Lord of Rot

”I am Nut Bill. I’m the one who arranged to have you killed.”

Leech looked down at her, a little surprised. The height difference between them was immense; his chin didn’t even reach the top of Nut Bill’s head.

’A legal loli.’

Her confession actually took Leech by surprise. He had been planning to use this incident to extort some benefits from the Bills.

”I know,” Leech said calmly. ”I’ve already killed him. But since you tried to kill me, I can’t just let you go either.”

”You did kill a member of the Bill family, after all—and my brother,” Nut Bill said. ”...I didn’t try to have you killed because I hate you.”

”I understand,” Leech said. ”If you want to try assassinating me again in the future, feel free to send more people.”

Nut Bill stuck her tongue out. ”I won’t be doing that again.”

She had only arranged for someone to kill Leech to appease her grandmother’s anger. How could she not know that Pig the ’orc’ was no match for Leech? A whole swarm of Transcendents couldn’t defeat Leech, let alone a previously defeated opponent.

”I’m serious.” Leech would swear to the Four Gods that he was telling the truth!

’The more Transcendents sent to assassinate me, the better. That way, I’ll have an inexhaustible supply of Transcendent corpses.’

But no matter how he tried to persuade her, Nut Bill seemed to have completely given up on any further assassination attempts, much to his disappointment.

Since she had presented herself to him, Leech took the opportunity to ask about the ”Moon God/Night God” matter.

”I don’t know about that sect, but I found the statue,” Nut Bill said. ”I have it with me. I can give it to you later. I hope it can clear up the misunderstanding between us.”

”There isn’t much of a misunderstanding between us,” Leech said with a smile, taking the chance to pull the young woman into a tight embrace, pressing her against his chest.

The girl, who had been feigning intimacy just a moment ago, now had a crimson blush on her cheeks.

The gazes from the misogynistic men in the room also lessened.

「During the intermission.」

Annel Little Bill made her appearance.

Nut Bill and the other two young women walked over to support her.

The old woman said a few meaningless words, nothing more than telling everyone to eat, drink, and have a good time. Leech used this opportunity to grab a few sips of wine to wet his throat.

Getting a statue related to a ”Legendary” was an unexpected bonus. Whatever could turn a dying old monkey into something infinitely close to being above the Extraordinary was certainly dangerous. But danger also meant great reward. Leech already had plenty of dangerous things around him; he wasn’t afraid of one more.

’As long as a ”Legendary” doesn’t actually come pouncing right in my face, everything will be fine.’

He had thought it over and concluded it was impossible. If it had truly been a Legendary being, there’s no way he and the Water Nymph could have escaped.

For the next few dances, Leech would occasionally ask a noble lady for a dance, but he spent most of his time slacking off and resting.

During a break, the demure and pretty, short-haired young woman approached him.

Leech recognized her as one of the three young women who had been supporting Annel Little Bill earlier.

’Does the Bill family have more to say?’

”May I have this dance?” Leech extended his hand.

The demure, short-haired girl nodded lightly. ”It would be my honor.”

The music started, and the two began to sway to the rhythm.

After a while, the dance was already half over, but the demure young woman hadn’t said a word.

Leech was puzzled. ’She looked like she came over to talk to me, so why is she being completely silent now?’

She looked up, her gaze peering through long eyelashes at Leech’s face. ”Lord Leech, I heard you have a Flying Horse?”

’Yes, and I rode it here to smash Shanzhang Castle to pieces.’

Leech nodded. ”His name is Rocket.”

”What does it feel like to fly in the sky?”

”Complete freedom.”

Her eyes grew distant as if she were imagining herself flying. Unfortunately, the music ended. She snapped back to reality and immediately asked, ”Could I talk with you again after the ball? About Rocket.”

”Of course, anytime.”

The ball was drawing to a close.

Many noble ladies and young misses had already found their preferred partners for the night.

The Four Gods Sect only demands loyalty after marriage, so some of the minor nobles played around quite freely.

