Lord of Rot

Leech, of course, intended to claim the bodies of these Black Cavalry.

After all, these elite Black Cavalry were a priceless, ready-made asset. Although their bodies were heavily damaged—missing limbs were commonplace—the cost of repairing them with gold would be too high. But he didn’t need to turn the corpses into simple zombies; having Ah Yamei summon and create Undead Knights from them would be sufficient.

After this battle, Leech would have a 50-strong force of Undead Cavalry under his command, men and horses included. While their combat effectiveness was greatly diminished compared to the actual Black Cavalry, they were low-cost and, more importantly, fearless in battle.

Leech gave the Necromancer Ah Yamei a mental command: after the battle was over and they retreated, she was to stay behind and turn the corpses into Undead Skeletons.

’Why haven’t they come out yet?’ Leech gazed toward the distant Pebble Castle. Philip’s team, sent to rescue Lady Agnes, had not yet returned.

’Even though this was supposed to be a feint, I’ve scored a major victory.’

’Logically, not only did I draw enough of their forces, I basically struck a blow to their main artery. I crippled them, leaving them with just one limb to stand on. Philip and his men should have had an easy time succeeding.’

Leech tried again to send a corpse bird toward Pebble Castle.

An arrow flew out and pierced the corpse bird.

Leech’s brow furrowed. ’Something is very wrong!’

He wasn’t surprised they had a sharpshooter. Anyone who could field fifty cavalrymen must have considerable assets. Sharpshooters were valuable, but less so than cavalry.

’But the fact that they can detect any bird I control the moment it approaches is a problem.’

Unsure of the situation inside Pebble Castle, Leech chose to act with caution.

”Everyone, fall back!” Leech shouted. ”We’ll make camp outside the river bend!”

The troops began to move. After this battle, Leech’s authority among them had reached its peak.

Everyone wanted to follow a powerful and valiant leader.

Leech was responsible for the deaths of a third of the Black Cavalry present—either by killing them himself or by engaging them so others could land the final blow.

”Sir Leech!” Steven approached, his armor spattered with blood. It looked like he had taken advantage of the chaos to get a few stabs in, though whether he had been a help or a hindrance was debatable.

Steven was agitated. ”We should press our advantage and take Pebble Castle now!”

The other noble Knights didn’t speak, but they gathered around as well. They also wanted to press the advantage; taking Pebble Castle would be a major accomplishment.

But the noble Knights were restrained enough to know they should obey orders.

Leech looked at Steven. ”The rescue team that infiltrated the castle hasn’t returned. It’s highly likely they’ve been captured. Sir Steven, if you want to save your fiancée, you should be thinking about her safety. We must avoid forcing the enemy into a desperate act.”

At the thought of his fiancée, Steven clenched his fists. ”So we’re just going to fall back?”

”Of course not,” Leech said. ”I will scout ahead. The rest of you are to fall back, make camp, and rest.”

”You’re going by yourself?” Steven asked, stunned.

Leech nodded. ”I’m going by myself.”

’There’s no one else reliable in this whole group,’ Leech thought. ’If I don’t go myself, sending someone like Steven would be like sending rescuers to be captured one by one.’

’It has to be a Transcendent, at least.’

Soon, the casualty report was compiled. In this battle, 223 militiamen, 34 Mercenaries, 4 Cavendish Soldiers, and 2 of Leech’s Porcupine Soldiers had been killed.

Leech picked up the wondrous item, the [Pot of Invisibility], and said to Quick-Blade, ”Secure the bodies of our men! Take them home!”

”Yes, sir!” Quick-Blade shouted.

After taking a few quick steps, Leech clapped the [Pot of Invisibility] over his head and dashed toward Pebble Castle.

To avoid attracting enemy attention with the mental fluctuations from remotely controlling the undead, and to ensure he could gain Philip’s trust when he found him, Leech had to go himself.

With the Pot of Invisibility, he was very confident.

’As long as I don’t attack, I won’t be exposed.’

’At the very least, the Water Nymph, a being beyond the Extraordinary realm, hadn’t been able to detect the Pot of Invisibility. If the Transcendent within the castle walls was also that powerful, they would have already charged out to fight instead of cowering inside.’

As he neared the semi-derelict Pebble Castle, Leech grabbed onto the protruding rocks of the wall. A small, low-lying castle like this couldn’t stop him.

The moment he set foot on the ramparts, the hairs on his arms stood on end. A powerful sense of crisis washed over him, as if a lion was lying in wait right in front of him—a lion that currently could not see him.

’So it’s Magic!’

’No wonder the birds couldn’t get near Pebble Castle. They’re using some kind of Magic with detection, or even targeting, capabilities.’

Leech scanned the ramparts. Soldiers stood guard at regular intervals, armed with crossbows.

He controlled another corpse bird to fly closer. The nearest Soldier instantly tensed, as if alerted by something, and immediately raised his crossbow.

WHOOSH! The corpse bird was pierced through.

’What kind of Magic is this?’ Leech wondered in amazement.

The Soldiers on the wall were clearly not Transcendents, yet they could receive information instantly and fire at a moment’s notice.

Watching the Soldier bend down, using his foot to cock the crossbow and load a new bolt, Leech fought back the urge to attack him.

The Soldiers on the wall were spaced far apart, but if he made a move, the unseen watcher would surely discover him.

After circling nearly half the ramparts, Leech finally found a way down. He encountered a few patrolling Soldiers with crossbows along the path, and as he brushed past them, they even subconsciously made way for him.

Such was the magic of the wondrous item. People could see him with their own eyes, yet they would ignore his presence as if he were nothing more than an ordinary pebble on the ground.

Only after Leech descended the steps from the ramparts did the feeling of being on the verge of discovery finally vanish.

He entered the interior of Pebble Castle, where there were surprisingly few Soldiers.

Upon entering the great hall, Leech was taken aback by the jarring change in atmosphere.

A group of burly, brutish men who were clearly bandits—all with big beards—were lounging about in noble robes that clashed horribly with their demeanor. One of them was picking his toes with one hand while gnawing on a chicken leg with the other.

”Drink up!”

”Hahaha!”

”Now this is the noble life!”

There were seventeen of them in total. The man in the seat of honor looked to be about thirty and wore an eyepatch over his left eye.

To his left sat a nearly naked, red-haired young woman who seemed to be in a daze.

Agnes Leopold!

’Other than her red hair, she bore no resemblance to Evangelina,’ Leech thought. ’Well, maybe her pale skin was also similar.’

The other men were leering at her with predatory eyes. She squirmed uncomfortably before grabbing the leader’s hand and shoving it inside her own clothes.

The leader grinned, gave her a squeeze, then pulled his hand out and sniffed it. Leaning close to Agnes’s ear, he whispered, ”Can’t wait, my lady?”

Agnes’s hand slowly reached for his crotch. Her eyes turned sultry. ”Tonight, I won’t let you get away.”

’A very smart move,’ Leech thought.

’I don’t know who these men are, but it’s clear from their behavior that they have no morals. In a situation like this, choosing to give herself to the leader is the only way to avoid being gang-raped by all of them. A dozen men like this would show her no mercy; death would be the only other outcome.’

’Becoming the leader’s personal property is her only path to survival.’

’This young lady from a great noble house is remarkably sharp-witted.’

Leech was tempted to kill everyone in the room right then and there, but considering all the unanswered questions, he decided to eavesdrop a while longer.

He sat down directly in a chair, eavesdropping in plain sight.

One man, passing by Leech, even made a point to walk around him.