Lord of Rot

Leech caught a local bird and cast Eagle Eye Magic on it, only to unexpectedly see a group of people being attacked by Fishman monsters.

In Linta Bay, near Green Forest Castle, these Soldiers had to be from his maternal grandfather’s family. He didn’t mind doing his grandfather a favor.

But he never expected that, by a strange twist of fate, he would end up saving his own cousin.

To say he "saved" her wasn’t entirely accurate. His cousin, Stacy, fought as if possessed by a god of slaughter; four hundred Fishmen couldn’t even touch her. She had only been forced to stay behind, held back by her companions.

Leech looked at his cousin.

Longsword in hand, she had brilliant golden hair and a gaze that was both sharp and deep.

She wasn’t a beauty in the traditional sense, but she possessed the confidence and charisma of a powerful woman, an appeal more aligned with the aesthetics of 21st-century Earth.

Leech summed it up in a single thought: ’Damn, she’s a badass. She could kill me and I’d thank her.’

The atmosphere suddenly grew a little strange, but fortunately, having fought side-by-side helped them avoid any awkwardness.

His cousin led the way, and Leech arranged for horse-drawn carriages to transport the wounded Soldiers. They traveled together toward Green Forest Castle.

Green Forest Castle, a fortress nestled in the swamps of Linta Bay.

It resembled a prehistoric crocodile, half-submerged in the water. They were headed straight for its open maw.

"Stacy," Leech said, "I remember your hair. I thought it was..."

"A different color, right?" Stacy wasn’t surprised by his question. She explained, "It’s because of a new power inside my body. It slowly turned my hair gold."

"A new power?"

Leech raised an eyebrow.

’An Extraordinary Knight!’

He had already seen her fight like a human meat grinder on the battlefield, but hearing her admit to becoming an Extraordinary Knight still filled him with envy.

Everyone was secretive about their power, and Leech had no intention of prying right after they’d just met. ’I’ll be staying at Green Forest Castle for a while,’ he thought. ’I can figure it out slowly.’

"Mhm, it’s the same for Bode, but it’s made him even gloomier," Stacy said with resignation.

"Haha, Bode? Definitely!"

’Definitely what?’ He didn’t actually have many memories of his cousin Bode, but he had to make small talk.

"Where did those Fishman monsters we ran into come from?" Leech asked. "There were a lot of them."

"Actually, Bode already wiped them out once before, but for some reason, they just keep popping up again."

"’Popping up?’" Leech seized on the keyword.

’Monsters popping up.’

’Thinking back to the "Earth Folk" and those "little blue-skinned goblins," it was highly likely that Fishmen appearing out of thin air also came from a lair!’

"That’s right." Stacy nodded. "I led a team today to hunt down a group of Fishmen that were causing trouble. They’d killed two farmers, but I never expected to be ambushed."

At the mention of the ambush, she looked at Leech. "Leech, you’re... a little different from when you were a kid."

Leech smiled at her. "Am I?"

She seemed a little dazzled by his brilliant smile and looked away, a bit flustered. "Mhm. You’re a lot like your father."

"Every kid wants to be a great man like their father when they grow up," Leech said.

Upon entering Green Forest Castle, Stacy arranged for an Alchemist to treat everyone’s injuries. She said she had to go inform the others, then jogged away.

Leech found the way Stacy ran a bit odd. It was similar to Jiubei and Arkke, looking rather girlish.

She glanced back at him just as she was turning a corner. He immediately flashed a smile, but Stacy just turned away and kept going, forcing Leech to let his own smile fade awkwardly.

After a little while, a young man exuding a gloomy aura approached.

He had black hair, a handsome face, and deep-set eyes.

Like a venomous snake.

"Cousin Bode!" Leech walked over enthusiastically.

"Leech. You look stronger than you used to."

Bode spoke without a hint of emotion, but he still gave Leech a brief hug.

On the way over, Leech had learned from Stacy that Bode was an Extraordinary Knight.

’His personality doesn’t matter,’ Leech thought. ’He’s an Extraordinary Knight!’

Leech was incredibly envious. ’I’m a Transmigrator with cheats, and I’m still just a regular guy. How is that fair?’

"Come on. Grandfather and the others are waiting for you," Bode said, glancing at the carriage. "Is that honey?"

"That’s right." Leech nodded.

