Chapter 658 Apprehension and Relief

The situation took a sudden turn for the worse.

The sudden appearance of "Fat Hyena" Magda presented Zanfrey with the worst challenge of his life. He had only recently arrived at Bloodcast Keep, eager to make a name for himself and restore his ancestors' glory. On a path he had imagined would be lined with flowers and applause, he had barely taken his first step before hitting a wall.

He might be brash and extroverted, carrying a bit of a young noble's arrogance from his upbringing, but he had still received a top-tier education in the Imperial Capital. His mind was sharper than that of most of his peers.

The Shield of the Silver Lake bloodline was undeniably glorious, but being the son of a maid meant he had tasted the bitter reality of household politics. It gave him a perspective subtly but crucially different from that of ordinary young nobles who grew up living in luxury and opulence.

Zanfrey lacked the experience to gauge Magda's exact strength, but watching his guard, Ake, adopt such a low, cautious posture told him everything he needed to know.

He was in deep trouble.

There was a very high chance that this ugly adventurer before him—a woman with freakishly long arms and a spherical, fat build—possessed a strength far beyond what Ake could handle.

If this had been an ordinary rookie who had just become an adventurer, their best response to this scene would likely be to play the turtle. They would stay dead silent, let Ake bear all the pressure, and cower behind his back while silently praying for a miracle. A slightly less mature rookie might even panic, lose their head, and do something rash that would only make things worse.

Yet under this immense pressure, Zanfrey showed the exact same grit he had displayed when he abandoned his comfortable life in the Imperial Capital to travel alone to Bloodcast Keep.

Reaching out to pull Winsor behind him, Zanfrey took two steps forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ake.

His fingers were trembling violently from tension, but his voice rang out loud and clear:

"I can... feed you!"

"But after dinner, you must let all three of us leave here completely unharmed."

Regardless of whether Zanfrey's choice was wise, he at least dared to step up, take responsibility, and try to find a way out for his team. To some extent, it proved he had potential.

"Oh, my little sweetheart, you are so brave."

"Big sister likes you so much!"

Magda was unusually tolerant of Zanfrey's outburst. She didn't look offended in the slightest; instead, she licked her lips in excitement.

"Don't worry. As long as you feed big sister well, big sister will definitely let you and your little friends leave together."

She made the promise with complete confidence, but any adventurer familiar with the origins of the "Fat Hyena" nickname knew she was just humoring him.

Once Zanfrey was actually sitting in the lap of a woman who weighed more than him and Winsor combined, whatever happened next would be entirely out of his hands.

"Young Master..."

Ake glanced at Zanfrey with a look of both relief and worry, his expression conflicted.

As a newcomer, he naturally knew nothing of the woman's reputation.

But her flippant expression when she made that promise, coupled with the weird chuckles from the spectating adventurers, made it blatantly obvious that things wouldn't go as they hoped.

Under these circumstances, even though he was relieved that Zanfrey had taken responsibility, he couldn't just stand by and watch the young master he was sworn to protect throw himself into the fire.

He had to think of a way!

Meanwhile, Winsor, who had been sitting behind the two of them, stood up as well.

However, his expression remained dark and gloomy. He hardly seemed to care about how the situation was unfolding.

His spirit was just too beaten down. As far as Winsor was concerned, he could easily watch Zanfrey sacrifice himself—after all, Zanfrey was the one who had dragged him to this tavern. At the same time, he was perfectly willing to take Zanfrey's place and endure Magda's humiliation, just to repay the kindness the young noble had shown him along the journey.

Either way, it didn't really matter.

"Whoosh..."

Right at that moment, an invisible, chilling breeze that only he could feel brushed quietly against the back of his neck.

Winsor jolted in surprise.

He subconsciously glanced behind him.

Entering his line of sight was an unremarkable, short, and sturdy bald man, an inexplicably familiar pure white wolf beast, and...

Mr. Xia Nan!?

A sudden spark of life flashed deep within his dim, grey-blue eyes.

Of course! He remembered that when they had parted ways in Salt Rock Port, Xia Nan had mentioned heading for the border. Since Winsor himself had already reached Bloodcast Keep with the conscription squad, there was no reason a man of Xia Nan's strength would be any slower.

He had probably been operating here for a while already.

Winsor just hadn't expected to see the man eating in this very tavern.

The situation was perfectly clear.

On one side, he and his companions were being threatened by a strange adventurer;

On the other was a powerful adventurer he had history with.

If he were a less mature rookie, he probably would have already screamed for Xia Nan to save them.

But after that initial moment of shock and joy at seeing Xia Nan, Winsor actually looked away. He forced his expression to remain neutral, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.

From his perspective, Xia Nan was undeniably strong, but it was hard to say how he compared to the massive woman in front of them, who radiated an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Xia Nan had helped him before; he was his benefactor.

Winsor didn't want to drag him into this danger.

With his sharp Perception, Xia Nan naturally caught the shift in the boy's expression. Factoring in what he knew of Winsor's personality, he easily guessed why the kid was acting this way.

Xia Nan wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business. Still, his relatively decent values and above-average morals meant he didn't mind lending a hand to an acquaintance he liked, provided it was within his power.

Just a moment ago, he had asked the ranger beside him, Tal, about the massive adventurer. He had learned her name—"Fat Hyena" Magda—and heard from Tal that anyone she set her sights on rarely met a good end.

Even if Zanfrey agreed to her demands, given the massive gap in strength between them, whether Magda actually honored her promise would be entirely up to her.

Factoring in the strength he sensed from her and the intel Tal had provided, Xia Nan judged her Class level to be around 5. Her team wasn't very large, either.

She was well within the range of what he could handle on his own.

So, Xia Nan sent him a signal.

