Roadside Tavern

Rosie jumped down from Carrot's back, her iron boots landing on the muddy road with a dull thud.

The rain had already let up, turning into faint, mist-like threads drifting through the air.

She set about doing what she was best at and enjoyed most—looting corpses.

Squatting down beside the nearest corpse, she reached around its waist and pulled out a leather purse. Opening it, she found a few gold coins and some copper coins.

She slipped the money into her own pouch and moved on to the next one.

These bandits were wealthier than she had expected; a rough estimate put the total at over twenty gold coins.

Then again, they had horses, so how poor could they be?

“Looting the looters really is the way to go,” she muttered to herself.

Unfortunately, most of the horses had bolted.

Only the horse belonging to the unlucky bastard who was shot first by the crossbow bolt remained, standing by the roadside with its head lowered, grazing on the grass.

The horse of another bandit, who had been cut down before he could even mount, was also still there, pacing restlessly in place.

As for the horse of the bandit who had his head chopped off, it had bolted the moment its rider fell, leaving not even a shadow behind.

Otherwise, those horses alone would have been a small fortune.

Just as Rosie was lamenting over losing a fortune, a voice called out.

“Thank you, Sir Knight!”

Rosie looked up at the sound. The carriage door had opened a crack, and a girl's head peeked out.

She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with messy brown hair and a face pale with the shock of survival.

The girl looked at Rosie, her expression filled with gratitude. But as her gaze swept over the corpses on the ground, her face paled even further, and her lips began to tremble slightly.

“My lady, be careful. There might still be danger.”

Another head peeked out from the crack in the door. It was a young girl dressed as a maid, holding a light crossbow in her hands.

She reached out to pull the young lady back, peeked left and right herself, and then whispered, “It seems safe now.”

Rosie pocketed the money from the last dead bastard, adjusted the scabbard at her waist, and walked toward the carriage. “Are you two alright?”

“Huh?”

A gasp came from inside the carriage. The young lady peeked out again, her gaze lingering on Rosie's full-face helmet.

“Are you... a lady knight?”

Rosie shook her head. “I'm no knight. Just an ordinary adventurer.”

“Ah, oh, I see... But thank you anyway for driving off those bandits!”

The girl's tone carried a hint of disappointment.

“Don't mention it. It was nothing,” Rosie said with a wave of her hand.

She surveyed the surroundings, her eyes lingering briefly on the first two corpses on the ground before returning to the carriage.

“Are you two the only ones left?”

The maid nodded. “Yes... Our driver and guards are all dead.”

She raised the light crossbow to show it.

“Fortunately, I brought this light crossbow for self-defense.”

Rosie looked down at the state of the carriage. The wheel stuck in the roadside ditch was warped, with several broken spokes.

“Your carriage wheel is broken. I'm afraid you won't be able to go any further in this.”

The maid glanced at the young lady beside her, her tone carrying a hint of pleading:

“Lady Rhine is the daughter of Baron Weiss. His Lordship's territory is in Weismar Town. It's only a two-day journey along this road. Could you escort us there? His Lordship will surely reward you handsomely for your help!”

Rosie thought about it. She didn't have a clear destination anyway, and heading south was bound to bring some new adventures.

But before she could speak, a line of small text popped up.

【Optional Adventure Quest: A Hero Saving the Damsel?】

【Quest Objective: Escort the noble lady home safely】

【Quest Reward: Trait - Sleeping in Armor or Wilderness Walker】

She looked up decisively. “No problem! I love helping others. But... can you ride?”

The maid nodded. “Yes, both my lady and I can ride.”

Rosie walked over to the two horses. One was a chestnut, the other a dark gray. They were decent-sized riding horses—not as strong as Carrot, but certainly ridable.

She led both horses to the carriage and handed them over.

“Let's bring him too.”

Lady Rhine pointed to the draft horse still harnessed to the carriage shaft.

“He's very gentle.”

Rosie drew her meteoric iron sword. With a flick of her wrist, the blade cleanly sliced through the harness binding the draft horse.

The draft horse stood in place, flicking its tail.

Lady Rhine said, “Daisy, lead him.”

“Yes, my lady,” the maid replied, taking the draft horse's reins.

Rosie whistled, and Carrot trotted over from the roadside, letting out a snort before stopping beside her.

She mounted up. The weight of her plate armor caused the saddle to dip slightly as she settled in, but Carrot shook its mane, completely unbothered.

She looked at Rhine. “Let's go.”

Lady Rhine climbed onto the chestnut horse, cast a final look at the corpses of the guards and driver by the carriage, sighed softly, and shook the reins without another word.

The horse neighed and began to trot forward.

...

Night gradually fell.

The wilderness and thickets on both sides of the road slowly sank into darkness.

“We should find a place to spend the night,” Rosie said.

“Just a bit further ahead, there's a roadside tavern that also serves as a post house. I know the landlady there; we can stay the night,” Daisy the maid said, riding up closer to Rosie.