The major nobles, however, conducted themselves with propriety. There are no secrets that can be kept forever, and better conduct could be exchanged for greater benefits.

Just when Leech thought he could finally get some rest...

The last of the three sisters approached him.

She was the tallest of the three. Unlike the demure and youthful Lulu Bill, or the ’legal’ and mischievous Nut Bill, she radiated the unique charm of a fully blossomed woman.

Leech knew his work had arrived. He sighed and extended his hand. ”May I have this dance?”

Aya Bill smiled and took Leech’s hand. She stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to Leech’s ear, and whispered something.

”The honor is all mine, milady,” Leech replied with a smile of his own.

...

After the ball ended, people began to disperse. They parted ways with knowing smiles, everything left unsaid.

’Tonight’s trysts will probably end up getting a few people killed.’

Leech and Aya Bill entered the stairwell and headed toward a room.

Adding fuel to the fire, the crucial moment of ignition had arrived.

By the time they reached the door, the flames of war had been fully lit.

The two embraced.

CREAK!

The door was pushed open, and they fell onto the bed.

”Who’s there!”

The candlelight illuminated the room.

Leech sat up on the bed, looking at the three women in the room.

The three young ladies from the Bill family were all here.

”I came to deliver something,” Nut Bill said, holding the statue in her hands.

Aya, her cheeks flushed red, shot her a glare. She had been just one step away from success. Who knew these two would show up at this exact moment to ruin her good time?

Lulu Bill also said innocently, ”I came to talk to Lord Leech about Rocket.”

But at a time like this, her innocence was hardly convincing.

None of the three sisters was a simple character.

”Aya, what are you doing here?”

Aya said, ”I... I was escorting Lord Leech back. He didn’t remember the way.”

”Well, since he’s been escorted, let’s go.”

”Right, let’s go.”

The three sisters bickered as they left. He wasn’t too bothered that the meal which had presented itself had gotten away. He was simply the type who would take a bite of whatever was offered.

It wasn’t worth getting worked up over.

Leech sighed. ”What on earth are the Bills trying to do?”

He had sensed something was off during the ball, but he had just treated it as a sugar-coated bullet—eat the sugar coating and toss the bullet.

Three sugar-coated bullets had been fired at him at once, and he had dared to catch them all. But the three young women didn’t want to make a losing deal, either. It seemed that of the three bullets, only one was meant for Leech.

’It can’t be that they want to borrow my seed, can it?’

’How could it be for such an absurd reason?’

WHOOSH! He went through a set of practice movements, finally managing to suppress the heat in his body, and his mind calmed completely.

His physiological urges were suppressed.

Leech’s gaze fell upon the statue Nut Bill had brought.

It was a statue of a ”Night God.” The statue’s eyes were closed, as if it had fallen into a deep slumber.

The longer he stared at the statue, a creepy, hair-raising sensation slowly grew in his heart. It was as if something was observing him through the statue, but when he tried to sense it carefully, he couldn’t tell where the eerie feeling was coming from.

’It’s my danger sense!’

Leech understood at once. This ability of his came from Annel Bill, and it allowed him to sense intense, life-threatening danger.

The message from that sense was strange. The danger wasn’t fatal, but it was like a thorn stuck in his flesh. It wasn’t a wound, but it hurt, and his whole body felt uncomfortable until it was plucked out.

Leech picked up the statue and infused his Spiritual Power into it.

BOOM!

It was as if a lamp had suddenly been lit in the darkness.

Light dispelled the dark.

A flash of spiritual light.

”Believe in the Night God, believe in the Night God, believe in the Night God, believe in the Night God...”

That disembodied voice lingered by his ears like a whisper, giving Leech an intense urge to believe in the Night God.

A sense of trust rose from the bottom of his heart for no reason, as if believing in the Night God could solve all his problems. If he refused to believe, he wouldn’t even be human.

Leech instinctively let go.

The statue fell to the floor.

”HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!” He panted heavily, his body already soaked with sweat.

’This is faith in a god? This is just an Evil God!’