Lord of Rot

The sky outside was still dark when Little Antelope got up, changed her clothes, and left the dormitory.

Although her sister had paid to buy her out of slavery, she had no place to live and had to continue staying in the serf dormitory.

Fortunately, it was free, so she could stay there indefinitely.

Looking at the gray, dusky sky, Little Antelope took a deep breath. ”I’m a commoner now!”

She left the dormitory and jogged to the pasture.

”Mrs. Rem!”

Mrs. Rem was a very gentle woman. Little Antelope had heard she used to be a maid in a large castle before coming to Porcupine Territory with her husband, Mr. Subaru. Back then, the Lord hadn’t been Lord Leech, but Lord Lieder.

”I’ve come to help you move the fodder,” Little Antelope offered.

”Thank you,” Mrs. Rem said with a smile, not refusing the help.

Work in Porcupine Territory was strictly assigned. A job like raising livestock, for instance, was a real prize, and people were desperate to get that kind of work.

Little Antelope hadn’t managed to get a job there, but she could help with odd jobs. It was tiring work, but after she helped move the fodder, Mrs. Rem would give her breakfast, including milk.

The milk always filled her with confidence for the day ahead.

Best of all, this work could be finished before sunrise. That way, she could save money on breakfast without disrupting her work schedule for the rest of the day.

”Here, breakfast.”

”Thank you!” Little Antelope bowed gratefully.

”You come and help every day. If I had to do all this myself, it would take me a very long time. You’re a huge help to me, really.”

The two women, one old and one young, chatted and laughed together.

When the sun began to peek over the horizon, Little Antelope thanked her again and trotted off.

BURP. She was running too fast and couldn’t help but burp. It reminded her of the time she’d run too hard right after breakfast and gotten a terrible stomach ache. She hadn’t been able to work at all that day, earning no money. Since then, she always remembered not to run on a full stomach.

The scent of fresh fodder and manure filled the air as Little Antelope passed the housing district.

Right next to Livestock Village stood rows of beautiful red-brick houses.

She clenched her fists lightly. ’I’ll definitely be able to buy my own house, too!’

’But first, I have to pay back my debt.’

There was no shortage of work in Porcupine Territory. Man or woman, old or young—anyone willing to work could earn money.

Unskilled manual labor was the most common type of work.

At first, Little Antelope had planned to go to the smithy to see if she could help tan leather or sew cloth armor. But all those jobs were taken by the female relatives of the craftsmen, leaving no opportunities for her.

She wasn’t needed for hauling bricks, so her only option was to go to the brick kiln.

Today, she was working at the brick kiln again.

The pay was 3 copper stars a day, and the work was exhausting. Because of this, she had to spend 1 copper star at noon for half a loaf of bread and a bowl of soup. The loaf was large, so she only ate half for lunch and saved the other half for dinner.

At most, she could save 2 copper stars a day.

Her sister had spent 10 Silver Moons to buy her out of slavery, which was equivalent to 200 copper stars. Little Antelope would have to maintain this minimal spending for 100 days to pay off her debt, which was already considered very fast.

Slaves who had no one to buy their freedom would remain slaves for life.

Upon entering the brick kiln, everyone had to find their name and place a checkmark next to it. They had to do the same when they left. Headcounts were also taken during the workday, making it very difficult to cheat the system.

Her job for the day was kneading clay. She took off her shoes, rolled up her pant legs, and stomped barefoot in the clay pit.

You had to arrive early to get a good job like this. Otherwise, you’d be stuck molding raw bricks, which would leave your back and legs aching.

Most of the workers at the brick kiln were elderly people, women, and children.

The men usually went to work at the carpenter’s workshop, the smithy, or on the masons’ construction teams. She’d heard some of them could earn 5 copper stars a day. If you learned a trade, it was even possible to make 7 copper stars.

In other places, this would be considered a high-paying job. She vaguely remembered her old hometown, where it was common to work a whole day and not even earn half a loaf of bread. People ate grass, tree bark—anything they could find.

When they had porridge made from oat bran, her father would eat the thickest part, leaving her with only the thin, watery liquid. It had to be that way, because only a full stomach gave her father the strength to earn money.

’Life is good enough now,’ she always told herself.

The sun set, ending the workday.

Little Antelope collected her wages along with the others and then left.

She stopped subconsciously as she passed the commercial district.

The commercial district had officially opened, and all trade was required to take place there, so it was always the busiest area.

Even some of the serfs came here to buy farming tools, vegetable seeds, and the like.

Little Antelope knew her sister, Radish, had a small stall here. Radish knew the caravan manager and often had them bring back small items for her to sell.

She took a deep breath and walked into the commercial district. It wasn’t because the two copper plates in her pocket gave her confidence, but because she’d heard merchants made the most money.

She had only taken a few steps inside when a rich aroma wafted toward her.

The scent came from ”Porcupine Castle’s Delicious Bread,” a shop occupying the best spot in the commercial district. The owner was none other than the Lord himself, and the bakers were all from the castle’s kitchen. This meant that if you bought bread here, you could eat the very same kind the Lord enjoyed.

However, Little Antelope glanced at the price signs on the loaves. The cheapest one cost 5 copper stars—far more than she could afford.

She’d heard they even made custom cakes, so expensive they had to be paid for in Silver Moons!

’Back when I was a slave, I could still use work points to get egg tarts, bread, and meat broth. I never thought my standard of living would actually go down after becoming a commoner.’