Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 153: Searching for Rennan (2)

"That’s the problem," Riku said, his voice low. "I haven’t heard from him in a long time. I fear that he might have fallen into some trouble."

"You are right, Riku! I have not heard from Rennan in two months now. Normally, he would come by every month." Chief Barou exclaimed.

"Should we form a party to track him down?" Lord Gregor offered his views. He could still get some people to help from his estate back at Luxia.

Riku shook his head. "No. Chasing after a missing person without any leads is a fool’s errand. There’s another path."

The others looked at him, confused.

He stood up. "Perhaps I can track myself. If the charms I gave him still have traces of my mana, then I should be able to. If they are destroyed for some reason, then we might have a problem."

Riku closed his eyes, focusing inward.

A spectral map of the world, visible only to him, bloomed in his mind’s eye. He saw several bright, pulsing flares of his own residual mana—one massive flare over Luxia, and smaller ones over Oakhaven and Vintross.

But then, he saw something else.

It was a trail. Unbelievably faint, almost non-existent. A single, thin, dark red thread leading from his own position, stretching far, far away.

"I’ve found something," he said, opening his eyes. "A very faint trail. It leads north. Far north."

"North?" Gregor asked, his voice strained. "Describe it. What do you see?"

Riku focused on the sensation. "I don’t recognize the names. It’s not in the kingdom."

"The feeling from that direction... it is cold," he said slowly. "Beyond the highest, sharpest mountains. And the land beyond that... it feels like a dark, wet place. A land filled with shadow and despair."

Marquis Gregor, who had been listening intently, suddenly went pale. He slammed his fist on the table, his face a mask of anger and dawning horror.

"The Shadowfen Wastes," Gregor spat, his voice grim. "Beyond the Frostfang Mountains. That is the domain of the Dark Emperor."

"Dark Emperor?" Riku asked.

"He is no king," Gregor explained, his voice low and filled with contempt. "From what I have heard, he is a monster."

"The ruler of a bordering kingdom who openly practices forbidden arts. His chosen nobles, the one they call the ’Darklords,’ govern those lands. No one knows what kind of place those are, but rumors are that that is a place of shadow and despair. No person from this side would have crossed over the Frostfang mountain in centuries."

Gregor looked at Riku, his eyes filled with a new, terrifying understanding. "Do you mean that your friend is somewhere in that region? If yes, then..."

He didn’t need to finish.

A new, far more dangerous quest had just appeared.

Lord Arnold, his face equally grave, stepped forward. "Gregor is right, Master Riku. The old texts are quite clear. The Ashwood dynasty that rules the Shadowfen Wastes broke from the kingdom during the Age of Embers precisely because they refused to abandon the forbidden arts. They are said to be cruel, power-hungry, and without honor. It is a land of death. You cannot go."

"That’s just kingdom propaganda."

A sharp, cynical voice cut through the tension. Sherry, who had entered the longhouse with Lila, stepped forward, her arms crossed.

"Dark magic isn’t inherently evil," she scoffed, her gaze sweeping over the two old nobles. "It’s a tool, just like holy magic. To label an entire kingdom as ’monsters’ based on stories that are centuries old is foolish and ignorant."

Arnold shook his head. He was old and learned, but he had never seen a dark mage. so it was difficult to change his perspective.

Sherry, noticing that she was not getting much support, gave Riku a wronged look.

However, Riku fully understood. He gave Sherry a trusting smile, and then addressed the others.

"I have to go," Riku said, his voice firm.

"Riku, no!" Lila immediately tried to stop him. "You just got back! That place sounds like a death trap!"

She had already heard all that had happened in Luxia from Riku before, and she did not want to see Riku use his strength, risking the Grand Maximus to take control again.

Elara, Lysaria, and Sherry, who were behind Lila, looked equally anxious.

"She’s right," Lysaria pleaded. "You can’t go alone."

Riku looked at their worried faces, his heart aching. "I have to. After all, Rennan is a friend. If he is in trouble, I must go and help him."

He stepped towards Lila, his expression softening. "I’ll be careful. I promise I will be back soon." He gave her a quick, reassuring hug. "I always come back, don’t I?"

Lila buried her face in his chest for a moment, then nodded, unconvinced but trusting him.

"Okay, but you have to return soon." freёnovelkiss.com

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Riku did not delay. He immediately said goodbye and wanted to head off, trying to find Rennan.

However, just as he was about to leave from Elowen’s gates, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Riku, Wait!"

Sherry came running towards Riku, her butler struggling to keep pace behind her.

She stopped in front of Riku, her arms crossed, her expression a mixture of annoyance and determination.

"You’re not going without me," she stated. It wasn’t a question.

Riku sighed. "Sherry, I just sent Lila and the others away for their safety. This is not a place for you."

"But I need to go there," she said with determined eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You’re going to a kingdom ruled by a Dark Emperor," she said, tapping her foot impatiently. "A land supposedly filled with forbidden arts. However, I know that they are anything but evil. I want to see it with my own eyes."

Riku stared at her for a long moment. She was right. Arguing would only waste time and it looked like she was pretty determined

"Fine," he said with a sense of finality. "You can come. But you follow my lead. No exceptions."

Sherry smirked, a look of triumph on her face. "Naturally."

"Get ready for a long flight." Riku said, and cast his spell.

Enhanced Flight [-200 Goodwill Points]

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