Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 108: Going after Thomas (2)

"Is that... Is that Thomas?"

The soul was almost transparent, flickering violently like a dying candle flame in a storm. Its spectral form was contorted in a silent scream of rage and despair, on the verge of dissipating forever.

"He’s fading, Riku! Fast!" Clara’s mental voice was urgent. "There’s not much time!"

Riku didn’t need to be told twice. He acted instantly, his hands moving in a blur.

Lesser Soul Gather [-25 Goodwill Points]

A vortex of faint, dark energy formed around his hand. It greedily pulled at the faith death essence in the area—from the decaying leaves, the dead insects, even the residual body parts of the now dead footman. He focused this chaotic energy, pushing it directly into Thomas’s fading spirit.

The soul solidified with a jolt, its translucent form becoming more defined. However, it was clear that it was seething. The silent rage morphed into shocked awareness as its spectral eyes focused on Riku.

"Thomas?" Riku asked calmly, his voice slightly skeptical.

The soul, Thomas asked. "Who.. who are you? How do you know me?"

"We came to find you. Your wife, Martha, and your son, Pip, asked me to look for you."

"Martha, my love,. Pip, my son, sob, I will never see you again." The soul, which was angry moments ago, suddenly broke down.

"What happened to you? How did you end up dying to these wild animals?" Riku asked.

"Wild animals? Heh. No. I was not killed by wild animals. I was killed by those traitorous nobles. and left to be food for the wild animals." Thomas said, gritting his teeth.

"Can you tell us more?"

"Vayne’s dogs! Her personal guard! They caught me as I fled the manor!" The spirit’s form twisted in rage. "I knew it was a fool’s errand from the start. I wanted to refuse initially, but Lady Vayne... she had already made it clear. They had their eyes on my Martha, on little Pip.

"They threatened your family and instigated you to plot against the Hummers?"

"Yes. The plan started around a year ago. At first, I was just to stay in the Baron’s mansion, waiting and reporting all the moves of him and his father. It was harmless, so I did as I was told without questioning it much."

"Eventually, the Creep came. Spread like a plague, it did. Some people were more vulnerable than others, but it did not seem to be very infectious. And then.. then I was given a stone.."

"The stone which you planted at the Hummer Manor, right?"

"Yes. I thought it was a harmless stone, more like a recording device. But then, Lord Gregor was the only person who got infected by the creep. Then it struck me." freeweɓnovel.cøm

"I asked Lady Vayne about it, but all I was told was that the Creep would only affect those who had a close proximity to the stones, and it was highly unlikely that anything would happen to the others."

"What?! You mean..."

"Yes. All the people who are suffering from the creep; they have been exposed to the mist containing stones directly or indirectly. Many of the stones were planted in various parts of the capital."

"Oh my..." Clara exclaimed in RIku’s mind.

Riku fell deep into his thoughts. This new piece of information seemed to match what the person masquerading as Elara’s father had told them, that the infection was just a ruse; a manmade epidemic to hide the true research of the Creep’s abilities.

"What happened to the stones? How come there are none in the city now?" Riku asked.

"They were removed. The idea was to create a state of panic so that the court would allow expedited trials into the Creep, without much scrutiny. In fact, the day when you came to the mansion, Alaric had come to retrieve the stone. Lord Gregor was already on his deathbed, and his intention was to confirm Lord Gregor’s condition and take the stone away. Then you came in and did your thing. The rest.. You already know."

Riku went silent once again. This was clearly a well-planned scheme. However, it did not feel like the Vayne family was the mastermind behind all of this. They were probably one of the parties, intending to profit from the mayhem that other nobles were causing.

"Why did you not tell anyone about this? Do you know that what you did was wrong, no matter the circumstances? The Hummers were such a nice family." Riku asked

"I repent. I really do. Lord Gregor and the others have been nothing but kind to all of us. But what could I do? "

"They didn’t promise me gold," Thomas’s spectral voice cracked with bitterness. "They promised my family would be safe if I did as I was told. ’Do this, and your wife and son will want for nothing. Refuse... and accidents happen. Especially in a city like Luxia.’ I had no choice!"

"But once they found out that their plan was compromised, they immediately killed me and left me to feed the wild animals. Haha...looks like I chose wrong after all. My wife..My son...sob"

"So he was coerced," Clara noted mentally, her own spectral form radiating a cold anger. "This confirms it. The Vaynes play a ruthless game."

Riku nodded; however, there was one final question he wanted to ask.

"Did you, by any chance, hear the name Marden Robinson?"

The soul of Thomas appeared to think for a while, and then shook his head.

"However, I heard another name."

"What did you hear?" Riku asked eagerly.

"Well, my death did not come easily," Thomas lamented. "The Vaynes made sure that they witnessed the execution, even enjoying evening tea as the guards killed me. I was so extremely angry and humiliated!!"

"This anger somehow allowed me to stay conscious, even after death. It was then that I heard that they were meeting someone. A certain "Lord Malakor" is to discuss the next phase of the Creep’s plan."

Lord Malakor?!