Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully
Chapter 125: Arnold’s family

Chapter 125: Arnold’s family

"What the..."

The heavy door groaned open, revealing a new horror. The air that washed over Riku was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and despair. This deeper cellar was darker, colder, and clearly meant for prisoners the Marquis wanted to keep truly hidden.

Inside were four figures huddled together. An elderly woman, her face bruised and swollen; a man in his late twenties, his arm bent at an unnatural angle; a younger woman beside him, with crude, searing brand marks on her arms; and a small boy, no older than seven, who was missing several fingers on one hand. They had all been brutally tortured.

Faint groans and the sound of soft, desperate sobs constantly rang in the room, causing Riku’s mood to become violent once again.

"By the gods, Riku... even the children?" Clara, who had just woken up from her charm, was shocked. "What kind of monster would do something like this?"

"The kind that is about to pay for every crime that it has committed."

The sight shattered Riku’s calculated composure. The cold fury he had been suppressing since the attack on Hummer Manor ignited. There was no room for investigation, no time for questions. There was only the immediate, overwhelming need to act.

He raised his hand, the air in the cellar crackling with immense power.

Mass Sacred Heal. (-2,000 Goodwill Points)

A wave of brilliant, pure golden light erupted from his palm, flooding the entire cellar. It washed over the four prisoners in the cell, enveloping them in a divine, healing warmth.

The effect was instantaneous and miraculous. The man’s broken arm straightened with a soft crackle of mending bone. The ugly brand marks on the woman’s arms faded, leaving behind only smooth, unblemished skin. The elderly woman’s bruises vanished. And most startlingly, the small boy gasped as new fingers, perfect and whole, sprouted from his mutilated hand.

For a moment, there was stunned silence. The family stared at their own bodies, at each other, their minds unable to process the sudden cessation of pain and the impossible restoration.

The younger woman was the first to react. She looked at her arms, then at her husband’s healed limb, and finally her gaze fell upon Riku, who still stood at the cell door, bathed in the fading golden afterglow.

"You..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You... healed us?"

Her husband, the young man, staggered to his feet. "An angel? Has the Light sent an angel to save us?"

Riku let the assassin’s disguise melt away, revealing his own face. "My name is Riku. I’m not an angel. I’m a friend of the Lord Chamberlain, Arnold."

The elderly woman gasped, her eyes widening in recognition. "You... you are the one they call the ’Whisper Healer’! We heard the rumors... the talismans from House Hummer... it was you?"

"Yes," Riku said softly. He quickly opened the cell door. "We don’t have much time. I came looking for Lord Arnold’s family."

"We are his family," the young man confirmed, helping his mother to her feet. "I am Marcus, Arnold’s son. This is my mother, Lady Beatrice, and my wife, Eleanor." He gestured to the small boy. "And this is our son, Leo."

"Thank you so much for saving us." Marcus bowed.

"Can you tell me what happened here? Who did this to you?" Riku asked, now that the immediate trouble was over.

"They brought us here days ago," Eleanor said, her voice trembling as she recounted their ordeal. "That man... Vyon... he kept questioning us, torturing us. He wanted to know where my father-in-law was hiding. But we don’t know! We truly don’t know! Arnold sent us away for our safety weeks ago, before he was formally dismissed. He told us he had to go into hiding to protect the kingdom."

"They wouldn’t believe us," Marcus added bitterly. "They kept saying he was a traitor, and that we would pay the price."

Suddenly, Eleanor’s face crumpled, her relief morphing into a new wave of terror. She grabbed the front of Riku’s robes hard, turning her knuckles white.

"My daughter!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. "My little Anya! They took her!"

Riku looked at her, confused. "Your daughter? She wasn’t here with you?"

"No!" Eleanor sobbed. "Just moments before you arrived... the guards came. They... they took her. They said... they said they were tired of waiting. They said they were going to execute her at the top of the Valerius bell tower at dawn, as a message! To show my father-in-law what happens when he defies them!"

She shook him, her eyes wild with a mother’s frantic plea. "Please, Master Riku! You have to save her! They’re going to kill my baby! Please!"

Riku’s heart turned cold once again. A public execution of a child as a message, the same thing that had happened at Vintross. It looked like he would need to take drastic steps to ensure that these things stopped happening again and again.

"I will save her," Riku swore, his voice a low, cold promise. He looked at the desperate family. "But this cellar is no longer safe. The moment they discover I’m here, they will come for you. I’m sending you somewhere secure."

Marcus looked at him, confused. "Sending us? How?"

"Don’t worry," Riku said, placing a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. "You’ll be with friends. Tell Baron Charles Hummer that Riku sent you. He will understand and keep you safe."

Before they could ask more questions, Riku raised his hand. Mass Teleport.

A brilliant flash of white light enveloped Lady Beatrice, Marcus, Eleanor, and little Leo. For a heartbeat, they shimmered, then vanished from the damp cellar, leaving Riku alone.

Mass Teleport (Long Range, 4 Targets): [-200 Goodwill Points]

Riku took a deep breath. Now there were no more loose ends. There was only one task left.

Teleport (Short Range) [-10 Goodwill Points]

Riku arrived back at the Velarius mansion gates. However, it was almost dawn at this point. Realizing that Vyon might have already put his plan in motion, Riku immediately left for the Valerius bell tower.