"Oh? Someone is interested in your girlfriend." Hildegarde who was seated on Mane's shoulder was quick to tease Mane upon hearing the words of the fully armored Thrasher. Although Mane didn't know much about the opposite sex and love, he knew what a girlfriend was. After all, Frederick had been constantly saying he wanted Selina to be his girlfriend. And Mane's father, Ray, always boasted about how he had won his mother, Alexis's heart and made her his girlfriend when they were only teens.
Mane turned his attention to the carriage that the Thrasher was responsible for guarding. It was a luxuriously decorated carriage. It was a large white carriage with gold ingots adorning the door. The horses that pulled the carriage were large and strong. They were called Gold Hoofed Horses due to the yellow color of their hooves. They were expensive and difficult to come by. But they weren't as rare or as strong as Red Maned Horses. So if Red Maned Horses and Gold Hoofed Horses were up for sale, the Red Maned Horse would undoubtedly be sold for a much higher fee.
Mane then ignored the carriage and its horses and looked at the young man seated within the carriage. Although the window only allowed Mane to see this person's face and shoulders, Mane could tell that his attire was very expensive. Just the collar of the shirt the man wore was made of golden silk, an extremely expensive material Mane had read about. One could only imagine what his actual attire was made up of. The man's hair was cut to a shoulder length, and its dark color blended well with the golden silk collar. He had sharp eyes and dashing looks, and had an air of nobility around him.
Mane compared the air of nobility the man exuded to the nobles he was acquainted with back on Zandor. This man's noble aura was particularly strong, yet it paled in comparison to someone like Abelard. This meant that although he may hold an important position in Asher City, he wasn't truly at the top of the food chain. What annoyed Mane about the man was the air of arrogance that he exuded. Mane could sense that this man was merely an Animal Hunter. Yet he didn't even look their way. If they were on Zandor, someone like this would have been slapped into his rightful place by Mane. The thing was, he was too weak. A slap from Mane who was now a Predator (Profound Realmer) would be more than enough to deal with him. But his impulse to pulverize the man was quickly extinguished when he remembered that he promised to avoid killing anyone for no reason. He sighed in annoyance. He had strength, but he couldn't do anything.
Lam was also busy checking out the so called Young Lord, as well as his carriage and horses. Although Lam had never left the village before, he was very well informed about the things of the world, so he recognized everything with just a glance. He could also feel the man's arrogance, and was displeased by it.
Unlike Mane and Lam who were observing him, this Young Lord didn't pay any attention to them. His sharp eyes were focused on Lily, and when she turned to look at him, he gave her a small smile that was filled with the charm and authority of a noble. Unfortunately, his charm was directed at the wrong person. Lily grew up with Lam, and Lam was very good looking. This man was dashing, but even with his expensive apparel he still paled in comparison to Lam when it came to looks. And since she liked someone like Mane who didn't lose out to Lam in the slightest, her sights were unconsciously set very high.
"I am sorry. I do not eat with strangers." Lily shook her head and declined the offer with a polite smile. Her rejection caused the expression of the Thrasher to turn a little weird. And the Young Lord in the carriage lost his smile once he heard her words. The Thrasher turned back to look at his Young Lord, seemingly asking for further instructions. The eyes of the Young Lord flashed coldly, and he nodded his head at his personal Thrasher.
"Miss, please don't make things difficult for me. Please indulge Our Young Lord just this time. It is only a dinner, nothing else." The armored Thrasher looked at Lily pleadingly as he implored her to reconsider her offer.
"Interesting," Mane smiled and told Hildegarde. He could tell from the expression of the Young Lord that this man wasn't going to just let things lie.
