Lord of Rot

With most of the post-return arrangements settled, Leech finished his breakfast. He planned to take some of the Two-Legged Flying Dragon bones to the forge to see if they could be worked. The incredibly durable bones were well-suited for crafting armor.

Moreover, the bones were lighter than steel, yet stronger.

Just as he left the castle, Leech saw Quickblade.

Quickblade worked fast. He had already gathered the youths of the right age from across Porcupine Territory and was preparing to select new recruits.

The young men, hearing they had a chance to become Soldiers, dropped whatever they were doing and rushed over.

There were so many candidates that the selection had to be held in the small town square.

This attracted a crowd of onlookers, including a gaggle of young children and some elderly residents who enjoyed a good spectacle, all watching from the roadside.

The young serfs and slaves couldn’t hide the excitement in their eyes.

If they were chosen, they could instantly shed their status as slaves and become honored Soldiers, clad in fine armor and wielding sharp weapons to win glory for their Lord.

Glory aside, the pay for a Soldier in Porcupine Territory was second only to that of highly skilled craftsmen.

The money they earned could also be used to buy freedom for their parents and other family members.

’This was exactly what he wanted. He couldn’t care less about the institution of slavery. Who doesn’t know slavery is just an outdated feudal system? But he couldn’t fight the tides of the era, nor did he want to challenge the privileges of the nobility. A nobleman who frees his slaves won’t earn their gratitude, at least not at first. Instead, he’ll earn the enmity of other nobles. And Leech admitted to himself that he didn’t handle pressure very well.’

’Of course, he could spend the money to buy their freedom. It wouldn’t be a problem even if he bought out every last slave on Porcupine Ridge. What Leech wanted was manpower, not slaves. The pittance he could squeeze from them was nothing compared to the revenue their increased productivity would bring him.’

’Even if these serfs and slaves didn’t buy their own freedom, as Porcupine Ridge grew stronger, Leech would eventually phase out their slave status anyway. Not all at once, of course, but little by little. Giving people a goal to strive for filled them with drive.’

"My Lord!"

Seeing Leech arrive, Quickblade immediately stopped what he was doing and turned to face him.

The slave youths stood ramrod straight, chests out and rears awkwardly jutting, chins held high with effort. Their entire faces were tense with exertion.

They’d never been taught a proper military stance; they just thought that tensing up like this would make them look more earnest.

With all eyes on him, Leech felt he had to go over and say a few words, even though he was just passing by.

"You are all the future of Porcupine Territory. Whether you want a better life, to protect the life you have now, or to win glory, it all depends on your own efforts. You should all know Radish. He is my Knight’s squire, and he was once a slave, just like you."

Leech left it at that.

The young men’s eyes shone with spirit as they gazed at him, their expressions full of aspiration and worship.

This was the Lord who had not only allowed slaves to survive, but to live well. He had even given them a chance to cast off their servitude.

As long as they worked hard, their lives would keep getting better.

This was something unheard of in other territories.

Elsewhere, status was branded onto your skin and into your bloodline. If you were a slave, your children and your grandchildren would be slaves, too.

Inspiring words meant little compared to concrete actions. Leech had already shown them that hard work would be rewarded.

He said to Quickblade, "If you find more than enough excellent candidates, feel free to select extra. But if they’re all terrible, I’d rather you fall short of the quota than fill the ranks with useless bodies."

"Yes!" Quickblade’s voice boomed.

’A weak body can be strengthened through training, but a weak will is unacceptable. A foolish ally is more dangerous than a fierce enemy.’

Leech took the Two-Legged Flying Dragon bones to the forge.

The forge was still bustling with activity.

Fortunately, autumn had arrived, so the weather wasn’t as unbearable as it had been in summer. Still, stepping inside felt like walking into a furnace; Leech felt like he was about to melt.

Upon seeing Leech, the craftsmen all crowded around.

Although the forge had recently been assigned new tasks, they were no longer forging as much armor and as many weapons, so their income had inevitably dropped.

Seeing their Lord now, they were naturally thrilled, hoping he was bringing a big order.

