Carrot

Two days later, Port Osborn.

Sunlight filtered through the low rooftops of the port city, spilling onto the damp cobblestone streets and making the puddles on the ground gleam.

The sea breeze, thick with salty moisture, swept through the narrow alleys.

Wearing her full plate armor, Rosie walked down the center of the street, her metal boots clanking rhythmically against the stone slabs.

She had already grown accustomed to the various looks cast her way—some curious, some wary, and others quickly steering clear to make way for her.

Full plate armor was not a common sight in Port Osborn, but as a bustling port city with all kinds of travelers passing through, no one approached her to strike up a conversation.

As she continued down the street, a sudden flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed from ahead.

Several guards clad in worn leather armor with swords hanging at their waists turned out from a side alley, blocking her path.

The leader, a middle-aged man, swept his gaze over her plate armor before speaking up, “Hey! You're the one who's been causing trouble all over town, aren't you?”

Rosie stopped in her tracks, her voice sounding slightly puzzled from inside her helmet. “Causing trouble? I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You've beaten up quite a few people over the last two days, haven't you? We've received numerous complaints from the victims,” the guard captain said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Rosie fell silent for a moment, and then a sudden, understanding “Oh” echoed from within her helmet.

“So that's what this is about. But perhaps you should first ask what they were doing before I beat them up.”

The guard captain frowned and waved his hand impatiently. “Cut the crap. Regardless of the reason, resorting to violence is wrong. You're coming with us!”

Rosie stood her ground, staring at him through her visor for a few seconds before letting out a sigh.

“I was merely delivering justice for the common folk. Those people were either crooked merchants or local bullies. Instead of dealing with them, you're coming after me?”

As she spoke, she raised her right hand.

“It seems you're in league with them.”

“What did you say?!”

The guard captain's face flushed with anger, but before he could even argue, Rosie's palm had already arrived.

Slap! A crisp sound echoed.

The guard captain was sent sprawling to the ground by a single slap.

“What do you think you're doing?!” the other guards shouted in anger, reaching for their weapons.

“It seems you're all in league with them too!”

Rosie took a large stride forward, her iron boots thudding heavily against the ground.

A rapid succession of crisp slapping sounds echoed through the air.

Within just a few breaths, the guards were left groaning on the ground in a tangled heap.

The captain struggled to push himself up from the base of the wall, leaning against it to steady himself.

Clutching his swollen cheek, he drew his sword with a mixture of rage and fear. Pointing the blade at Rosie, his voice trembled slightly, “You... how dare you assault the city guard!”

Rosie said nothing.

She leisurely fished out a silver badge from her inner pocket. The design of a dragon spreading its wings and soaring toward the sun caught the sunlight, flashing a brilliant gleam.

“D-Dawnguard?!”

The guards' voices instantly changed.

Rosie's voice drifted from her plate helmet. “Why is it that you look like a vampire to me?”

The guard captain froze. He never expected this armored figure causing trouble all over the place to actually be a Dawnguard.

He instinctively protested, “How could I possibly be a vampire?”

“You're indeed too weak to be a vampire,” Rosie said unhurriedly, slipping the badge back into her pocket. “But I suspect you are a vampire's lackey.”

The guard was no fool; he understood the underlying threat in her words.

Whether he was actually a vampire's lackey didn't matter. What mattered was that a Dawnguard could "legitimately suspect" him of being one.

And being a vampire's lackey was a capital offense anywhere, punishable by public decapitation.

He might not even find a way to prove his innocence.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he quickly sheathed his sword.

“A misunderstanding... it's all a misunderstanding,” he said, his voice turning dry and hurried. “Please calm your anger, my lord... we made a mistake.”

Rosie did not budge. “As a protector of this city, your duty is to maintain order. Clearly, you have failed to do so. It would be incredibly easy for vampires to exploit such negligence...”

The guard captain nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes... you are absolutely right, my lord. I will return immediately and straighten out those troublemakers.”

“Very well, I will let you off this time. Remember your promise.” Rosie didn't press the matter further.

As if granted a grand pardon, the captain turned and scurried away.

The other guards followed dejectedly behind him, limping down the street until they vanished around the corner.

Rosie stood where she was, watching them leave until the last figure disappeared into the shadows at the end of the street.

A line of translucent text floated into view.

【Completed knightly deed: Gained 2% advancement experience】

【Advancement experience has reached 20%. Gained a new Knight Specialization skill】

【Available Specialization Skill: Defensive Stance — Raise your shield to defend. In this stance, you can help block attacks for nearby allies】

【Available Specialization Skill: Whirlwind Attack — Spin your weapon to perform an area-of-effect attack】

“Huh?”

