Lord of Rot

It’s better to have guns and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

Leech had no qualms about assuming the worst of humanity. His stepmother could kill him for a title, and he, in turn, could send her to be trampled under iron hooves to keep his golden finger from being exposed.

Wherever there are people, there is bound to be conflict.

Peace is only temporary.

War would come again. He hoped that when Porcupine Territory was inevitably dragged into battle, its enemies would regret their arrogance. He would make everyone on this continent understand that a porcupine is covered in quills.

Honing those quills was especially important.

Magic Gunpowder was a quill.

The undead and Corpse Ghosts were quills.

Soldiers and Knights were also quills.

Even the civilians’ loyalty to Porcupine Territory was one of its sharpest quills.

The developmental path of the nobles on the Lu Leiyi Continent was perfectly exemplified by his father, Lieder. They spoke of honor, but their methods were plunder, colonization, and slaughter.

This approach to growth guaranteed that long-lasting peace was impossible.

Commoners needed war to climb the social ladder, and minor nobles who felt the distribution of resources was unfair needed war to create new opportunities.

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by simply shouting, ”I love peace!”

The greatest difference between Leech and the people of this continent was not the ”mercy” the villagers spoke of. In truth, he wasn’t the least bit merciful. To maintain tight control over the Magic Gunpowder, he could imprison a Mercenary he’d never met. To protect a profitable secret recipe, he could kill a man with his own hands.

His true difference lay in his philosophy of development, which was fundamentally at odds with that of this world’s nobles.

On Earth, his home country hadn’t needed to colonize or plunder. Despite being plundered itself for a century, it had still managed to rise rapidly in a matter of decades.

He knew a path to true, prosperous development. Even if he might not live long enough to see it reach its zenith, applying even a small part of it would be more than enough...

The progress at the Cape Grotto was somewhat beyond Leech’s expectations.

Betty’s transformation was completely unlike before. Leech could even sense she was developing a strong liking for him.

’A prisoner developing a twisted affection for her abuser?’

Moreover, Betty’s spirit seemed to have become almost manic. From the frequent explosions he heard coming from the Cape Grotto, he had a pretty good idea of her state of mind.

’Looks like I’ll need to start buying up the relevant Alchemy Materials in bulk.’

Was that gunpowder exploding?

No, that was gold!

’Damn alchemy.’ It was all these academics messing with alchemy that had caused the price of raw materials to soar.

If this kept up, thermal weapons could only ever be a trump card, never widely deployed.

「Noon. Lunchtime.」

A loaf of bread, exuding an intensely sweet fragrance, was placed before Leech.

”Honey bread?”

Honey bread wasn’t an invention of Mr. Wine Barrel, but it was a delicacy only true nobles and wealthy merchants could afford.

Leech took a bite, one eyebrow arching slightly.

’Just as I thought. A little sugar really does lift the spirits and make you feel good.’

The anxiety he felt over having to spend a fortune on Alchemy Materials began to subside.

Beekeeping Village had begun its regular honey harvest. As long as it was stored properly, honey wouldn’t spoil for a long time, making it suitable for long-distance transport.

’Just selling honey isn’t enough. Maybe I should consider opening a food processing plant.’

Many fruits were too sour and tart to be eaten raw, requiring them to be preserved in honey or sugar.

Furthermore, due to issues with transportation and spoilage, many fruits were candied in honey for preservation.

The price for such fruits was also extremely high.

This wasn’t a sudden flight of fancy for Leech. A barrel of honey-preserved peaches fetched a higher price than a barrel of pure honey. It was all about making more money.

Of course, pure honey was easier to sell than candied fruit.

’Canned goods, cans... Never mind, that’s still too far in the future.’

With Porcupine Territory’s current level of craftsmanship, manufacturing hermetically sealed cans was simply impossible.

He was like this every day. His mind teemed with ideas, but they were always constrained by a lack of knowledge, skilled personnel, raw materials, or funding.

Some ideas, being too difficult to implement, were immediately pushed to the back of his mind.

Others were jotted down, waiting for the right opportunity to be brought to life.

As May approached, the midday sun grew scorching.

Leech summoned the stonemasons and got straight to the point.

He needed an ice cellar.

The stonemasons were confused. ’It’s almost summer, My Lord. What’s the point of digging an ice cellar now?’

But they dared not defy their lord’s command. They obediently descended into the castle’s underground, selected a suitable location, and began to dig.

The space beneath the castle was vast, containing secret chambers, hidden storerooms, and a dungeon.

As the heart of a territory, a castle was far more than just the lord’s home; it was a structure of highly concentrated functions.

It combined military, political, and residential purposes, among many others.

A castle was a fortress, complete with defensive walls, arrow towers, and battlements.

The castle at the Cape Grotto, for example, even had a moat, though it had long since dried into a muddy trench.

Some castles even featured drawbridges and outer baileys.

Porcupine Territory was relatively poor, but it had all the basic features, and Soldiers patrolled its walls daily.

After Quick-Blade and the other Soldiers returned, all of these functions were brought online.

Leech watched the construction, quite satisfied with their workmanship.

The excavation was proceeding quickly—after all, many hands make light work.

After observing for a while, he turned his attention elsewhere. Since the construction crew was already here, he decided to have the dungeon renovated.

A proper dungeon was absolutely essential. Who knew when he might need to imprison a Countess, a royal consort, or a Baron’s daughter? It wouldn’t do to capture such people and have no appropriate place to hold them.

’No leather whips, no chili water... not even candles or steel wool balls.’

Leech thought as he took a turn about the room.

The stonemason following him and taking notes broke out in a cold sweat. ’What is the lord talking about? Why does it sound so terrifying, and why is he smiling?’

He could only force himself to forget what he’d heard. ’The lord is merciful! He is merciful!’

At the same time, he began to mentally review whether he had done anything recently to displease his lord.

’Right, the issue with the apprentices! It seems what I’ve done isn’t enough. I can’t let the lord be unhappy.’

Leech said, ”I’ve had the kitchen prepare some seafood soup for you all.”

’All this physical labor makes you sweat a lot. They need to replenish their salt.’

”Thank you, My Lord! Your mercy and generosity are as dazzling as the sun!”

Leech looked at the stonemason, wondering why the man was suddenly flattering him. ’Are there really people in Porcupine Territory who’ve never had seafood soup? That can’t be right.’

The soup was still warm when it arrived.

”Go on and eat, don’t mind me,” Leech said, waving his hand. He had no intention of standing over them like a taskmaster.

Unexpectedly, one of the stonemasons took out a cloth pouch. He used some of the excavated dirt to form a small mound, placed the pouch inside, poured water over it, and then set the pot of seafood soup on top.

A moment later, the seafood soup began to BUBBLE, steaming hot once again.

’Self-heating!’

Leech was astonished. ”Whose idea was this?”

”It was Little Limper,” a stonemason explained. ”We’re often too busy to eat our food while it’s still hot, so Little Limper came up with this contraption.”

”Well done,” Leech nodded in satisfaction.

’Flameless, self-heating, activated by water.’

’It still looks a bit crude, but it has huge potential!’

Leech had to admit he had underestimated the people of this world. Give them a nudge in the right direction, and they would continually surprise him!

’Little Limper... he really does have a talent for working with lime.’