Lord of Rot

Deni nodded, confirming Leech’s guess. ”Many tribes and territories chose to submit after witnessing Prince Hoffman’s might.”

’To make the chaotic mess that is the Giant’s Foot region live in harmony... this Prince Hoffman is certainly impressive.’

This led to another question. Leech asked, ”Who is Prince Hoffman?”

A ”Prince” usually referred to a direct relative of the King. As far as Leech knew, the only person with that title was ”One-Ear” from the Kaine Clan—Bor II’s younger brother.

In Lu Leiyi, ”Prince” merely denoted one’s status as a blood sibling of the monarch; it was not a title of nobility. However, titles of nobility and honorifics weren’t mutually exclusive. On the Lu Leiyi Continent, noble titles were cumulative, as was the property associated with them. For example, a person could be the Baron of one territory while also being the Duke of another.

Deni cleared his throat, picked up a cloth to wipe his hands, and his mustache twitched—he was probably smiling. ”I happen to have gathered a bit of gossip. The founder of the Hoffman family was Princess Yisha Hoffman. She once married a Thunder Giant, which is why the Hoffman clan uses the title ’Prince’.”

”...” Leech fell silent and took a sip from his wine cup.

’A princess and a giant... no matter how you think about it, the sizes just don’t seem compatible, do they?’

”Everyone in the Giant’s Foot region believes that giants are the true rulers,” Deni continued.

’That much was true. The northern and southern regions of Lu Leiyi felt little connection to the kingdom.’

’In contrast, the East Gorge’s relationship with the kingdom was much closer.’

Deni continued, ”There are at least a hundred similar ’princes’ in all of the Giant’s Foot region. It’s not uncommon.”

’So they’re all basically royalty, then.’

Leech now had a better understanding of the chaos in the Giant’s Foot region. This made him admire Prince Hoffman all the more. The fact that he could suppress so many rivals to become the one and only ’Prince’ spoke volumes.

”Is Prince Hoffman in Burning City?” he asked.

”In Thunder City.”

’Thunder City is too far. On the map, at least, the journey from Burning City to Thunder City crosses an entire large province. Given the state of the roads in this world, it would probably take over a month to get there, and that’s without knowing the actual conditions.’

’For now, I have no plans to go touring the continent.’

”It seems we won’t have a chance to meet,” Leech said.

”I’m afraid Prince Hoffman wouldn’t want to meet you either.”

”That’s true.”

Even in their conversation, the disdain that the proud East Gorge People held for the ”barbarians” of the Giant’s Foot region was hard to miss.

The more he drank, the more Deni talked.

”I’ve been here for a while now, and merchants from the East Gorge aren’t very popular. I’ve only managed to buy a few trinkets, not even enough to cover my travel expenses. The desert merchants, on the other hand, are much more welcome. Their honeyed dates and fine wines are in high demand.”

”The tribes are very wealthy. They’re willing to trade furs for fine wine.”

It was clear Deni was green with envy. A major merchant from the East Gorge, squeezed out by his peers from other regions. But there was nothing he could do, as the goods he’d brought simply weren’t competitive.

”But I’m sure that with Porcupine Wine and porcupine honey, I could crack open the market here.”

”And so you shall,” Leech said, raising his cup. ”To the East Gorge.”

”To the East Gorge!”

Deni shook his woozy head. ”My Lord, you came to the Giant’s Foot region for...?”

”Pretty much the same as you,” Leech said. ”I’m very curious about the Southern Market.”

”Oohh~” Deni nodded drunkenly. ’I’m so glad I ran into Leech,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, the Porcupine Territory’s merchant caravan might have really squeezed me out. Honey and fine wine are hard currency. Now, if I just pay a little extra, I can persuade Baron Leech to sell the goods directly to me. Then the Burning City business will be firmly in my grasp.’

’He was sure that if Leech was willing to sell his goods to Claude, he’d be willing to sell to him, too.’

”Have you heard of any scholars in Burning City?” Leech asked.

’He thought of Betty. If her teacher was still alive, maybe he could be lured to Porcupine Territory. He could reunite the master and student.’

”I haven’t met any erudite scholars. The Giant’s Foot region lacks the proper respect for knowledge.” Deni paused for a moment before continuing, ”However, there is a ’useless scholar’ in Burning City. He’s not doing too well for himself. Lately, I hear he’s been selling Magic Alchemy Items that he made.”

”A ’useless scholar’?”

”Yes, a ’useless scholar’.”

