Lord of Rot

”Can you get me out of here?” Agnes looked at him expectantly.

If she had a chance to escape, she wouldn’t wait a single moment longer.

She lived in constant fear, every minute of every day. She could barely handle Anjin alone; if two or three more men came, she would be tortured to death.

She couldn’t expect that group of men to show her any tenderness.

Leech shook his head. ”Pebble Castle is protected by Magic. I can’t get you out.”

There was only one Pot of Invisibility.

’Just rescuing Agnes alone won’t solve anything. He needed to find out the identity and strength of the castle’s true master and eliminate the Grand Sorcerer.’

’Philip and the others had to be rescued, too.’

’In Leech’s eyes, the friendship of an Extraordinary Knight was worth more than a noble lady married off to some minor lord.’

’Of course, if he could save them all, he would.’

Leech explained, ”I need to investigate the Grand Sorcerer first. I can’t get you out of here until he’s dealt with.”

BANG! The door was suddenly thrown open.

Startled, Agnes shot to her feet.

Anjin walked in, his face dark.

”What is it?” Anjin glanced at the figure of the man standing next to Agnes with a pot on his head, but his gaze didn’t linger. It was as if the man were just a rock.

Agnes shook her head. She glanced at Leech, momentarily forgetting what she was supposed to be hiding. ’It’s a good thing he wasn’t noticed,’ she thought with relief.

”Hahahaha!” Anjin’s dark expression vanished the moment he saw Agnes. He strode over, grabbed her by the waist, and threw her violently onto the bed. Tearing off his shirt, he prepared to pounce.

But Agnes pressed the sole of her foot against his chest, stopping him.

’Something feels wrong,’ she thought, ’like I’ve forgotten something.’

Her eyes were full of resentment. ”I only want you, but you want to give me to other men.”

”I gave that one to the Grand Sorcerer,” Anjin said. ”He won’t be coming for you anytime soon.”

Agnes bit her lip.

’I have to ask this,’ she thought. ”This Grand Sorcerer... who is he? Why do you obey him?”

”You own Pebble Castle now. If you marry me, you’ll be a nobleman of the East Gorge.” She slowly lowered her leg, letting Anjin collapse on top of her. Having gotten his way, he began sniffing her body like a dog.

Anjin forcefully kneaded her snow-white breasts. ”Because the Grand Sorcerer gives us wealth and power. Besides, he holds our very lives in his hands.”

”He needs people to run errands, and we’re his obedient, willing dogs.” Anjin showed no resentment at calling himself a dog; in fact, he seemed proud of his status.

He was quite content with his life. After all, the Grand Sorcerer didn’t bother with managing things or seeking pleasure, so Anjin was effectively the leader of the entire castle.

The only annoyance was that his men were always eyeing his woman.

He lowered his head and bit her. Agnes cried out in pain, tears welling in her eyes.

Agnes pressed on, ”Can’t he just turn people into his puppets? Why does he need you? Aren’t you afraid he’ll do the same to you?”

”Hah,” Anjin sneered. ”How can something that won’t even flinch when you whip it compare to those of us who are willing?”

”The Grand Sorcerer...”

”Enough about the Grand Sorcerer,” Anjin said, getting up and unbuckling his pants. ”It’s time to get down to business.”

”Yes, it is time to get down to business,” a voice said from behind him.

A large hand clamped down on Anjin’s neck from behind.

’There’s someone in the room!’

’Who is it?!’

Anjin tried to fight back, but the hand clamped around his neck drained all his strength. With his blood flow cut off and his brain starved of oxygen, his face turned a deathly pale.

The figure lifted him by the neck and turned him around. All he could see was a silhouette with a pot on its head.

CRACK!

His neck was snapped.

Leech casually tossed Anjin’s corpse onto the bed.

Agnes, who had been lying on the bed bracing herself for more torment, was startled. But when she saw Leech, his appearance somehow felt completely natural.

’So Lord Leech was hiding just now.’

”Lord Leech!” she exclaimed in delighted surprise.

”After I leave, lie next to him,” Leech said. ”If anyone comes, you have to stall for time. Otherwise, you’ll be in danger.”

Agnes looked at Anjin’s corpse—at his broken neck and the horrifying, twisted expression on his face—and nodded emphatically.

’It’s just sleeping next to a corpse,’ she thought. ’I can endure it.’

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside again.

’This is an unexpected complication.’

The buck-toothed, scar-headed woman pushed the door open and walked right in. She saw Anjin lying on the bed with Agnes on top, moving on her own. Agnes’s head was down, kissing his face, her long red hair blocking the woman’s view.

Agnes was moaning loudly and showed no sign of stopping, even after the door swung open.

”She looks so innocent, but in bed, she’s an even bigger slut than me!” the buck-toothed woman muttered, glaring at Agnes’s pale form. She liked handsome men but hated beautiful women.

She felt that if she watched any longer, she’d be tempted to go over and slap the wailing woman. She spoke quickly, ”The Grand Sorcerer says we’re still short ten. He wants you to have them ready before dawn. Otherwise, he’ll use us to make up the numbers.”

The buck-toothed woman didn’t hear a reply from Anjin, as Agnes’s moans were too loud.

She pursed her lips, turned, and left.

She slammed the door shut behind her.

Agnes quickly lifted her head. She was still making noise, but her expression was one of pure agony. To hide the fact that Anjin was dead, she had been forced to lie on his corpse and repeatedly kiss his terrifying, contorted face.

The moans continued, but Baron Leech was no longer in the room.

Leech, still wearing the pot, followed the buck-toothed woman for some distance, listening to her curse and grumble the entire way.

’What does ”still short ten” mean? It must be about killing. They need ten more people to die?’

’If I had enough time, I would refine Anjin into an undead servant and extract his memories. All the secrets would be laid bare before me.’

’But the deadline is dawn.’

’There isn’t much time.’

’I have to deal with the Grand Sorcerer first.’

’The problem is how to get into the dungeon. I’ve searched the entire Pebble Castle several times without finding any stairs leading down. That must mean Magic is hiding the entrance.’

’If Anjin doesn’t make a move soon, his people will definitely come to push him again. Agnes won’t be able to hold them off.’

’With Anjin dead, Agnes is in grave danger. More importantly, the Grand Sorcerer lurking in the shadows will be on alert. The man’s abilities are very similar to my own, and I know exactly how much trouble it will be if I let him escape.’

Putting himself in the sorcerer’s shoes, Leech understood completely. He, too, preferred to wage war from the shadows, remotely controlling the battlefield without ever showing his face.

What he hated most was being on the other side of it, fighting to the end without even knowing who his enemy was.

After another circuit of searching, Leech suddenly stopped in a corner.

’Found it!’

’Just as I thought!’

The corner was just an empty space. When he touched the floor, it felt like solid stone tile.

But...

A red dot appeared in Leech’s vision.