"Let the men handle it."

Leech nodded at once. "Haha, of course! Coming to Green Forest Castle is like coming home. Please, take me to see Grandfather and Uncle!"

At his words, Bode smiled, but it only made his face look even more sinister and strange.

Leech sounded very friendly, but in truth, he had never met his grandfather. He had met his uncle and cousins once as a child, but they had completely lost contact after his mother passed away.

If he hadn’t become Baron Porcupine, they probably would have never had the chance to meet again.

The architectural style of Green Forest Castle was different from that of Porcupine Territory. The air here was heavy with moisture, so the great hall was built tall with large windows to ensure good ventilation and drive out the damp.

Some areas were luxuriously covered with carpets.

Soldiers stood guard within the castle. As Bode led Leech past, they would bow slightly in greeting.

Leech watched with envy. ’Maybe I should have my undead do that when I get back?’ he thought. ’This trip was definitely worth it. I’ve learned a few new things to imitate.’

Bode was the gloomy, sinister type. He must have been tasked with keeping the conversation from dying out, because he took the initiative to speak. "Stacy said she had to go prepare something, but she didn’t say what. I apologize for her rudeness, Leech."

"She’s probably just a little tired," Leech said.

"How did you two meet?"

"We happened to run into each other during a battle."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The conversation had devolved into a simple Q&A.

Bode opened his mouth to speak, but it was clear he really wasn’t cut out for small talk.

"By the way, Bode," Leech decided to take control of the conversation. Otherwise, it would feel just like being interrogated by relatives during the holidays in his past life—an experience he had no desire to relive. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Hm?" Bode gave him a strange look.

"Are there any interesting places in Linta Bay?" he asked. "There’s not much to see in Porcupine Castle. Oh, and by the way, if you go to wipe out more Fishmen next time, you should call me."

’Call me, and I can get myself a lair to take home!’

"There’s a Black Market," Bode said bluntly. "You can find a lot of interesting things there. Living, dead, everything. They even have female Sub-human slaves."

"Sub-humans?" Leech asked, surprised.

"They look just like regular people, except they have cat ears and tails. There are also Snake Women, with flexible bodies and forked tongues."

’Never thought my gloomy cousin Bode would be into such things.’

"I bought one," Bode nodded. "I dissected her. Found out they’re pretty much the same as humans."

Leech was speechless.

’That’s what you do with a Sub-human girl?!’

’What a waste.’

He really wanted to pry open his handsome cousin’s head to see how much crap was stuffed inside.

Just as the conversation froze over again, with Leech unsure how to proceed, they finally arrived at the reception hall.

An old man with a full head of white hair was seated in the host’s chair.

This was Wisdom, the Old Crocodile, Knight Wisdom.

The amiable man standing to the side, who raised a hand and smiled in greeting at Leech, was his uncle, Lewis Wisdom.

"Grandfather, Uncle," Leech greeted them first. "It’s so good to see you again."

"I hope Bode didn’t bore you to death," Lewis teased, walking over to give Leech a light hug. "You’ve grown into a fine young man, haha! You’re even more built than I am!"

Then he pulled back and looked him over.

Leech replied politely, "Heh, actually, Bode and I were chatting just fine."

"Mhm," Bode nodded earnestly. "We were talking about dissecting Sub-humans."

The corner of Leech’s mouth twitched.

Lewis noticed and said, "Bode, go see what Stacy is doing. We need to talk to Leech."

Bode nodded. As he turned to leave, he said to Leech, "I’ll take you to see it next time."

’Go see him dissect a Sub-human girl?’

’Not only is he a murderer, but he has to rub it in my face!’

Leech forced himself to reply, "S-Sure."

After Bode left, Lewis said, "He’s always been like that. Has a strange personality. Even I can’t stand him sometimes."

His grandfather, Knight Wisdom, who had been sitting quietly in his chair the entire time, said, "Come closer. Let me have a look."

Leech obediently walked over.

"The resemblance is striking," he said, studying Leech’s face.

"Mhm," Lewis nodded. "He looks just like my sister did when she was young, but his features are more defined."

Leech then understood what his grandfather meant.

Since this was their first meeting in years, they didn’t discuss anything too deep. They simply informed him that there would be a family dinner that evening, attended only by the four members of the Wisdom family.