Lord of Rot

The fire grew larger and larger, completely blocking the road north.

People gathered at the city gate to watch. Some prayed to the Divine Spirits they believed in, hoping the flames would spare Burning City.

The flames did not hear the people’s heartfelt pleas. An ill wind suddenly blew from the north, and the raging inferno, like the breath of a vicious dragon, lunged toward Burning City.

The entirety of Burning City was forced to join the firefighting efforts.

Meanwhile, Leech had returned to his troop of Corpse Ghosts. He scanned his surroundings to avoid being discovered while he inspected his post-battle spoils.

’The people of Burning City are busy fighting the fire, so I don’t have to worry about them discovering what’s going on here.’

He had already sent Guy ahead to wait at the next intersection. Evading watchful eyes in the shadows was paramount. In this nested ambush, if Leech hadn’t been so cautious and had chosen to reveal himself, the Necromancer would have definitely called for backup. If nothing else, the Beast Language user staying behind would have been a huge problem.

Leech looked at the Corpse Demon Giant Lizard, half of its body a mangled mess of flesh and blood, and his heart ached.

’This is one of my key strategic assets! It’s huge and powerful. It just plows over anything in its way—a perfect example of brute force.’

And yet it had almost been burned to a cinder by the Undead Bone Dragon’s Dragon Breath.

Fortunately, there were other spoils. He looked down at the Undead Bone Dragon.

He drew his sword and swung, his arm muscles tensing as he channeled his Extraordinary power.

CLANG!

The sword broke.

But the dragon bones were only left with a faint white mark!

’These dragon bones are tough!’

’If I use these dragon bones to forge a set of armor, my survival rate will definitely skyrocket!’

With their magical connections severed, the dragon bones were scattered all over the ground, which was convenient for Leech to transport.

Then he looked at the headless corpse of the Necromancer.

The opponent’s combat style was similar to his own; they were both cautious to a fault. They had the terrain advantage, and their endless summons of Skeleton Soldiers had negated the superiority of Leech’s Extraordinary Corpse Ghosts. The appearance of the Undead Bone Dragon had completely overwhelmed them. If not for the Water Nymph’s help, the outcome would have been uncertain.

He truly admired his opponent. Even before the fight, certain they held the advantage, they had still prepared the materials to summon a Bone Dragon at a moment’s notice, just in case.

Leech deeply appreciated that level of battle awareness.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

”We’re both summoners,” Leech said, looking at the head and shaking his own. ”Why turn a real-time strategy game into an FPS? The moment you step onto the field yourself, you throw away your greatest advantage.”

In Leech’s view, there was one reason the Necromancer had lost to him: he hadn’t expected the Water Nymph to intervene.

But the bigger reason was that they weren’t as cautious as he was.

If it had been Leech, even if all three of his Corpse Ghosts were destroyed by Dragon Breath, he would have remained hidden in the shadows.

’That’s the true essence of caution: letting your enemy die without ever knowing who you are.’

The firefighting efforts outside Burning City continued for a long time. Fortunately, the blaze was eventually brought under control.

Leech entered Burning City along with the chaotic crowd.

”Go buy several carriages,” Leech ordered his subordinate. ”We have cargo to haul. Also, buy some coffins—the kind sealed with beeswax to be watertight.”

”Also, go tell Scholar Toma that it’s time for us to depart.”

After giving his orders, Leech went to the backyard. As usual, he had Aina stand guard while he opened the Water Nymph’s cellar and leaped inside.

SPLASH.

The golden Water Nymph’s body was submerged in water, with only half her face showing.

”Leech.”

Leech nodded a greeting to her. ”If it wasn’t for you, Aina and the others might have been in danger.”

Her voice was lovely, carrying a natural charm. ”Were those words just now also a thank you?”

”Yes, I’m thanking you. You were a great help.”

She replied, ”You’re welcome.”

Leech looked around, a little puzzled. ”Where’s the Brass Dragon?”

He soon spotted the Brass Dragon hiding in a corner, shivering.

Seeing Leech looking at it, the Brass Dragon reluctantly flapped its wings and flew over, begging in a small voice, ”Please get me out of here.”

Leech had no idea what had happened between the two of them during this time. It looked as though the Brass Dragon had been abused.

”Are you afraid of her?”

”Her Highness is beautiful and brilliant! How could I possibly be afraid?” the Brass Dragon said, putting on a brave face. ”I just... I just... dislike water a little.”

