Lord of Rot

In the study, Leech put down his pen.

In his past life on Earth, he wasn’t someone who liked to keep records, but here, he found himself writing a great deal every day.

The faintest ink is better than the best memory. He knew if he didn’t write things down, he was bound to forget them completely once things got busy. By the time he remembered again, the opportunity would be long gone.

For instance, he had just remembered his plan to make soap. He’d thought of it before but had never gotten around to actually producing it.

Now that he remembered, he was already flush with cash for the time being, thanks to the windfall from the wealth in the cape’s cavern castle.

But he had also missed the chance to use soap to rake in some early development funds.

’I can just sell it along with the wheat beer.’

Honey, beer, soap, pottery, and some other agricultural products were already enough to attract the attention of outside merchants to Porcupine Territory.

The flow of information was too slow in this era. Not a single merchant caravan had come to Porcupine Territory yet, making Leech want to post a ”Our agricultural products aren’t selling, please help us!” meme, complete with a picture of some old man.

’I hope Joe’s trip to Green Forest Castle brings back good news.’

KNOCK KNOCK~

”My lord, a letter from Longship Castle.”

”Come in.”

Leech had been in sporadic correspondence with Lady Jie Lin of Longship Castle. In truth, he had written to her last, and she was only now replying. In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed since the death of Wado Eighteen.

The wax seal was intact.

He broke the seal and opened the letter. The male servant who delivered it discreetly withdrew and closed the door.

”Greetings to the much-missed Leech.”

The words were quite intimate.

”All is well at Longship Castle, though impostors claiming to be bastards keep popping up. They haven’t been able to stir up any trouble, so I hope you won’t worry.”

”By the way, I’m pregnant.”

Leech’s heart skipped a beat as he read that line.

’Conceived in July... based on a ten-month pregnancy, she’ll probably give birth around May of next year?’

’But when Lady Jie Lin announced her pregnancy, she had already stuffed a pillow under her dress to look about three or four months along. That means she’ll have to ”give birth” sometime in February or March of next year.’

’Postponing the birth by a few months isn’t a huge problem, as long as she can keep the castle’s maids from talking.’

The feeling was very strange.

He had no special feelings for Lady Jie Lin; their union was based purely on a fundamental exchange of benefits.

Lady Jie Lin needed to produce an heir and also needed Porcupine Castle as an ally.

Leech, on the other hand, had failed to resist the test of her beauty and was now set to get a territory even richer than Porcupine Territory for the small price of fathering a child.

”Hooo...”

He continued reading, but his brow furrowed.

”Sir Guy Marvin has visited Longship Castle. He has declared his profound love for me and hopes to become the child’s father.”

Leech rubbed his temples, a headache forming.

’Someone’s trying to steal my home base!’

’Not only is he trying to steal a territory, he’s even trying to steal my child and take my place as the father.’

Leech merely skimmed the rest of the letter before grabbing a quill pen. After scribbling a few lines—SWISH SWISH SWISH—he sealed it with wax, took the new letter, and stood up to leave the study.

”My lord!” Pitz, who had been stammering his way through a conversation with a raven, greeted Leech immediately upon seeing him.

”Send this letter to Longship Castle. Top priority, make it fast,” Leech said.

”Yes, my lord!”

Pitz fumbled to tie the letter, spoke a few words of bird language to one of the ravens, and the bird spread its wings and departed.

As the raven left, it also carried Leech’s ”Eagle Eye” Magic, which would bring his line of sight all the way to Longship Castle.

”Meow~”

A black cat with white paws and a crescent of white fur on its forehead came rubbing against the wall.

Leech held out his hand. ”Qingtian, come here.”

”Meow!”

The black cat, Qingtian, leaped into Leech’s arms and let him stroke its fur gently.

Only petting a cat could soothe the awful feeling of being on the verge of getting cuckolded.

The raven flew over mountains and ridges, crossing Pig Spine Valley and Iron Stone City, before finally reaching Waterfall Land.

Longship Castle was just ahead.

The raven folded its wings and dived toward the castle.

A psychic assault suddenly struck.

