Fang Zhen glanced at the soldier, thinking him quite clever. "Can you ride a horse?" he asked.

"Yes. Besides farming, my family also raises horses," Ayo replied.

"I’m in need of a Knight’s Squire. Are you willing to serve me for the time being?" Fang Zhen asked.

"I am! Very willing!" Ayo felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of tremendous luck.

"Good. Follow me into the castle," Fang Zhen said.

He spurred his horse and entered the castle.

Ayo followed, his face flush with excitement.

"My Lord! What about the Iron Armor Soldier nailed to the castle gate?" someone shouted from behind.

"Leave him nailed there as a lesson for anyone who dares to challenge the authority of the Lord," Fang Zhen called back without turning.

Inside the castle, Fang Zhen soon saw Father Matthew walking down and noticed a female Knight beside him.

Fang Zhen had never seen this female Knight before.

"Lord Fang Zhen, you’ve finally returned. Without you, Ashton Territory has been in turmoil, lacking someone to stabilize the situation," Father Matthew said with great emotion.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. This is an Order Knight, Agatha," Matthew said, introducing the female Knight beside him.

Fang Zhen nodded in understanding.

’The Tade Church has its own armed forces. Their Knights must be these so-called Order Knights.’

Fang Zhen swung himself off his horse and asked, "How did this mess happen?"

"Where’s Dalia?"

"The Countess is sick. She has a very high fever and couldn’t organize an effective resistance. I’m a Priest, and I’m not very good at this sort of thing. There was no one in charge of the territory," Matthew said. "It’s a huge relief that you’re here."

"Take me to Dalia." Hearing this, a wave of concern washed over Fang Zhen.

Dalia wasn’t exactly Fang Zhen’s true love, but even a relationship born of mutual need was still a bond, and Fang Zhen cared for her deeply.

Matthew seemed to sense Fang Zhen’s mood, and a hint of relief appeared on his face.

It was the relief of a brother—Dalia’s by blood—happy that his sister had found the right man.

"This way, my Lord," Matthew said.

Fang Zhen followed Matthew into the castle, down a long corridor, and into the master’s chambers.

Fang Zhen walked in and saw Dalia lying on a bed covered with a velvet quilt. A personal handmaiden was attending to her, and Dalia’s personal female bodyguard was there as well. The bodyguard watched her mistress on the bed with an anxious expression, her loyalty and worry evident.

The sound of Fang Zhen and Matthew entering caused the bodyguard to stand up alertly. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Upon seeing it was Fang Zhen, the bodyguard’s expression softened slightly.

On the bed, Dalia seemed delirious from the high fever, unable to recognize anyone, and was in a semi-conscious state.

"How is Dalia’s condition?" Fang Zhen asked.

"The Countess’s condition is very poor. Ever since she met with Count Henry a few days ago, she quickly fell ill with a high fever. She’s been delirious and unable to manage the territory’s affairs," the bodyguard said, glancing worriedly at Dalia on the bed before turning back.

"She fell sick right after meeting Henry?" Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow.

’Something feels wrong.’

Hearing the sharp tone in Fang Zhen’s question, the bodyguard and Matthew froze, and something seemed to click for both of them at the same time.

"Lord Fang Zhen, are you suggesting that it was Henry..." Matthew couldn’t help but say.

Fang Zhen nodded.

The timing of Dalia’s illness was too convenient. She collapsed right after meeting Henry, and immediately after, Henry led his troops to besiege the castle.

It was hard not to draw certain conclusions.

"Gods, how could we not have thought of that!" Matthew exclaimed in frustration. "It’s common to catch a bad cold this season, and even nobles can fall gravely ill from it. I never suspected Henry at all."

"But now that you mention it, I find it strange too. Count Henry looks extremely suspicious."

Neither Matthew nor the bodyguard was stupid; they just hadn’t considered it. It was like a paper window, easily pierced once pointed out.

Henry had both the motive and the means. After all, he was a Count with Extraordinary Items and capable people under his command. Furthermore, if Dalia were to die from her illness, Henry would likely take over the territory due to his proximity. With such a benefit at stake, he had a strong motive to resort to poison.

The bodyguard’s face also turned grim, a mix of frustration, guilt, and a trace of anger.

The anger, of course, was directed at Count Henry.

Fang Zhen was furious with Henry, too.

If Count Henry was truly behind this, his actions were utterly despicable. To prey on the territory of a once-loyal vassal using such insidious means was vile.

