Lord of Rot

The emerald-green Fishman skeleton crystal bore faint cracks, marks left from being struck earlier.

Over forty units of Spiritual Power were poured into it, disappearing without a trace, like a fish in the ocean.

There was no response, but he was already used to it.

Unlike an energy-storing staff, this wasn’t some wondrous artifact for storing Spiritual Power. It was just like a rock. However, records in the books at Longship Castle convinced Leech that this ”Dragon Ore Gem” had to be useful for something.

Under the flickering torchlight, Corpse Ghost Aina, who was playing a game with the Red-haired Earthling, looked over. Her expressive abilities were constantly improving, and she was even raising the Red-haired Earthling’s skills along with her own.

Confined spaces are a form of torture for intelligent beings, but Corpse Ghosts seemed to have no such issue. They have a natural love for darkness and sleeping in coffins.

As corpses, the usual desires of the living were not apparent in them.

The emerald crystal didn’t change at all.

But Aina clearly sensed something different about Leech.

The next moment...

HUMMM—!

’It instantly drained my last six units of Spiritual Power!’

Leech rubbed his throbbing, aching head when he suddenly heard a THUD, THUD from behind him.

He immediately turned his head and found Aina and the Red-haired Earthling collapsed on the floor.

They looked exactly like corpses.

’It’s the same magic that the long-bearded Fishman used! Did he learn it from the crystal, too?’

About a second or two later, Aina and the Red-haired Earthling regained consciousness, one after the other.

”What did you feel just now?” Leech asked.

”No... feeling. I felt nothing at all.”

Aina’s vocabulary was still limited. Beside her, the Red-haired Earthling dazedly clambered up, apparently not realizing anything was wrong.

’An interruption of consciousness.’

’But the duration is very short.’

Leech was beginning to understand the effects of this new magic. Based on his previous encounter, he could draw a conclusion.

It was a magical EMP that targeted all minds and consciousnesses, paralyzing them instantly.

Though the duration was short, its effect was immense. And it didn’t consume much Spiritual Power, only six units. At a critical moment, a one-second lapse in consciousness could be decisive.

That night, Leech slept soundly.

Sleep helped him quickly recover his expended Spiritual Power. So far, Leech hadn’t found any other method for restoring it.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.

He rubbed his temples and propped himself up on his elbows, sitting up in bed.

”Anyone there? I need some water.”

”Yes, my lord!”

The voice of his personal valet, Pitchfork, came immediately from outside the door. He brought in a glass of warm water.

”Thank you, Pitchfork.” Leech took the glass and sipped, feeling some of his fatigue melt away.

The personal valet then brought him his clothes and helped him get dressed.

He adjusted Leech’s collar and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes.

It was no exaggeration to say he lived a life of utter pampering. Some lords even had a group of male and female servants to wash them during their baths—a meticulous scrubbing, inside and out.

Having a personal male valet from a young age was a terrifying prospect.

It meant the chances of developing a preference for men increased dramatically. Tastes, after all, are cultivated from a young age.

Take the King’s son, for example.

It was an open secret, something never mentioned in public: Second Prince George preferred men.

Many young, unlanded nobles would probably wait for George to become the lord of a castle, then go flaunt themselves before him, hoping for a meteoric rise to a knighthood or some other title.

Once dressed, Leech went to the dining hall.

A glass of honey water was waiting on the table.

Warm, with no ice.

Leech took a sip, and his weary body slowly regained its vigor.

’If only I could raise a colony of Extraordinary bees to produce Extraordinary Honey for me,’ Leech mused.

With the usage and dosage of most substances still unknown, Extraordinary Honey seemed to be the mildest option. At least drinking it wouldn’t make a patch of your hair suddenly turn red, and it even had the benefit of strengthening the body.

After finishing the honey water, he got the sense that once the overabundant vitality had filled every cell in his body, the excess simply dissipated into thin air.

’Now this is starting to feel a bit like a Magic World.’

’As a noble in a Magic World, I should be chugging potions, constantly getting stronger. What a comfortable life that would be, being a walking apothecary.’

The food was served quickly: a breakfast of thick oyster soup paired with bread.

There were three main dishes: an exquisite pan-fried cutlet drizzled with lemon juice, a vegetable salad, and a piece of pan-fried fish.

Ever since the sailors and fishermen had arrived, fish had been appearing on Leech’s table more frequently. Even though the fish pond wasn’t operational yet, they had their ways of catching fish from the sea.

After his meal, Leech went to check on the Fierce-Mane mare, as was his custom. He repeatedly instructed the Groom to take good care of the pregnant animal.

He then went to a secluded courtyard, where Arkke was holding a wooden basin filled with small, chopped pieces of meat.

”My lord!” Seeing Leech, Arkke beamed and came bouncing over happily.

Leech asked, ”How are things?”

”They’re being quite obedient. I’m teaching them not to sting people.”

’Teaching!’

Leech thought he must have misheard.

’Before, Arkke could only give them commands, right? I always thought it was a kind of ”remote control,” like how I control corpses. Or has her ability grown stronger again?’

Unfortunately, her father Ark’s ability to control insects was even worse, so there was no precedent to draw from.

He watched as Arkke tossed out pieces of meat. The Wasps flew over in an orderly fashion, landed on the chunks, and began to feast.