“Is it a bit too much? It’s okay if you leave some. I made it based on my usual amount…”

He trailed off awkwardly. I hadn’t intended to make him feel uncomfortable, so I quickly waved my hands to reassure him.

“No, it’s fine. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

I immediately picked up the cup, inhaling the aroma before slowly tasting the tea. It seemed to be made from very fresh and vibrant tea leaves. Since leaving the duke’s estate, this was the first time I’d had tea of such quality, and it was a delightful surprise.

“It’s much… tastier than I expected.”

The man grinned as if he had anticipated my reaction.

“The last place I stayed was famous for its tea leaves.”

Remembering that he had been a mercenary, I nodded quietly. He sat down next to Ben, holding his cup.

“Stefan, right?”

“How do you know?”

When I greeted him first, he paused in the middle of sipping his tea.

“People in the village have mentioned you quite a bit. They said you even set up explosives in the mountains.”

“Yes, that’s right. I injured my leg back then.”

Stefan looked at his leg with surprising nonchalance. Usually, such severe injuries also left a mental scar, making people reluctant to talk about them.

“My uncle has nightmares all the time because of his leg,” Ben chimed in, as if speaking for him.

“I believe I can heal it.”

However, Stefan didn’t seem too enthusiastic. He hesitated before speaking.

“I’ve heard about you. They say you’re a healer… But… I’ve met a healer before because I wanted to fix my leg. It didn’t work. I doubt it will be any different with you.”

He seemed worried that I might fail to heal his leg, fearing both his disappointment and the shame I might feel. I understood his concerns, but I wasn’t just any healer.

“Trust me.”

I asked Stefan to stand up and walk. Ben, who had climbed off the sofa, watched the scene with great interest.

I had seen many patients with limps, and treating them wasn’t difficult. If the healer Stefan had met before couldn’t even touch his leg, it might have been because their time had come.

“Was the healer you met quite old?”

“How did you know…?”

As I expected, his answer didn’t surprise me.

“Healers who are nearing the end of their lives have weakened magic, so they naturally can’t treat severe injuries. Sit on the floor and stretch out your leg.”

I skillfully adjusted the alignment of Stefan’s leg with the magic I infused, correcting the misalignment in one go. Somehow, the treatment felt clean and swift, likely because of my experience caring for the injured in Fojetta and the principality.

“In fact, these kinds of injuries are easier to treat because the cause is clear. Now, try walking.”

Stefan stood up with a bewildered expression and walked back and forth, assessing the condition of his leg. Ben was frozen with his mouth agape, watching his uncle walk normally.

“If the nightmares were caused by the pain, you won’t have them anymore. But if they’re due to unrelated psychological issues, come see me.”

Stefan was still speechless. Having struggled for years without hope for treatment, he must have been overwhelmed with a mix of emotions seeing it resolved so easily.

“Oh, as you might know, I’m staying at Alisa’s house. My name is Hazel.”

“Thank… you… I don’t know how to repay this kindness…”

He finally spoke, his voice choked with emotion as he expressed his gratitude. I smiled gently and enjoyed the cooled tea’s fresh scent. Suddenly, I remembered something Uncle John had said.

“By the way, do you happen to have a small glass bottle, a well-sharpened knife, a magnifying glass, or a sieve… anything like that I could borrow?”

“Of course! I’ll get them right away.”

He answered eagerly, running off through a door at the back of the kitchen, his joy evident even from his retreating figure.

“Please teach me too.”

“Hmm?”

Like his uncle, Ben had been lost in thought but snapped back to reality and sat beside me.

“I want to heal people too!”

I didn’t want to shatter the child’s dreams, but it wasn’t my place to plant false hope either. I extended my hand towards him. The child naturally took my hand, and I infused it with energy. If he had any magical ability, he would feel a resonance, but otherwise, there would be no reaction. As I expected, Ben was just an ordinary child.

“Unfortunately, not everyone can do it. You need to have the ability.”

“Like Rose?”

“Did you hear?”

“Yes… She said she’s going to the capital to study… I don’t want her to leave…”

The child’s gloomy expression was quite pitiful. Could it be his first love? I suddenly felt the urge to help him.

“Ben, you could go to the capital too.”

“Me too?”

“Yes. Become a knight and protect Rose.”

The child’s face lit up like a blooming flower.

