Chương 415: Chapter : 415

He wore his navy blue suit pants. His white shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck out in messy spikes. He slouched deeply in his metal chair. He looked totally relaxed. He looked like a man without a single worry in the world. A large plate of fried seafood sat in front of him. There were fried shrimp, crispy calamari, and golden french fries. He popped a shrimp into his mouth. He chewed happily. He held a colorful comic book in his other hand.

A tall glass of water rested next to his plate. Zinia smiled. She walked up to his table. She pulled out a chair. She sat down across from him. She offered him a sarcastic, teasing grin.

"You found the best hiding spot again," Zinia noted playfully. She crossed her strong arms. Ken looked up from his comic book. He blinked his sleepy dark eyes. He gave her a lazy, goofy smile.

"I am not hiding, Zinia. I am conducting an extremely important taste test. These fried shrimp are fantastic. The local chefs are absolute culinary geniuses."

"You left us to do all the hard work at the docks," Zinia pointed out. She did not sound mad at all. She found his laziness very amusing.

"We built a massive underwater trap. We tied massive ropes. You just walked away."

"I supervised the first five minutes," Ken argued casually. He took another bite of shrimp.

"Supervising requires a massive amount of mental energy. My brain gets tired very quickly. I needed to refuel my body. You cannot trap a giant sea monster on an empty stomach." Zinia laughed a deep, booming laugh. She shook her head. She looked at the messy boy. She knew he always avoided physical labor. She watched him eat a french fry.

"This cafe is very nice," Zinia observed. She leaned back in her chair.

"It is very quiet. The docks are too loud right now."

"I agree," Ken said. He set his comic book down on the table.

"Loud noises are terrible for my ears. This place has excellent shade. I might take a nap here after I finish my food." Zinia leaned forward. She decided to ask him a direct, blunt question.

"I really want to know something, Ken," Zinia asked. She stared right at him. Her voice sounded very curious.

"What do you truly think about us? You live with a group of highly chaotic, very aggressive girls every single day. We fight constantly. We argue. We train. You just sit on the couch and watch. What goes through your head when you look at our team?" Ken stopped eating. He put his shrimp down on the plate. He wiped his hands on a paper napkin. He looked at Zinia. He did not make a joke. He did not complain about his shoes. He did not whine about cardio. Ken completely dropped his goofy, obnoxious persona.

A very brief, incredibly rare moment of complete honesty took over. His sleepy dark eyes turned very sharp. His face lost its lazy smile. He looked incredibly serious. He looked like a totally different person. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"You want to know what I truly think?" Ken asked quietly. His voice lost its lazy, complaining tone entirely. It sounded very calm, very steady, and incredibly observant. Zinia nodded slowly. She expected a funny answer. She expected him to complain about Naomi waking him up early. She did not expect this sudden shift in his mood. Ken rested his elbows on the metal table. He flawlessly and meticulously broke down the psychological and tactical profiles of the entire team. He spoke with absolute clarity.

"Let us start with Naomi," Ken stated smoothly.

"Naomi is incredibly fast. She is a great friend. But she suffers from over-aggression. She is too aggressive in a fight. She rushes forward blindly. She always wants to strike first. She lets her anger take over. When she attacks, she leaves her back completely wide open. A smart enemy will wait for her to lunge. They will sidestep her daggers. They will strike her blind spot. She forgets to protect herself." Zinia blinked in surprise. Her smile faded. She listened very closely.

His analysis of the vanguard leader was completely accurate.

"Then there is Sayma," Ken continued. He picked up his glass of water.

"Sayma is brilliant. Her golden shields are perfect. But she has a massive tendency to overthink everything. She relies entirely on her notebooks. She relies on perfectly calculated plans. If an enemy does something illogical, Sayma freezes. She hesitates. In a real battle, hesitation gets you killed. She needs to learn how to adapt without doing complex math in her head." Ken took a small sip of his water. He set the glass down carefully on the table.

"Laxmi is an absolute powerhouse," Ken noted. His dark eyes remained completely focused.

"Her fire magic is totally destructive. But she has a reckless lack of defense. She only thinks about offense. She throws giant fireballs and completely forgets to use a shield. She leaves herself totally exposed to counterattacks. She relies on you to build stone walls for her. If you are not there to catch the blow, she is a very easy target." Zinia stared at him. She realized his tactical breakdown was absolutely flawless. He had watched every single battle perfectly.

"And Ira," Ken added quietly.

"Ira suffers from rigid emotional detachment. She fights like a programmed machine. She only calculates statistics. But combat is not a math test. Combat requires human instinct. It requires feeling the natural flow of the battle. If Ira cannot connect with her own instincts, a totally unpredictable enemy will shatter her logic entirely." Ken looked directly into Zinia's eyes. He did not blink.

"Even you, Zinia," Ken said softly.

"You take on way too much burden. You try to be the strong wall for everyone. You try to catch every single attack. If you take too many hits for the team, you will eventually break. You need to let the others share the physical load." Zinia sat in stunned silence. She could not believe what she was hearing. The messy slacker understood their minds perfectly.

Ken took another sip of his drink. He looked down at the metal table. His tone turned surprisingly grim. He sounded incredibly serious.

"We have been very lucky," Ken stated firmly.

"We survived the dark dungeons. We survived the tournaments. But you need to understand the truth. The winning factions in the capital are truly ruthless. The other Princes and Princesses do not make mistakes. They will study your fighting styles. They will find these exact specific flaws, and they will exploit them." Ken looked back up at Zinia. His eyes were completely focused. He delivered a very clear, very harsh warning.

"If the current team does not rapidly level up their teamwork," Ken warned her honestly.

"If you do not overcome these specific flaws, my incredible luck will not save you forever. You cannot rely on me tripping over my shoes to win every match." Ken leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest.