Lord of Rot

Betty was the only daughter of a lord from a minor noble family in the south.

A chance encounter led her to discover and fall in love with Alchemy. She studied under an old scholar, and it was during one of these experiments that she accidentally created Magic Gunpowder. When combined with fire-controlling Magic, this product of a failed alchemy experiment could produce terrifyingly destructive power.

She had thought she would become a knowledgeable scholar, dedicating her life to researching Alchemy and exploring truth and mystery, but the outbreak of a war shattered her plans for the future.

A war between the Eastern Gorge and the Giant’s Foot turned her family’s territory into a battlefield. Knights charged through the canyons while militia defended the walls with farm tools. Body after body fell, staining the ramparts and even the clouds red with blood.

By the time the Eastern Gorge’s army was repelled, it seemed they had won the war, but Betty’s family was finished. Their castle was carved up by other nobles, and she became an outcast.

Betty abandoned her family name and, relying on her explosive alchemy and Magic, became a wandering Mercenary.

Last autumn, she encountered the "Silver-Hairs."

Betty didn’t say much about the Silver-Hairs, as she didn’t know much about them herself. She only knew that they wielded Silver Steel Swords, had unusual silver hair, possessed formidable combat strength, and were knowledgeable about many things. They were a strange bunch.

Some said that boundless treasures could be found wherever the Silver-Hairs appeared. Others claimed their arrival meant that demons were not far behind.

One of the Silver-Hairs’ companions had headed in the direction of Porcupine Territory.

Betty’s Mercenary squad decided to try their luck in the Eastern Gorge and happened to hear in a tavern in Iron Stone City about a giant, flaming bear that had appeared in Porcupine Territory.

After a period of investigation, they learned about Porcupine Territory. Leech knew the rest of the story.

The corner of Leech’s mouth twitched. ’I just made up a story to sell the bearskin for a good price. How did a bunch of morons actually believe it?!’

It was still unclear how much of Betty’s story was true, but the secret formula she provided for making Magic Gunpowder shocked Leech.

Because it was just gunpowder from Earth!

’I get the principle, but I can’t get the materials.’

The main ingredients were sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal.

Both sulfur and saltpeter were difficult to find; at any rate, he had never seen them in Porcupine Territory.

Natural sulfur deposits, in particular, were controlled by a handful of nobles.

The price of such materials had always been high, likely due to their use in Magic and Alchemy.

His idea of equipping everyone with a firearm, or even creating something like fire-bolt crossbows, was dead in the water for now.

If he couldn’t make gunpowder, he could still work with Magic.

Betty was a scholar’s apprentice, after all, much more capable than an ordinary person. Plus, she was completely under his control.

She was clearly holding a lot back, like the Mercenary in iron armor who had been protecting her, that strange wooden staff that could withstand an explosion, and so on.

But there was no rush for now.

Leech divided his attention, commanding the corpses to patrol while letting Betty rest.

He planned to dig for useful information from Betty while also investigating the crypt. Now that the value of Betty’s Magic Gunpowder had plummeted, investigating the crypt had become his top priority.

After the recent planning of Livestock Village, the first things built were not homes for the villagers, but pastures. And the cows were producing so much milk that they didn’t know what to do with it all.

The milk had to be consumed within the castle. The servants could get their share, but they were absolutely forbidden from taking any home.

Leech wouldn’t make the mistake of being too benevolent. He didn’t want the people of Porcupine Territory to develop the idea that taking advantage of their Lord was a matter of course.

If they didn’t want to waste the rest of the milk, they would have to find ways to make other desserts, like cheese.

Barrel, the very same chef who had the young maids and manservants making excuses to wander into the kitchen just to snag a bite or even a whiff of the food, was now contemplating his Lord’s suggestion.

’Maybe I should train a few apprentices?’

Before, Barrel would have refused. No one was going to steal his stove.

But things were different now. He was genuinely overwhelmed. On top of that, the Lord had given him many recipes to study. Instead of trying to find time to research new dishes after cooking three meals a day, why not teach a few obedient and honest apprentices? It would save him some effort.

The young kitchen maid, Oak Pail, looked like she could handle making breakfast soon.

’This could work!’

’But they have to be obedient apprentices.’

Evening came, but the squire selection was not yet over.

The goal was to whittle 76 people down to 35. There was no time limit, only a target number. At first, it was a test of stamina, and those with poor constitutions had already been eliminated. For the remaining contestants, it was now a battle of willpower.

When Leech arrived, 38 youths were still standing. Some were already swaying, likely running on pure belief, their consciousness fading.

Whether commoner or slave, they all gritted their teeth, determined to seize this opportunity and absolutely unwilling to miss it.

Those who had been eliminated hadn’t left, because Leech had promised them dinner.

The largest number of eliminations, of course, came from the slave boys. They hung their heads, knowing they had missed a life-changing chance.

Only seven slave boys were still holding on. They were barely hanging in there, having been at a physical disadvantage from the start.

Among them were Ark’s two sons: sixteen-year-old Akelie and fourteen-year-old Akedo. The only reason they had lasted this long was their good genes and the fact that they usually ate well.

When your own father is the slave overseer, how could he not abuse his power for personal gain?

Soon, three more slave boys were eliminated. Every single one of them had long since reached their limit; it wouldn’t have been surprising if they all collapsed in the next instant.

Finally, only 35 remained.

The first round of selection was declared over.

Those who had endured breathed a sigh of relief. Some fell straight to the ground, their minds and bodies having long reached their breaking point. They didn’t even know what had kept them going.

The last three boys who couldn’t hold on fought back tears. They were so close, just a little bit more! If only they had held on a little longer.

But reality was cruel. They had fallen just short.

A hearty dinner lightened the mood a little. Tomorrow, the 35 boys who remained would receive basic literacy instruction from Gelan.

This first group of boys who had persevered all had value worth cultivating. Whether they became constables, municipal officials, civil servants, or Knight squires, they had shown their initial worth.

In Leech’s eyes, anyone he trained was talent. ’Since I can’t recruit talented people to pledge their loyalty, I can just train my own, right? Even if they’re not fit for management, they’ll certainly be good enough for basic errands.’

The exhausted boys were herded off to rest. The failed candidates also had to go home—back to farming if they were farmers, back to being slaves if they were slaves.

Leech also took his seat, ready for dinner.

The young maids in their uniforms began serving the dishes. It was indeed a pleasant sight.

Dinner was wheat-deer stew, salad, and a pudding—a very extravagant caramel pudding at that.

Sugar was also an extremely luxurious seasoning.

The environment in Porcupine Territory was not suitable for growing sugar beets. For a long time to come, he would probably have to buy sugar.

There was still a long way to go in terms of development. Leech glanced at Kolan, who returned his smile.

"Those boys are promising. One or two might even become Knight squires," Kolan said, assuming the Lord wanted a report. "They have good potential. They are fortunate to have been given this chance by you."

Gelan raised his cup from the side. "To the Lord’s benevolence."

Knowing the right time to flatter was also one of a municipal official’s skills.

"Haha, everyone says I’m benevolent," Leech said, raising his own cup.