The situation took a sudden turn for the worse.
The sudden appearance of Magda, the "Fat Hyena," had thrown Zanfrui into the worst challenge of his life. He had only recently arrived at Blood-Cast Fortress, eager to make a name for himself and restore his ancestors' glory, yet he had barely taken his first step down the glorious road he imagined would be strewn with flowers and applause.
He might have been brash and outgoing, with some of the extravagance and arrogance his upbringing had instilled in him as a young noble, but he had received a first-rate education in the Imperial Capital. His reasoning was above average for someone his age.
The bloodline of the Silver Lake Shield was certainly illustrious, but being a maid's son had also exposed him to both kindness and cruelty within his own household. It gave him a view of the world that differed from that of ordinary, pampered young nobles in subtle yet crucial ways.
Right now, Zanfrui might not have had the experience to judge Magda's exact strength, but Ak's unusually deferential and cautious behavior told him enough.
I've gotten myself into trouble.
There was a very real possibility that this ugly adventurer, with her strangely long arms and round, corpulent body, was beyond Ak's ability to handle.
An ordinary novice who had just become an adventurer could probably have done no better than retreat into his shell, say nothing, and leave Ak to bear all the pressure while hiding behind him and silently praying for things to change. Someone a little less mature might even have panicked, lost the ability to think, and acted rashly enough to make things worse.
Yet under this enormous pressure, Zanfrui displayed the same resolve he had shown when he gave up his comfortable life in