Leech presented a bone from the Two-Legged Flying Dragon. It looked like a rib, but it was so large and curved that it resembled a massive bone spear.

"What kind of bone is this?"

"It looks like it’s from some kind of large beast. Is it from that giant lizard last time?"

"Could be."

None of them could figure out what Leech had in mind.

Leech said, "Does anyone have a finished sword? Bring it here."

Immediately, someone brought over a sword.

Leech instructed, "Someone come up and take a few swings at it."

Though he couldn’t guess the Lord’s intentions, one of the craftsmen stepped forward. He was bare-chested, revealing a body of corded muscle; he was clearly the strongest of the lot.

"I’ll do it!"

The craftsman took the sword and swung with all his might, bringing it down hard on the bone.

CLANG!

A crisp ringing sound echoed through the forge, followed by a yelp from the brawny craftsman.

His hands, still gripping the sword, were shaking. The blade itself was still vibrating with a low hum. He had put so much force into the blow that the shock of the impact was too much for him to bear.

The bone, however, was only left with a small white mark.

"What an incredibly hard bone," the other craftsmen exclaimed, staring in amazement at the Flying Dragon Bone, which bore only a faint white mark.

"It’s certainly tough, and light too," another craftsman remarked, picking up the bone to feel its weight.

They all understood why Leech had come. If this bone could be used to make armor, it would be both light and strong. On the battlefield, wouldn’t that make the wearer practically invincible?

"Can it be made into armor?" Leech asked.

"My Lord," a craftsman said, "bone can’t be heated and forged like metal. It’s probably unrealistic to think we can shape it directly into a suit of plate armor."

"But if we could break it into pieces, we should be able to make Scale Armor," another craftsman chimed in, thinking along a different path.

Scale Armor is assembled from small plates, like the scales of a fish.

The full-body armor worn by the Soldiers of Porcupine Territory is a type of Scale Armor.

Iron plates are the easiest to work with and are highly compatible with the water-powered forge hammer.

In terms of protection, Scale Armor is weaker than the plate armor worn by Knights. But if it were made from this lightweight Flying Dragon Bone, it would not only be more flexible and lighter than plate armor, but its defensive capabilities would be even greater.

"Then try shattering it," Leech said. "Don’t we have the forge hammer? Use it with a chisel."

"Yes!"

Of course, they couldn’t charge for helping the Lord make armor; after all, the entire forge belonged to him.

In fact, they would all be competing for the job. Whoever did it best would make a good impression on the Lord, and promotions, raises, and other rewards would be within easy reach.

The bones of the Two-Legged Flying Dragon were being put to their final use.

Once the crafting techniques were perfected, perhaps they could continue using the bones of the Two-Legged Flying Dragon to produce armor for all the Soldiers.

「At the coastal headland.」

Betty was brought out by Leech. Having not seen the sun for a long time, she was a little dazed.

He brought her to the castle.

The first thing Leech did was have the maids give Betty a bath and a fresh change of clothes.

He didn’t have any clothes for a noblewoman, so for now, Betty had to change into a maid’s uniform.

After bathing and changing, Betty came to Richie’s side. "When are we going to see the factories you mentioned and start researching firearms?"

"No rush," Leech said. "First, you need to get used to being outside again. Besides, I’ve already ordered the carpenters to make the first batch of gunstocks."

It was essential to have Betty on the surface. He planned to secretly gather a group of blacksmiths and carpenters to begin research on the firearms. However, ensuring they could be fired safely would be difficult. Betty’s assistance would be needed to determine the proper use of gunpowder, the correct measurements, and so on.

’In the end, it was because he—Leech—had just been an ordinary person in his past life on Earth. He knew the general principles behind firearms, but he’d never actually seen or handled one.’

’His only advantage was theoretical knowledge. He could provide the concept, but not the detailed schematics.’

’Fortunately, he had quite a few capable people working for him. And if all else failed, he could always fall back on Magic for assistance.’

’They had already created Alchemy Bombs, so controllable firearms for use in warfare couldn’t be far behind.’

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