Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 97: Following the Trail (1)

After taking the piece of clothing, Riku decided that it was time to go on his own investigation.

He looked at Baron Charles and Lord Gregor. "With your permission, we would like to take our leave soon. I wish to begin tracking this servant while the trail, however faint, might still exist.

Elder Borin has all the talismans that we made in this batch. You can use them to start off. Just make sure to leave every buyer a message to give a quiet thanks to the creator of this talisman. I will make more as soon as I get more time."

"Of course, Master Riku," Lord Gregor said. "Rest assured. And know that our resources are at your disposal should you require anything further."

After waving goodbye, they took their leave from the Hummer Manor. Shortly afterwards, Elder Borin headed back towards the Underbellly, his heart full of hope and his mind buzzing with plans to speed up production.

"So," Lila said, looking at Riku. "What is the plan now?"

Riku unfurled the rough tunic, his eyes already taking on a focused look. "Time to see where a missing servant’s old shirt leads us. Hopefully, to some answers."

Tracker’s scent

A faint, silvery luminescence enveloped the shirt, then shot out, coalescing into three distinct, shimmering trails only Riku could see. Each trail pulsed with a soft light, leading in different directions.

"It seems like there are three trails," Riku murmured, opening his eyes. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Lila peered at him. "Three? Where are they leading to?"

"One," Riku pointed back towards Hummer Manor, "leads directly back to the manor. That’s expected; Thomas worked and lived there for a long time. I am sure the Baron and his people would have already searched that place well, so let us leave it aside for now."

"The other two point towards two different directions. One goes back towards the outer city, and the second one into the inner city. I have a feeling that this matter will end in the inner city, so let us visit the other route first, and then we can go back in later."

The trail led them to a quieter part of Luxia, stopping before a modest cottage at a narrow lane’s end. A small, untended patch of herbs grew by the door.

The door opened to a woman in her late twenties, eyes red and swollen, face pale with worry. A small boy, six or seven, clung to her skirt, slightly fearful.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "Mrs. Thomas?" Riku asked gently. "I’m Riku. These are Lila and Elara. We heard about your husband’s disappearance. We would like to offer our help."

"You people... how do you know my husband?" The woman at the door asked, slightly skeptical.

"We are relatives of the Baron. When we heard that someone among the servants had disappeared, we just had to help. We secretly ran out of the mansion and found this place after asking the city guards." Riku lied, but that was the best way to clear the apprehension of a nervous woman.

Her composure became slightly better.. "Oh, I see. Please, come in," she said, stepping back.

"I’m Martha," she said, gesturing to simple wooden stools. The boy hid further behind her. "And this is Pip."

Lila knelt and tried to soothe the boy.

"Hello, Pip. That’s a brave name. We’re friends." Pip just sniffled, burying his face deeper into his mother’s skirt.

"Martha," Riku began softly, once they were seated, "we understand Thomas went missing three days ago. Can you tell us what happened? Anything at all?"

Martha wrung her hands, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

"We just... we don’t know! Though he had been behaving a bit erratically for some time now, he would always, always be at home at least once every two days. He was so reliable, Master Riku, never missed a day without sending word if he was delayed at the manor. He loved Pip so much."

Her voice broke. "But now, he has gone missing for three whole days! I went to Hummer Manor yesterday morning, frantic with worry. They said they hadn’t seen him since his shift ended the night before. They even... they even sent men here, searched our little home, asking such pointed questions... they left when they couldn’t find anything. It made me feel like they thought he’d done something wrong, stolen something perhaps!"

She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. "Then I reported it to the City Guard... they just took my name, wrote down a few things as if it were nothing, and said they’d ’look into it’. No one has come back. No one seems to care about a missing footman! It feels like my Thomas has done something real bad... Oh gods, what do I do? What will happen to Pip and me if he doesn’t return?"

Riku gave her a comforting nod, trying to compose her.. "Martha, please try to compose yourself. We are here to help, not to judge. From what we know, we don’t know if Thomas has done anything wrong yet. It’s more likely he’s in some kind of trouble himself." He waited for her sobs to subside a little, and then continued,

"You said he was behaving erratically for some time now. Did he seem troubled lately, Martha? Was there anything unusual in his behavior before he disappeared?"

Martha hesitated, then nodded slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes. Now that I think back... for the past couple of months, things were... different. Not bad, just... not like him." "Different how?" Lila prompted gently, her voice full of sympathy.

"Well, he used to be normal. But one day, he suddenly became jumpy and easily startled," Martha recalled, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Like he was always listening for something. And he started... meeting someone. Out back, behind the cottage, usually late at night. I only caught glimpses through the window. A hooded figure, always in the deepest shadows. Thomas would be very secretive about it, very hush-hush."

A Hooded Man!! That is the first clue!