Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 184: Trouble Again (3)

"Father, can you hear me?" she pleaded, her hands hovering over the smoking hole in his tunic, afraid to touch it.

Barou’s eyes fluttered open. He coughed again, another trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Lila..." he rasped, his voice weak. "I’m... fine. Just a scratch."

He tried to push himself up, his face a mask of stubborn pride. "Get back... inside. It’s not safe." He grunted with pain and fell back, his body refusing to obey.

Lord Falco laughed. It was a cold, cruel sound that held no humor. "That is what happens when insects speak to their betters."

He pointed a finger at the village. "I am Lord Falco of the Northern Empire. And you are harboring criminals."

His gaze fell on Riku and Sherry. He did not recognize them without their disguises, but his rage needed a target.

"The thieves who infiltrated my home! The cowards who made a fool of my house and kidnapped my attendant!"

His voice rose to a furious roar that echoed off the surrounding mountains.

"Surrender them to me now, and I may consider leaving a few of your hovels standing. Refuse," he snarled, a sphere of dark energy beginning to form in his open palm, "and I will burn this entire valley to the ground."

The threat hung in the cold, heavy air. The villagers, watching from their windows, trembled. Lila knelt by her father’s side, her body shaking with grief and rage.

Riku watched it all. His previously surprised face was now surprisingly calm, and his expression placid. But inside, a cold, quiet fury was beginning to build.

He took a single step forward. The small movement drew every eye.

"You people fucked up."

The air grew thick. The oppressive fog swirled, coalescing around the hooded Mistress Vexia. The two crimson points of light that were her eyes flared with malevolent power.

Riku’s face was a mask of ice. The calm he had maintained for so long finally shattered, replaced by a cold, silent fury. He had tried diplomacy. He had tried reason. Now, only power remained.

He hurt Barou.

He made Lila cry.

He threatened to burn my home to the ground.

A familiar, dangerous energy began to stir deep within him. Though it did not look as intimidating as the Grand Maximus taking over, he still started radiating killing intent.

He was ready to end this.

Just as he was about to unleash the spell, a blue panel shimmered into existence in his mind, its light a stark contrast to his cold rage.

Ding!

[New Urgent Mission Issued: The Lord’s Tantrum]

[Objective: Diffuse the current hostile situation without casualties. Ascertain the true motivations of Lord Falco.]

[Reward: 100,000 Goodwill Points.]

Riku froze. One hundred thousand points. The reward was staggering. It was more than he had earned for saving all of Luxia from the Creep Giant.

You want me to stand down? Riku’s thoughts were a furious snarl directed at the System. Now? They attacked us! They are threatening to destroy everything!

The System’s reply was immediate and clinical.

[Observe, Host. The presented data is incomplete. A violent response is strategically suboptimal at this time.]

Suboptimal? Riku raged internally. They hurt my friends!

But before he could argue further, Vexia attacked.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent a volley of shadowy spikes hurtling towards him. They screamed through the air, looking sharp enough to pierce through steel plate.

Riku dodged. A simple, fluid sidestep. The spikes slammed into the ground where he had been standing, but instead of gouging deep craters, they dissolved into harmless puffs of black smoke.

Visuals only? he thought, surprised.

Vexia pressed the attack. She waved her hands, and thick, shadowy tendrils erupted from the ground, lashing out like whips. They were fast and menacing, aiming to entangle him.

Riku weaved between them effortlessly. He was faster, his movements more precise. He felt the dark magic brush against his clothes, but it lacked any real force. It was all for show.

Then, a different kind of spell came. A thin, almost invisible strand of solid shadow shot towards his ankle. It was faster than the others, and it hummed with a powerful binding energy.

He sidestepped again, the strand missing him by an inch. Another came, this one aimed at his wrist. He batted it away with the back of his hand.

He realized what was happening. The big, flashy attacks were weak, designed to look terrifying. The only spells with any real power were the ones aimed at restraining him. They weren’t trying to kill him. They were trying to capture him.

His gaze flicked past the battle, over to where Lila and Lysaria were now helping Barou. The chief was sitting up, his face pale but his eyes blazing with anger. He was rubbing his chest, which was bruised and sore, but the wound wasn’t deep. The smoldering hole was only in his tunic.

Falco’s attack had been a powerful blow, but it was designed to incapacitate, not to kill. It was a show of force, not a declaration of war.

Riku looked back at Lord Falco. The man’s face was still red with anger, but his eyes weren’t filled with murderous intent. They were filled with the possessive frustration of a spoiled child whose favorite toy had been taken away.

He’s throwing a tantrum, Riku realized. A very powerful, very dangerous tantrum. But a tantrum nonetheless.

The System was right. There was more going on here. A violent response was the wrong move.

Vexia sent another binding spell at him, a net of shadows designed to ensnare him completely.

This time, Riku didn’t dodge. He simply stood still and let the shadowy net pass harmlessly through him, a simple illusion.

He crossed his arms, his expression one of pure boredom. "Is this the best you can do?" he asked, his voice calm and clear, cutting through the swirling fog.

Mistress Vexia froze mid-cast. The crimson lights beneath her hood flickered.