”Can you tell me where to find him? I’m very interested in scholars.”

Deni nodded. ”Of course, My Lord. But please don’t get your hopes up, because he’s... truly useless.”

”No, the more you say that, the more interested I become, Deni.”

”Haha, fair enough,” Deni couldn’t help but laugh. ”I thought the same when I first arrived. Curiosity always drives us to waste time on trivial matters. I just hope you aren’t too disappointed when you finally meet him.”

”No, as long as he’s a true scholar, I won’t be disappointed.”

’Possessing knowledge makes one a valuable asset.’

’Even if he is ”useless,” it’s probably just because he’s applying his knowledge incorrectly. If all else fails, I can lure him back to be a teacher. He should be good for providing some basic education. Who knows, maybe in the future I could even open some kind of Magic and Martial Arts Academy and have a bunch of chosen ones enroll.’

’The most important step would be to test their attributes. Get an orb, have them place their hand on it, and then... WHOOSH! A big flash of light. That kind of thing.’

’It’d definitely be fun.’

After their brief chat about the scholar, some time passed, and the dinner began to wind down.

Leech said his goodbyes and returned to his lodgings.

He’d spent the whole evening just drinking, eating a bit of fruit but not touching a single main dish.

He happened to see the soldiers eating, so Leech, without putting on airs, went over and got himself a bowl.

’At least no one’s eating with their hands. That’s a relief.’

「Early the next morning.」

A response finally came from within the Water Nymph’s crypt.

Creation successful.

Leech quickly sent his Spiritual Power into the coffin.

But in return, he received a hazy, rigid question: ”Who... are... you?”

”!” Leech was stunned.

He immediately summoned Aina and even had Guy—who was stationed discreetly in the next room—stand guard on the other side of the wall, ready to put it down by force at a moment’s notice.

He had successfully created Corpse Ghosts several times, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Leech didn’t open the crypt immediately, but he maintained his mental link with the being inside.

”I am the one who has granted you new life,” he communicated using his Spiritual Power.

”New life?” A voice suddenly came from beside him. Leech looked in shock at Aina, who was standing next to him.

The one who spoke was Aina!

The Corpse Ghost created from the Water Nymph’s body had gone rogue. Not only that, but she had somehow learned how Leech used his Spiritual Power and had used it to possess Aina’s body.

Leech tried his best to maintain a calm exterior.

If he clashed with Aina now, he would be exposed to her [Poisonous Touch]. Even if he managed to take her down, his own body would be poisoned in the process.

Besides, it seemed the Water Nymph was willing to communicate. Being able to communicate was a good sign.

”Yes, new life,” Leech said. ”Do you still have memories of your past life?”

”I do.” Aina’s head nodded. ”That was not me.”

”You were reborn after death. You’re merely borrowing that body in the crypt, so of course, that wasn’t you.”

”Who am I?” the being asked Leech through Aina’s mouth.

Leech couldn’t fathom what it was thinking. He certainly didn’t dare say something like, ’You’re my tool.’ Instead, he said, ”You are a new life, starting from zero. Your future is yours to discover.”

’I can’t tell it the truth, but I can feed it some inspirational nonsense.’

’Isn’t that what inspirational nonsense is for? It’s utterly useless, yet sounds so encouraging. Perfect for the confused Water Nymph before me.’

”...” Aina fell silent.

After a period of silence, the Water Nymph spoke again through Aina’s mouth: ”Who are you?”

”Leech Clarence. Baron Porcupine, a Divine Favored, and leader of the Corpse Ghosts. If you’re curious, we can talk at length.”

”...” Again, there was silence.

Leech looked at Aina. ”Still there?”

Aina tilted her head in confusion, as if to say, ”What are you talking about?”

’Looks like its Spiritual Power has withdrawn. Now Aina’s own consciousness is back in control of her body.’

’This is a huge headache,’ Leech thought. ’My first rogue Corpse Ghost, and one that can take control of my other ones. Its Spiritual Power is definitely far greater than mine.’

’The best option right now is to run for it while it isn’t paying attention to me.’

’It’s trapped in the crypt, anyway. It can’t get out. Worst case, I just never come back to Burning City.’

The urge to retreat was already swelling in his chest. Just as Leech was about to turn and leave, his consciousness was enveloped by a much stronger spiritual presence. A voice echoed in his mind, ”I can go with you. Then we can talk... slowly, Leech.”

Leech’s breath hitched.

’I can’t get away.’

Leech forced a smile. ”I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about. We can be great friends.”