“How can I become a knight?”

“You have to train hard and earn recognition… Actually, this is a secret, but I’ll tell only you, Ben, so listen carefully.”

Ben nodded vigorously, his dark eyes shining with interest.

“If you go to the northeastern region, there’s the Lawrence family’s estate. Find a knight named Jayden there. Mention my name and tell him you want to become a knight. He’ll help you. Do you know my name?”

“Hazel!”

“That’s right.”

The child’s face, unable to hide his excitement, was simply adorable. Meanwhile, Stefan returned, laying out various tools on the floor, and I was quietly impressed that he had brought exactly what I needed.

“Since you mentioned you’re a healer, I thought you might need these for potion-making.”

Following his explanation, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Everything I had asked Uncle John for was there, and the tools were well-maintained, just like those used at the academy.

“Thank you so much. I’ll use them carefully.”

After inspecting each tool, I sincerely thanked him. As Stefan packed the items into a leather bag he had brought with him, he said,

“It seems too heavy for you to carry alone, so I’ll help you move it.”

He was not only perceptive but also considerate.

“Alright. I won’t refuse.”

“Do you need any other help?”

He asked while patting his leg. I thought it would ease his mind a bit if I asked for something. Besides, I would need help going to the mountain later anyway.

“I might need to go to the mountain later. Could I ask you to accompany me then?”

“Of course, just let me know.”

His polite smile was pleasant to see.

***

It didn’t take long for the story of Rose’s grandmother and Stefan to spread throughout the village. Afterward, every morning, one or two sick people would come to Alisa’s house.

Though Alisa scolded them for bothering her guests, seeing her healthier than ever, people teased her instead, and she quickly had to back down.

In the end, I set up a makeshift clinic in the annex I had planned to use as a laboratory and began treating those with severe symptoms or the elderly first. While no major illnesses were found, most cases were due to accumulated fatigue, requiring long-term treatment with potions.

While Alisa was out at the study room, I roamed the fields near the house diligently. Fortunately, I found plenty of herbs without needing to venture into the mountains.

Although they weren’t particularly potent, they were sufficient ingredients for making excellent potions with the right combination. To the untrained eye, they might have seemed like mere weeds. In any case, it was a relief to save time by not having to wander the mountains.

I picked leaves from low-growing plants and dug up deep-rooted ones with a hoe. I filled my basket in no time and spent the rest of the day by the fire, boiling, filtering, and roasting the herbs. I spent several days making potions, so busy that I had no time to think of anything else.

That day, as usual, I left the house early in the morning.

To shield myself from the strong sun, I wore a bonnet that Alisa had given me and hung a basket on one arm. I made sure to bring gloves and a hoe, heading to the field where I gathered herbs every day.

The field stretched from behind the house to just before the mountain path began, covering a vast area. No matter how much I gathered, it never seemed to make a dent, and even after digging up the ground multiple times, small animals would quickly cover the traces with their own.

As usual, I settled in the middle of the field. I carefully examined the plants, looking for ones that were large and healthy.

“Oh? This is…!”

I wondered why I hadn’t noticed the Rangsen before. Although Rangsen didn’t have any inherent effects, it was an excellent supplementary ingredient that enhanced the efficacy of any herb. Overjoyed, I bent down and began carefully digging around it.

However, due to the recent lack of rain, the ground was very dry. Since Rangsen was a plant with widely spreading roots, it was already difficult to collect, and I had to put in more effort than usual. After struggling for a while, I finally exposed the roots, but the thickest and longest stem simply wouldn’t break. To make matters worse, when I struck the ground hard, the handle of my hoe broke. Its reputation for being weak was well-deserved.

I decided I would have to come back with a sturdier hoe and stood up to leave.

Thunk.

Suddenly, a small dagger flew through the air and embedded itself in the ground, cutting the stubborn Rangsen root cleanly.

Startled, I looked up, and at the same moment, someone swiftly bent down in front of me, pulled out the plant, and handed it to me. The whole thing happened so quickly that I awkwardly accepted it, still in shock, and thanked the person.

“Thank you…”

“You’ve run quite far.”

Completely frozen, I slowly turned my gaze to the owner of the voice. It was a tall man in a white tunic and black pants, someone I had occasionally seen on rainy days, standing there with a nonchalant expression.

How on earth did he manage to track me down here?