Lord of Rot

’Damn, Philip. For a guy that handsome, he sure loves gossip.’

’Then again, when you’re a noble, some gossip is unavoidable.’

Leech watched the Priest preside over the ceremony, turning father and daughter into husband and wife. He suddenly felt that after all the melodrama he’d witnessed since transmigrating, this was somehow becoming acceptable.

He’d even heard of men who married their mothers-in-law after their wives died, just to have them give birth to their new sisters-in-law.

Just trying to sort out the family tree was enough to make your head spin.

After witnessing the "love" of the Three-fork River Castle lord’s family, Leech and his party didn’t stay for the banquet and left in a hurry.

Philip and his men had a long journey ahead, so they had to leave first. But even with their head start, Leech would still return to Porcupine Territory earlier.

At the gates of Three-fork River Castle, the two groups of men and horses lined up. Johann Hanen came to Leech’s side and said, "Sir Leech, about the soap you mentioned last night..."

"In a little while, when I send someone to deliver soap to Miss Evangelina, I’ll include a portion for you."

"Haha, thank you so much!" Johann was overjoyed. "May the Four Gods bless you!"

At the mention of Evangelina, Leech noticed Philip’s body stiffen slightly.

He looked like he wanted to come over and chat, but was too embarrassed.

He shot Johann a questioning glance. Johann just shrugged and gave Leech a look that said it all.

The two of them were having a whole conversation with winks and nods right in front of Philip, who watched them, completely baffled. Apparently, being an Extraordinary Knight didn’t grant the ability to read facial expressions.

’So that’s how it is,’ Leech realized.

’He’d previously thought Philip was a simp, but now he realized Philip didn’t even qualify. He hadn’t even dared to confess his feelings; his cowardice was on a whole other level.’

Leech walked over, patted Philip on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "May the Four Gods bless you, Philip."

Philip detected a hint of pity in Leech’s tone, but on second thought, he figured he must have misheard. What reason would he have for Leech to pity him?

"May the Four Gods bless you as well," Philip replied.

’I don’t need it,’ Leech thought. ’My love life is just fine.’

After the noble Knights and Soldiers from East Gorge and elsewhere had departed, only Leech and his retinue remained at Three-fork River Castle.

"Lord Leech," Agnes and Steven said, walking over hand in hand.

Her red hair was meticulously combed, and she wore a floor-length gown. Her entire appearance was transformed, making her look like a completely different person from when they had first met in Pebble Castle.

Agnes let go of her fiancé’s hand and said to Leech, "We’re engaged as of today, and we’ll be getting married next year. If you have the time, you must come to our wedding."

Leech nodded. "Of course. Porcupine Territory is very close to Three-fork River Castle. If I have time, I will definitely attend."

After bidding farewell to Three-fork River Castle, Leech set off with his contingent, heading toward Porcupine Territory.

「Meanwhile, at Pebble Castle.」

The battlefield in the river bay area had been cleaned up. The bodies were gathered, burned, and buried to prevent a possible plague.

The water had become clear again, but the scars of battle had not completely vanished. Dark red bloodstains could still be seen on the riverbanks, and occasionally, a lost limb or a chunk of flesh could be spotted among the pebbles in the water.

Under the sun, hooves trod through a creek.

A Cavalryman clad entirely in black armor, riding a Bone Horse made completely of white bones, galloped toward Pebble Castle.

Entering the abandoned interior through the wide-open gates, the Undead Cavalryman rode his horse, expertly navigating to the clearing Leech had left from and finding the crypt’s tombstone.

The items buried above the tombstone showed no signs of being moved.

CLATTER!

The bodies of the Undead Cavalryman and his Bone Horse instantly collapsed into two piles of white bones, their skulls facing the tombstone.

Leech, who was riding on horseback, paused. The Corpse Ghost Necromancer had not returned with him. She was to lead the Undead Cavalry along a hidden path, detour into the deserted Pig Spine Valley as planned, and find a place to hide. Afterward, she would return to Porcupine Territory alone.

Through the Eagle Eye Magic cast by the Necromancer Ah Yamei, Leech confirmed that nothing had changed at the Pebble Castle crypt.

’Maybe Philip was right. The Red-haired Grand Sorcerer’s Magic might have failed. After all, success is the exception, and failure is the norm.’

But Leech felt a faint sense of unease. In the past, those Cultists had failed to summon projections of Divine Spirits because the Magic Tide had receded. Besides scholars, there were almost no Casters left in the world, and even scholars only utilized the rules of Magic; they didn’t use it on a large scale to achieve specific effects.

But the situation was different now.

What would have failed in the past might not fail now.

’If I could figure out that Red-haired Grand Sorcerer’s origins and intentions, maybe I could prepare in advance.’

He didn’t even need to guess. Based on the "habits" of the nobility, Leech figured the Red-haired Grand Sorcerer was probably a product of the Leopold family’s ’brotherly love’ melodrama.

After some time on the road, they finally returned to Porcupine Territory.

They arrived in the evening.

The Porcupine People, getting off work, were leaving in long, continuous lines.

Some were heading to the tavern for a drink.

Others were going to the market to buy some vegetables and meat.

Still others would stroll through the commercial district, perhaps visiting a tailor to mend clothes and shoes. Many young men and women also wanted a place to wander, chat, and get to know each other better.

Two merchants from East Port had rented shops in the commercial district.

Every time they came to stock up, they would also bring a batch of goods and leave staff behind to sell them.

In the past, it was impossible to buy clothes, decorations, and various trinkets from the Northern Territory in Porcupine Territory, let alone get a taste of the specialty cured foods from Giant’s Foot.

It wasn’t just the high transportation costs; caravans simply weren’t willing to come to Porcupine Territory.

The purchasing power here was too low. They couldn’t even sell bread, so why waste time coming?

It was far better to transport goods directly to Iron Stone City, or even easier, to East Port, where they could be sold off in a few days.

But now, for the sake of Porcupine Wine, honey, and soap, these merchants had to make the trip. And since they were coming anyway, why not bring some trinkets to sell on the side?

Whether it was one cent or two, it was still a profit.

Leech rode at the head of the column with his Soldiers following behind. The passersby on the road all bowed low.

The children cheered, shouting that their Lord had won another victory.

It seemed Leech had gained nothing from this campaign; he had simply answered the call to arms.

Usually, after a victory, the Duke would bestow rewards. His father, Lieder, had relied on this method to maintain the territory and cover the expenses for his Soldiers.

Or they would divide the spoils of war directly.

But this time was different. The "Golden Stallion," Pine, had no intention of giving any rewards. As soon as the battle was over, he just dismissed everyone on the spot.

If not for Three-fork River Castle giving them some hazard pay, this war would have truly been for nothing.

You could say that everyone who participated in this rescue mission lost out... except for Leech.

Because he had gained a squad of powerful Undead Knights. An ordinary Extraordinary Knight would be hard-pressed to withstand a charge from his fearless Undead Cavalry.

This also caused the Necromancer Ah Yamei’s power to rise significantly.

Also, he had accidentally found a crypt, one that very likely held a projected Divine Spirit trapped inside.

But Leech had no intention of opening that crypt until he was absolutely confident he could handle what was inside. He would keep it sealed until he felt he no longer had anything to fear from it.

’And if I never feel that way,’ he thought, ’then I guess it’ll stay sealed until I die of old age.’

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