Lord of Rot

Early morning.

The docks at Pigtail Bay were already bustling with activity.

SNORT, SNORT. The pigs formed a line. A cow led the way, with a sheep following close behind its rear.

They advanced in an orderly fashion.

”Tsk, tsk,” Pitz stood on the dock, waving to the animals.

”Moo~” the cow lowed at her.

”Moo,” Pitz replied patiently, lowering her voice to imitate the cow’s call.

The cow shook its head in satisfaction and boarded the ship.

The sailors already waiting on deck clicked their tongues in amazement at the sight.

”She can really talk to cows?”

”Of course. She’s the Lord’s maid,” another sailor said as if it were obvious. ”Everyone in the castle has Magic. Why else would our Lord be a Divine Favored?”

SMACK! A hand suddenly slapped the sailor on the forehead. He turned his head, annoyed, but when he saw it was his own Captain, old Piri, the curse on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back down. He just looked at the captain aggrievedly, not understanding why he’d suddenly been hit.

Piri said, ”No gossiping about the Lord behind his back!”

”Yes, sir!” the men nodded.

Gossiping about the Lord behind his back was a taboo. They’d heard from merchants who came to Porcupine Territory that quite a few people had been hanged for slandering him.

But old Piri suddenly lowered his voice and said, ”That’s all just hearsay. None of you have ever been inside the castle. Only someone who’s been inside, like me, knows what’s in there!”

A sailor asked curiously, ”Captain, what is in there?”

Piri gave a smug smile and said, ”Inside, there’s...”

SMACK!

He raised his hand and slapped the sailor’s forehead again. ”Didn’t I just say not to gossip about the Lord?”

The sailor clutched his head and glared at Piri, seeming to mentally calculate which was more important: his job or beating Piri to a pulp.

’This old bastard is definitely just looking for an excuse to hit people!’

Piri turned and said, ”All of you just need to do your jobs properly.”

As old Piri, who loved to bully the young and pull rank, walked away, he unsurprisingly received a few ”greetings” from the young sailors.

Back on the dock, after a long while, the animals finally finished boarding the ship in an orderly line. Pitz led them down into the hold. The voyage would be long, and these animals needed to be well cared for.

Her work finally done, Pitz took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead and came up on deck.

She saw Arkke, who was already standing at the ship’s bow. Arkke was smiling down at the Lord, who was giving instructions about something below.

A few farmers scurried off.

As if sensing the gazes of the two young maids on the ship, the Lord turned his head to look at them. He smiled and nodded before turning back to continue his conversation.

Pitz really wanted to tell Arkke that a maid could never end up with a nobleman, although the Lord never treated them differently because of their class—just like how in Porcupine Territory, slaves could gain the status of freemen at any time.

’But a noble is still a noble, and a maid is still a maid. A relationship between them would never be anything more than idle gossip after a meal.’

’Besides, there was something else Pitz thought Arkke didn’t know. The Lord seemed to prefer more mature, curvaceous figures like Wine Cup’s. Every time the maids walked by, the Lord’s gaze lingered on Wine Cup the longest.’

’Arkke wasn’t the only maid in Porcupine Castle who admired the Baron. But just like her, none of them would ever have a chance.’

’Some maids even found out that the Baron seemed to like white stockings, and they’d wear them even if their legs shivered from the cold. But none of that could shake the status of Wine Cup’s fleshy thighs.’

Several sailors slowly carried wooden crates onto the ship.

Arkke watched quietly from the side. Those were beehives.

”Your job is so much easier than mine,” Pitz said with envy.

She had to teach the animals how to move, how to act, and calm them so they wouldn’t be scared. She even had to satisfy some of their feed requirements. But all Arkke had to do was order the bees not to move, and someone would carry the hives onto the ship for her.

After a while, a few farmers boarded the ship, carrying sacks on their shoulders.

Once all the preparations were complete, Leech was the last to board.

He looked at the two Magic Maids. ”Is this your first time on a ship?”

They nodded at the same time.

”Mhm.” ”Yes!”

He said caringly, ”Be careful. If you get seasick, be sure to tell me right away.”

”Yes, sir!”

’These two Magic Maids really are my treasures. I must treat them with the utmost care.’

The Porcupine set sail for the island in the High Magic Land.

The docks at Pigtail Bay were now complete, and Leech had already dispatched the craftsmen to build houses and construct watchtowers.

These tasks could be completely delegated to his subordinates.

Besides Gelan, Qiao, and the others, the newcomer Sir Lacy Sith was also an outstanding, well-educated nobleman—a highly skilled intellectual. The new phase of land reclamation and farming in Porcupine Territory could be safely left to their supervision.

If the war in Iron Valley hadn’t already begun, Leech wouldn’t be in such a hurry to develop the island. He estimated it would be his turn to take the stage in one or two months at most, and the journey from Porcupine Territory to Iron Valley would take a good half a month.

He had already arranged for Kuai Ren to train the musket Cavalry. The sound of the muskets had a huge effect on the horses, so much so that it could make them ignore a signal rocket’s command.

It was still uncertain how much they could accomplish in this short time. If the horses could be trained to overcome their fear of gunfire, it wouldn’t be a big problem. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use the Cavalry in the upcoming battle.

For this trip to develop the island, Leech brought serfs and several sacks of sprouted potatoes.

The swineherds in charge of raising pigs.

He also brought seeds for flower-bearing Extraordinary Magic Potions purchased from Ram: Bitter Flower, Snake Scale Flower, Long-Haired Lady, and Silver Fern. Leech was most interested in the Long-Haired Lady. If it could be cultivated on a large scale, Porcupine Territory could produce high-end perfumes.

’Luxury goods are the real way to make money.’

In addition, there were carpenters, masons, a cook, and a group of strong, able-bodied slaves.

The island was undeveloped and lacked people in all aspects. One thing—and it was hard to say whether it was good or bad—was that the island wasn’t very large, so not many people were needed to develop it.

「Day and night passed.」

The island in the High Magic Land gradually came into view.

Some people were not handling the seasickness well, but the two young maids were in good condition. They remained full of energy.

Not far from the island, they could still see Monkey’s ship, which was one of Leech’s spoils of war.

Soon, the first problem arose.

The island was undeveloped, so they had to take small boats to get ashore.

People could ride in the small boats, but the animals wouldn’t be so obedient.

”Pitz,” Leech said, ”explain it to them ahead of time.”

”Yes, sir!”

After receiving her orders, Pitz went to the hold to give the animals a pep talk.

The first group to land on the island were the accompanying Soldiers. They had to consider the possibility of pirates accidentally discovering the island and ensure the safety of those who would land later.

However, the strongest security force was not them, but the Water Nymph who had come with the ship. No one except Leech knew of her existence.

”Guarding and protecting this island is all up to you,” Leech said to the Water Nymph.

The Water Nymph replied, ”Don’t worry, Leech.”

Next were the serfs, craftsmen, and others, who would bring their farming tools and seeds.

Sacks of potatoes were tossed into the small boats. The serfs jumped in and headed for the island.

By this time, Pitz’s pep talk was finally over.

Leech had the good fortune to witness an incredible scene: one by one, the pigs, cows, and other animals leaped into the sea and began swimming toward the island.

’I can’t believe Pitz’s abilities have improved so much after just a short period of learning.’

Arkke’s beehives, on the other hand, were the easiest to handle, as long as they didn’t get wet.

Finally, it was Leech’s turn to take a small boat to the island.