He casually placed the Brass Dragon on his shoulder. Having just acquired the dragon bones, he wanted to see what it thought. He also had the urge to show them off a little. He ordered, ”Once we’re out, don’t say a word unless I let you. Just behave.”

”Since you request it so sincerely, then I... I can agree.” Feeling Leech’s dangerous glare, the Brass Dragon became obedient and docile, though it still tried to sound tough.

”As it happens, I’m here to take you both away,” Leech said to the Water Nymph. ”We’re leaving Burning City and returning to my territory. I had a special coffin made, filled with water for you to travel in.”

The Water Nymph nodded. ”I’ll follow your lead.”

Leech had actually been afraid the Water Nymph wouldn’t want to leave with him.

’She’s a blank slate who has a good impression of me, and she’s a powerful fighter. The thought of just releasing her into the wild is painful.’

Then, he brought over the Necromancer’s corpse. He first stitched the head back onto the body, then placed it in the coffin the Water Nymph had previously occupied.

Looking at the body, stripped of all its clothes and placed in the coffin, was a bit hard on the eyes.

Leech fell silent. ”It’s all droopy like butterfly wings... and here I thought it was a guy.”

He thought he now understood why this person had gone after Guy.

”Is this your method for bringing the dead back to life?” the Brass Dragon asked, flapping its wings and landing on the edge of the coffin to watch curiously.

Leech flicked the Brass Dragon on the forehead. With a cry of ”Ouch!”, the Brass Dragon fell into the coffin.

The coffin lid slowly began to close.

”Hey, hey, hey!” The Brass Dragon flapped its wings, flying out in a panic. ”Are you trying to kill me?!”

Leech stopped and nodded seriously. ”I’ve thought about it many times. I’ve realized that besides being able to talk, you’re completely useless. So, you might as well serve as a material and help me create a new life.”

”I am a Dragon Soul! I can breathe fire, fly...”

”Tell me something new,” Leech interrupted the Brass Dragon.

”In my memories, I seem to have seen a technique similar to yours... one that can resurrect corpses.”

”Seen it before?” Leech was surprised. ’Could it be that Necromancers weren’t the first?’

But the Brass Dragon nodded. ”Yes. That thing was also like a coffin... a coffin of flesh and blood. I can’t remember anything else.”

”Where did you see it? When?”

”It wasn’t me, I am a Dragon Soul,” the Brass Dragon said, shaking its head. But when it saw Leech raise his finger to flick it again, it immediately and obediently answered, ”I don’t know for sure. It’s just a fragment from my memories.”

’It was probably the prototype for this kind of Magic,’ Leech thought to himself.

Necromancers had never seen a dragon, yet something similar existed in the Brass Dragon’s so-called Dragon Soul memories. This suggested the history might be incredibly ancient, perhaps from hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

It wouldn’t be surprising if scholars, who love to research, had discovered and compiled literature from countless years ago, eventually developing this Magic for creating Corpse Ghosts.

He looked again at the corpse of the Necromancer in the coffin.

He couldn’t toss the Brass Dragon in to create a Corpse Ghost. Leech currently had three wondrous items on hand: an energy-storing staff, the Casting Crystal, and the Wind Cavalry Helmet.

The Necromancer had to be made into a Corpse Ghost. Leech was short on spellcasting units.

’Can I even use this helmet?’ After his last failure, Leech was deeply distrustful of the Wind Cavalry Helmet.

The other two were very useful and couldn’t be wasted.

’Maybe I should just take it back and use an Extraordinary Magic Potion.’

Remembering the Griffin Grass that had already matured in his territory, Leech decided not to waste his wondrous items just yet.

’I’ll use the ones that are about to expire first.’

Fortunately, he had come prepared with plenty of Magic Antiseptic.

The coffins had also been purchased. He placed the Necromancer’s corpse into a coffin and ordered someone to come to the backyard and load it onto a carriage.

The other coffin just held water, and inside was the Water Nymph.

In life, she couldn’t leave the water. He didn’t know what the situation was after her death, but Leech felt there was no need to take risks. It was just one extra coffin, after all.

The Water Nymph, who could see the outside world through the eyes of Aina, Guy, and the others, didn’t feel bored at all. She could even chat freely with Leech through Aina’s mouth. However, she preferred telepathic communication; it was simpler, purer, and more convenient.