Arion returned from the kitchen, carrying a simple wooden bowl. He could have used a silver or golden one, but he chose wood because… well, it was the first thing he found. Of course, everyone else interpreted this as proof of his humility and profound wisdom.
He stepped into the room. The aroma was now stronger and more concentrated—an actual scent of pure happiness.
Arion knelt beside the girl's bed. He saw her eyes—once empty—now following the bowl. Then he looked at the doll resting in her lap.
Bzzzzzzzz!
The doll began to tremble violently, releasing a faint, cold black aura. It was resisting. Its "malfunction" recognized this "comfort energy" as poison.
"Look!" Lady Isabella gasped in horror. "The demon is resisting the holy food!"
"It's just chicken stew…" Arion muttered to himself, but no one heard him.
He lifted a spoonful of the rich stew and brought it to the girl's lips. In that instant, the black aura around the doll grew thicker, as if it were screaming in silence.
"Eat, girl," Arion thought desperately. "My whole fake hero career depends on this."
Gently, he managed to get a tiny drop of the stew into Ilara's mouth.
The moment the liquid touched her tongue, there was a silent explosion. A massive wave of pure contentment, perfect comfort, and homely warmth surged through the girl's tiny being. This energy—exactly the opposite of what the broken doll fed on—rushed through the psychic link straight into the doll's core.
It was like pouring water on an overheating electronic device.
Bzzzz… Krrrrrr…
The doll began to shudder wildly. The black aura swelled for a moment, then—
POOF!
It burst into a cloud of harmless black smoke that quickly dissipated. A sharp, mechanical whine escaped the doll, then—
CRAAACK!
A thin crack split across its creepy porcelain smile. Then all went silent. The coldness in the room vanished, replaced by a warm, soothing calm.
The little girl—Ilara—blinked. Once. Twice. She looked at the spoon in Arion's hand, then at her mother, who stared back with her mouth agape, then at the bowl. Her blue eyes, once empty, were now clear and alive.
She opened her mouth, and in a faint, hoarse voice that hadn't been heard for a month, she said one word:
"…More?"
Lady Isabella collapsed into hysterical, joyful sobs, throwing herself onto her daughter in a desperate embrace. "Ilara! My darling! You're back!"
The servants watching from the doorway fell to their knees, praying and thanking the gods.
Arion just stood there in the middle of the emotional chaos, holding his stew bowl and spoon, hair slightly tousled from the cooking steam. "Did… did that really work?" he thought in shock. "I actually broke an ancient curse with vegetables and spices."
---
When Arion finally returned to the Adventurer's Guild later that evening, the atmosphere was different. It wasn't just whispers anymore—it was a full-blown celebration.
The whole guild was buzzing about the "Miracle of House Valentis." But, as always, the story had grown, twisted, and bloomed into a ridiculous epic.
Arion approached a table in the corner and overheard the tales:
"So then Lord Arion entered the room," a dwarf adventurer was saying excitedly. "And the demon burst out of the doll! A creature of shadows and smoke, with eyes like burning coals!"
"I heard it wasn't just one demon," interrupted a burly witch. "It was an entire army of tortured spirits! Screaming in a forgotten tongue!"
"And do you know how he defeated them?" shouted a skinny young man. "He didn't even draw his sword! He made stew! But not just any stew—he used his own tears as the main ingredient! The tears of a true hero, purer than any holy water! When the demon smelled the stew, it evaporated instantly, unable to stand that much purity and nobility!"
Arion listened, mouth slightly open. "My tears? I haven't cried since I saw the price of clothes in this city!"
At that moment, as he tried to process this new, "improved" version of his legend, a system window popped up in front of him.
Ding~
> [New Title Earned: Profound Sage]
Effect: When performing a completely normal action (such as cooking, cleaning, or tying your shoes), there is a chance observers will interpret it as a miraculous, profound event. (Permanent passive effect).
> [Hidden Quest Completed: Exorcist Chef]
Reward: Random Skill Book (x1).
Arion stared at the new title. "Permanent passive effect?" he screamed internally. "The system is officially admitting my life is one big cosmic joke! It's mocking me!"
Feeling utterly defeated, he used the new skill book, expecting nothing but disappointment. "What now? A skill for polishing silverware perfectly?"
Ding~
> [You have learned the skill: Soothing Hum (Rank D)]
Description: You can hum a simple, calming tune. It has a slight soothing effect on small animals and infants. Completely useless against anything hostile.
Mana Cost: 1 per minute.
Just then, a wandering bard stepped onto the small guild stage, struck his lute, and began to sing loudly:
"Listen, O heroes, to Arion's tale…
Who banished the dark with spoon and stew…
No demon could stand the nobility of his heart…
And so it melted in broth's warm brew!"
Arion closed his eyes. He had officially become a folk ballad. "Soothing Hum…" he thought bleakly. "Great. Now I can help my little brother sleep after telling him the story of how I saved the world with chicken soup."
The misunderstanding had officially reached the point of no return.