A person in American horror, wearing two versions of The Witcher

Having received permission, Roy led the dog directly to the fisherman.

As soon as they approached, the fisherman called out, "Master, I have two freshly caught fish for you."

Roy smiled and said, "Back from fishing so early?"

The fisherman replied with a smile:

"I also wish I could lie at home and have the fish swim onto my dining table."

"But it is clear that the Eternal Flame is not that omnipotent."

"I can only keep busy when the fish are foraging in the shallow water before sunrise."

"So, sir, would you like a few fish? The first two are free, and the rest are half price."

"Can I just take the first two?" Roy joked.

"May I have another glass of strong liquor, Master?" the fisherman said with a smile, handing over the fish bucket.

"I replied to you exactly the same way you did last night, Master. Choose for yourself, Master."

Roy laughed, a very happy laugh, and said:

"Then I'll just pay half price and buy the whole bucket of fish. You can also throw in some information you know."

Roy pulled out the money bag the elder had prepared for him, which contained 23 orens, the reward for killing the water ghost.

"Master, if my wife knew how I do business, she would surely praise me as a shrewd businessman. Seventeen fish, a total of sixteen copper coins, or eight copper coins at half price, Master," the fisherman said happily.

Roy tossed over an Oren (10 copper coins) and said:

"I've given you everything, no need for change. Let's talk about the village instead!"

"Master, you can ask me anything, from how many days the old blacksmith goes to the widow's house in the west, to what time the tailor's wife goes to bathe in the river, to what the miller's son likes most—I'll tell you everything clearly, without holding back."

The fisherman patted his chest and assured everyone that he usually only sold a few fish per bucket, and the rest were for his own consumption, so he couldn't possibly sell them for 1 Oren.

"Well... let's talk about what unusual changes have occurred in your village in the last two years!" Roy quickly stopped his gossipy thoughts.

The fisherman said, "What changes could there be? The miller's sheep can bleat now, the widows are more seductive, the children have grown up, the girls have gotten married, and oh, my wife still beats me. Damn it, just thinking about it makes me angry. By the way, Master, you're from out of town. Do men from other places beat their wives twice a day?"

"It's the same outside, and men get beaten by their wives twice a day even more often. I've even seen them use whips," Geralt interjected with a shrug.

"That's a good suggestion, Master," the fisherman replied instantly.

Roy was speechless and quickly corrected him:

"I mean, the changes that happen for various reasons, such as moving in, moving out, passing away, marrying into the family, or being born. After all, the probability of monsters migrating is much smaller than that of humans."

The fisherman thought for a moment and said:

"The seamstress married into the family two years ago and gave birth to a big, healthy boy last year. My wife married into the family this year and isn't very fertile. Although she always scolds me for being a useless ox that can't plow the fields, and..."

"Hunter Hack's father died at the beginning of this year, and his wife got married this month."

"By the way, Leila's fish is quite good. You're lucky to be staying at her house."

"The fish tasted really good last night!" Geralt said, stroking his chin.

Roy ignored Geralt's banter and instead asked the key question:

"How did Huck's dad die? Tell me in detail?"

"How else could he have died? His family has been hunters for generations. Two years ago, Hack's ex-wife died, and there weren't many game animals in the forest behind the village, so Hack and his father moved with little Niren to the larger village of Lower Warren in the nearby forest."

"Then, while hunting, he encountered a swamp witch in the swamp. His father had died, and he had run back with his child. This happened this year."

"A few months after the funeral, I don't know how he got involved with Leila and they got married."

"If you ask me, Layla is a good girl, but Hack, who got married right after his father died, is definitely not a good person."

"Of course, don't tell Hark that."

"Of course, of course!" Roy assured him repeatedly, then changed the subject and asked:

"So, at what time do the tailor's wife usually go swimming in the river?"

"Hehehe, hehe..."

……

After seeing the fisherman off, Roy turned back and his eyes met Geralt's; both of them became serious.

"The hunter Hack wasn't in Scorched Wood Village for the past two years, and when he returned... a few months later, the Wolf King tragedy occurred in Scorched Wood Village, and then there was what happened last night..."

"We can go to Crow's Nest to gather some information, then go back to get the horses," Geralt said expressionlessly, before suddenly adding:

"By the way, kid, if you like voluptuous women, there's an even more voluptuous one in Raven's Den. It's only 1 Oren for one time, and 3 Orens for the night. You know, you don't have to stay at the Hunter's place tonight."

Geralt was talking about the seamstress; she was the one who delivered clothes to Roy this morning.

Not particularly pretty, but it's wobbly and not at all dry.

But heaven has mercy, Roy brought this up purely to conceal his true intention to eavesdrop; otherwise, why would he later ask even the miller's son if he liked that sheep?

However, Roy was more curious about something else than an explanation:

"Uncle, why do you know the prices there so well?"

"Cough cough!" Geralt coughed violently.

"Let's go back!" he said.

"Then let's stop by the place where we used to kill bandits together," Roy suggested.

"Um!"

