Lord of Rot

”A roadblock?”

Leech tightened his grip on the reins, grabbed the sword from his saddle, and commanded, ”Speed up! Go see what’s ahead!”

The plodding Soldiers, hearing that the road was blocked, immediately perked up and quickened their pace.

The Porcupine Banner fluttered in the wind.

When Leech rode to the front of the column and saw the ”bandits” who had blocked the road with broken wood, he was rather taken aback.

Years of stooping to toil in the fields had left their bodies hunched and crooked.

Their skin was slack, their fingernails were black with dirt, and their eyes were timid and dull.

They held hoes, axes, and wooden clubs.

These weren’t bandits; they were clearly just a group of farmers.

As Leech approached on his tall steed, leading Soldiers in gleaming armor, the group flinched involuntarily.

Their morale, spirit, and equipment were all vastly inferior.

Their only advantage was in numbers. There were fifty or sixty of them, while Leech’s party numbered just over twenty.

But no one would have considered Leech’s side to be at a disadvantage.

”Are you blocking the road to rob travelers?” Leech asked, looking down on them. ”Tell me, who have you sworn fealty to?”

”We have sworn our loyalty to Sir Wado!” a man with blackened teeth said, mustering his courage.

”Wado?”

Leech was curious. ”I seem to recall that Baron Wado has already returned to the embrace of the Four Gods.”

”It’s Baron Wado’s son, the master of Longship Castle!” The man’s courage swelled now that he remembered his powerful backer.

’So this is the bastard’s crew,’ Leech thought. ’I’d figured he was a joke, but this is beneath even that. It’s one thing to rally a group of hoe-wielding farmers, but it’s pathetic that he couldn’t even gather very many.’

’Utterly insignificant.’

”Is that so? Well, we can talk after he actually manages to break down the gates of Longship Castle,” Leech said, growing impatient. He had completely lost interest in talking to these lunatics. ”But today, you have obstructed the passage of a Baron of the realm!”

He wasn’t old, but as his gaze swept over the ”militiamen’s” grimy faces, it felt like a sharp blade, frightening them into recoiling.

”I could take this as a provocation against a Baron,” Leech said. ”Perhaps you wish to declare war on Porcupine Territory?”

At the mention of war, the Soldiers behind Leech drew their weapons in unison.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The blades flashed in the sunlight.

”I... I didn’t know you were a lord,” the man with blackened teeth stammered, his face twisting in misery. His task was to stop anyone passing through. If it was a merchant caravan, they were to rob them of some food in Lord Wado’s name. If they were outnumbered, they were simply to inform them that this land was now under Lord Wado’s rule.

This umpteenth ”Mr. Illegitimate Son” was not in a good position. His men had nothing to eat, a number of them had already run off, and he was struggling to hold things together.

They were just farmers. And now they were supposed to face a Baron’s declaration of war? It was a miracle they hadn’t pissed their pants in terror. The fact that they could resist the urge to drop to their knees and kowtow was the greatest display of loyalty they could offer their ”Mr. Illegitimate Son.”

Oh, wait. Some of them were already kneeling.

”Well, now you know,” Leech said with a smile, looking at the men who had dropped to their knees.

”Clear the road. Otherwise, I don’t mind hanging a few things from those trees,” Leech said with a smile, glancing at the distant woods. ”Do you know what sunny-day dolls are?”

The farmers had never heard of the ”sunny-day dolls” of Earth, but that didn’t stop them from feeling a chill of terror.

”Yes, yes! Make way, make way!”

The man with blackened teeth yelled, and the group scrambled to move the rotten logs from the road, clearing a path for the column.

Leech paid them no further mind.

’They’ll probably have a new group blocking the road by the time I come back this way.’

This kind of unreasonable, thuggish tactic would only work on someone like the Baroness of Longship Castle, given her particular circumstances.

After Leech’s column had departed, the man with blackened teeth clutched his chest. ”Whew, that scared me to death. For a second there, I thought he was going to chop my head right off.”

