Lord of Rot

Little Eyes took a detour, guessing Qingtian had gone toward the backyard, but she ran right into Simon, the butler.

She knew this butler, with his strict insistence on elegance, was very difficult to deal with. Her own impetuous nature meant she was no stranger to his reprimands, so upon seeing Simon, she immediately let go of her skirts. However, she still walked so quickly that she seemed to kick up a breeze.

Of course, the butler absolutely could not find out that a cat had snatched the lord’s valuable possession right under their noses. He would surely use it as an excuse to blow things out of proportion.

Only an acquaintance she was on good terms with, like Pitz or Pitchfork, would help her cover this up and get the item back before the Baron found out.

"Miss Little Eyes."

Just when Little Eyes was at her most anxious, Simon called her name.

"Yes?" Little Eyes had no choice but to stop.

"Being able to work within the castle is the honor of a lifetime. I trust, Miss Little Eyes, that you feel the same. Please, maintain your elegance."

"Of course, Mr. Simon." Little Eyes nodded, accepting the reprimand. She did her best to correct her posture, lifting her chin and straightening her back.

Seeing that her attitude was compliant enough, Simon nodded and continued on his way.

The instant she and Simon passed each other, Little Eyes hiked up her skirts and broke into a run.

Simon heard the noise behind him and turned his head, just in time to see her figure vanishing into the distance like a gust of wind.

Glancing down at his own unsteady legs, Simon gave up the idea of chasing after her for another lecture.

’His Lordship is far too lenient with them,’ Simon thought with a sense of resignation. ’But someone in this castle has to be the villain. His Lordship shows them kindness, so I must show them harshness and severity. This, too, is a form of loyalty.’

High atop the castle, the Brass Dragon was carted along in the black cat’s mouth. It was paraded across more than half the castle before finally arriving on the roof of a small courtyard.

Qingtian leaped from the roof, landing silently on the soft pads of its paws.

It set the Brass Dragon on the ground, pinning it with a paw, then let out a "MEOW" toward a figure in the corner.

That figure didn’t seem very enthusiastic, curled up there.

Pinned down, the Brass Dragon, who had already given up struggling, looked toward the corner.

’This... could this be?!’

The moment the creature in the corner turned its head, the Brass Dragon couldn’t help but cry out, "A Horse-headed Eagle! To think a Horse-headed Eagle would appear in a backwater like this! And a young one, at that!"

BAM! The courtyard door behind them was pushed open.

It was Leech. He had told the Groom to wait outside while he came in to spend some time with Rocket. He never expected that upon opening the door, he’d find Qingtian meowing on the ground with the Brass Dragon pinned under its paw like a common mouse.

"Oh? I didn’t realize you two had become such good friends," Leech said, looking at the Brass Dragon in surprise.

’This little guy’s social skills are way better than I thought. Is it true what they say? A glib tongue saves you from an empty stomach.’

’It’s only been in Porcupine Territory for a single night, and the Brass Dragon is already playing with the black cat and the Horse-headed Eagle. Its social skills are terrifyingly good.’

"Save me!" Seeing Leech was like seeing a savior to the Brass Dragon.

Leech said, "...So you’re not friends after all."

’I overestimated the Brass Dragon’s social skills.’

"What part of this looks like we’re friends?!" The Brass Dragon tried to struggle, but it couldn’t budge under the cat’s paw.

Leech didn’t interrupt the "friendly exchange" between the Brass Dragon and Qingtian.

"Rocket," Leech called out. The figure curled up in the corner shot to its feet upon hearing his voice.

Though Leech hadn’t seen it for just over a month, Rocket had already grown to the size of a one-and-a-half-year-old pony.

It rushed to Leech’s side, crashing into him with a force that only Leech could withstand; a small maid would have been knocked flat. It nuzzled Leech’s cheek with its eagle-like head.

"Haha, good boy." Leech wrapped his arms around Rocket, gently stroking the feathers on its head.

The feathers on Rocket’s wings were no longer soft down, but true, hard plumage. When Leech ran a fingernail across them, it was like scraping a sheet of iron, producing a metallic CLINK-CLANK.

’He seems a little thin.’

Leech examined Rocket’s body. It was all skin and bones. ’Looks like the Groom hasn’t been feeding him properly.’

"COO! COO!" Freed from Leech’s embrace, Rocket called out twice to the black cat.

