Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 87: Plans foiled

"Mysterious stones?" Charles looked puzzled, but he replied in a polite manner

"I have not seen anything out of the ordinary. Besides, people spend a lot of time in the gardens and the surrounding areas of the mansion, but no one else got afflicted by the creep."

"Perhaps not in the gardens," Riku said. "But sometimes, such things can be overlooked, mistaken for ordinary objects. With your permission, I’d like to briefly examine the mansion and Lord Gregor’s bedchamber again."

Though surprised, Baron Charles readily agreed. "Okay, Mister Riku. You may do so. However, you might not find much."

Soon after lunch, Riku, accompanied by Charles, Borin, and the others, returned to Lord Gregor’s room.

In the bedchamber, Riku’s gaze swept the room methodically. He ran his hands along the heavy drapes, checked beneath the ornate furniture, and scanned the bookshelves.

Then, his eyes fell upon a small, decorative bowl on a side table near the bed – a collection of polished river stones and dried flowers, likely meant as a simple, rustic ornament. Most of the stones were ordinary grays and browns. But one, nestled amongst them, was slightly darker, almost matte black, and felt subtly cold to his attuned senses even from a distance.

An ordinary person would never be able to feel it, but RIku who had used his healing on so many people afflicted with the creep, could immediately tell that something was off.

He picked it up. It was about the size of a bird’s egg, smooth and unassuming. However, Riku was certain.

"This one," Riku said, his voice grim.

"That?" Charles looked at it. "That’s just a pebble. It’s probably been in that bowl for as long as I can remember. I don’t think anyone changed it?"

"Exactly, it is so small that no one would notice. However, with your permission, I would like to show you something."

"May I?" Riku asked, looking at Charles, who nodded, bewildered.

Riku held the stone out for everyone to see. "This stone may look ordinary, but I suspect it is like the ones I found in the Whisperwood." He took a heavy letter opener from the nearby desk. With a sharp, precise movement, he struck the stone. It cracked, then split in two.

A faint, almost invisible reddish mist, carrying that familiar metallic tang, curled out from the broken halves for a fleeting second before dissipating into the air.

Baron Charles stared, his face paling. "By the gods... what is the red mist? It was inside an ordinary-looking stone? Here? In my father’s room all this time?"

"It seems so," Riku said gravely. "This stone is a carrier, just like the others I had found earlier. But unlike the ones in the Whisperwood, which were actively seeping the mist, this one seemed... dormant, or perhaps its release was much slower, more insidious. Its surface showed no outward abnormalities. It was perfectly neutral in appearance."

Lord Gregor, who had been helped back into the room by Doctor Emma, having heard the commotion, looked at the broken stone with horror. "This..."

"Though small, the constant and close proximity would have been enough," Riku said. "A slow, steady exposure."

Baron Charles’s face was a mask of fury and disbelief. "But how? How did such a thing get into my father’s room? Into that bowl?" He looked around wildly. "Who would do this?" He clenched his fists. "I will have every servant, every guard questioned! I will tear this manor apart until I find who is responsible for this treachery!"

Lord Gregor, his voice stronger now, placed a hand on his son’s arm. "Calm yourself, Charles. Rage will not give us answers. But know this," his eyes hardened, "we will find them. This attack on our house will not go unpunished."

He looked at Riku. "Master Riku, you have not only saved my life but uncovered a viper in our very home. We are in your debt more than words can say."

"I hope that you sort it out easily. And please do let me know if you find the culprit. I would love to have a chat with them myself.

As Riku unraveled the mystery behind the old lord’s sickness, a young footman who had been standing silently near the doorway, paled almost imperceptibly.

His eyes darted nervously towards the broken stone, then towards the determined faces of his masters. With movements so subtle they were almost missed in the heightened emotion of the room, he took a tiny step back, then another, before quietly slipping out of the bedchamber and disappearing down the hallway.

"This is bad.."

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The young footman ran, his heart pounding, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He didn’t stop until he reached a grand, imposing townhouse in a luxurious section of Luxia. He showed a small, obsidian token to the stern-faced guards at the gate, who let him pass without a word. He hurried through quiet courtyards and into a dimly lit receiving room.

Lord Alaric was pacing the length of the room like a caged tiger, his face a mask of fury. "That damned son of a bitch!" he cursed under his breath. "Dare to humiliate me in front of lowly commoners and Dwarves? See how I deal with him later!"

"Lord Alaric, Lady Vayne, I have important news," the footman gasped, dropping to one knee.

Alaric whirled around. "Huh? It is you. Tell me what happened. Did the old lord fall sick again? I knew that fraud was just pretending..." His voice was sharp with a desperate hope.

"No... My Lord," the footman stammered, trembling. "Actually, Lord Gregor and Baron Charles... they found out."

"Found out? Found out what?" Alaric demanded, his patience snapping. Every minute felt like an eternity.

"About the stone, My Lord," the footman whispered. "The one we planted in Lord Gregor’s room."

"What?!" Alaric’s face immediately paled, his earlier rage replaced by a sickening dread. "How is this possible? It was dormant! It was meant to be untraceable!"

Suddenly, Alaric felt his head spin. All the weeks of meticulous planning and execution had gone down the drain. Now, the Hummer family had discovered the source as well.

"Tell me every single thing. Don’t you dare skip a single detail"