Luo Feng stood beside the Duchess's bed, his calm gaze resting on her frail form—the sunken cheeks, the black circles under her eyes, the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Miya stayed close at his side, one hand lightly touching his arm for support.
"I could have cured her a month ago if I had known about this," Luo Feng said quietly, his voice steady and without boast.
Duke Harlan's head snapped up, eyes wide with shock and a flicker of pain. "Then why didn't you take the quest a month ago?" he asked, voice cracking. "The notice has been posted since the day she fell ill. Two hundred gold… every adventurer in the kingdom saw it."
Luo Feng met the Duke's gaze without flinching, his young face humble and honest. "I am from a place three months' journey from the city—Eden Village, far beyond the border forests. Not even a single person visits our village. Travelers, adventurers, merchants… none come our way. If any had passed through and carried news of the Duchess's poisoning, I would have heard it immediately and come to help as soon as I could."
The Duke stared at him, stunned. "Not even a single person visits your village?"
"Yes," Luo Feng answered simply.
For a long moment the only sound in the dim chamber was the Duchess's labored breathing. Then Duke Harlan let out a slow, heavy breath. His shoulders straightened with sudden resolve.
"Don't worry about that," he said, voice firm and full of promise. "I will do everything in my power so that your village will have more people traveling in and out. I will spread the news about your fresh vegetables, fruits, and especially that extraordinary grape wine far and wide across the kingdom. Merchants, nobles, even the royal court will hear of Eden Village. More and more people will come to do business with you. Your home will never be forgotten again."
Luo Feng bowed deeply, genuine gratitude warming his chest. "Thank you, my lord. That means more to my people than any gold ever could."
Miya smiled softly beside him, pride and love shining in her eyes as she squeezed his hand.
Duke Harlan nodded once, then gestured toward his wife. "Then please… save her. Whatever you need—herbs, tools, mages—name it and it is yours."
The unblessed traveler from another world looked down at the poisoned noblewoman, his Appraisal skill already glowing faintly in his mind as he assessed the legendary Shadowveil Deathcap still coursing through her veins. The rare herbs and knowledge he had gathered in the Forbidden Forest were ready.
He reached into his Storage Bag and began to prepare the cure, the quiet farmer who had once been thrown away by a goddess now standing as the only hope in a duke's mansion.