The black cat lifted its paw.

Finally free, the Brass Dragon was just about to spread its wings, but a giant bird talon came down and pinned it.

It was Rocket.

It accepted the gift from its good friend Qingtian, lowered its head, and pecked.

Unfortunately, the Brass Dragon was a magical artifact. Made of some unknown material, it couldn’t be damaged by the peck.

After discovering the thing wasn’t edible, the Horse-headed Eagle released its talons, looking a little displeased.

The Brass Dragon, however, quickly scrambled toward Leech, flying up to his shoulder to hide and avoid being caught and pecked by the Horse-headed Eagle again.

’Now the Brass Dragon was absolutely certain: the only safe place in this entire castle was right by Leech’s side!’

"I didn’t expect you to have a Horse-headed Eagle," the Brass Dragon said, struggling to regain its composure. It had even forgotten its usual formal address, using a simple "you."

Leech said, "So you know what a Horse-headed Eagle is?"

"Of course I know! I am a Dragon Soul!" The Brass Dragon lifted its head, its composure mostly restored. It was as if it hadn’t been the one pecked by a Horse-headed Eagle and carted around by a cat moments before.

"Horse-headed Eagles are wondrous creatures. They are highly intelligent and exceptionally friendly toward other beings." The Brass Dragon paused at the word "friendly," having just been on the receiving end of some decidedly unfriendly treatment. ’Best to pretend that never happened. It’s not like I can beat the black cat or the Horse-headed Eagle anyway.’

’This isn’t flattery, it’s an objective assessment!’

The Brass Dragon continued, "Horse-headed Eagles possess the best traits of both Griffins and horses. Their speed is no less than a Griffin’s, and their endurance is even greater."

It asked, "Where did you find a male Griffin?"

"How did you know it was a male Griffin?" Leech didn’t answer, asking a question instead.

The Brass Dragon sounded as if it had been questioned by an absolute moron. Its tone grew heavy. "If a female Griffin stood there sticking its butt out, what horse would dare mount it?"

Leech burst out laughing. "Haha, good point."

"Your luck is really something," the Brass Dragon remarked, watching the Horse-headed Eagle play with the black cat.

’Horse-headed Eagles are far rarer than Griffins. Even a domesticated Griffin would almost never mate with a mare. And yet, Leech somehow managed to get one.’

While aggressive toward the Brass Dragon, Rocket was surprisingly gentle when facing Qingtian. It played with the cat, even letting Qingtian climb all over its body.

Just as the Brass Dragon had said, the Horse-headed Eagle’s intelligence was very high.

"But of course. I am the Baron of Luck, a Divine Favored," Leech said with a self-satisfied smile.

The Brass Dragon on his shoulder wanted to make a snarky comment, but it managed to bite its tongue.

’Because Leech really *was* pretty lucky.’

’I can’t believe the castle’s cat and the Horse-headed Eagle started playing together while I was gone,’ Leech thought. ’I really thought Rocket would snatch Qingtian up and peck its head open the second it saw it, just like it does with rabbits.’

The Brass Dragon said, "Horse-headed Eagles are smarter than you think. Even smarter than most humans."

"But it doesn’t seem to be in a good mood," the Brass Dragon added.

When Leech had entered, he had seen Rocket curled up dejectedly in the corner. It only cheered up when he came over.

He opened the door and questioned the Groom. The Groom waiting outside, upon hearing it was about the Horse-headed Eagle, became so nervous his hands started sweating, and he kept wiping his palms on his pant legs.

The Groom said, "My Lord, I’m not sure what’s wrong with Rocket. A few days after you left, its downy fuzz started to fall out. About a month later, it had grown new feathers. After that, its mood soured. It’s not even interested when I feed it its favorite food, rabbits."

"Alright, you can go rest for now," Leech said.

"Yes, sir."

The Groom left, closing the door behind him. Only then did the Brass Dragon speak up. "Because it’s a Horse-headed Eagle. It needs the sky and grasslands to run on, not to be stuck in this little courtyard of yours."

Being cooped up in this little yard—that was the root cause of Rocket’s bad mood and weight loss.

"That makes sense."

"Rocket!" Leech called. As if given an order, Rocket whipped its head around to look at him. The black cat perched on its head was nearly flung off.

Leech said, "Come on. Let’s go see your new home."

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