"Rollin, let's go!"
Lord Donner had already ordered the group to move, and Rollin followed, but kept his eyes on the village ahead.
The woman was lying on the table, her feet planted on the ground, her skirt pulled up over her torso.
The blood on the table was clearly coming from a wound in her throat.
Rollin glanced at the corpse, then used his sword tip to lift the skirt off her body, hiding it from view.
He stepped back, then moved on to the last house at the end of the village.
Inside, a man lay on the ground, his chest pierced by a hole, and he had been dead for quite some time.
His hand was clenched tightly around a small pouch.
Perhaps the savages had attacked the village at night, and in the darkness, they failed to notice this man's belongings.
Rollin glanced around, then placed his sword down, crouching to pull the pouch from the corpse's grip.
After several attempts, he finally managed to extract it.
Looking at the man's corpse, he said, "I won't take your money for nothing. As your payment, I'll help you kill a few more savages. I promise I'll keep my word."
"Ugh..."
A low growl came from Xiao He, who had been watching the scene.
Rollin grabbed his longsword, following Xiao He's gaze.
From the open back door, he saw a gray dog standing in the courtyard.
It was about 55 cm tall, slightly shorter than Xiao He.
Its head was wedge-shaped, with upright ears and thick, coarse fur.
White patches were visible on its chest and legs.
From its appearance, it looked like the Norwegian elk hound, a dog known from his past life.
The gray dog stepped back as soon as Rollin raised his sword.
"Looks like you're hurt,"
Rollin said, addressing it while calming Xiao He, preventing it from rushing forward.
The gray dog's reason for stepping back was clear—it had a wounded left front paw, which could only barely touch the ground.
It was likely an internal injury, as there were no visible wounds or bloodstains.
Rollin looked back at the corpse, then at the gray dog.
He held up the pouch he had just retrieved.
To unlock the next talent, he needed to raise two dogs and spend 4 silver coins.
He had already met the conditions.
Maybe it was fate.
"Come on, I won't hurt you,"
Rollin crouched low, stepping forward slowly.
He pulled a piece of meat from his pouch and offered it to the gray dog, saying, "Want some?"
The gray dog didn't move back.
It didn't step forward either, but tilted its head, watching the man who held the meat.
Its eyes, scared and wary, flickered with hesitation.
"Looks like you're the only one left in the village,"
Rollin said, tossing the meat to the gray dog.
"Come with me. You won't get meat every day, but it's better than becoming a stray."
The gray dog remained still, only shifting slightly backward, its cautious nature evident.
"Alright,"
Rollin gave up trying to persuade it.
After all, Lord Donner was waiting.
He turned to Xiao He, rubbing its head and looking into its eyes, saying, "If you want to become a partner with it, it's up to you whether you join us or not."
"Ugh..."
Xiao He let out a low growl, then glanced at the gray dog, then back at Rollin.
It seemed reluctant to be with a weaker dog, but eventually, it extended its tongue and licked Rollin's hand.
That was its way of saying "yes."
Rollin stood up, stepping back into the village center to rejoin Lord Donner.
Just then, Bill returned from his search, and the two shared the information they had found—
No survivors.
"These savages are truly despicable,"
Lord Donner muttered, his voice filled with anger.
He pulled on the reins of his horse, kicking it to move forward.
"These corpses will be handled by others. We don't need to stay here."
"Let's go,"
Lord Donner gave the signal.
The group continued their journey, and after leaving the village, they stopped for midday rest.
Rollin took his post, keeping watch from the distance, and used this time to practice with the wooden crossbow.
He had played with crossbows in a licensed shooting range before—
Though the design was different, the basics weren't unfamiliar.
But since he was now a serf, the idea of using such a weapon was new.
So he asked Peamon for guidance.
To his surprise, Peamon was surprisingly patient and thorough in teaching him.
Maybe he was being extra careful because he was watching Lord Donner, who was sitting nearby.
But regardless, Rollin learned a lot from the session.
"Crack!"
A crossbow bolt flew, hitting the tree ten paces ahead.
After trying at fifteen paces, it still struck the tree.
At twenty paces, however, the crossbow missed, either due to the weapon's flaws or the arrow's imperfection.
But after half a day of practice, he realized one thing—
Without interference and in calm conditions, he could achieve a 70-80% accuracy at fifteen paces.
The crossbow was easier to use than a bow, but its penetration power wasn't high enough to pierce chainmail.
That was likely because it was designed to avoid damaging the fur of its prey too much.
Of course, the heavy military crossbows used by elite warriors were another story.
They were much more powerful, but also far more expensive to make and maintain.
It wasn't surprising that they weren't widely issued.
"Xiao He truly has potential,"
Rollin said, securing the crossbow.
He looked back at the gray dog, limping behind Xiao He.
Xiao He would often glance back at the dog, sometimes running around it—
It was like it was encouraging the gray dog, or just playing.
Soon, Xiao He came up to Rollin, nuzzling against his legs and wagging its tail.
It was clearly delighted by the meat he had given it earlier.
The gray dog, after hesitating, licked the meat and then gently bit it.
It was an encouraging sign.
"Looks like it's still not fully under your control,"
Rollin thought, watching the gray dog.
He wasn't sure yet if it belonged to him.
He picked up the copper book and opened it.
The inside didn't show the gray dog's head.
That meant it wasn't officially his yet.
Or, more accurately, the gray dog hadn't recognized him as its master.
This was a cautious dog.
"You don't need to be so careful around me,"
Rollin said, closing the book and smiling at the gray dog.
"It's a good guy."
He then turned back, keeping watch.
From the distant road, two figures appeared.
One was a knight in heavy armor, riding a towering warhorse.
The other was a young man on a smaller travel horse, dragging a mule with supplies.
The young man held a flag, its triangular shape unmistakable.
"That's my old friend, Sir Gary,"
Lord Donner stood up, saying, "Peamon, organize my clothes. When greeting a friend, we need to be proper, so it can show the respect we share."