Lord of Rot

After a day of lessons, the work of a squire was not demanding, allowing him to come and go from the castle as he pleased.

Radish changed into his new clothes, wearing the Longsword the Lord had bestowed upon him at his waist, though he had not yet begun to learn Swordsmanship.

He left the flat, sturdy stone road and stepped onto a gravel path.

Ahead lay Maitian Village, the closest settlement to the castle. In the past, Porcupine Territory had only this single village, and everyone was crammed together. Even though some people had since moved to Livestock Village, Maitian Village remained the most populous and bustling place.

Children played by the roadside, picking up pebbles.

A man pulling a two-wheeled cart smiled and shouted, "Make way! Out of the way, you little rascals!" The children then scattered, squealing and laughing as they ran off.

A matron returned from the river after doing laundry, a wooden basin balanced on her head.

A teenage boy held a small wooden bowl containing mushy mashed potatoes and half a loaf of bread, ready to eat his dinner.

A man, weary after a long day’s work, sat leaning against a wall. Beside him was a cup of hot water filled with torn bits of hay. He lifted the cup and took a sip, his brow furrowing deeply before he forced himself to swallow.

Radish stifled a laugh. He knew the Lord often drank tea, but tea wasn’t made from just anything—and it certainly wasn’t made from hay. The man must have heard a rumor somewhere and was trying to imitate the Lord.

Everyone here was consciously imitating the Lord, based on what they had seen or heard. The Lord was an object of their reverence and respect.

Radish was no different.

He rested a hand on the Longsword at his waist and strode, head held high, onto the main road of Maitian Village.

Back when he was a slave, he wasn’t even allowed to approach the village, confined to a designated area.

Now, however, everything was completely different.

People stared at him in astonishment. His clothes, though a little big on him, looked refined. The Longsword at his waist, the tall boots, and the very fact that he was walking from the direction of the castle—it all pointed to his extraordinary status.

"Radish?"

A voice came from the side.

"Chelun?"

Radish turned his head to see the eyebrow-less boy, a look of delight on his face. Though they had once been rivals, they had studied and trained together, forging a strong bond.

Because he was quick-witted, Chelun was one of the first chosen to be an apprentice under Master Gelan at the city hall.

"I heard from Master Gelan that you’ve become the Lord’s squire?" Chelun asked. He didn’t particularly envy Radish. A squire’s income was low; in contrast, a city hall apprentice not only earned a high salary but also had the chance to one day succeed Master Gelan. His family’s life had already changed because of him. ’As for becoming a Knight... that’s a distant dream. There aren’t any wars now.’

Radish nodded, smiling. "And you? How is it working under Master Gelan?"

"It’s fine. Just endless calculations and record-keeping every day. It’s tiring. You?"

"I spend my days learning all kinds of etiquette."

"..."

"..."

After a few more words, the two parted ways. For now, the friendship forged in training could only carry the conversation so far. Perhaps in a few years, over mugs of beer, they would find more to talk about.

Passing through Maitian Village, Radish arrived at the slave dormitories.

The matron sitting by the entrance to the women’s dormitory saw Radish and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "Radish? Y-y-you... you were chosen?"

The boy before her, dressed in new clothes and wearing a sword, seemed like a completely different person from the one who used to hide his black bread, unable to bear eating it.

Radish nodded. "I was chosen."

A small, thin figure dashed out of the women’s dormitory. Her light body crashed into Radish, making him stumble back a step, and then her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Little sister," Radish said, looking down at the small girl. He held out his hand to measure her height. "I think you’ve gotten taller."

The slaves began to whisper among themselves.

"That’s Radish. Did he really become the Lord’s squire?"

"So a slave can actually be chosen? Does that mean my son has a chance?"

"Wasn’t your son eliminated in the first round?"

"I’m talking about having another one now!"

"I knew Radish was special from the start. You could tell just by looking at him he wouldn’t be a slave forever. See? He really became a Knight’s squire!"

With many people whispering around them, Radish lowered his head and said to his sister, "I brought you something good to eat!"

They left the slave dormitories and went up a small hill.

Radish took out something the size of his little finger, wrapped in a small handkerchief. A rich, sweet fragrance wafted from it before it was even unwrapped.

"It’s honey!" he said, holding the handkerchief to his sister’s mouth. "I heard it’s as expensive as gold. A gift from the Lord."

His sister gave it a gentle lick. "It’s so sweet!"

Then she pushed the handkerchief back toward Radish.

"Haha, I eat this stuff every day in the castle," Radish said with a laugh. "I’m already tired of it!"

But she kept her hand outstretched, her posture making it clear she wouldn’t take it back until he had a taste. His sister had long since mastered the art of making Radish do as she wished.

Reluctantly, Radish touched it with his tongue.

’It really is sweet!’

「A raven soared over the territory.」

Inside the castle, Leech opened his eyes.

He looked down at the development blueprint for Porcupine Territory spread across his desk.

’It hasn’t rained at all this spring. Good thing we built those waterwheels ahead of time, or the fields would be in trouble.’

’Other aspects of development are proceeding smoothly, but... did I just see a member of the town patrol sneaking into the woods with a female slave?’

He picked up the bell on his desk and gave it a shake. After a DING-DONG, a male servant entered.

"Have Gelan come here."

"Yes." The servant noted the Lord’s grim expression and quickly withdrew.

Gelan arrived quickly. Having heard the Lord was in a foul mood, he had rushed over so fast he hadn’t even properly hitched up his pants.

"I don’t mind people falling in love," Leech said. "But the slaves are my property. If any man wants to marry a female slave, make him pay a fee."

Gelan immediately understood. ’Someone must have been fooling around with the female slaves, and the Lord found out,’ he thought frantically. ’But who was it? And why didn’t I know!’

’The audacity! The sheer nerve!’

"Yes, my Lord!"

"And remember, it must be for marriage, not just to take them home to play with," he stressed. "If the men already have wives, make them pay a support fee... Ugh, I’m going to have to draft a marriage law."

’In Porcupine Territory, women outnumber men. To grow the population, we need more births.’

’But I can’t just have them breeding like pigs. One man with multiple women is out of the question. It’s not an issue of morality, but of law.’

’Even the King himself can only take one wife. What right does a common villager have to take more?’

’Legality must come first. Moral infractions will be punished. Otherwise, Porcupine Territory will turn into a brothel.’

Gelan accepted his orders and immediately left to handle the matter. ’It won’t be difficult to investigate,’ he thought. ’I’ll just question the female slaves. A few threats, a few promises... they’ll talk.’

’The female slaves are only tempted because they want to escape their status.’

’One side wants to climb the social ladder, the other wants something for nothing.’

’The slaves are the Lord’s private property. So this is basically taking advantage of the Lord himself!’

Of course, Gelan wouldn’t dare say that out loud. But the men who couldn’t keep it in their pants were in for a world of hurt.

As it stood, Leech had already provided two paths out of slavery. The first was to be exceptional enough to become one of the Lord’s diligent subordinates.

The second was to purchase one’s freedom—and work points, of course, did not count as currency.

The study door closed.

Leech picked up a book from his desk—"The Cotton Princess and the Wandering Knights"—and took a sip of tea to relieve his fatigue.

’This book... it’s a "strong female lead" type of story.’

’Interesting.’

He was quite curious which of the Knights had fathered the Cotton Princess’s child. He never thought reading smut could feel like a mystery novel.