A six-foot-tall guy in his mid-thirties who had a lighter shade of brown skin with his black hair tied up into a bun and a small goatee that elongated his chin stood in the middle of Martha's path.

He wore a reddish-yellow tunic inside his green hooded cloak and black leather pants. The archer was wearing a pair of dark brown leather shoes, which were almost hit by the blood that was dripping from the severed head.

Ash recognized the man by the bow he was donning on his back.

“Garrison Commander, good morning!”

This time Ash didn’t hesitate and used identify.

_____________________

Alberto Santos

Level 22 Human [Green Archer]

Health: 110/110

_____________________

So it’s Bert! He also has a class. What does green mean? A newbie? Why is he parading that severed head of a boar around the town... Wait—Garrison Commander!? Ash exclaimed internally as he snapped his head around and gazed up at Martha's well-shaped jawline.

Woof!?

Martha was silent as Bert continued.

“I hunted a huge boar just now, I sold the body and kept the head for my meal, wanna have some?” Bert asked with intense enthusiasm. He lifted the severed boar's head near Martha, directly on the small dog's face.

Get it away from me! Ash nearly vomited what he had just eaten at the sight of the morbid boar's head, but he steeled himself. Martha the supposed Garrison Commander who can snap his body in half was still carrying him.

The last thing he wanted to do was to give her a reason to do it.

“A pleasant day to you too, Albert, but forgive me. I already have a prior appointment with my student. Also, I already told you lots of times that you should call me Martha when I'm not on duty," she said at a brisk pace.

“That's right commander! I saw Lucy just this morning, she almost got me with the arrow I shot her with. I can tell you, she improved by a bunch!”

Ash could feel Martha Almost crushing him in the first part of what Bert said, but she relaxed in the latter part.

He couldn't think of anything else as he tried so hard to keep the contents of his stomach inside without spilling out.

“Albert, don’t scare the town and put that in a wooden box or a sack next time. And tell me who was the guard that let you in like that” Martha just reprimanded monotonously.

In the distance, a few people who were walking by had disgusted or appalled faces. Some even covered the eyes of their children and then carried them away from him.

“Understood Madam Commander! But I'm sorry, I would never betray a brother whose sole duty is to protect this town!” Bert being oblivious to his surroundings, hurriedly replied as he saluted Martha. He was about to leave but he looked a little reluctant to part with her, but he still asked, “Uhm, Commander, do you have someone to go with during the festival?”

Martha didn’t bother answering his question and after she turned to head to the street that led home she said, “Don’t forget the training tomorrow, Lucy’s going to need you.”

Ash stretched his back to look over her shoulder and found the dejected Bert. He looked sad for a moment but then he looked like he remembered something before waving happily at the retreating Martha.

He seemed an earnest man but a bit eccentric though. Does love make people this peculiar?

After the duo exited the town square, they turned to a different intersection. Ash could now differentiate each smell from spices, and alcoholic scents to fragrant pastries.

“Breakfast,” Martha murmured under her breath like she was remembering an errand.

Ash shifted his big white ears to his sides when he thought he heard someone screaming, but with the noise all around him, he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. He turned his head at Martha for a moment, before turning his attention back to the road.

It looks like Bert was aiming for Martha… What was I thinking about again? Oh, yeah. Information. If I look back, with just one scan from Dr. Kolver’s eyes, he immediately could tell that I was very hungry. I even let him brush my fur which was weirdly calming.

Is that an added skill or just a normal skill for healers?

Ash was afraid that he was becoming less of himself and more like a dog. He could already tell that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Suddenly, his nostrils were overwhelmed with smells of flavorful spices, baked pastries, and the alluring smell of roasted meat.

It smelled like, what Dr. Kolver fed me.

They arrived in an area where food stalls of different kinds were lined up parallel to each other with several tables in the middle. A lot of people were eating their breakfast and some were even drinking beer first thing in the morning. He instantly found the slices of meat with the same color and smell that he ate. But since he was full, he wasn't desperate anymore.

