Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 190: Investigation

"Our authority is absolute," she stated flatly. "It comes from the highest echelons of the Light. We are here to investigate a divine disturbance of the highest order."

Her gaze flickered for a moment. It moved past Riku and settled on the group from the Dark Empire.

"And to contain any potential threats from the northern wastes."

Lord Falco bristled at the insult. "Threats? We are nobles of the Northern Empire! We are on a diplomatic mission!"

The paladin leader’s lips curled into a faint, condescending smile. "Your ’diplomacy’ seems to involve magical fog and armed standoffs. Forgive us if we do not take you at your word."

She turned her attention back to Riku. "You will all remain within the valley. Any attempt to breach the quarantine will be met with lethal force. We will begin our investigation at dawn."

With that, she turned her back on them. She and her paladins formed a silent, unmoving perimeter around the village. They were golden statues. They were beautiful. And they were a cage.

Riku stared at the unmoving line of paladins. "A divine disturbance? Is that your reason for imprisoning an entire village?"

The leader paused. She did not turn around. "The disturbance originated from this valley. That is reason enough."

"What kind of disturbance?" Riku gestured towards Lord Falco’s retinue. "Do you mean them?"

"Of course," the paladin leader replied, her voice cold. "The Ancient Treaty between the Solari Empire and the Nocturne Dynasty is clear. Unsanctioned military crossings of the Frostfang border are an act of war. This large, armed delegation is a flagrant violation."

Lord Falco, who had been listening with growing fury, finally exploded. "Violation? We had every reason to be here!"

He strode forward, pointing an accusing finger at Riku. "That man and his shadow-weaver companion infiltrated my lands first! They trespassed in my city! They abducted a member of my household! I was merely retrieving what was stolen from me!"

The paladin leader slowly turned around. Her glowing eyes narrowed as she looked from Falco to Riku. A new layer of suspicion entered her expression.

"He speaks the truth," Rudolf added, his voice calm and measured. "These two people were present in Dreadspire. They were the first to cross the border."

The paladin leader’s gaze settled on Riku again. It was no longer just the gaze of an investigator. It was the gaze of a judge.

"So," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "It seems we have two groups of transgressors. One from the north, who brought an army. And one from the south, who started the conflict."

She raised her golden spear, its light flaring. "This changes nothing. The quarantine holds. But now," she added, her eyes locking onto Riku, "my investigation has a new primary subject."

The paladin leader’s final words hung in the air. They were a judgment. They were in a cage.

Riku stared at the unmoving line of golden soldiers. Their faces were impassive. Their spears were steady. The light that radiated from them felt less like a holy blessing and more like the bars of a prison.

Behind him, the fragile truce that had been so carefully built began to shatter.

Lord Falco’s face, which had settled into a look of grudging acceptance, was now turning a deep, dangerous shade of purple. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"Quarantine?" he seethed, his voice a low, furious growl. "Imprisoned? By these... these southern peacocks?" He was a Lord of the Northern Empire. He had been humiliated once today. He would not be caged like an animal.

"Haha.. You lot, fight us? Hahaha. Come. We would like to see you lot fight us. Hahaha," The paladin started laughing.

Even her men around the village started sneering.

Falco felt even more humiliated as he saw the scene around him. He turned to his Head Mage. "Vexia! To me! We will fight our way out of this valley!"

Before the shaken mage could respond, Marci stepped forward. She did not look at her father. She looked at Riku. Her eyes were no longer filled with the cold fury of before. They were filled with a deep, painful confusion.

"Is this it?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Is this how it ends?"

She gestured to the line of paladins. "We made peace. My father accepted your terms. And our reward is to be trapped here by your own people?"

Riku’s expression was grim. He looked at the paladin leader. He saw the condescending smile she had given Lord Falco. He saw the dismissive way she had treated the entire village.

They were not here to help. They were here to assert their authority. They looked down on Elowen. They looked down on the nobles from Dreadspire. They saw everyone here as either a potential threat or an irrelevant peasant.

He did not like it.

He took a step forward. The movement was calm and deliberate. It drew the attention of the paladin leader.

"This is my village," Riku said, his voice clear and steady. "These are my people. And those," he gestured to Falco’s group, "are my guests."

He met the paladin leader’s glowing eyes without flinching. "You have no authority here. Your quarantine is not welcome. Take your soldiers and leave."

The paladin leader’s eyes narrowed. The air grew heavy. Her condescending smile vanished. It was replaced by a look of cold, sharp disbelief.

"Do you know who you are speaking to?" she asked. Her voice was dangerously quiet.

The paladins behind her were not so restrained. Their golden spears lowered in unison. Their points were aimed directly at Riku’s heart.

"Insolence!" one of them roared.

"You peasant dare disrespect a Knight-Captain of the Solari Legion?" another shouted. "Apologize now, or pay the price in blood!"

Before the situation could escalate further, Lysaria rushed forward. She stood between Riku and the line of spears. Her face was pale, but her eyes were filled with a fierce, protective fire.

"Wait!" she cried out.

The Knight-Captain looked down at her. Her gaze was dismissive. "And who are you to interrupt an Imperial matter?"