……

In the afternoon, in the bushes next to the bandits' hideout,

Roy, holding a rifle, lay prone and aimed at a buck that was foraging for food. There was no obstruction between the buck's head and Roy's gun muzzle, but a tree root near its lungs blocked Roy's line of fire.

boom!

Roy fired a bullet about five meters away from him.

When hunting deer, exploding their lungs is always a better option than exploding their heads.

After the gun was fired,

The stag immediately became alert, looking around and subtly adjusting its position.

At this moment, the buck's lungs were exposed outside the tree roots.

boom!

After another shot rang out, the buck cried out in distress, staggered, and immediately got up and ran away, choosing a route completely opposite to that of the doe and fawn beside it.

It is also the direction destined for death.

"Coffee, bring it on!"

With a shout, the rustling of bushes accompanied a dark brown figure rushing out. What was originally a distance of more than fifty meters was rapidly closed in just a few seconds during this high-speed dash...

Until, Coffin took a bite of the buck's hind leg.

Cofi wasn't fully used to being choked like a wolf, so it instinctively bit at the arms or legs.

If this were a wolf pack hunting, it would only earn a sudden kick from the stag, but since it's an auxiliary hunting tactic, that's enough.

The stag collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, too weak to control its limbs, let alone kick Coffin.

Its lungs had been pierced by Roy's bullet, and it was on the verge of suffocating to death.

"Cocky, call them! Call your wolf pack!"

Roy, who was following behind, did not approach any closer. He stood about six or seven meters away, calling out to Coffin.

Coffin held the deer's leg locked for a long time, until the deer died completely from suffocation, until it seemed to finally understand Roy's meaning.

It loosened the buck's leg and did not howl immediately as Roy had predicted.

It came to Roy's side and rubbed its head and body against Roy's legs, as if to express its gratitude.

At that moment, Roy bent down and removed the anti-wolf collar from Coffin's neck.

It is also the sharpest thorn between it and the wolf pack.

"Awoo~"

Coffin licked Roy's hand, and then, without hesitation, howled like a wolf in the forest.

"Awoo~"

"Awoo~"

……

At first, it was a solo performance by Coffin, but slowly, the familiar ensemble began to play once again.

Seeing this, Roy instinctively retreated, and then retreated even further.

This time, it wasn't out of defensiveness or vigilance, but simply because I didn't want to disturb them.

The four wolves slowly approached, drawn by the howls.

Coffin glanced back at Roy one more time, then, without further hesitation, strode over to the stag.

They grabbed the stag by the neck, biting and dragging it, leading it towards where the four wolves were.

Then, it left the buck in front of the old she wolf, gave up its feeding spot, and let out a short wolf howl.

It's an invitation, and also a sign of respect.

"Aww~"

The old she-wolf let out a short howl, a sound of satisfaction and approval.

The husky wolf leaped forward, sniffed the buck, glanced in Roy's direction, and then called out affectionately to Coffin.

The young wolf girl leaped joyfully over the stag, gently approaching Coffin, sniffing and nuzzling him, slowly...

He licked Coffin's sideburns.

The wolf and the dog then used the deer as a betrothal gift and began playing together.

After a while, Coffin's ears twitched. It turned its head to look back, where Roy had made noise as he left the woods.

Just then, the wolf girl approached again, and Kofi looked at her...

……

"No regrets?" Geralt, who had just arrived on horseback, asked from the roadside.

Roy, his clothes torn and covered in fallen leaves, emerged from the woods somewhat disheveled. He shrugged and said:

Don't ask me, I don't know.

He did it simply because he had gained enough: power, bonds, signs... and through it he found his pack, Geralt, the old wolf, before him.

He also experienced that morning, and he truly understood the significance of the wolf pack to the lone wolf.

So, in a moment of impulse, I did this irrationally.

Kauf is a wolf, even if it is still a dog now, but on the day of the full moon, when it becomes a werewolf, it is destined to truly become a wolf.

The wolf, however, must make its own decision.

Whether to follow or leave, it must be its own decision.

Otherwise, how could one be a wolf?

"Perhaps it will come back!" Geralt comforted him.

"Maybe, I hope so!" Roy replied, because if Coffin were to return this time, their relationship would no longer be the so-called fake master-servant relationship.

Simply because it was willing!

But if...

That's just 5 points of werewolf synergy, just find another werewolf to kill!

He's killed 20 water ghosts already!

"Tell me about your situation, Uncle!" Roy asked, mounting his horse.

Geralt pulled on the reins, half his face shrouded in shadow, and said:

"There was a small settlement near Lower Warren village, almost forming a village, but it was massacred a year ago by the so-called Swamp Witch!"

"You mean?" Roy asked, his eyes wide.

Geralt remained expressionless, but his voice was very low:

"A year ago, Hack and his father were in Lower Waren village,

Last night, Hark went to the cave where there was blood.

"And the swamp witches are solitary, cunning hunters."

"It will slowly destroy a village like a plague, but it won't... indiscriminately slaughter like an army."