Seeing Winsor deliberately look away to avoid dragging him down, Xia Nan gave a helpless little smile and gave the boy a slight nod, gesturing for him not to worry.

Winsor's expression faltered.

Being a sensitive kid, he immediately picked up on Xia Nan's goodwill and his intent to help. A grateful smile finally broke through the gloom that had shrouded his face for so long.

After a moment of thought, he cast aside his hesitation, raised his voice, and called out, "Mr. Xia Nan, you're already here! I thought you were still out on your mission!"

Hearing that familiar name from behind, Zanfrey and Ake, who were currently in a standoff with Magda, froze in surprise and subconsciously turned their heads. Then, through the parting crowd, they spotted that familiar figure sitting in an inconspicuous corner of the tavern.

"Mr. Xia Nan!?"

"You..."

Filled with joy but keeping his head straight, Zanfrey instantly caught on and played along with Winsor's words: "We still had three days until our agreed time. I didn't expect you to be back at Bloodcast Keep already. This is fantastic!"

To be honest, Zanfrey clearly had zero talent for acting. His performance was forced and exaggerated.

Of course, that didn't matter.

Magda wasn't paying attention to that anyway.

Right now, the captain of the Ghost Face Spider team had locked all her attention on that corner of the tavern hall.

The short, bald ranger next to him looked somewhat familiar. He was likely an adventurer who had been hanging around Bloodcast Keep for a while. His Class level was around 4—strong enough, but clearly not the main threat.

The real issue was the black-haired young man sitting beside him, the one her little sweetheart had called "Xia Nan."

It was hard to put into words how Magda felt when she laid eyes on Xia Nan.

It was like locking eyes with a venomous snake hissing from deep within the grass. The moment their gazes met, an indescribably lethal aura quietly gripped her heart.

The tavern around her was as noisy as ever, but in that moment, the world in her ears inexplicably went dead silent.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Her hyper-focused senses allowed her to hear the dull, accelerating thud of her own heartbeat.

She had a wealth of adventuring experience.

At this moment, Magda didn't even need to do her usual calculus. She didn't need to look at the Fine equipment on the black-haired young man or the winter wolf resting at his feet to gauge his strength.

That instant spike of lethal danger exploding in the depths of her mind was all the proof she needed.

This adventurer was far stronger than she was.

Her ugly, fat-laden face twitched violently.

As her rolls of flesh quivered, her expression completely shifted.

The flippant look vanished instantly, replaced by the deep wariness and apprehension common to seasoned adventurers. Xia Nan didn't even have to say a word before she voluntarily took two steps back.

She pulled her greedy gaze away from Zanfrey without a second thought.

"What a pity. My little sweetheart already has a date. Why didn't you tell big sister earlier?"

"We'll just have to wait for the next opportunity to get intimate."

With that, she waved to her thoroughly confused teammates.

Turning around, she led her squad right out of the tavern.

The situation had flipped in an instant.

Not only were the members of Ghost Face Spider baffled, but the spectating adventurers who had been waiting for a show were also scratching their heads. They had no idea why those two rookies tossing out a casual greeting was enough to scare off a notorious veteran like "Fat Hyena" Magda.

But these onlookers were veterans themselves.

Once they recovered from their initial shock, they started to put two and two together.

Soon, glances filled with curiosity and apprehension shot from every corner of the seemingly restored tavern, all drawn like magnets to that previously unremarkable corner.

Xia Nan was already used to people staring at him. He knew that as long as he stayed in one place long enough, he would end up drawing attention anyway; this just brought the inevitable forward a bit.

He didn't really mind. He simply raised his glass to the three figures walking toward him, gesturing for them to take a seat.

"Mr. Xia Nan, thank you... thank you so much!"

"If you hadn't helped, I wouldn't have known how to get out of that."

Zanfrey's voice drifted over before he had even fully reached the table.

Brave as the young man had acted moments ago, now that the danger had passed, his pale, noble face was slick with sweat, fully revealing his lingering fear.

"Twice!" Zanfrey held up two fingers, his tone earnest. "You've helped me twice. The Shield of the Silver Lake family will not forget your service!"

Xia Nan had long figured out that even if the boy really hailed from the Wilmot Family of the Shield of the Silver Lake, he was likely just an ignored branch member. Xia Nan had zero expectation of actually receiving any help from his family.

Still, for a kid with his personality to throw around the Shield of the Silver Lake name showed that he was being genuinely sincere. Xia Nan didn't poke any holes in it. He just smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

In contrast, Winsor's thanks were much simpler.

"Thank you, Mr. Xia Nan," he said.

Even so, the rare emotional ripple across his gloomy face was enough to reveal the deep sincerity behind his words.

As the young noble's guard and part-time family steward—a role that looked more like a babysitter in Xia Nan's eyes—Ake spoke up with the exact same solemnity he had shown when Xia Nan helped them kill those manticores:

"Thank you for coming to our rescue once again, Mr. Xia Nan."

Ake had seen his fair share of adventuring in his youth. He knew that with the black-haired young man's strength, if he ever ran into trouble, there was no way they'd be able to help. Yet, Ake still wanted to repay the favor in whatever small way he could.

"It certainly isn't a fraction of the help you've provided, but if you don't mind, allow me to cover the tab for both of you today..." Halfway through, Ake's gaze drifted to winter wolf Fanny beside them. "...as well as the expenses for your companion, Mr. Xia Nan."

Tal had originally offered to treat, so Xia Nan didn't mind Ake's offer to pay. And since it meant saving some coin, the bald ranger happily accepted.

Taking a sip of mead and savoring the lingering sweetness on his tongue, Xia Nan glanced at the three of them and casually asked, "What are your plans next?"