Lord of Rot

In the days that followed, Leech’s life returned to the rhythm it had before his trip to Green Forest Castle.

In the stables, the Groom told Leech that the fiery-maned mare was in excellent condition. She was eating a lot, and the comfortable care she was receiving had made her plump and strong.

When Leech asked about the due date, the Groom gave him an approximate time.

Autumn.

A horse’s gestation period is about three hundred days. The Griffin bloodline might have some effect, but she would definitely give birth this autumn.

Leech stressed to the Groom that a successful birth would earn him a handsome reward. If it failed... well, he wouldn’t want to fail.

His next order of business was to tour the three villages, inspect the watermill, and especially check on the commercial district currently under construction.

The brick kiln was being built.

Clay could be dug up by the river. Masons were leading the slaves in making unfired red bricks. They would make several attempts at firing them, as Leech only had a general idea of how brickmaking worked. As the lord, he really only needed to propose the concept; his subordinates would use their own skills and ingenuity to perfect it.

Beekeeping Village.

Some seeds suitable for summer sowing had already been planted.

Flowering trees and fruit trees had also been planted around Beekeeping Village.

Leech sat in the shade of a tree, sipping an ice-cold honey beer.

Arkke stood by his side. She was like a human insect-repellent lamp; no bugs would come near.

Actually, Leech had underestimated the people of this world. Although they didn’t have mosquito coils or nets, they did have a type of summer grass similar to mugwort. It had large leaves, and when dried and burned, it produced a pungent odor that drove away insects.

But just like mugwort, the smell was overpowering. Ordinary people couldn’t stand such a pungent aroma.

His personal valet, Pitchfork, refilled Leech’s iced honey beer and shot Arkke a boastful glance. He would never allow a female servant to get too close to the Lord. Only a male valet could enjoy the honor of serving the Baron so intimately!

Leech paid no mind to the petty actions of his subordinates, as he was busy calculating something else. ’By my count, they should be here by now, right?’

The group of slaves that had set out with him from Green Forest Castle should have arrived.

"Lord!"

A Soldier came running over. "Lord, the slave convoy from Green Forest Castle has arrived."

"Finally!" Leech shot to his feet.

That was a population of 500 people!

It nearly doubled the population of Porcupine Territory. With enough manpower, he would no longer have to halt certain projects and reassign workers due to labor shortages.

However, when Leech rode up on his horse, his expression turned foul.

"Who was in charge of the escort!"

The two young squires behind Leech heard the fury in their lord’s voice and immediately drew their swords.

Why was Leech so angry? Because of the 500 slaves his grandfather had promised him, about a hundred were missing!

Not only that, but the slaves were listless and injured. Some were in extremely poor condition, barely breathing, yet they were being urged onward with whips.

This was completely different from his previous instructions. Every single person was a part of Porcupine Territory’s wealth.

The leader of the slave escort knelt on the ground. "Lord, please listen to me!"

"You had better provide a reasonable explanation for damaging a lord’s interests," Leech said, looking down at him.

He didn’t need to finish the threat. The words alone carried enough weight to intimidate anyone who heard them.

"Yes, yes! We were passing through Waterfall Land when we encountered an army."

"An army?"

"A militia, no, they were just a bunch of farmers!" the man hastily explained. "They were carrying hoes, axes, and some even had pitchforks and iron rakes. They said they wanted to make the slaves into soldiers. We fought back and killed some of them, but some of the slaves died in the process."

Leech sighed. If it was a chaotic place like Waterfall Land, something like this was only to be expected.

"And then? They stole the slaves?"

"No, they couldn’t just steal the slaves," the man continued. "You are their master. But... the man calling himself Baron Wado, he said he would pardon any slaves who followed him and give them free use of land. They poached several dozen slaves."

’Another bastard.’

Leech had no desire to deal with bastards, but he hadn’t expected them to be so audacious as to dare and poach slaves from a Baron.

Then again, it made sense. If they weren’t audacious, they wouldn’t be running around calling themselves bastards of the Wado line.

"Ark."

"Lord." Ark had been living quite well recently. He had a new cane and was followed by several able-bodied slaves who served as his bodyguards.

Even without his children around to care for him, his complexion was better than ever.

His two sons were the backbone of Beekeeping Village, and his daughter had earned the Lord’s high regard. Who in all of Porcupine Territory could compare to him? So what if he was just a slave?

"Have these slaves rest and get a headcount," Leech said, looking at the dazed and lost group. "Have the Alchemist treat them, prepare soup and food, and let them rest well. Do everything possible to ensure every one of them survives. After registering their information, inform them of the rules for living here."

Ark replied, "Yes! Praise your benevolence."

"You, come with me," Leech said to the kneeling leaders of the slave escort.

This was Porcupine Territory’s first conflict with the outside world.

All of Porcupine Territory’s stewards were present.

Well, "all" of them only meant Gelan, Joe, and Quickblade.

Leech asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Porcupine Territory had several dozen slaves poached from it. If they pretended nothing happened, others would mock Porcupine Territory and call Lieder’s son a coward.

But to send troops over a few dozen slaves... if even one Soldier was wounded or killed, it would be a net loss.

Quickblade clenched his fists. "We should charge in and kill them all! Lord, I will personally take the head of that damn Wado bastard for you!"

Poaching from a Baron... only war could wash away such a humiliation.

But Joe said, "Lord, I don’t think we should go to war."

"What did you say?" Quickblade shot back, his temper flaring.

Leech stopped Quickblade and said to Joe, "Tell me what you’re thinking."

"Yes!"

Joe nodded and collected his thoughts before speaking. "From the information I’ve gathered during my business trips, the situation in Waterfall Land is very complex. A lot of bastards have been popping up there recently. Even if we kill one, another will just take his place. Moreover, it would drag us into that chaotic whirlpool."

Right now, Porcupine Territory needs to develop peacefully and avoid war as much as possible.

If Porcupine Territory were to make a move against one of the bastards, the outside world wouldn’t care about the reason. They would only assume Leech was trying to get a piece of the action.

It was all too common for nobles to find any excuse to start a war.

"So what do you think we should do?" Leech asked.

"Well..."

Joe was just the son of a merchant; he wasn’t well-versed in military or diplomatic affairs.

The same was true for Gelan. He was suited to be the grand steward of the territory’s development, but he was completely unskilled in war and diplomacy.

Leech said, "We can’t just swallow this insult. A porcupine is covered in quills."

If he swallowed it, the banner of Porcupine Territory would face more and more obstruction in the future. He couldn’t just abandon the Porcupine Clan’s motto, established by his father, Lieder: "Covered in quills."

A noble’s honor was paramount, but he hadn’t yet figured out how to act. The best method would be to send Corpse Ghost Aina to kill Wado Eighteen directly, but that would also reveal one of his trump cards.

The root of the problem was his lack of knowledge about Wado Eighteen. Only with more detailed information could he formulate a more detailed strategy.

’Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.’ Otherwise, a group of people sitting around discussing it would just be waging war with their own imaginations.

"Lord."

The squire, Radish, entered and bowed his head. "There is a female messenger here. She says she’s from Longship Castle and wishes to see you."

’Longship Castle... She must have followed the slave convoy.’

Leech said, "Show her in."