The raven flapped its wings in a panic mid-air.

Far away in Porcupine Castle, Leech’s eyes snapped open.

’A Caster!’

’His Spiritual Power is strong, but it was just a brief clash. I can’t gauge the true depths of his strength. Besides, I’m not the same as I was back then.’

’If I had held on for just a moment longer, I might have been able to resist it.’

’Then again, he might not have been using his full strength either.’

In the final moment, he had seen the person: a handsome, wickedly charming young nobleman in a green robe, standing by a window.

”Guy Marvin?”

In all his time since transmigrating, Leech had never seen anyone with such a wicked aura. He was a bit like the vampire Dracula, with unnaturally pale skin, looking more like a woman than a man. If he could play basketball, he probably would have done pretty well back on Earth.

This was not good news.

Lady Jie Lin’s suitor was actually a Caster with strong Spiritual Power.

’I wonder how much magical knowledge I could get from his corpse.’

Longship Castle.

After its brief moment of panic, the raven flew to its destination.

A maid took the letter and quickly delivered it to the bedroom.

”My lady, a letter from Porcupine Castle.”

Inside the bedroom, Lady Jie Lin was with Yi Lin; the two sisters were chatting.

Lady Jie Lin opened the letter, a smile spreading across her face.

Yi Lin couldn’t help but ask, ”What did you write to Baron Porcupine?”

She knew her sister had just sent a letter to Porcupine Castle two days ago. For a letter to go there and a reply to come back in just two days meant that Baron Porcupine had written back immediately after receiving it and sent the raven off at once, and that the raven hadn’t rested along the way.

Lady Jie Lin’s eyes remained fixed on the letter. Its brief and hurried contents brought her a sense of delight.

”I told him I was pregnant with Wado’s heir.”

”...” Yi Lin thought to herself, ’But it’s Clarence’s.’

Of course, this was a ”secret” that the three of them knew, and it had to remain known only to them.

Lady Jie Lin continued, ”I also mentioned some things about Sir Guy Marvin.”

”...”

Yi Lin looked at her sister. ”Don’t you despise him?”

”I still despise him now,” Lady Jie Lin said, sounding quite helpless. ”But we have no way to drive him out, because he has a good relationship with Shanzhang Castle.”

”Mentioning someone you hate can make the person you admire care about you more,” Lady Jie Lin said.

”You should put aside those girlish fantasies. True love, knights... those things no longer belong to you,” Yi Lin advised. ”You are a Baroness.”

”Yes, I know. We have to ensure that we sisters have a place to call our own.” Lady Jie Lin seemed to be lamenting her own fate—glamorous on the surface, but in reality like a lone boat on the vast ocean. ”But let me fantasize once in a while. You’ll help me, won’t you, Yi Lin?”

”Of course...” Yi Lin nodded helplessly.

’She had to admit that Baron Porcupine was indeed handsome. The day he returned with his troops, a long line of captives, and the head of Wado Eighteen, Yi Lin had been dazzled.’

’There was probably nothing in the world more romantic than being in a desperate, helpless situation, only to have a handsome Knight bring you the head of your enemy and tell you, ’Don’t worry, everything is fine now.’’

’But Baron Porcupine could never marry Lady Jie Lin, and Lady Jie Lin could never abandon Longship Castle, which the sisters had managed for so many years.’

Upon leaving the room, Lady Jie Lin and Yi Lin came face to face with the handsome and wickedly charming young nobleman.

Her good mood vanished instantly.

”My lady!” the young man exclaimed, making no effort to hide his fervent adoration.

”Sir Marvin,” Lady Jie Lin greeted him, her face devoid of expression.

”It seemed a raven just flew in,” Guy Marvin inquired. ”Can you tell me where it came from?”

”You are merely a guest in Longship Castle,” Lady Jie Lin said, her face cold. ”Furthermore, your question is extremely impolite, and I have no obligation to answer it.”

After saying her piece, she lifted her skirt and quickly walked away with her sister.

Left standing there, Guy Marvin just shrugged nonchalantly. ”I’ll find out.”