Chapter 106: Cringey, But So Satisfying

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Cringey, But So Satisfying

Hearing the command, Numa Aoshi’s voice echoed through the hall. "Take Miss Sinclair to The Shrine for some tea."

He then turned to Rian Sinclair. With an arrogant expression, he stood perfectly straight, offering not even a hint of a bow. "Miss Sinclair, after you."

Rian watched as the diners seated around the hall abruptly rose to their feet. Kensei Aoyama then emerged from a doorway, his gaze fixing on her. "Miss Sinclair, forgive the intrusion."

Quentin Sinclair stepped forward, shielding Rian with his body as he awaited her orders. Rian glanced at Kensei, then swept her eyes over the surrounding men.

"Oh? Playing hardball after the soft approach failed? What’s next, a forced confession?"

Kensei smiled, his demeanor completely relaxed. "You exaggerate, Miss Sinclair. We are merely entertaining a guest. Right now, all we wish for is to invite you for a cup of tea."

"Is this the hospitality you Sakurans pride yourselves on? It seems your ancestors were rather poor students when they studied in Veridia," Rian said. She gestured at the men encircling her, her tone remaining completely unhurried.

"Miss Sinclair, after you."

Rian’s gaze turned icy. She scanned the men around her before her eyes finally landed on Kensei. "And if I refuse to drink this tea?"

The smile vanished from Kensei’s face, replaced by a dark, calculating glint. "Then don’t blame us if things get a bit rough. After all, these are burly men. It’s only natural if they don’t know their own strength."

Rian looked at the disdainful man, genuinely wondering how Sakuran brains were wired.

A moment later, Kensei barked out an order. "Do it."

Numa Aoshi signaled the surrounding men, and the group immediately closed in.

Seeing Rian remain so unhurried, Numa assumed she was paralyzed by fear. As his men closed the distance, he waited eagerly for the facade to crack, hoping to see the panic beneath this woman’s feigned calm.

Rian glanced at the encroaching crowd and took a half-step back as Quentin raised a hand.

In the blink of an eye, the smug grins were wiped off the faces of Kensei and Numa. A massive swath of their men crumpled to the floor. The few who remained standing were clearly not their subordinates; their faces were entirely unfamiliar.

Panic flickered across Kensei’s features. He grabbed Numa by the arm. "What’s going on? Where are our men?"

Rian feigned dramatic surprise, clapping a hand over her mouth as she met Kensei’s look of utter disbelief. She glanced around the room. "Yes, where *are* your men?"

She accidentally-on-purpose pointed at the unconscious bodies littering the floor. "Tsk, tsk. It seems they’re all taking a nap."

Kensei wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t detect her blatant sarcasm. Furiously, he pointed a finger at her. "You... you dare cause trouble in Sakuran! I have every right to drag you before the International Court of Justice! You will face the full wrath of the law!"

Just then, another group of people streamed out of the restaurant entrance, marching straight toward Rian. Kensei watched them approach with a confident gleam in his eye—until the group abruptly stopped, lining up respectfully behind Rian.

She didn’t even turn around as one of her men brought over a chair and set it down behind her.

Taking a seat, Rian casually rested her hand on the armrest. Her eyes danced with amusement as she looked at the only two men left standing in opposition.

"Is Mr. Aoyama practicing for the role of a mental patient? I could provide you with a stage, though I must say, I can’t quite appreciate your acting skills. Besides, I merely want to invite you for a cup of tea. Why make such a fuss?"

Kensei shook his head in absolute terror, staggering back two steps. Even though he was on Sakuran soil—his home turf—he didn’t feel a shred of security.

Rian’s expression remained indifferent. Seeing Kensei continually shake his head in refusal, her patience began to wear thin. "Since Mr. Aoyama is unwilling, I suppose I’ll have to resort to some coercive measures."

One of the men behind Rian hefted a blood-soaked man over his shoulder and tossed him onto the floor right in front of Kaede Aoyama. Kaede stared at the man, whose face was so heavily masked in blood that his original features were completely unrecognizable.

"Aoyama, just accept it. You’re surrounded."

It was a rather dramatic, cliché line, but getting to say it on foreign soil was undeniably satisfying.

Kensei Aoyama’s gaze locked onto the body on the floor. Recognizing the clothing, he immediately knew this was the subordinate the Emperor had assigned to him.

He couldn’t stop his body from trembling. Even though he was a man who had committed countless atrocities, seeing such brutal violence firsthand in this modern era was a completely different matter. He genuinely couldn’t believe this was happening in his own country. If she was capable of killing someone right under his nose, she must have come fully prepared.

Kensei dropped to his knees, desperately begging for mercy. "Miss Sinclair, I was blind to your greatness! I’ve deeply offended you, but please, spare me! This was all the Emperor’s idea! I’m just the messenger!

"Doesn’t... doesn’t Veridia have an old saying? ’When two armies are at war, the envoy is spared!’ As a Veridian, you surely wouldn’t break a rule established by your ancestors, right?"

Rian looked down at the groveling man. It was a good thing there were no outsiders around to witness this, or they might have thought they’d stumbled onto the set of a historical soap opera.

"That saying comes with a prerequisite, doesn’t it? ’When two armies are at war.’ Based on your words, are you saying Sakuran wants to declare war?"

The color drained from Kensei’s face as he shook his head violently. If a war were to break out, given Veridia’s current military might, they would be absolutely annihilated. He didn’t dare agree. If his words ever reached the public, he would be universally condemned as a traitor.

"Besides..." Rian paused. "For the sake of peace, Sakuran would gladly serve you up as a scapegoat, wouldn’t they?"

She offered him a kind, gentle smile. But to Kensei, it looked like a judge handing down his death sentence.

Kensei’s face stiffened in terror. "Miss Sinclair, I’ll tell you everything! Just... please let me go! I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise! My whole family depends entirely on me!"

As if struck by a sudden realization, he violently shoved the man beside him forward. "Miss Sinclair, he doesn’t have a family! Kill him! Kill him instead!"

Kensei pointed a trembling finger at Numa Aoshi, babbling incessantly.

Numa stared at Kensei in sheer disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his comrade would throw him under the bus so ruthlessly. However, he still didn’t quite believe Rian’s bluff. He shot her a disdainful glare. "This is the 21st century. What? Does Miss Sinclair still intend to extract a confession through torture?"

Rian leaned back in her chair, genuinely amused by the man’s accusation. What she was doing hardly qualified as torture. She let out a soft chuckle. "I’m afraid you misunderstand, Mr. Aoshi. What torture? Ask my men—have I brought out a single instrument of torture?"

She gestured to the men standing behind her. In perfect synchronization, they shook their heads. "No!"

Numa’s face turned deathly pale. Realizing they were sheep in the tiger’s den, he swallowed his retort, suddenly too terrified to speak a single word of defiance. Otherwise, he would end up just like the blood-soaked corpse lying on the floor.

Rian glanced down at their trembling legs. "Did you come to the auction solely for those land deeds?"

Hearing this, Kensei nodded frantically.