Back in the days when I was playing "Paradiso," there were times when the Ronella disease spread in my territory, so I often made medicines myself. Making it wasn't hard. The medicine's effect is dramatic. If it works properly, it can immediately stop the severe coughing, one of the terrible symptoms of Ronella disease. Then Mary could quickly escape the pain of coughing!
I mixed the herbs into the clear water that Hayes brought directly from the mansion. I had ground them so thoroughly that they were almost unrecognizable, so there should be no problem drinking it mixed in water.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Mary's coughing was getting worse. If left as it is, she would cough up more blood, and during that process, the airway could get blocked by blood clots, causing an obstruction. I hurriedly ran to Mary and handed her the herb-mixed water.
"It might taste a bit strange, but please bear with it. The medicine works best right after it's made, so you need to drink it now."
"Thank you, my lord..."
"I'll help you drink it, so just tilt your head back slowly."
I began to slowly tilt the bowl with the medicine towards Mary. She was so weak that I was worried she might drop the bowl.
Gulp- Gulp- Gulp-. She struggled but managed to drink it all.
"Ahh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, just lie down comfortably."
She lay on the bed, breathing heavily. For about 30 minutes, while letting her rest, I continuously cast healing magic on her without taking a break.
'Ugh, I'm dizzy. But it's okay. I can handle it.'
Since morning, I had been walking around all day, and using healing magic repeatedly drained and restored my energy, putting a strain on my body. Because of that, I had cold sweat on my forehead and felt dizzy, but I endured it and focused on treating her.
The first to notice the subtle change in me was, of course, Hayes.
"My lord, are you okay? No, you're suddenly sweating so much!"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's just a bit warm. I'm okay."
Hayes wiped the sweat off my forehead with a worried expression.
"My lord, please have this."
In the meantime, Lena handed me a cup of water. She looked worried, probably because she was concerned about my pale appearance.
"Thank you, Lena. Just rest comfortably. This healing energy needs to be maintained for over two hours for a definite reaction in the body. Until then, everyone should rest well."
Ten minutes passed, then twenty... and two hours went by. Just as I was about to groan, feeling the limits of my mental strength, Mary grabbed my hand tightly and spoke.
"My lord, the coughing has stopped! The burning pain in my chest is gone, and I feel life returning to my whole body."
Her voice was much stronger. It was a completely different look from the one where she struggled to speak with a dying voice two hours ago. More than anything, it was fortunate that the frequent coughing had stopped. Plus, with my healing magic, her body's recovery was sped up.
"Mom! Mooooom! Sob sob sob!"
Mia, who confirmed Mary's improved condition, ran and hugged her mother.
"Mom, are you really okay? You're not lying to me, right?"
"Yes, it's true. Thanks to the lord, all the pain I felt in my body is gone! I still don't have much energy because I haven't eaten properly, but the pain from the Ronella disease is gone."
"Mom! Sob sob sob! My lord, my lord! Thank you so much. Thank you so, so much!"
"...Yeah."
I heard Mia's voice shouting loudly, even bowing repeatedly in front of me. But... something felt off. It was like an echo, Mia's voice sounded distant and faint. In the midst of that, a system message appeared in front of me.
[*Warning: Excessive use of energy without proper recovery has occurred.]
[*Warning: Physical strength is rapidly declining! Mental strength is reaching its limit! Loss of control over the body! Risk of convulsions due to shock is greatly increased!]
[The Eucales Mana Technique has been activated. To prevent shock, it will forcibly induce a 'fainting' state.]
"Ah!"
A sound that could be a sigh or a groan. That was the last memory I had in Mia's house.
I fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming. I slept for such a long time that I could feel how limp my body was. Then, I suddenly woke up because of the sound of thunder and lightning outside the window. When I opened my eyes, I saw someone who hadn't left my side. As expected, it was Hayes.
"My lord, are you awake?"
"My... room?"
"Yes, after you fainted, I called Captain Rakis. And then we brought you here."
"What about Mary, Mia, and Lena?"
I was curious about the whereabouts of the three people who were not immediately visible. I had confirmed that the treatment worked successfully on Mary, so I wasn't too worried. But still, I was a bit concerned.
"Don't you remember? When you briefly woke up, you gave orders, and everything proceeded as you instructed."
From what Hayes said, it seemed I had said quite a bit when I woke up in between.
"How many days have passed since then? What did I say? I don't remember at all."
"It's the second day today! You said to bring Mary to the mansion for intensive treatment and then to give the two of them positions as a cook and maid so they could stay at the mansion."
I didn't remember, but it seemed I had said exactly what I wanted to.
