane glanced at Jacob, whose expression was unusually bright, as she followed Maximón.

“I’ll take care of the documents, so you can let the other knights know...”

“Really? Would you do that?”

Jacob, who rarely asked others for help, surprisingly accepted her offer without hesitation. He explained where the documents should be stored and, before leaving, made sure to courteously bid farewell to Maximón.

Najane watched Jacob as he walked down the corridor with quick strides. As he turned the corner and came face to face with a staircase, he ran down at incredible speed. She gave a shy smile and spoke to Maximón.

“He seems excited. Was it really that hard for him...?”

Najane clutched the contract like a treasure and looked at Maximón. From the moment they left the meeting room, Maximón had been gazing at her with an unreadable expression.

She wondered if she had done something wrong, her eyes darting nervously. Had it been a mistake to defend him so passionately? Had she misspoken? As she mulled over it, her ears grew warm.

In front of strangers, she had been too vocal in supporting Maximón. Feeling embarrassed, Najane clamped her mouth shut. She wished she had just stayed quiet. Silly Emaydis. Why did she have to intervene?