When Knox and the others returned, Leo told them he wanted to explore France a bit more and wouldn’t be going back with them.
In the following days, after Sophia Henley concluded her business, the two decided to take a trip to Germany at her suggestion.
It was their first time in Germany, and they started with the capital, Berlin.
Germans love sweets, especially Berliners. They indulged in all the famous local desserts.
Next, they went to Munich, which was Leo’s idea.
Munich attracted Leo for two reasons: football and beer.
Leo was somewhat of a football fan, so watching a game while drinking beer was a delight for him.
Sophia Henley wasn’t interested in either, but she accompanied him thoughtfully.
After that, they visited Cologne.
Cologne is a historic cultural city and an industrial hub on the Rhine River in western Germany.
It is the fourth largest city in Germany, after Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.
The city is filled with skyscrapers and is a bustling commercial center.
They first toured the Cologne Cathedral, and then Leo picked out some world-famous Cologne perfumes for Sophia Henley.
Their final stop was Stuttgart.
They chose this city for two reasons: Sophia Henley wanted to shop, and Leo wanted to see cars. Stuttgart is famous for both.
Mercedes-Benz’s headquarters is in Stuttgart, and there is a massive Mercedes-Benz museum showcasing everything from the first-generation cars to the latest models, which thrilled Leo.
After admiring the cars, they went on a shopping spree at the luxury outlet village.
Of course, it was mostly Sophia Henley shopping while Leo acted as her free labor.
After a week of fun, they reluctantly left Germany.
Upon returning home, Leo took two comfortable days off. During this time, he also studied the Holy Scarab and Holy Nail several times but still couldn’t figure them out and eventually gave up.
One morning, after finishing his clinic duties and having lunch, Leo prepared to head to Wilde Jewelry Group.
As he left the clinic, he saw a familiar figure under a nearby tree and his face darkened.
It was a fashionable and beautiful woman-Maniwa Koken!
When their eyes met, Leo knew she had come specifically to find him and walked towards her.
Since Maniwa had arranged for ninjas to attack him last time, she hadn’t appeared again. Why was she here today?
After a few steps, Leo paused again because Fire Rose and Chad Grace appeared.
“Leo!” Chad Grace called out as Leo approached.
Leo smiled slightly and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Chad Grace gestured towards Maniwa with his mouth.
“Leo, long time no see.” Maniwa stepped forward and bowed slightly to Leo.
Leo wasn’t buying her gesture and coldly mocked, “Maniwa, you have some nerve showing up in front of me.”
“Leo, I…” Maniwa tried to explain.
Leo interrupted her directly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”
With that, Leo swiftly reached out his right hand and grabbed Maniwa by the neck.
Although Maniwa was mentally prepared, she was still shocked by Leo’s sudden move. She instinctively tried to struggle but found she couldn’t break free and could only make muffled sounds.
Chad Grace and Fire Rose shouted in alarm.
Not far away, under a maple tree, a black Honda sedan was parked.
Two people stood beside the car, a man and a woman.
The man wore a samurai kimono and looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His name was Byron. The woman was Yuriko Yamaguchi.
When they saw Leo grabbing Maniwa by the neck, their expressions changed.
“Lord Byron!” Yuriko Yamaguchi looked at Byron urgently.
“That damned Atraria boy dares treat our Koken family princess like this!” Byron’s brows furrowed in anger as he reached for his sword hilt.
Yuriko Yamaguchi noticed Maniwa’s hand gesture and quickly stopped Byron from rushing forward. “Lord Byron, Miss Maniwa wants us to hold off for now.”
Byron suppressed his rage and kept his eyes fixed on Leo.
“Leo… please… let go…” Maniwa’s face turned red as she struggled to speak clearly.
Leo snorted coldly and tightened his grip slightly.
Chad and Fire Rose thought Leo was really going to strangle Maniwa and grew tense.
“Leo, please let go. You can’t kill her. Fire Rose and I are here specifically to protect her,” Chad said urgently.
“What’s going on?” Leo asked sternly.
“Atraria and Orientia recently agreed on a major business investment project. The Koken family is investing one billion dollars to build a giant amusement park in Langstel.”
“Since this project will greatly boost Langstel’s tourism industry, both the central and provincial governments are highly concerned. Maniwa is the project leader, so we were assigned to protect her,” Chad explained with some difficulty.
Fire Rose nodded at Leo and added, “If anything happens to Maniwa in Langstel, it will create an international perception that investing in Atraria is dangerous. This would be very detrimental to our country’s efforts to attract foreign investment.”
Due to the previous attack incident, Fire Rose had no goodwill towards Maniwa. But since orders were orders, she had to follow them regardless of her feelings.
Now Leo understood why Maniwa dared to show up here.
Given the circumstances, Leo couldn’t kill Maniwa in front of Chad and Fire Rose.
He loosened his grip and slowly removed his hand from Maniwa’s neck.
Not far away, Yuriko Yamaguchi and Byron finally relaxed their tense expressions.
“Cough… cough…” Maniwa gasped for air and coughed a few times. “Leo, let me explain.”
Leo looked at her coldly.
“The attack was indeed my fault. I sincerely apologize,” Maniwa said as she bowed deeply to Leo.
“Leo, you also retaliated against my Koken family afterward. Earth Ninja Yonamine Yoshinaka, Koken Eitoku, and Koken Shuko all perished in Atraria,” Maniwa said while looking directly at Leo.
“If you hadn’t run away, you would have perished in Atraria too,” Leo replied coldly.
“You…” Maniwa almost choked on her words. “Leo, I came here today not only to apologize but also to turn hostility into friendship.”