Lord of Rot

Horses neighed wildly outside the station.

The proprietress looked at Leech. ”My lord, help me!”

Her expression was a little half-hearted.

Leech looked toward the door as well. The ruckus outside fell completely silent after two wretched screams.

A figure completely shrouded in a cloak rushed in, sword in hand.

”You’re not...” The proprietress stared in astonishment at the desert bandit who had rushed in. He was different from what she’d imagined—this wasn’t one of her men returning at all!

The desert bandit grabbed the proprietress by the neck with one hand and lifted her into the air. The alluring desert woman’s feet kicked wildly, her face flushing beet-red before turning a deathly pale.

THUD! The desert bandit flung her aside, and the proprietress crumpled to the floor.

”COUGH! COUGH!” She clutched her neck, coughing, her face a mess of tears and drool.

”All of you, get out!” the desert bandit roared at the travelers.

Everyone who made a living in the desert knew that while dangerous beasts like lions, leopards, and hyenas roamed the sands, desert bandits were an even greater threat. A beast might have its limits and wouldn’t bother you if it was full, but a desert bandit’s main purpose was to kill.

The travelers exited obediently. The proprietress, clutching her neck, struggled to her feet and staggered out, afraid that if she moved too slowly, she’d be cut down with a single strike.

Soon, only Leech and his men were left inside the station.

The desert bandit looked toward Leech.

Seeing this, Allen, who was at another table, moved to stand up, but Trevor held him down with a hand on his shoulder.

Lin Nuo, the woman from the Northern Territory, said, ”He’s on our side.”

”On our side?” Only then did Allen look closely and realize the desert bandit was wielding a Knight’s Longsword. Furthermore, under a thick layer of sackcloth was a suit of a Knight’s plate armor.

’It’s those Wandering Knights!’

The desert bandit removed his cloak, then his helmet and visor, revealing a weathered, old face. Who else could it be but Buerwell?

”My lord,” Buerwell said, looking at Leech.

”I’m leaving this station for you to manage for the time being,” Leech said. ”It’s best to accommodate the travelers who pass through. Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. I need men to go to the Bonta marketplace and ensure this trade route remains open.”

”Yes, my lord!” Buerwell nodded.

Leech didn’t need to get involved in what followed. The Wandering Knights would handle everything, be it expulsion or slaughter.

Overnight, the station had quietly changed masters.

However, the loyalty of the Wandering Knights now garrisoned at the station was zero.

In the morning, Leech set out again with his party, heading toward Bonta Canyon.

The furnace-like sun nipped at their heels, driving the group into the canyon.

The Wandering Knights watched them depart, then gathered together.

One of the Wandering Knights said, ”Buerwell, he’s gone, and he didn’t leave many people behind. There’s only that elf woman at the Bonta marketplace. We can take the marketplace for ourselves.”

”We are oathsworn Knights, not desert bandits!” the old Wandering Knight Buerwell declared.

Although their actions were sometimes even more outrageous than those of the desert bandits, no one would admit they had no scruples.

Though the Wandering Knight beside him had his face concealed by his visor, Buerwell could guess his expression.

Buerwell added, ”We are Knights of Princess Sophia. Everything we do is for the sake of overthrowing the Water Buffalo Count’s rule!”

Whether they had been Princess Sophia’s loyal Knights before or not, after being suppressed by the Water Buffalo Count, they had to be now. They believed that no one could be more loyal to Princess Sophia than them.

Seeing that the others were unconvinced, Buerwell said, ”The Baron dared to entrust this station to our management. Do you really think he hasn’t considered countermeasures?”

The Wandering Knight replied, ”Even if we can’t take the Bonta marketplace quickly, as long as we blockade the canyon, he won’t be able to break through, even with an army of thousands.”

Bonta Canyon might connect the Eastern Gorges to the desert, but its narrow paths made it impossible to move a large army through. The slightest mistake could get them completely trapped.

”...” Buerwell fell silent, then looked back at the station they had just occupied.

’We don’t need the station, and we don’t need the trade route open.’

’It’s a good foothold, though. Including our previous camp, we now have two bases of operation.’

’If the Water Buffalo Count ever remembers us and comes to wipe us out, we can escape easily.’

He had to admit, the thought of carving up the Bonta marketplace for themselves was tempting.

”We’ll talk about it when he gets back.”

In truth, there was another possibility he was reluctant to believe, but which he felt was highly likely: that Leech could simply break through with brute force.

The four people following Leech, especially that four-armed Mercenary, reminded him of the legends that had been spreading over the past two years—legends of Magic and Extraordinary powers.

...

「After exiting Bonta Canyon, they entered Monkey Territory.」

The last time Leech had come to Shanzhang Castle, he had been riding a Horse-headed Eagle and carrying a greatsword.

When he left, he had also destroyed half the castle.

While it might not have made his name famous throughout the Eastern Gorges, it certainly let the local nobles know there was a ”prickly” Baron Porcupine. One should never provoke him unless absolutely necessary, otherwise he might descend from the sky as you slept and dismantle your castle.

This visit was different.

The main gates of the castle were pushed open, and Leech led his party inside.

As soon as he dismounted, the castle steward approached. ”My lord, this way, please!”

The Corpse Ghost and the four Extraordinary individuals followed him as Leech entered the castle to rest.

Leech had kept to a tight schedule on his journey, but the ball at Shanzhang Castle wouldn’t officially start until the day after tomorrow.

That night, Leech rested well in his bed. At the same time, he connected to his network through the Corpse Ghost to get a general sense of the situation back in his territory.

「The next day.」

Leech changed into a set of light clothes. Unfortunately, the formal wear of the nobility was a hassle—layer upon layer, with all kinds of embellishments. Even if he kept things as simple as possible, he couldn’t avoid being bundled up.

He felt hot and started to sweat with just the slightest movement.

’It’s June, for crying out loud. It’s hot!’

Plenty of young noblemen and ladies had come to attend the ball. However, to maintain propriety, the men and women were not supposed to meet directly before the event officially began.

Whether one actually adhered to this rule, however, was a matter of personal choice.

Leech was one of the few who followed the rules. He had no desire to ”chance upon” some noble lady in a secluded garden for an ”accidental encounter”—though he was quite confident his looks were enough to make plenty of them willing to have a passionate tumble with him right then and there.

When he occasionally encountered noble ladies casting flirtatious glances his way, Leech simply pretended not to see them.

The young nobles didn’t have a good impression of Leech. Most of them were close and friendly with the Bills. Now, with their ”enemy” at the gates, they had to put on a brave face, no matter how scared they were. At the very least, they had to show Little Bill where their loyalties lay.

’Our liege lord is Baron Monkey, not Baron Porcupine.’

This all led Leech to mistakenly believe several times that this was actually a trap, a misconception that almost made him jump for joy.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Leech himself was happy for the peace and quiet. He had no interest in socializing with these minor nobles anyway.