Lord of Rot

Leech attempted to control Guy’s body. Like his other Corpse Ghosts, this undead creature was absolutely loyal to its creator, with no thought of rebellion.

”Frost Enchantment.”

”Spider Walking Skill.”

”...”

He first attempted to cast the Magic he had mastered through Guy’s body. Possessing a Caster’s aptitude, Guy could successfully cast Magic that Leech already knew. However, after Leech was no longer possessing his body, this mastery seemed to become somewhat difficult.

”Phantom!”

The Phantom ability was extremely useful.

Another Guy appeared beside him. And perhaps because the wondrous object had integrated with his body, this Phantom could even act according to Leech’s thoughts, just as if it were real.

Transcendents didn’t just rely on their physical bodies to fight, but this was the first time Leech had seen a Transcendent who fought with sound. He had previously assumed Guy’s shriek was a form of Magic.

Guy, who could fight with his voice, was still able to speak after death.

This also saved Leech some trouble.

Guy was highly intelligent; he didn’t need to be taught and educated like the Red-haired Earthlings. What he had to learn wasn’t the Lu Leiyi Common Tongue, but the block script that Leech had designated as the internal language for the Corpse Ghosts.

’That Roundtable is interesting, too. I bet only an idiot like Guy would think that old fellow was a good person.’

’You’re not family or friends, yet he enthusiastically teaches you Magic, imparts knowledge, and shows you how to use your abilities the moment you meet. If he were such a paragon of virtue, stories of his heroic deeds would have spread across the Lu Leiyi Continent long ago. Why would he join the Roundtable, which is so obviously a sinister organization?’

’Whatever that old fellow’s goal is, Guy is my Corpse Ghost now. The other party was one step too late.’

’Including Guy, the Roundtable has twelve members. It’s highly likely that all twelve are Transcendents!’

’The only Transcendent I’ve actually fought is Guy, and he was just a rookie. Setting aside how difficult the others might be to deal with, from a numbers perspective alone, I’m no match for eleven Transcendents with varying abilities.’

’Transcendents will only become more numerous; the battlefields of the future belong to them.’ Leech grew more certain of this. In just a year, Transcendents were sprouting like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. He had to make preparations.

’I’m not trying to conquer the world, but I have to at least protect my own little plot of land. Of course, it’d be even better if I could occasionally snatch someone else’s.’

That same day, Leech went to the Taven Scholar and found information about Water Nymphs.

Minstrels, it seemed, were all avid writers. The book Leech was reading, *The Water Fairy*, was penned by one such Minstrel.

”It has been three years since I retired from the battlefield. I have fallen in love with a life of wandering the continent, recording stories in song. Occasionally, I use my Lute to bash the heads of some petty thieves. The feeling of swinging it reminds me of holding my warhammer, a feeling I miss.”

”Fairy Lake. The moment I first heard the name, my interest was piqued. Oh, the farmers swore there was a real fairy in their forest’s Fairy Lake. Hah! Just look at their earnest expressions, lips pursed and eyes wide with effort. I *totally* believed them. Haha.”

”Another Minstrel also wanted to investigate the legend of the fairy, so we traveled to Fairy Lake together. It was a beautiful morning. A fine mist shrouded the water, as if the clouds themselves had descended from the sky to blanket the lake.”

”We played our Lutes, and in no time, a beautiful and enchanting singing voice drifted toward us. There really was a gorgeous woman in the water. She was so beautiful we couldn’t tear our eyes away.”

”She opened her arms, and the Minstrel who had accompanied me walked toward her. Then, damn it! He was dragged into the water! He struggled, and blood stained the surface of the lake! He was a dead man. There was no way for me to save him. I fled. I swear, at that moment, I truly wanted to save him, but I only had my Lute. What could I do? Use it to bonk the fairy on the head and say, ’Hey, let him go’? Get real.”

”After returning to the village, I started to reflect. Why was I unharmed? At the time, I only thought she was beautiful, but unlike that unlucky, nameless Minstrel, I didn’t lose my senses. Perhaps it’s because I already have someone I deeply love in my heart. The power of love allowed me to resist her charm. Now, whenever I recall that fairy, I just feel sick.”

The book ended there.

Leech looked at the Taven Scholar. ”A Water Nymph bewitches people. How can one resist it?”

”My knowledge on the subject is limited,” the Taven Scholar said with a shrug. ”However, from what little I do know, there are two kinds of people who cannot be bewitched.”

”What two kinds?”

”The deaf and the dead.”

”You’re not wrong.”