”And those Soldiers! Did you see them? Their swords were brighter than mirrors!”

”If we hadn’t cleared the path, we’d all be dead right now.”

They congratulated themselves on making the right choice.

”Block the road again!” the man yelled. ”We have to get enough food for Lord Wado today! We all need to eat our fill!”

If they didn’t get something to eat soon, their ”Mr. Illegitimate Son’s” forces wouldn’t need to be defeated in battle—they’d all starve to death first.

”Yes, sir!” At the mention of food, their spirits lifted considerably.

After that roadblock, Leech was no longer in the mood to enjoy the scenery.

After several more days of travel, they arrived at Waterfall Land.

A wide river split the land, separating the east and west banks.

Although the bastard’s crew was causing a ruckus, they didn’t dare make trouble at the docks of Waterfall Land. This place wasn’t just important to Longship Castle; it involved the interests of other lords as well. No matter how bold the illegitimate son and his minor noble backers were, they wouldn’t dare risk misfortune by stirring up trouble here.

The ferries were still operating as usual.

One of his men negotiated a price, renting several barges to ferry Leech’s carriage, horses, cargo, and Soldiers across the river.

Traveling by boat from the Waterfall Land docks and following the tributaries was both faster and more comfortable than marching on foot.

The food on board surprised the manservant and two squires. They were shocked to see the boatmen eating what looked like seafood. They later learned it was actually from the river; although the creatures looked completely different from what they knew, they all had shells and meat inside.

Sometimes, a person’s perception is limited only by what they want to believe, even when they suspect they might be mistaken.

Leech, for his part, enjoyed the rare opportunity to eat fish.

While one could find fish while foraging on the beaches, the dead ones washed up on the sand were not fit for a Baron’s dinner table.

The stewed fish was lightly seasoned, but it tasted excellent.

After two days on the water, they finally made landfall.

The moment he was back on solid ground, Leech couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. He still felt a bit wobbly, so they rested for a while before continuing on their way.

Their journey had taken them from Porcupine Territory, through Pig Spine Valley and Waterfall Land, and now toward Linta Bay.

They had already been on the road for half a month, and that was with the boat trip to speed things along. Otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

They still had a ways to go.

As they traveled, the environment changed noticeably. The vegetation grew more lush, and they passed numerous lakes and ponds.

”The resources here are so abundant, it’s enough to make anyone jealous,” Leech remarked.

Vast, untended fields were overgrown with berries.

In some of the lakes, huge fish could be seen swimming past.

’It would be impossible to starve to death in a place like this.’

’Compared to this, Porcupine Territory is so barren and poor. The more I see of this place, the more jealous I get.’

Rare birds flew past and landed on the water, making Leech’s mouth water with envy.

As dusk fell, Leech gave the order to make camp for the night.

A few Soldiers took off their boots and waded into the river to catch fish. After getting a nod from Leech, Carrot and Little Joel also kicked off their shoes, rolled up their trouser legs, and charged in after them.

A little while later, Carrot and Little Joel returned, each holding several native silver-backed fish.

The fish were strung on a reed threaded through their gills. Their mouths gaped open, gills quivering, and their tails occasionally gave a flick.

”My lord!” the boys exclaimed, showing off their prizes.

”Grilled fish tonight,” Leech confirmed with a nod.

’The travel is inconvenient and there are no amenities, but the environment is incredible. It’s much better suited for a vacation than Earth.’

The fire drove back the evening chill.

Leech instructed his squires on how to grill the fish, and the other Soldiers gathered around to learn. Campfires sprang up one by one, and soon the fragrant aroma of cooking fish filled the air.

The veterans, used to cooking for themselves during campaigns, had basic culinary skills.

There were other campfires from different groups dotted nearby, so safety wasn’t a major concern.

After dinner, they turned in for the night. Here, Leech’s connection to Porcupine Territory was completely severed. He could now confirm that the maximum range of his corpse control ability ended back at Waterfall Land.

After resting by night and traveling by day, Green Forest Castle was finally visible in the distance.