Chapter 11: The Acting Master
In late autumn, a cold wind blew through the streets of Dablis Town, where few pedestrians were about.
A rather large, black-and-white patterned "stray dog" wandered along the street.
The "stray dog" had a mournful look in its eyes, its body was filthy, and its stomach growled with hunger.
Bubu Wang was utterly despairing, its pitiful little gaze evoking sympathy from anyone who saw it.
"Whoosh~."
Bubu Wang sighed, then turned its head to glance back at its unscrupulous owner, its small eyes conveying a single message.
'Even if I'm pretending to be a stray dog, do I have to starve for it?'
"Looking at me won't help. This is the moment to test your acting skills. Succeed in this, and I'll treat you to a feast when we get back."
Hearing about a feast, Bubu Wang immediately perked up and trotted quickly toward a butcher shop.
Izumi Curtis's alchemy was not weak. Although her husband was not an alchemist, his combat prowess was no less than that of an alchemist.
In close combat, this burly man, nearly two meters tall, could even face a homunculus head-on.
At that moment, the burly man stood in front of a meat stall selling cuts of meat. He was simply dressed, his figure appearing somewhat bulky, yet it exuded a sense of power—a man as sturdy as a bear.
Bubu Wang approached the meat stall, seeming to want to get closer but also appearing afraid of humans, as if it had often been beaten and scolded by people while wandering.
Bubu Wang was a true acting master, fully immersed in its role, both in expression and movement.
"A stray dog? Quite big. I wonder what breed it is."
Izumi's husband picked up a knife, cut off a small piece of meat, and tossed it to Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang turned and ran, but after a short distance, it stopped, staring intently at the piece of meat. It seemed eager to eat it but also afraid.
"It's fine, go ahead and eat."
Izumi's husband shook his head. This dog must have suffered a lot.
Bubu Wang timidly approached, tentatively picked up the meat from the ground, and looked at Izumi's husband, its gaze seeming to ask: 'Can I really eat this?'
"Oh~, it seems to have been trained. If a dog like this is lost, its owner must be very worried."
Although Izumi's husband didn't particularly like dogs, this one gave him a different feeling, as if there was an innate fondness for it.
"Go ahead, eat."
With Izumi's husband's permission, Bubu Wang wolfed down the meat.
Tears welled up in Bubu Wang's heart. Except for the early days after its birth, it hadn't eaten raw meat in a long time. Raw meat was not tasty at all.
It was no wonder Bubu Wang felt this way. Usually, it ate whatever Su Xiao ate, so its palate had naturally become picky.
After "wolfing down" the raw meat, Bubu Wang licked its lips, looking completely satisfied.
"Where did this dog come from?"
Izumi Curtis walked out of the butcher shop and immediately noticed Bubu Wang.
"Not sure. A stray dog, but it's very smart."
"Smart?"
"Yes, it seems to have been trained, maybe even a military dog."
Izumi Curtis nodded and stopped looking at Bubu Wang.
The couple's butcher shop had good business. By noon, all the meat was sold out, and Bubu Wang had been squatting at the shop's entrance the whole time, looking like it was guarding the place.
"Honey, this dog is really interesting. You gave it some meat, and now it's guarding the shop for us. That's rare."
"Yeah, it's an excellent dog. It's been sitting there for three hours without moving."
"Why don't we adopt it? If its owner comes looking for it, we'll let it go with them."
"Alright."
An hour later, Bubu Wang was squatting in front of Izumi and her husband. It had been bathed, its fur was shiny, and it looked spirited.
"This..."
Izumi Curtis felt a headache coming on. This dog clearly came from an unusual background, but it was so smart that she couldn't bear to abandon it.
"Let's keep it for now. It's just a dog. There shouldn't be any danger."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
The couple temporarily took in Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang's undercover mission was a success—its 43 points in Charm Attribute were no joke.
After the couple left, the confusion in Bubu Wang's eyes disappeared, replaced by a wolf-like cunning.
Bubu Wang twitched its nose, sensing that the couple hadn't gone far, then lay down on the ground.
...
Su Xiao had rented a room in a nearby inn. He was waiting for Bubu Wang to send him a message.
He initially thought it would take a few days, but unexpectedly, two days later, he heard Bubu Wang's bark.
"Woof, woof woof woof."
The bark had a distinct rhythm, conveying a message: the protagonist brothers had returned.
Su Xiao didn't show himself. It wasn't time yet.
At Izumi Curtis's home, Izumi was lying in bed. Her health had never been very good.
There was a reason for this. Izumi had once performed a human transmutation.
Izumi and her husband were deeply in love, but for some unknown reason, they couldn't have children. However, after their "efforts," Izumi discovered one day that she was pregnant.
Due to an accident, Izumi miscarried. This was something the couple couldn't accept, so Izumi performed a human transmutation, attempting to transmute their unborn child.
The transmutation failed, as expected. Izumi lost some of her internal organs and permanently lost the ability to become pregnant again.
Devastated by this, Izumi retreated to a small town to live in semi-seclusion, even flatly refusing recruitment from the state.
At that moment, Edward Elric and his brother stood outside the room, looking nervous.
"Is Teacher doing alright?"
Edward Elric looked at Izumi's husband. Just as he finished speaking, the door opened.
Edward Elric's body tensed, and he stiffly turned his head.
A foot in a slipper directly kicked Edward in the face. Edward let out a scream and flew a long distance.
"Disobedient disciple. I heard you became a dog for the military?"
Izumi glanced at Edward, then turned to look at his brother, Alphonse, who was so frightened he didn't know what to do.
"Te... Teacher, this is because..."
Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, the anger on Izumi's face disappeared, but a chill ran through her heart. She felt something was wrong, but she didn't show it.
"Alphonse? You've grown so much."
Izumi's expression softened, and Alphonse quickly stepped forward.
"Teacher, are you feeling alright?"
As soon as Alphonse finished speaking, Izumi suddenly grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.
Thud,
"Your training is still insufficient."
Although Izumi's expression was calm, a huge storm was raging inside her. Alphonse's armor was empty—she could tell from the sound of him hitting the ground.
"Teacher, how is your health?"
Edward brushed the dust off his clothes, his back aching slightly.
"What nonsense are you talking? I'm only putting on a brave face because you two are here. Ugh~."
Izumi coughed up a large mouthful of blood, startling Edward and Alphonse.
"Teacher! x2"
...
A day later, Su Xiao sat on a rooftop. Izumi and her husband were running quickly through the streets, with Bubuteni leading the way.
Soon, the couple ran near Su Xiao, and they immediately noticed him on the rooftop.
"Got the scent?"
Su Xiao spoke, asking Bubu if it had memorized Alphonse's scent.
"Woof,"
Bubu Wang barked loudly, then leaped onto the rooftop in a few bounds.
"Who are you?"
Izumi shouted.
"Who am I? Hmm~, thanks for 'taking care of' my partner."
As he spoke, Su Xiao and Bubu Wang leaped to another rooftop.
Izumi and her husband were dumbfounded. They had been fooled by a dog for several days.