Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully
Chapter 128: Public Announcement

Chapter 128: Public Announcement

No more than a single second had passed after Riku and Anya had left the belfry when a new presence washed over. It was a suffocating power, carrying the same metallic tang of the Crimson Creep, but far more potent.

A figure emerged from the shadows of the balcony doorway, his features completely obscured by a deep hood. The figure first looked at the fallen Vyon and the cowering Marquis, and then at the onlooking crowd who were whispering among themselves.

"Enough," the hooded man said. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that silenced the murmurs of the crowd below. "The spectacle is over. Disperse. Now."

The onlookers, sensing an authority far greater than that of the Marquis, quickly scattered, leaving only those closely involved behind.

The hooded man then turned his attention to the unconscious Vyon. He knelt, placing a hand on the man’s chest. A thick, crimson mist, far purer and more potent than the energy Vyon had used, flowed from his hand. The broken bones in Vyon’s body visibly reset with sickening crunches, and his wounds sealed over.

Vyon coughed, his eyes fluttering open. He scrambled to his knees before the hooded figure, his head bowed in shame. "My Lord... I have failed you. Even with the strength you granted me, I was defeated."

"What is your report?" the Lord asked, his tone flat.

Vyon recounted the fight, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

"He uses spells without incantation, moving from one to the next instantly. But his swordsmanship... My Lord, my blade was infused with the Creep’s full power. It should have shattered his plain steel sword on contact. Instead... he defeated me. Not with overwhelming power, but with pure, absolute skill. He used finesse to counter my strength, turning every move I made against me." Vyon gritted his teeth, admitting that he lost despite having every advantage.

"And his face... though it was one of the Marquis’ guards, I feel that he is the same man who impersonated Lord Alaric at the Cistern! The one who ambushed me! He has been playing us all along!"

The hooded man was silent for a long moment. "Effortless spellcasting... peerless sword skills..." he murmured to himself. "There is only one such figure spoken of in the old legends. The one who stood above all... the Grand Maximus."

"The Grand Maximus?" Vyon gasped. "Could it truly be him? The one who disappeared after the Age of Embers?"

"No," the Lord said dismissively. "If it were truly him, all of our operations would have been killed long ago. He is said to be able to summon divine deities with the will of his mind. How could you even stand in front of him?"

"Then..."

"This is likely a disciple, or perhaps some fool who stumbled upon a fraction of his legacy and now seeks to play the hero." His hidden gaze seemed to sweep over the bell tower. "He is a complication, but not an insurmountable one. We must simply accelerate our plans. Strike now, while the city is in chaos."

He grabbed Vyon and the terrified, trembling Marquis Valerius by their collars. "We are leaving."

With a final, chilling glance towards the spot where Riku had just teleported from, a swirl of dark red mist enveloped the three of them, and they vanished without a trace.

----------------

The flash of teleportation faded, leaving Riku and a trembling Anya standing in the quiet, moonlit gardens of Hummer Manor. The sounds of alarm bells and shouting from the Valerius estate were gone, replaced by the gentle chirping of crickets.

Baron Charles, along with several of his household guards, rushed out to meet them, their faces pale with worry.

"Master Riku!" the Baron exclaimed. "You’ve returned! And the girl... is she...?"

"She’s safe," Riku said, gently setting Anya down. The moment her feet touched the ground, the parlor doors of the manor burst open.

"Anya!" Eleanor shrieked, her voice cracking with overwhelming relief. She, Marcus, and Lady Beatrice scrambled out, their earlier composure gone, replaced by raw, unbridled emotion.

"Maa! Paa!" Anya cried, running on her small legs and collapsing into her mother’s desperate embrace.

The reunion was a very happy one, each taking turns hugging the now safe girl. Marcus gripped Riku’s shoulder, his own eyes wet. "Master Riku... how can we ever repay you? You saved our daughter. You saved our entire family."

"You don’t owe me anything," Riku said, his own heart aching at the sight of their joy, a stark contrast to the brutality he’d just unleashed. "But this isn’t over. The people who did this are still out there."

Later, once the initial wave of emotion had passed and Anya was safely asleep in a warm bed, Riku sat with Baron Charles, Lord Gregor, and Lord Arnold’s family in the main parlor.

"The people of the church are targeting you," Riku stated bluntly. "Your House’s partnership in distributing the talismans has made you a direct threat to their control. The attack yesterday was a message. And the public execution of your granddaughter was meant to be another, far more brutal one, aimed at Lord Arnold."

Marcus clenched his fists. "My father... they use us to keep him in hiding. As long as he fears for our safety, he is powerless."

"Precisely," Riku agreed. "And as long as he remains powerless, one of the kingdom’s most knowledgeable and influential men is off the board. We need him back in the game."

Baron Charles frowned. "But how? We can protect his family here, but how do we even reach him? How do we let him know it’s safe to act? How do we even find him to send a message?"

"We don’t send a secret message," Riku said, a determined glint in his eye. "We send a public one. A message so loud, so undeniable, that he will be sure to hear it. A message that tells him his family is no longer a weakness, but a fortress."

"We need to make a public announcement, which will reassure him and allow him to come out with whatever he has."

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