"Indeed. It seems this man is so protected that he doesn't even know anything about life. If he did, he would recognize the horses and understand that you people aren't simple. Secondly, he wouldn't be dumb to understand that no one who is allowed to ride in the city would be of an average background"
Hildegarde shook her head with a wry smile. This so called Young Master wasn't as intelligent as he looked. He had ignored all these facts and only focused on Lily's beauty. Both she and Mane were able to tell from the awkward expression of the Thrasher when he heard Lily's rejection that the guard was obviously wary of them. Unlike his master, the guard wasn't an idiot. He could tell that people who could ride around in the city and not be stopped must have had an impressive background, and didn't wish to offend them. This could be easily inferred by listening to his words and tone. The man was literally begging Lily because he knew that he wouldn't be able to offend them, but he couldn't offend his master either by disobeying him. That was why he asked Lily not to make things difficult for him, instead of saying she shouldn't make things difficult for herself.
The Young Lord looked visibly irritated now. Hearing his guard's words, his eyes flashed with impatience. Mane could easily tell that that wasn't what he wanted his guard to do. Rather he wanted the Thrasher to just grab Lily and bring her away.
"It seems that the rules of this world have made the rich and wealthy feel like they can do anything," Mane sighed silently. However, he didn't lower his tone, so he was easily heard on this quiet street. This world was different from Zandor. Plundering, rape, violence, and fear. These were the elements of this world. Because of this, people who lived in comfort like this Young Lord here thought they could do anything or procure whatever they wanted as long as they had power – and that included women. If they saw a woman they liked, they didn't think they needed her consent. Mane didn't think that this was only related to the men. He felt that there were rich women out there who had so much power that they could take any man they wanted without caring much for what the man wanted.
Hearing Mane's words, the eyes of the Young Lord grew chilling, and he finally cast his gaze towards Mane. His hatred for Mane grew when he saw the boy. Mane was good looking in every way, and the aura of calm he exuded wasn't practiced, but something that came naturally to him due to his confidence in his strength. And this annoyed the Young Lord.
"Kill him," he ordered his Thrasher with the nonchalance of one who had everything within the palm of his hands. The Thrasher gritted his teeth as several complex emotions flashed past his eyes. He could tell the entourage before him wasn't simple. And he knew that if anything was to happen to them and his master was asked to give account, he would be the one sacrificed. But if he didn't follow his master's orders, he would be in serious trouble once they got back. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ivor watched everything with a smile on his face. He didn't feel the need to intervene – not yet at least.
"I do not understand your predicament," Mane shook his head seeing the struggling expression of the Thrasher.
"You are a Thrasher. That idiot is only an Animal Hunter. Yet you are willing to listen to his orders. Where I come from strength is highly respected. The weak do not give orders to the strong." Mane stated calmly.
The Thrasher was stunned by Mane's words. How did this boy know he was a Thrasher? Did he see him fighting someone and perceive his strength? But that didn't make sense. Because if that was how he knew, how did he see through the strength of his Young Lord who had never even been to war before?
"You should follow me," Mane smiled and said something that stunned everyone. The Thrasher was stunned, and so was his Young Lord. Lam and Lily were just as confused, and the silent Ivor was so surprised that he unconsciously furrowed his brows.
He had allowed things to drag on because he was hoping to see Mane step up and just slaughter the men. He wanted to use such an opportunity to drive a wedge between Mane and the twins. The Red Heaven Bandits were scum who deserved to die, but this Young Lord hadn't done anything yet, nor did they know anything about his reputation. So he hoped that Mane killing someone 'innocent' would do the job. But Mane's approach was totally different. The boy didn't try to kill the Thrasher. He was trying to rope him to his side.
"I won't treat you unjustly. You just need to protect my friends." Mane smiled and offered. His words touched the hearts of the twins. Mane was going to fight with the Orange Team, which meant that he wouldn't always be around to protect the twins. And although Ivor was around, Mane didn't think he would spend his entire time following them. So he thought of getting them a guard. One they could bring back to the village as their own when everything was sorted out.
"How dare you!" The Young Lord was enraged that there was someone so bold. This boy was actually trying to recruit his guard right before his very eyes.
"Men! Deal with him." He angrily ordered the other guards surrounding his carriage. There were three other guards apart from the Thrasher. But they were all Animal Hunters. They unsheathed their blades and dashed towards Mane. Their aura was filled with bloodlust, and in no time they had reached Mane's position.