"So, what happened?"
"Lady Mary has been taking the medicine you made for two days, and her condition has improved greatly. Probably by now..."
Just then.
Knock, knock!
There was a knock on the door. Hayes quickly ran to the door, and there was Mary with a tray full of food. It reminded me of eight years ago. Back then, Mary had also brought me delicious food she had made with care. But at that time, I was busy getting angry and yelling at other servants for picking on me, so I didn't eat anything until her food got cold. Of course, even when I ate the cold food, it was delicious, but I had been too angry to appreciate it.
Stupid old Jared. I should have made Mary the head cook back then.
"My lord, you're awake!"
"My loooord...!"
"No, Mia! You can't just run to the lord like that!"
Mary's voice greeted me warmly. And then, I heard Mia's voice shouting from behind. I shook my head and said.
"It's okay. Mia, come here."
"My lord! You're awake? I've been waiting and praying for you to wake up healthy!"
Mia ran to me and hugged me tightly. I was worried that my heavy, plump body might be a burden to her, but she hugged my waist tightly and snuggled in even more.
"I really like your soft belly, my lord!"
"Sorry, but could you like something else instead? Hahaha."
"I like everything about you, my lord! Hehe!"
I patted Mia's head as she puffed her cheeks cutely.
"You're pretty. You look much cuter dressed like this."
"Really? Mom said it looks good on me too!"
Compared to the worn-out clothes she used to wear, Mia looked much better in the clothes Hayes had thoughtfully prepared for her. The same went for Mary. She looked so pale and frail before, but dressed in the cook's outfit, she looked much more professional. But there's still one person missing.
"Hayes, where's Lena?"
"She's in the training room, getting a basic fitness check under Captain Rakis's guidance. We dressed her in quality training clothes and gave her a neat grooming, so you don't have to worry!"
As expected of Hayes, she leaves no stone unturned. 'Did Rakis read my mind? No, maybe Lena, who likes challenges, asked first.'
I hadn't specifically asked Rakis for anything. Yet, the check was happening for one of two reasons. Either Rakis had read my intentions, or Lena boldly approached Rakis herself.
Rakis's martial skills are enough to teach basic martial arts and swordsmanship. But beyond that, it's tough. To fully and quickly unleash Lena's potential, I need to find a teacher with a special trait like 'Spartan Training' or 'Customized Education' at an S-grade level.
Unfortunately, there's no such talent in my territory right now. In other words, I need to recruit someone from outside.
'Let's leave the basic training to Rakis for now. That will also establish Rakis's prestige as the captain. It's a good decision.' I concluded Lena's initial training plan like that. While Lena grows step by step, I can look for a good teacher from outside. Countless candidates come to mind. They are all NPCs I had connections with in "Paradiso." Of course, now they are living, breathing people.
"My lord, please eat."
Mary carefully brought the cooked food in front of me. I could smell the delicious aroma! It seemed like a slightly greasy smell, so I worried she might have made a meat or fried dish, which I was trying to avoid. But Mary's next words eased my worries.
"Hayes told me that you've recently switched to a vegetarian diet to lose weight. So I focused on making fake meat dishes with your favorite soy meat. It's all vegetarian. I hope you enjoy it."
Mary slowly stepped back. As I looked at the many dishes on the plate, they were indeed all vegetarian dishes based on soy meat, just as she said. Even if I ate all of this until I was full, it wouldn't be many calories.
"Wow, it looks really delicious!"
I was so happy that my thoughts slipped out of my mouth without a filter. It didn't matter. I was so hungry after sleeping for two days straight that I felt like I was going crazy.
"Mmm. Yum. Yum."
I immediately grabbed a fork and started stuffing the food Mary made into my mouth. It might have looked a bit unseemly, stuffing my mouth full, but everyone watched my meal with satisfaction. ...To the point of being a little embarrassed.
I emptied the plate in no time. It was the best meal, with nothing left, not even the soup.
[Taste buds activated by the best flavor. Senses amplified. Mana sensitivity increased by 5%.][Based on the feeling of fullness, the body recovers quickly. Stamina recovery speed doubled.]
'Huh? Just by eating food, there's a change significant enough to be expressed in a system message?'
It was unexpected. This meant that the food Mary made was either made with rare ingredients or that Mary's cooking skills were exceptional. I checked Mary's stats with my insight.
The Ronella disease, which seemed like a status ailment, was gone. The medicine seemed to have worked 100%, or rather 200%. And.
[Special Trait: Mom's Home Cooking S][General Traits: Gratitude, Happiness]
I had a feeling, and indeed, there was something special about her trait. Mom's home cooking... is truly the best.