It provided him more time to observe the town's residents' daily lives.

He saw several parents bring their children outside to eat. Some even brought their entire family up to see their grandfathers. It's like an entire family reunion. There are a few couples and loners out there, but they've gathered here to start their day.

Looks like an outdoor food court, even normal people could afford this luxury. The economy must’ve been good or maybe it was the benefits? Ash thought as he was expecting more of medieval-style houses and lifestyle.

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Martha directly bought food from the packaged goods section. She bought fried rice topped with lumpia with soy sauce and spring noodles with a slice of lemonsito. They were contained in some sort of hard paper that was easy to fold and harder for the vapor to destroy.

Woah, do they still have those here? No. Maybe another transmigrator invented it. I can’t be the only one here. I know that I’m not special, or they won’t put me inside this body, Ash thought that they would at least have plastic plates or utensils but all the people who dined there used wooden plates and metallic utensils.

The town was even taking care of their environment, Ash complimented inwardly. He noticed people lined up for something at the bakery a few steps away.

So that is where the smell came from. Ash breathed in a lot of that pleasant scent. What is that mixed with bread I smell? Apples?

A young woman can be seen with orange braided hair talking to the people in the line. She looks to be around the age of sixteen, wearing a simple green waist-belted tunic. She was a little taller than Lucy by two inches and had a mature charm.

Martha approached the group of people while still carrying Ash as the young woman could be heard guiding them to form an orderly process. She went in front of the busy evening street and screamed.

“Get your freshly baked apple pies! Apple pies! Steaming hot apple pies! The line starts here, sir, right this way! There are also different types of delicious bread and cupcakes!”

When the young woman saw Martha she immediately went straight for her.

Martha was about to join the line with Ash, but the girl blocked her. She leaned closer and whispered playfully, “Pies for Lucy, right? For big sister Martha, you don’t need to join the line. She turned her head halfway eyed the people she guided in line and whispered, "Follow me to the back."

“But I-” Martha was about to insist on joining the line along with the other customers.

“No buts! Come!” Sarah insisted.

Wow, it's my first time being one of the VIPs. Ash thought as he saw that one of the women in line was about to argue but got held up by her partner who shook his head.

The young woman with orange hair dragged Martha and Ash to the back of the bakery. Ash can detect the fresh scent of apples with some form of sweetness in the air, as well as the rough smell of burning wood and heated metal.

This canine nose can be really practical at times. I just hope that this dog doesn’t have allergies like my previous body.

“Wait here,” the young lady gestured for Martha and Ash to stay while she peeked her head inside the back door and screamed, “Mom! Big sister is here, and she wants pies!”

“Coming!” A soft and dainty voice replied from the inside.

A few seconds later, the door opened wide, revealing an old woman. Unlike her daughter, her skin is darker, closer to that of a morena; her eyes are brown, as are the locals'; and her long black hair is tied into a braided bun. She appears to be in her mid-40s, but with the absence of wrinkles across her visage, she looked closer to her early thirties. Instead of a belt, she wears a brownish-white apron over her green dress, which is partly covered in fresh flour. Ash could smell apples and sugar from the small splotches on her apron.

She returned with a fabric-covered wooden basket and smiled at Martha and Ash.

“Oh, Martha! I’m glad that you came here. How’s Lucy? Oh, I didn’t see you, Ash. Hi there.”

Everybody knows this dog other than me. What is that scent I'm smelling? Is it coming from that basket?

Arf. Arf? Woof?

The mother then opened the cloth a little and said, “Well, here are two whole freshly baked apple pies with an extra two separate slices for our little friend here.” She then stroked Ash’s head.

"But Mrs. Flynn. Dogs are allergic to pies," Martha blurted out reluctantly.

Mrs. Flynn hesitated briefly before continuing to touch the white dog's back and smiling at Martha.

"I guess more pies for Lucy then," she quipped.

She flashed a proud smile towards her daughter and continued, “RaRah here helped me make this batch. She made the apple filling. I assure you it’s delicious!”