Leech returned the book to the Taven Scholar and asked for advice on cultivating Magic Potions. Unfortunately, the scholar didn’t deal in the kind of lethal flora whose cultivation could get one killed. Growing many Magic Potions was simply too difficult, requiring a deadly amount of specialized knowledge. Nevertheless, Leech managed to buy over a dozen manuals on the subject, thus accomplishing his goal for the visit.

That same day, Leech and Guy parted ways at the city gate.

Now that Guy was one of his own—one of his Corpse Ghosts, that is—Leech no longer had any need to visit Longship Castle himself. A trip there without a good reason would easily start rumors.

Riding alone, Corpse Ghost Guy returned to Longship Castle.

Sitting at her desk, still vexed by the many problems plaguing Waterfall Land, Lady Jie Lin looked up.

”What is it?”

The visitor was her younger sister, Yi Lin, the only person permitted to enter unannounced.

”Guy Marvin is back,” said Yi Lin.

An expression of disgust immediately crossed Lady Jie Lin’s face. ”I was hoping he’d be gone longer.”

”He asked to see you,” Yi Lin said.

”Tell him I don’t have time.”

Shanzhang Castle had sent Guy Marvin over in the name of ”assisting” them. Lady Jie Lin hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but she hadn’t expected him to be so cunning—a devil, perhaps. He had effortlessly charmed all the women in the castle, making her feel as though she were living under constant surveillance.

Before Guy had left, Lady Jie Lin had even noticed something odd in the way her own sister looked at her. It had worried her sick. Thankfully, Yi Lin seemed perfectly normal now.

Yi Lin hesitated before adding, ”But he says he’s brought a gift from Baron Porcupine.”

”Let him in.”

Guy Marvin arrived shortly after.

Upon seeing Lady Jie Lin, he bowed deeply. ”My Lady, I bring you Lord Leech’s blessings.”

His first words gave Lady Jie Lin pause.

’His tone is far too humble. If it weren’t for that face she found so repulsive, she would have thought Guy Marvin had been replaced by someone else. And... Leech?’

’How could they have crossed paths?’

”Rest assured, my lady. I am now one of Lord Leech’s men,” Guy said. ”I am here to assist you under his orders. Starting today, you will also receive the full support of Shanzhang Castle.”

Lady Jie Lin, however, didn’t believe him. This was likely just another one of Guy’s schemes; she knew he was the type to stop at nothing.

”This is a gift he asked me to bring for you and Miss Yi Lin,” Guy said, handing two packages of Porcupine Brand soap to Yi Lin, who stood beside her.

Yi Lin promptly placed the two exquisite-looking wooden boxes on the desk before Lady Jie Lin.

She opened one of the boxes.

A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted out.

There was also a letter, written in a familiar hand.

”Rest assured. I have had a ’friendly discussion’ with Guy, and he has concluded that following me offers a more promising future. I have sent him back to Longship Castle to help you resolve your little troubles. You need not consult with him; he will obey your commands completely. If you are in danger again, please tell me directly. Your Knight, Leech Clarence.”

Beneath the letter lay an exquisite bar of soap carved with a floral pattern. Both the soap and the wooden box bore the Porcupine family Emblem.

”What is this called?” Lady Jie Lin asked.

”Soap.” Guy seemed to have suddenly become a man of few words.

”Soap?”

”It’s for bathing.”

The drastic change in his demeanor was a bit unsettling for Lady Jie Lin, but she much preferred it this way. It was far more pleasant than being constantly buzzed by a fly. ’This must also be Leech’s doing,’ she thought.

”You may go for now,” Lady Jie Lin said. ”I will send for you later.”

”Yes.”

Guy turned and left.

He was quite busy, after all. He needed to collect materials, prepare preservatives, and install a coffin in his room.

Yi Lin, however, was greatly perplexed. ”He says he’s sworn fealty to Baron Porcupine. Sister, do you believe him?”

’Between the tiny Porcupine Castle and the rich, powerful Shanzhang Castle, surely Guy Marvin knows which is the better choice. Besides, the Marvin Clan are vassals to Shanzhang Castle.’

’But if that’s not it, how can this change in Guy be explained?’

’Is Baron Porcupine really so incredible?’

Yi Lin didn’t understand.

”I believe him,” Jie Lin said with utter certainty.

”Why?”

Jie Lin picked up the letter. ”Because he is my Knight.”

”Here, try the soap,” Jie Lin said, handing the other box to Yi Lin and interrupting her sister’s racing thoughts.