Rosie let out a sound of surprise.

She hadn't expected that reaching a certain threshold of advancement experience would grant her additional specialization skills.

Who would have thought that doing some good deeds would yield such benefits?

It truly was a case of judging a person by their actions rather than their intentions!

Rosie stood thinking for a few seconds, then directly selected Whirlwind Attack.

She was a lone wolf most of the time, so a skill like Defensive Stance was of little use to her.

On the other hand, Whirlwind Attack was perfect for making up for her lack of area-of-effect attacks.

Once her choice was made, the method for using Whirlwind Attack immediately surfaced in her mind.

Just like when she first learned Charge, muscle memory was written directly into her body—how to adjust her center of gravity, how to maintain balance while spinning, and how to transfer the kinetic energy of her body's rotation into the blade.

After digesting the information for a moment, she rolled her shoulders to confirm she had fully mastered the new skill.

Then, she continued to wander around the city.

She went on helping elderly women cross the street, giving alms to beggars, guiding lost children back home, and so on.

However, she didn't gain a single point of knightly experience after that.

Rosie thought about it and figured she had probably hit a bottleneck.

These minor, everyday good deeds were no longer enough for the Knight Trial to judge them as "feats."

Although it was a bit of a shame she couldn't farm more experience, she had already squeezed a new skill out of it, so she should be satisfied.

Besides, she didn't plan on staying in Port Osborn any longer.

Aside from being slightly warmer, this place wasn't much different from the cities in Norman. It would be far more interesting to head out into the wilderness and enjoy the natural scenery.

Early the next morning, Rosie packed her bags at the inn and checked out.

She then bought a large, hooded, black waterproof cloak to wear over her plate armor. Not only did it obscure the outline of her full plate armor, but it also kept her from drawing stares wherever she went.

Next, she made her way to the stables on the edge of the city.

As Port Osborn was a harbor city, the stables had quite a few horses.

There were packhorses used for carrying cargo—sturdily built with short, thick necks, gentle in temperament but slow.

There were draft horses—broad-shouldered and massive, the main workhorses for pulling carriages.

There were also riding horses, which were smaller than the packhorses and draft horses but had sleeker lines, with speed and endurance much better suited for travel.

The only pity was the lack of heavy warhorses like those ridden by Norman Knights.

Rosie took a turn around the stables and finally stopped in front of a stall near the back, where a robust riding horse stood.

Its coat was a deep chestnut, almost brown. Viewed from the front, its color seemed a bit dark, but in the sunlight, a hint of reddish-brown undertone became visible.

It was a size larger than the other riding horses nearby, with thick, powerful limbs, a broad chest, and a thick, fluffy mane and tail that looked well-groomed.

The stable owner walked over from the side. “This horse has some horned horse blood in it. Not only is it strong and powerful, but it's also brave. Aside from grass, it usually eats meat, and its favorite is carrots. That's why I named it 'Carrot'.”

He patted the horse's neck, and the beast turned its head, puffing warm, moist breath onto his hand.

“But this horse has a bit of a temper. It usually kicks when strangers get close. That's why it's only twenty gold coins, but the catch is that it has to be willing to go with you.”

Standing outside the wooden fence, Rosie opened her visor and stared at the horse for a moment.

The horse's gaze was wild and untamed, but Rosie merely narrowed her eyes slightly, and the horse's eyes instantly cleared up.

Rosie reached out. The horse's ears twitched, and it proactively stretched its head forward, nuzzling against her palm.

The action was so natural it was as if they had known each other for a long time.

The stable owner froze in surprise. “Oh? Well, that's truly a rare sight. It usually doesn't let anyone touch it.”

He clicked his tongue twice in amazement.

“It seems it really likes you. Do you want to buy it? For Carrot's sake, I can throw in a saddle for free.”

Rosie stroked the horse's mane. Carrot let out a soft snort, showing no signs of resistance whatsoever.

“I'll take it.”

She didn't hesitate much, paying twenty gold coins to buy Carrot.

The stable owner hadn't lied.

The horse was indeed exceptionally strong.

Rosie's plate armor weighed forty kilograms. Combined with her own weight and travel pack, a normal horse would be panting heavily before traveling very far.

Yet Carrot carried her with light, steady strides, appearing completely untroubled by the load.

Riding Carrot, she headed south along the main road. Under the sunlight, the rider and horse gradually faded into the distance, leaving the port city far behind.