"What have you planned?" Manoban asked, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and hope.

Ray held her close. "Tomorrow, I'm going to meet your parents. I'll tell them I love you, and that I'll save all of us from the danger we're facing."

He then explained his theory. "The feudal lord's sudden visit, the city lord giving Belar the easy job of caring for the Feudal lord's horses, the ruining of your fields… it all feels like a big conspiracy."

Manoban nodded, a new wave of fear washing over her. "It does. It all feels so sudden, and now that you mention it, it's all connected."

Ray then showed her the Hybrid-Armor. "Wear this before you leave in the morning. And tell your parents to wait for me. I need to speak with them."

She nodded, her eyes shining. "I feel so proud that I chose you as my man."

They kissed and spent the night together. In the morning, Ray woke to see Manoban already dressed, the armor he gave her fitting perfectly beneath her clothes.

"This feels just like a normal piece of clothing," she said, her voice full of wonder. "But I can feel the metal against my skin, though it's still so comfortable."

Ray smiled. "That's why I created it. No one will ever notice you're wearing it underneath your normal clothes."

Once everything was settled, Manoban returned home, while Ray began preparing his final piece before heading to her house.

Ray needed one more thing. If he was going to get the feudal lord's attention, the modified grain wouldn't be enough.

He needed something that would directly connect him to the city lord's conspiracy. Something that would prove the city lord was not only a liar but also a threat to the feudal lord himself.

His mind went back to the horses. They were the key. He had a theory that the city lord planned to use the horses to do more than just transport the feudal lord. He had to be planning something else, something that would turn the feudal lord's visit into a disaster.

Ray left his room and made his way to the stables, where Belar was already busy feeding the horses. Belar, wearing the armor Ray gave him, looked up, a mix of concern and admiration on his face.

"I wore it," Belar said. "And what you told me about the horses… I checked them. All of them are perfectly healthy."

"I know," Ray said, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone.

"That's the problem. These are your horses, but in two days, the feudal lord's horses will be here. The city lord gave you this job for a reason, Belar. It wasn't a gesture of goodwill; it was a trap."

Belar's eyes widened, a dawning horror on his face. "A trap? What are you talking about?"

Ray continued, a cold clarity in his voice. "The city lord knows about me and Manoban. He knows I am your caretaker, and he wants me dead. When the feudal lord arrives, the city lord will try to poison his horses.

Not to hurt the lord directly, but to create a disaster that he can blame on you and me. He'll frame us, claiming we were incompetent or, worse, that we were conspiring against the feudal lord. He'll use it as his perfect excuse to execute me, and you might get caught in the crossfire."

Belar's face went pale. Ray's words painted a grim picture, but it all made a terrible kind of sense. The easy money, the sudden job, the feudal lord's unexpected visit—it all felt like pieces of a much larger, darker puzzle that they were at the center of.

"What do we do?" Belar asked, his voice shaking.

Ray smiled, a calm and confident expression that did little to soothe Belar's nerves. "We stay one step ahead of him. I can create a perfect antidote to any poison he might use.

But I need your help. When the feudal lord's horses arrive, you have to make sure every single one of them gets a dose. I'll make enough for all of them, and some extra, just in case."

Belar, still with so many questions, simply nodded. He followed Ray out of the stable and toward the village's apothecary.

Once inside, Ray requested dozens of "vitality drinks." Belar knew these well—they were a common, albeit bitter, remedy used to heal the sick.

Ray bought all they had and, upon returning to the stable, began his final preparations. Belar watched in disbelief as Ray held one of the vials and a soft blue light emanated from his hands, enveloping the drink.

[Skill: Modification]

[Vitality Drink - Healing Draught]

This concoction has been modified to instantly heal any living being, no matter the illness, sickness, or poison. It is a powerful, universal cure-all. However, this power comes with a strict limitation: the drink can only work on a single person or being once. Its magical properties are a one-time-use per individual, making it an invaluable but limited resource.

Ray showed the transformed vial to Belar, who was completely at a loss for words. "What in the world was that?"

"This is our final piece of the puzzle," Ray explained. "With this, we can turn the city lord's own plan against him. He'll think he's laid a trap, but we'll have a countermeasure ready.

He wants to execute me? Fine. We'll give him a perfect excuse to come here and act, but when he does, we'll be ready for him. We'll not only save ourselves but expose him for the fraud he is."

Belar swallowed hard, his mind racing to catch up with Ray's grand scheme. "So, you're saying we just wait for him to make his move?"

"Exactly," Ray said. "He's expecting us to run, to panic. Instead, we'll show him that we are smarter and more prepared than he could ever imagine. Just make sure the horses get this drink, no matter what. After that, we just wait."

Belar nodded, a cold resolve settling in his heart. He had trusted Astban with his life before, but this was on another level entirely.

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