Lord of Rot

Leech knew nobles enjoyed their kinky games, like cuckoldry.

A rather famous case involved a Marquis who drilled a hole in a wall, had someone seduce his wife, and then watched the live "battle" from behind it.

Similar situations were common, but Johann Hanen was definitely the first to bring it up directly with him.

’Is he asking me to help? Well, it’s not entirely out of the question... No, of course it’s out of the question.’

Leech never tested his own weaknesses.

"...Porcupine Brand noble soap," Johann Hanen continued.

’Could you please not pause so dramatically when you talk?’

Leech maintained his smile. "It would be my honor. As it happens, Porcupine Territory has just produced a new batch of soap. I can send a gift set to your wife."

"Excellent! Once we’ve won this battle and returned victorious..."

"Wait!" Leech immediately cut Johann off. He had never met someone so eager to raise death flags. ’Is he worried he *won’t* die?’

Facing Johann’s confused gaze, Leech said, "It’s too early to talk about victory. Do you know anything about those Black Cavalry? Does Three-fork River Castle have any enemies?"

After a brief discussion, it was clear that the Linsen Clan of Three-fork River Castle was quite diplomatic in their dealings.

They rarely had conflicts with other nobles.

Then the problem must lie with Leopold.

’It’s not like a troop of elite Black Cavalry just crawled out of some random crypt, right? That would be too ridiculous.’

The noble Knights knew nothing about the Black Cavalry.

Among the known nobility, none were rumored to have a troop of elite cavalry clad in black armor.

This whole battle was shrouded in fog.

Leech had no choice but to send his corpse bird ahead to scout the path.

’I’ve got vision over the whole map. How can I lose this fight?’

’No, I can’t be like Johann Hanen and raise death flags.’

’If I can’t win, I can at least run. It’s not a big deal.’

After leaving Pig Spine Valley, Leech saw the assembled troops.

His gaze swept over a Mercenary still picking his nose, then over a trembling militiaman clutching an Iron Fork, before he delivered his final verdict: ’Worthless rabble.’

Only the 200 infantrymen were somewhat interesting. Although their equipment couldn’t compare to Leech’s full-plate infantry, they were still a rare group of elites—at least they weren’t in light armor.

They must be Cavendish’s own Soldiers, bearing the Rising Hoof Warhorse family Emblem.

The arrival of Leech and his men immediately drew everyone’s attention. Hundreds of heavy infantry in full plate, armed to the teeth. The militia could poke at them with pitchforks all day and probably wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

Inside the command tent.

Philip immediately stood up. "Sir Leech!"

The other nobles, whom he hadn’t met, also rose. Leech recognized a few familiar family crests, including that of the Fosaks, a minor noble family from Iron Stone City. Their son, Kolan Fosak, had died at Leech’s hands, though in everyone else’s eyes, Kolan had gone mad and killed himself.

’It seems that although Baron Simon didn’t come himself, he still sent someone to make a token appearance.’

"Please, sit."

"Thank you." Leech nodded and found an empty seat.

Philip Cavendish said, "Our primary objective is to rescue Lady Agnes. Based on our intelligence, she is currently being held in a river channel just off the Three-fork River."

"Our reconnaissance has confirmed there are defensive fortifications in the channel. It’s the old Pebble Castle, abandoned decades ago. It can hold up to two thousand people."

"The number of enemy troops is unknown, but they have 50 elite, black-armored Cavalry. Our numbers are clearly not to our advantage," Philip said. "Whether we’re storming the castle or facing them in the open field, our chances of winning are slim."

’He’s right. With a force of a thousand attacking the castle, just a few dozen defenders on the battlements could easily hold them off. If those defenders also happened to have bows and crossbows, our men would probably be wiped out before they even touched the walls.’

And in a direct confrontation, 50 elite Cavalry would be a massive headache.

Cavalry in this era were basically human tanks. Unless you were willing to drown them in bodies, there was no way to beat them.

"Therefore, I plan to divide our forces into two," Philip said. "One group will create a diversion by feigning an attack on Pebble Castle, while I lead the Transcendents to break in. Once we’ve rescued her, the diversionary force will cover our retreat."

’Hm?’

Leech looked at Philip. ’Transcendents? As in, a whole group of them?’

"How many Transcendents in total?" Leech asked.

He honestly couldn’t tell who among them were Transcendents; only Philip’s aura was obvious.

"There are five of us at the moment," Philip said.

As he finished, four individuals stepped forward, chests puffed out with pride.

’A suicide squad.’

’But with Transcendents assaulting the castle, even the most solid walls would lose their meaning. Any Transcendent’s physical abilities are terrifying. Leech himself was proficient in all sorts of techniques and possessed great strength, capable of taking on a hundred men. An ordinary Transcendent could probably handle fifty or sixty.’

This was likely the first time Transcendents had been deployed in warfare.

Philip said, "Sir Leech, I’m entrusting you with leading the diversionary attack on the castle."

Leech stood up and said, "Yes, sir!"

He had brought the most numerous and elite Soldiers, so it was only natural that he be put in charge.

But whether the other nobles would actually listen to him was another matter.

Besides, an uphill assault was no easy task. If those cavalry charged out, his infantry would have to face them head-on. Infantry was naturally at a disadvantage against cavalry, and in this era, there were no anti-cavalry tactics. Facing an iron charge meant bracing for impact and dying.

The greatest risk was borne by Philip’s suicide squad of Transcendents. They were heading deep into enemy territory, with no guarantee that the enemy didn’t have Transcendents of their own.

’The probability of the enemy also having Transcendents is extremely high.’

’Philip couldn’t have failed to consider this. He’s probably leaving me outside to act as a failsafe.’

After resting for a night, the army set out for the Three-fork River.

A force of over a thousand wasn’t small. Most wars between lords were just brawls between villages; both sides combined often couldn’t muster two hundred men. A thousand was already a grand spectacle.

The large-scale wars of East Gorge and Giant’s Foot had only involved tens of thousands of participants. Even if all of Lu Leiyi descended into chaos, only a few hundred thousand would be fighting, most of them militia and mercenaries.

But the chaos was relentless.

Leech had only been in this world for a year, and he had already been through no fewer than three conflicts himself.

And this was supposed to be a time of peace. In a time of war, he’d probably be fighting every single day.

After several days of marching, the Three-fork River was close at hand.

The divisions within the army were obvious. The nobles stuck with their own conscripted militia and mercenaries. In battle, they would receive their orders and then act independently. To call them a heap of loose sand wouldn’t be far from the truth.

Each noble was the captain of his own small unit.

Of course, Leech’s unit, armed to the teeth, was the most ridiculously well-equipped of them all.

The column ahead suddenly halted. Leech, who was in the middle of directing his corpse bird toward Pebble Castle, paused and asked, "What’s wrong?"

His squire, Radish, replied, "It seems a nobleman up ahead wants to join our force."

"A noble?"

The news quickly reached Leech’s ears. It was Steven Linsen. He had been waiting on the road, hoping to join the army to rescue his fiancée.

"He’s certainly brave," Leech remarked.

He gently kicked his horse’s belly and rode over to watch the show.

He heard Steven shouting, "She is my fiancée, Sir Philip! As a Knight, I must be at the very front! She needs me to save her!"

’This battle is all about being sneaky and prioritizing the rescue. It’s no place for a young man’s fearless charge.’

Philip Cavendish nodded. "Very well! Your knightly spirit has moved me."

He turned to Leech, who was riding up, and said, "You’ll follow Sir Leech."

Leech: "???"

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