Jax and Kaelan stood with heads hung low, unable to meet his eyes. This deep shame was expected from a gallant and loyal knight of the Thorne Household, but not from a Beastman so recently purchased from slavery.
Lorian found it amusing and comforted them by patting their shoulders.
Valerius Lucian, Commander of the Thorne Guards, appeared from behind them.
He bowed to Lorian and, with his permission, ordered Jax and Kaelan to raise their heads, be proud of themselves, and take the experience as a learning opportunity.
As the three were surprised by Valerius's words, he gave a knowing smile and informed them that the man in golden armor was none other than one of the Twin Swords of Valoria—Drengen Sihar.
In Valoria, Lady Serana was the head of the Justicars, the Golden Order of Knights who ruled the City-State.
Under her command were the Twin Swords—Drengen Sihar and Darina Sihar—who served as the heads of the Justicar Army, directly beneath Lady Serana.
According to Valerius, being recognized by Drengen Sihar and asked to spar meant he saw potential in both Jax and Kaelan.
This statement filled all three of them—Lorian, Jax, and Kaelan—with renewed vigor and hope, and they all thanked Valerius.
Valerius had thought of asking the Young Lord why he was employing a Beastman and training him instead of just making him another showpiece.
However, he had heard a lot about the 'Eccentric' Young Master who, according to High Priest Aelius Caspian, had regained his soul and become 'whole'.
Valerius wasn't intelligent enough to understand these theological mumbo jumbo, but the rumor was that the Prince used to act a bit strange and do odd things.
Nobles doing strange things wasn't new to the people in this world, so Valerius dropped the idea of questioning and requested to take his leave.
But Lorian stopped him and asked how Drengen could tell he wasn't a mere servant.
Valerius smiled and informed him that while the Young Master could try his best to act like a servant, he couldn't fake the lack of confidence and constant vigilance that a true servant always shows, out of fear of offending their lord and facing punishment.
Lorian, Valerius explained, always exuded confidence and a relaxed yet heavy air of authority that anyone perceptive enough could pick up.
Lorian smiled and bid farewell to Valerius.
He then handed Kaelan and Jax one Solar each and ordered them to take the rest of the day off, hit the bar, and enjoy themselves to the fullest.
They looked at each other for a bit, then at Lorian, then bowed with smiles on their faces and left.
Lorian, from his past life experience, knew that nothing bonded two people better than working together, failing together, and drinking booze together.
As they were leaving, Lorian suddenly felt an urge to join them.
He was eighteen years old, so he was old enough to drink, although he didn't know the legal drinking age in this land.
He stopped them and decided to join them.
Kaelan was strictly against this, as the Heir of the Thorne family should never leave The Auric Spire without at least four to five guards.
But Lorian reminded them that he wasn't going as the scion of the Thornes, but as a butler, and no one outside The Auric Spire knew him anyway.
And if there were any problems, Jax and Kaelan were there to protect him. Kaelan no longer protested and went along.
They walked out of the palace wall, crossed the market, and reached the alley where most of the taverns and inns were located.
Kaelan avoided his usual spot, considering the Young Master's status, and decided to take them to "The Gilded Gryphon," which was one of the fancy taverns frequented mostly by rich nobles.
However, he was wrong in his judgment.
The bouncer in front of the bar stopped them from entering.
He wasn't supposed to allow a guard in a dusty uniform, a waiter, and, last but not least, a Beastman into his grand establishment.
Lorian tried to convince him that they had enough money to cover the bill, but it didn't help.
Kaelan begged forgiveness from Lorian and requested him to try a different establishment.
However, that wasn't going to happen, as it had become a matter of ego for Lorian.
He had been similarly thrown out of fine establishments in his past life because of his attire, and it was happening again. Lorian wasn't one to accept it this time. It had truly become a matter of his ego.
The commotion brought out the owner of the establishment, who ordered the guards to throw them out.
By sheer chance, Cassian was also present in the bar with some of his friends.
He didn't reveal his identity, but he passed a message via a waiter to the owner, who was busy rebuking the odd-looking trio trying to enter his tavern.
The message was an 'information' that while arriving at The Gilded Gryphon, Cassian had supposedly dropped his purse with a significant amount of money.
The owner realized these three must be the ones who had found the purse and, like fools, had appeared here to splurge the money.
He ordered the tavern guards to seize the money the suspicious-looking servant was carrying and arrest the three to hand them over to the City Guards.
A huge commotion erupted, and on Lorian's signal, Kaelan and Jax started thrashing the tavern guards.
More tavern guards appeared, but none could handle the man-beastman duo, who were fighting furiously and knocking the tavern guards left and right.
A huge crowd gathered, and City Guards appeared shortly.
The City Guards, who were on patrolling duty, didn't know Lorian by face, so they couldn't recognize him.
But many of them knew Kaelan—the young knight who was appointed as the personal guard of the Young Master of the Thorne Family. Although Kaelan was looked down upon for serving as a guard to a dimwit, he still greatly outranked them.
The Tavern Owner, the gathered crowd, as well as the patrons and the Tavern Guards, were surprised when the City Guards bowed to the strange-looking soldier guy who was being accompanied by the servant-turned-thief and the Beastman.