"Mom! Sarah gripped the sides of her mother's dress, squealing a little. She realized Martha was watching them and toned it down, whispering fiercely, "I'm already seventeen years old! Call me by my real name!"

The mother wasn’t angered and even covered her mouth politely as she chuckled in a weird tone, “Hohoho! Sarah here is a grown woman now. I should find someone to marry you off to. How about that son of a-”

“Mom, I’ll always be your Rarah!” Sarah cut her mother off, feigning innocence.

While Sarah hugged her mother from behind with an annoyed grimace, Martha simply observed the mother and daughter's heart-to-heart conversation and voiced her gratitude, "Thank you, Mrs. Flynn." Martha removed a little black pouch from her side pocket, producing a few clinks as she did so. She collected a few coins. One silver and eight copper coins.

Ash couldn't understand the symbols quickly for him to read, but he noticed a few faces that he assumed were related to the kingdom or country they were in.

Martha then presented them to Mrs. Flynn, the mother she had named.

“Here’s the payment.”

“There’s no need for that, dear. After everything you’ve done for my family, I already consider you and Lucy a part of it. And of course, Ash too.”

She continued rubbing Ash’s head for a few moments and exclaimed, “Before I forget, a few days before the festival, my husband will try to make a new recipe for the apple pie. I would like you to try it first before it goes over the display tables.”

"Thanks, Mrs. Flynn. I’m sure Lucy would be happy.” Martha thanked the mother and daughter as she returned the coins to her pouch. She received the basket and expressed her gratitude once more.

“If you ever need anything, you know where you can find me.”

The woman-dog duo bade them farewell as the mother and daughter went back to their tasks.

Ash saw a street of local inns on the way to the walls, along with a few other food stores, but he didn’t find anything related to any type of Adventurer’s Association. Although he did see some people with armor and expensive robes, it still disappointed him.

But he concluded that the former were guards and the latter were just people with deep pockets. He couldn’t even see some sort of staff or wand. He used “identify” on them and even with the unsuspecting people. He could barely find anyone with a level over eighteen.

Based on the times I used Identify on a few people, I think level twenty is the level where I can get my class. It’s much closer than I thought. Would the choices just appear right in front of me? Or should I find some sort of master or teacher?

Ash thought to himself, Maybe I would be given a race change into a wolf or, if lucky, maybe even a human. But if it’s just acquiring a class, then I should choose one that can suit my goals better—a mage or maybe some class that can increase my life span would be better.

Ash then remembered his plight, as his time was even more pressing than he expected. With a few months left to live, he needed to try anything he could.

So far, I don’t see any mages. Does this town only have warriors, archers, and a healer?

He clapped his paws internally as he forgot who was carrying him. He turned around and gazed at Martha’s window, full of question marks.

Well, I’m not sure what Martha’s class was, but I’m sure it’s strong.

Taking a left, they headed towards the opening of the unfinished wall and finally left the town's confines.

They were now back in nature, with the backdrop of a mountain being showered by lightning.

That must be where I was from.

He briefly remembered his aimless drifting when he was at the mercy of whoever controlled his flight path. He was beginning to think that he had somehow offended the owner of that voice.

Ash quickly shook his depressing thoughts away as he noticed his environment had changed.

After taking the path of cleared-out grass, Ash could see an old-fashioned cottage with only one floor that exudes charm with its brown thatched roof, flowerless window boxes, and a faded white picket fence that whispers tales of the years that have gone by. It looks familiar to Ash.

It must be the feelings of the previous Ash that are still stuck with me. It’s like he never believed that his body could even return home.

Ash didn’t know what to feel about continuing the life of a kind but dead dog. On one hand, he was thankful that at least he had a body, and on the other, he was guilt-stricken for not even asking permission.

It wasn’t my fault, but I promise I’ll be good to your owner.

He doesn't realize it yet, but an ethereal weight was lifted from his shoulders as he looked at the front door with a new perspective on life.