Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 161: Caught

"I see," Zella mused, seemingly accepting Riku’s explanation.

"A researcher duo. Rare indeed."

"Forgive my caution. As you know, light magic artifacts are... unpopular. Possessing one without the proper licenses can lead to unpleasant questions from the Darklord’s Justicars."

She bowed slightly, as if offering her apology.

"Well, can you get us the artifacts now?" Sherry asked, seemingly in a hurry.

"Of course," Zella turned, gesturing towards a curtained-off doorway behind her counter. "What you sense is likely a residual echo from an old acquisition. I may have something in the back storeroom that fits your description. Let me just..."

Her hand moved, but not towards the backroom.

It shot towards a heavy iron lever hidden beneath the counter. She yanked it down hard.

VREEEEEEEEEEN!

A deafening, magical siren blared through the shop and across the streets.

"Oh! Blast!" Sherry shouted. "This will alert the guards. Riku!!!"

"Leave it to me."

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Within a minute of the siren going off, the shop door burst open,

Two massive, armored Dreadspire Enforcers stormed in, their energized polearms humming. They were followed by the nervous-looking proprietors of the neighboring apothecary and ink shop.

They found Zella stumbling back from the counter, putting on a masterful performance of flustered embarrassment. She pointed a shaking finger at an overturned stool.

"Zella! What is it?" one of the Enforcers barked. "What’s the alarm for?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Oh, my apologies, Enforcers! Truly!" she cried, her voice high and panicked. "So clumsy of me! I was reaching for a rare grimoire on the top shelf, slipped from the stool, and in my panic, I must have grabbed the alarm lever to catch myself!"

The Enforcers stared at her, then at the overturned stool, then back at her. Their aggressive posture slowly deflated, replaced by sheer annoyance.

"You pulled the city-wide alert... because you fell off a stool?" the other Enforcer asked, his voice flat with disbelief and mild anger.

"It was an accident!" Zella insisted, wringing her hands. "My apologies to you and my esteemed neighbors for the fright! It won’t happen again, I assure you!"

The apothecary owner sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, Zella, one of these days your clutter is going to be the death of us all."

The lead Enforcer grumbled under his breath about false alarms and paperwork, but seeing that the shopkeeper was unharmed and there was no sign of a struggle, he gave a curt nod. "See that it doesn’t. We have real work to do."

With a final, exasperated glare, the Enforcers and the other shopkeepers turned and left, their grumbling fading as they returned to the street.

Once the street outside was quiet again, the figure of "Zella" stood motionless for a moment. Then, with a sigh, the illusion melted away, revealing Sherry. She turned towards the back room.

In the dusty, cluttered storeroom, Riku sat on a chair, ready to go out if Sherry faced any trouble.

The real Zella was slumped in a chair. Her hands and feet were bound by shimmering, silent ropes of pure light. A thick cloth gag, held in place by another strand of magic, kept her from making a sound.

Soon, Sherry came back into the storeroom.

"It’s done," she said quietly. "They’re gone."

Zella’s eyes darted from Riku to Sherry, then back again. The reality of her situation began to sink in. She had pulled the alarm, but the intruders were still here. And no one was coming to save her.

Riku stepped over to the bound shopkeeper. Sherry stood beside him, her arms crossed, her expression a mask of cold indifference.

With a flick of his wrist, Riku dispelled the light magic holding the gag. It vanished with a soft hiss.

"Now," he began, his voice a low, threatening rumble that perfectly matched his battle-mage disguise. "Let’s talk about the artifacts. And this time, no alarms."

Zella looked from his grim face to Sherry’s shadowy form. Her lower lip began to tremble. Her wide, terrified eyes slowly started filling with tears.

Then, she burst into a loud, wailing sob.

"Waaaaah!"

She cried out loud, her voice echoing in the dusty storeroom. "You big bullies! Terrorizing a poor little girl when her grandparents are out buying supplies! If they knew you were treating their little Zella like this, they’d... they’d..."

She devolved into another round of incoherent, heart-wrenching sobs.

Riku and Sherry froze. They exchanged a completely baffled, helpless look. This was not the reaction they had anticipated. Their entire intimidating act shattered in an instant.

"Uh," Riku began, all the menace gone from his voice. He took a hesitant step back. "She’s... crying."

"I can see that," Sherry hissed under her breath, her own composure cracking. "Do something!"

"Me? What do I do?"

He fumbled in his satchel, his mind racing. Threats would clearly not work; they had already tried it. He needed a different approach.

Time for Plan B, he thought. Bribery.

System, he commanded mentally, get me five bars of that chocolate. The good stuff.

Ding!

Chocolate x5. [-10 Goodwill Points.]

[Chocolate manifested. Please check your satchel.]

He pulled out a rectangular bar wrapped in simple, dark paper. "Zella, stop crying," he said, holding it out awkwardly. "Look here. A treat."

Zella’s sobs hitched. She peered at the strange brown object through her tear-filled eyes, sniffing suspiciously. "Wh-what is that? Is it poison? Are you trying to kill little Zella now?"

"It’s not poison," Riku sighed. To prove it, he unwrapped the bar, broke off a small piece, and popped it into his own mouth. "See? Perfectly safe. Delicious, even."

Zella watched him chew, her crying subsiding into wary silence.

Sherry, seeing Riku’s clumsy attempt, let out an exasperated sigh. She stepped forward, knelt beside Zella’s chair, and gently patted the crying girl on the head.

"He’s an idiot," Sherry said, her voice surprisingly soft. "But he’s not a liar. We aren’t going to hurt you. Just... trust us for a moment. Please."

Zella looked from Sherry’s gentle hand to Riku’s outstretched one holding the strange, dark treat. Hesitantly, she leaned forward and took a tiny, mouse-like nibble.

Her eyes went wide. The last of her tears seemed to freeze on her lashes. Slowly, her expression shifted from fear to pure astonishment.

Then, a small, blissful smile touched her lips.

"Mmm!"

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