"Let’s not worry about whether Henry did it for now. The priority is to get Dalia healthy again," Fang Zhen said.

"We’ve tried. The doctors are helpless. There are no effective treatments at the moment. The only thing left to do is pray to God," Matthew said, a look of helplessness and sorrow on his face. He subconsciously made the equilateral triangle sign of the Tade Church with his hand.

"I have a way," Fang Zhen said.

"You? Besides your martial prowess, you also know medicine?" Matthew looked over in great surprise. The bodyguard also seemed taken aback, her eyes fixed on Fang Zhen.

"Heh, I know a brilliant gentleman named Sains who taught me many things," Fang Zhen said.

A ghostly image of a white medical kit suddenly appeared in his hand, and soon, the image solidified into a real object.

Fang Zhen placed the medical kit on the bedside table.

’The King’s Belt has made things so much more convenient. I stored a small white medical kit in its secondary space, filled with various emergency medicines, hemostatic bandages, adrenaline shots, and other supplies.’

Before the astonished eyes of Matthew and the bodyguard, Fang Zhen opened the medical kit, took out a temperature gun, and a few packets of medicine.

"Go prepare some hot water," Fang Zhen ordered the handmaiden.

The handmaiden accepted the order and hurried out to instruct the servants to prepare hot water and other things.

Fang Zhen, meanwhile, used the contactless temperature gun, pressing the button near Dalia’s forehead.

Thirty-nine point five.

Fang Zhen frowned.

’That’s a very high temperature.’

’From the looks of it, Dalia seems to have a viral flu.’

’But this world has Extraordinary Power. A viral flu might not actually be caused by a virus or a natural infection. It could be influenced by some Extraordinary Power.’

’Dalia’s temperature is too high right now.’

’Although a one-degree rise in body temperature can increase antibacterial capacity severalfold, the strain on Dalia’s body is too great.’

Fang Zhen put down the temperature gun, and just then, the handmaiden returned.

The castle already had hot water prepared. The personal handmaiden brought it in with a few other maids and, ever perceptive, fetched a silver bowl for the medicine.

Fang Zhen motioned for the handmaiden to bring the silver bowl over, then took out a packet of ibuprofen granules from the medicine box, tore it open, and poured it into the bowl.

"Pour in the hot water," he said.

The handmaiden quickly poured the hot water from the copper kettle into the silver bowl.

The ibuprofen granules dissolved.

Fang Zhen waited a moment for the medicine to cool, then picked up the silver bowl, gently blew on the steam, and helped Dalia sit up, feeding her the medicine bit by bit.

As Matthew and the bodyguard watched him earnestly helping Dalia take her medicine, they couldn’t help but be moved.

It wasn’t unusual for a man to help a woman take medicine, but for a man like Fang Zhen, who gave off such a masculine and martial impression, to do so created a feeling of a tough man’s tenderness.

The bodyguard, being a woman, was somewhat more sentimental. A tear actually escaped the corner of her eye, and she quickly wiped it away with her sleeve.

Fang Zhen had Dalia drink the entire bowl of the solution.

After a little while, he checked her temperature again.

Her temperature was just over thirty-eight degrees. It had gone down.

Fang Zhen let out a soft breath, his mood calming considerably.

’Good, the medicine is working.’

’I was thinking that if it were a different viral infection, I would have had to use some emergency drugs to stabilize her condition, take a blood sample, return to the real world to get a diagnosis from Siyu Medical, and then bring back a specific cure.’

’Looks like it won’t be that much trouble after all.’

As her temperature dropped, Dalia’s consciousness gradually returned.

Dalia opened her eyes. When she saw Fang Zhen before her, she let out a cry of pleasant surprise, despite her weakened state.

Fang Zhen had already taken off his plate mail gauntlets. He held Dalia’s hand and said, "Don’t worry, I’m here."

Tears welled in Dalia’s eyes as she looked at Fang Zhen, a mixture of being touched and feeling wronged.

Sickness is one of the times a person is most vulnerable. Fang Zhen’s timely appearance at her side gave Dalia an immense sense of security and reliance.

"How did you end up like this? Did you not take good care of yourself while I was away?" Fang Zhen asked, holding Dalia’s hand.

Although it was a question, his voice was very gentle.

With tears in her eyes, Dalia’s expression was full of grievance.

"It was Henry and Grand Duke Tarrenno! They’re trying to kill me!" Dalia said.