“Alright, let's go there,” Rosie agreed.

The four horses pressed on for a while longer until a faint light appeared ahead.

As they drew closer, they saw it was a large tavern.

Calling it a tavern was an understatement; it resembled a small fortress.

The tavern was quite spacious, enclosed by a high wall of thick logs that fenced in the entire yard, keeping out wild monsters.

The main gate was made of two thick wooden doors, with a pair of lanterns hanging beside them, swaying gently in the night wind.

The three of them rode inside, heading toward the crude stables next to the tavern.

A stable boy immediately came out to greet them.

“Welcome, travelers.”

Rosie dismounted, took her pack off Carrot, and tied it to the hitching post.

She fished out a few silver coins from her purse and handed them to the stable boy. “Take good care of it.”

“Right away, Sir Knight,” the stable boy replied, his face lighting up with joy as he took the silver.

Rosie didn't bother correcting him. Letting people assume she was a knight saved her a lot of trouble.

The mistress and maid also dismounted, handing over their riding horses and the draft horse to the stable boy.

Then, the three of them walked into the main hall together.

The tavern's main hall was thick with the scent of burning firewood and ale.

There weren't many people inside—only about a dozen or so, sitting around tables in small groups, either drinking or speaking in low tones.

When Rosie and her companions walked in, the patrons glanced over to size them up before casually turning back to their own business.

Rosie had already pulled her hood down, revealing her full-face helmet. Combined with the metallic clatter of her plate armor plates with every step, anyone could tell she was not to be trifled with.

“Landlady, we need two quiet rooms next to each other,” the maid said.

Behind the counter stood a genial-looking middle-aged woman wearing a worn apron. She had a round face and a warm, friendly smile.

“Oh, if it isn't Daisy and Lady Rhine! The two rooms at the very end of the third floor are open; you can go right in. Would you like something to eat?”

The maid produced a coin purse, pulled out a few silver coins, and placed them on the counter. “Bring us whatever food you have.”

The landlady took the money and chuckled. “I'll have it brought up shortly. I promise it'll be delicious.”

The maid nodded and turned to head upstairs, while Lady Rhine gave the landlady a smile and followed close behind.

Rosie surveyed the main hall one last time before following them.

The maid and Lady Rhine entered the first room, while Rosie went into the second.

The room was small, containing only a wooden bed, a nightstand, and a chair.

Rosie closed the door and began to inspect the room, making sure there were no hidden dangers.

Before long, there was a knock at the door.

The landlady stood outside carrying a tray with a plate of food:

thick slices of smoked blood sausage, slightly charred roasted potatoes, and a bowl of vegetable and meat stew.

Rosie took the tray, thanked her, and bolted the door.

She set the tray on the table, took off her helmet, and placed it on the nightstand.

Then, she rummaged through her pack and pulled out a small silver knife. She had bought this specifically back at Dawnguard Keep, where silver weapons were highly abundant.

But Rosie hadn't bought this knife to hunt vampires; she had bought it to test for poison.

Although using silver to test for poison wasn't highly accurate, it was better than nothing.

She used the knife to slice off a piece of the blood sausage, cut a piece of potato, and finally dipped the blade into the bowl of stew, leaving it there for a moment before pulling it out.

The surface of the silver blade remained unchanged, still smooth and bright.

Relieved, she began to eat.

The blood sausage had a smoky, salty flavor; it was barely edible.

The potatoes were rather bland, though they had a soft texture.

The chunks of meat in the stew were cooked until tender, but they had a gamey smell. It was just passable.

Once she was full, Rosie placed the empty plate outside the door, then wedged the chair under the door handle. Satisfied that everything was secure, she began to remove her armor.

She stripped off the plate armor, took out a tin of beeswax and grease mixture from her pack, and gently rubbed it onto the armor.

After thoroughly oiling it, she placed it by the bedside, keeping her meteoric iron sword within arm's reach.

Only then did she lie down on the bed, pulling the blanket over herself and closing her eyes.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

A sudden commotion woke her up.

It sounded like people were arguing downstairs.

“Ah!—”

Then, a piercing scream shattered the silence of the night.

Rosie recognized it instantly—it was the landlady's voice.

All traces of sleep vanished.

She scrambled out of bed, her hand already reaching for the flint and oil lamp on the nightstand. With a few quick sparks, she lit the lamp and began putting on her armor as fast as possible.

Just as she finished strapping on her greaves, she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway. There was more than one person, their boots thudding heavily against the wooden floorboards.

A loud crash echoed from next door.

It was the sound of a door being violently kicked open.

Immediately following that was Daisy's angry shout: “Bastards! What do you think you're doing?”

Then came the sounds of a brief struggle and a heavy thud as someone hit the floor.

“No! Daisy!”

Lady Rhine's terrified scream rang out right after.