Jax and Kaelen stared at each other, still struggling to grasp what their Lord was suggesting.
Lorian turned to Kaelen, "Before those two intervened, what were you suggesting? That if we carry all the documents with ourselves, the enemy will realize their secrets have been revealed and they'll become more cautious, right?"
Kaelen nodded nervously, afraid he had said something he shouldn't have, thereby angering his Lord.
Lorian walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "It was indeed a fair point, and I appreciate it. Now, these two buffoons have given us an opportunity to strike two birds with one stone. We'll take all the important documents, and the enemy will have no reason to be suspicious."
Kaelen and Jax looked at each other again, still lost in the dark.
Realizing their confusion, Lorian replied with a smile, "We are going to salvage everything, and then set this entire room on fire. With the fire turning everything to ashes, the enemy will never realize what has been stolen. And with their goods getting damaged in the blaze, it will strike a huge blow to them."
The two retainers slowly began to understand their Lord's cunning mind and were in awe of it.
Jax proposed that he would stage the scene to look like an accident by the two fallen pirates, while his Lord and Kaelen went separately to find the crucial documents. Lorian approved the idea, and they went their separate ways.
Lorian took the room where they had just been speaking, the room at the end of the passageway. There he found a trove of documents: scrolls and ledgers that recorded all the stolen goods entering and exiting the warehouse. He found a list of buyers along with bills of purchase. Many of the books contained detailed records, with dates, payment amounts, and even names. Along with those, he also found numerous pieces of written correspondence. Most were coded messages, while some were direct letters from "Captain" or "Master".
In the other room, as Lorian had asked, Kaelen searched for anything that mentioned the "tide" or "cleansing" to find any link to their plot against Veridia. He found a few highly detailed maps of Veridia, which had multiple different battle plans drawn on each, along with the various weak points in the city's defenses clearly defined. He also found many shipping manifests and cargo logs. Besides those, he found a strange artifact. He couldn't understand what it was, but he had a feeling it was important.
When the two came outside after rummaging through everything, they were welcomed by a strong smell of cheap ale. They found Jax had flooded the entire area with ale he had carried in kegs. They did not disturb him in his operation, and simply observed how carefully he was performing his duty. He took the cutlasses and placed them in such a way that it would look like the two pirates had gotten drunk and killed each other. When it was all done, the three came out one by one, with Jax being the last, as he was tasked to set the fire before making his exit.
It appeared Jax had a sharp criminal mind, for he staged the whole thing on his own with perfection. Both Kaelen and Lorian had recognized this side of Jax. But where Kaelen saw danger, Lorian saw an opportunity. He knew Jax was going to be the weapon he needed.
As they came out, the sun had set on the western sea, and it was now dark. They quickly arranged everything and moved out, increasing the distance from the warehouse as much as possible. They had just made it to the main street when an explosion was heard from the direction of the warehouse, and a flame erupted like a mushroom cloud. People began running away, thinking there was another attack by the pirates like the last time.
Lorian realized it wouldn't be wise to return to Auric Spire at the moment; people would either get suspicious of him or think of him as a coward. So they decided to quickly make a detour and arrive at the spot from a different route. Kaelen understood his duty and guided Lorian and Jax down a deserted route, which would make them arrive at the same spot after a while.
When they arrived five minutes later, the place was already crowded with Thorne Guards. All the guards knew the Prince and his retainers by face. They noticed the trio approaching and quickly rushed to them to create a barricade. Lorian feigned ignorance, asking what had happened. The guards informed him that there had been a huge explosion in the abandoned warehouse, most likely an act of terrorism by the pirates.
They insisted Lorian return to the safety of the palace so they could better deal with the situation without worrying about his safety. The guard bowed to both Kaelen and Jax and requested they escort Lorian, as he would dispatch four more guards with them to the Palace. Lorian accepted the proposal and ordered the guard to meet him personally once the situation was handled. The guard was a bit surprised by this order but bowed and went back to the arson, taking his leave.
Lorian, Jax, and Kaelen returned, escorted by the four guards. Jax, however, felt a deep sense of delight. He had never imagined a human would bow to him, let alone a high-ranking guard. He, for the second time in his life, felt worthy, felt thankful to the Maker for giving him this life. The first time was when Zara had hugged him and thanked him for saving her. Jax's eyes grew teary, but he used immense self-control to restrain himself.
The four Thorne Guards took their leave after escorting Lorian to Auric Spire. The Palace Guards again cordoned him and escorted the three to Lorian's room.
Jax suddenly could not stop himself and broke into tears. He grabbed Lorian's feet and began to cry. The two were too perplexed to stop him or react.
After a while, Jax collected himself and proclaimed that from now on, his life entirely belonged to his Lord, Lorian Thorne. He would do whatever his Lord commanded him, without thinking about right or wrong, good or bad. Lorian grabbed his shoulder, pulled him to his feet, and patted his shoulder. He was about to speak but was interrupted by an announcement: Lord Elmsworth and Lady Seraphina were coming to meet him.
The three quickly collected themselves and prepared for this sudden visit from the Lord and the Lady.