Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

The formal meeting room in the east wing had been prepared with meticulous care, though the atmosphere remained tense despite Chen Xing’s diplomatic efforts.

Ambassador Lín arrived precisely on time, and his usual composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

"Lord Ambrose," he said with a bow. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting."

"Ambassador," Grim replied, settling into his chair at the head of the polished table.

Chen Xing positioned himself near the door, his role as mediator already seeming inadequate for the tension filling the room. Two of Ambassador Lín’s aids flanked their superior, their expressions suggesting they expected this conversation to go poorly.

"I will speak plainly," Lín began, his diplomatic training warring with his personal anger. "The events of last evening have created significant complications in the relationship between the The Great Nation of Colere and the Empire."

"Have they?" Grim asked with apparent indifference. "I wasn’t aware that a simple demonstration of martial skill could cause such diplomatic difficulties."

The Ambassador’s jaw tightened. "A simple demonstration? Lord Ambrose, you broke the arm of a man who had already yielded. Jin Wei was participating in what was supposed to be a friendly exhibition, and you treated him like an enemy on a battlefield."

"Perhaps," Grim said, his voice carrying those unnatural harmonics, "the distinction between friend and enemy isn’t as clear as you believe."

[Careful,] Caius warned urgently. [You’re about to make a dangerous enemy out of a potential ally.]

But the dark mana whispered that enemies who revealed themselves were preferable to false friends who waited for opportunities to betray.