Triss, under Kayla's teasing expression, belatedly realized, her ears gradually turning red.
She seemed not to be reserved at all? But thinking of Kayla beside her, she straightened her chest, looking as if she was declaring her sovereignty.
"Uh… then we'll see each other tonight, Triss."
"Hey, Sir Karl, what about me?" Kayla asked again, seeing Sir Karl and Triss about to ride away.
"Kayla, I don't think we have any possibility of cooperation; it's best if we never meet!" Sir Karl replied decisively, without even turning his head.
Kayla froze, then looked at Triss indignantly, pursing her lips.
"Hey, why not? Hmph!"
"Triss, does he have a problem with me? Why does he seem to dislike me so much?"
Triss rolled her beautiful eyes and replied grumpily, "Perhaps he just has an issue with your conduct and doesn't like promiscuous women."
"Impossible, nobles are more open than me; there must be another reason. I'll go to your place tonight and ask him." Kayla put her hands on her hips, speaking with an air of certainty as if this was the real truth.
"I'm very sorry, tonight is his and my time alone. You can ask him another day." Triss snorted lightly, immediately refusing… Sir Karl and Dalton returned to the inn, which was bustling with people drinking and bragging.
Someone was holding a wine glass in one hand, acting drunk, and being pulled by a staff member.
At this moment, Philip was pacing back and forth in the corridor, frowning and feeling uneasy.
Philip had arrived at the inn alone shortly after Sir Karl and Dalton went to the Trade Center Square.
He asked the innkeeper for the room where Sir Karl and his companion were staying.
Unexpectedly, he was told that they had left the inn and had not yet returned, so he had to wait in the lobby on the first floor.
And when Sir Karl pushed open the door, the people drinking and chatting all stopped their actions when they saw his plate armor.
In an instant, the incredibly noisy environment suddenly fell silent.
Noticing the sudden quiet, Philip couldn't help but look up and forward, and then he saw Dalton, who had spoken to him the day before.
"What? Even if I'm ugly, it shouldn't stop you from drinking." Sir Karl said jokingly, holding his helmet in one hand.
"Hahahaha… My Lord, you are truly humorous."
"If you are ugly, then what are we, like hags?"
"That's right, My Lord, you are the coolest man I've ever seen."
Everyone hadn't expected the noble to be so approachable towards them.
Sir Karl's self-deprecating remark made the atmosphere in the inn lively again.
He shook his head and smiled, then looked at Philip, who was standing stupid in the corridor, and walked straight towards him.
When he reached him, Philip immediately bent down, attempting to kneel on one knee to show respect to Sir Karl.
Sir Karl paused for a moment and reached out to help Philip up.
He glanced at the other party's eyes, which were puzzled, awestruck, and uneasy.
He said softly, "Philip, this isn't our first meeting. Don't be so formal. Come with me."
"Yes, My Lord." Philip nodded honestly and followed behind them… Inside the room, Sir Karl stood in the center disassembling his plate armor, while Dalton occasionally took the armor components, assisting him in removing it.
Philip stood awkwardly in front of them, his gaze drifting, his head lowered, unsure of what to do.
Finally, it was Sir Karl who spoke first.
"Philip, I believe Dalton roughly told you before that I'm short-staffed and need someone for a job."
"Yes, My Lord. I'm very efficient at my work, whether it's shining shoes, maintaining your armor, or perhaps your daily life, solving your problems."
Philip looked up and vividly described his talents.
"Cough cough! Dalton, how exactly did you explain it to him?"
"I'm not recruiting a servant; I need an attendant, a loyal subordinate."
Sir Karl coughed lowly, interrupting Philip, and glanced at Dalton.
"Oh, I'm very sorry, Sir Karl, I misunderstood your meaning."
"Because an attendant requires many years of training, I thought you only needed a servant to handle miscellaneous tasks." Dalton immediately lowered his head and bowed in apology.
Philip listened to their conversation, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Alas, it seemed his job interview had ended before it even began.
This was an extremely rare opportunity; he had originally thought he could interact with nobles and thus ascend in class.
Then, he could let Anna and Tamara live prosperous lives, but now it seemed he still had to join the army.
"I'm very sorry, My Lord, it seems I'm not qualified for this job."
Philip bowed dejectedly to Sir Karl and prepared to turn and leave the room.
"Stop, Philip, how old are you?"
"Uh… To answer, My Lord, I'm seventeen."
Philip was startled, not expecting the other party to suddenly ask his age, but he still answered truthfully.
Hearing this, Sir Karl's face twitched as he examined Philip's beard and the texture of his exposed skin.
Just looking at his skin and the lines on his forehead and face, he was indeed relatively young.
It was entirely the beard that had seemingly doubled Philip's age.
Of course, it was also somewhat related to Philip's own somewhat prematurely aged appearance.
It was just that the beard made Philip appear even more mature.
"Seventeen? A little old, but not too late."
"From today onwards, you will be my second attendant. Hmm, you'll be in a probationary stage for now. If you learn quickly, you can become a full attendant sooner."
"Dalton, from today onwards, Philip will work with you. You must teach him well."
"Understood, Sir Karl!"
Sir Karl settled Philip's future work matters in just a few words.
The sudden surprise left Philip stunned in place.
"Thank you… Karl, no… Sir Karl." Then, he reacted and thanked him repeatedly.
"Philip swears to be loyal to you from this moment on, and will never betray you for the rest of his life!"
Philip's expression was firm as he knelt on one knee before Sir Karl, performing a solemn bow.
"Heh, compared to a so-called oath, I value a person's actual actions more." Sir Karl said faintly, with a half-smile.
"Oh, and your monthly stipend will be one oren. This month's stipend will be given to you in advance; from now on, it will only be disbursed at the beginning of the month."
Before he finished speaking, Sir Karl raised his chin, gesturing to Dalton.
Then, Dalton rummaged through his money pouch, took out an oren, and placed it in Philip's hand.
Philip held the gleaming oren between his fingertips, gazing at the king's portrait engraved on it. He still found it incredibly hard to believe.
At this point, he felt somewhat dazed, as if he were dreaming.
He had only wanted to be a servant, yet he had unexpectedly become an attendant of higher status.
His monthly income had more than tripled compared to before, almost catching up to an armor smith's.