Lord of Rot

Everyone nearby turned their heads in unison.

Tyler Rose was a little embarrassed. He lowered his voice and asked, ”Lord Leech, is—is this true?”

”Mm, it’s true.”

”But they had two thousand men?”

”About that, I didn’t count,” Leech said. ”But we also took more than six hundred prisoners. They’re in the dungeon. You can go have a look.”

Tyler asked, ”How many men did you have to win this battle?”

He remembered that when they attacked Iron Valley a few months ago, Leech had only brought about a hundred soldiers.

Back then, Leech had been like a War God, single-handedly leading the charge onto the ramparts and slaughtering the defending militia until they threw down their weapons and surrendered.

In such a short period, no matter how much money and effort Leech had invested, it would be impossible to train soldiers ready for the battlefield.

”Three hundred men,” Leech said.

’Three hundred to defeat two thousand?’

’Is this some kind of Porcupine Territory joke? Why don’t I find it funny at all!’

”Really?” Tyler looked toward Yi Lin.

Yi Lin nodded. ”It is.”

”Hsss!”

Tyler sucked in a sharp breath. He recalled the previous Baron Porcupine, Lierde Clarence, who had once been a whirlwind of death on the battlefield. But comparing him to Leech... there was simply no contest.

The Baron Porcupine was merely covered in spines; he still lost when he was outmatched.

But for Leech to win despite being outnumbered several times over... that was just outrageous.

Moreover!

Leech only had a little over a hundred elite soldiers. The other two hundred must have been hastily conscripted militiamen or mercenaries, given a crash course in swordplay, and then rushed onto the battlefield completely unprepared.

But the Monkey Clan’s two thousand men were all genuine elites.

Tyler, who had originally intended to just rely on his reputation to smooth things over, now felt his scalp tingle. ’Why is this happening! I don’t understand!’

”Since the siege of Longship Castle has been lifted and the matter resolved, I can rest easy,” Tyler said. ”In that case, I will take the news of Lady Jie Lin’s successful delivery and report back to Roaring Castle.”

”Resolved?” Leech sounded surprised. ”It’s not resolved.”

Tyler’s heart dropped. Of course, he knew what Leech meant; he had just been playing dumb, hoping Leech would let the matter drop.

’You’ve already won the battle,’ he was implying, ’so let’s just call it even.’

’Although the Monkey Clan suffered a crushing defeat and lost two thousand elites, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. You might not be able to push your luck much further, so you should quit while you’re ahead.’

”Lord Tyler, I’d like to ask you a question.”

”Please do,” Tyler said.

Leech asked, ”Lord Tyler, how does one avenge the death of a son?”

”Who did you kill?” Tyler’s heart skipped a beat.

Even when at war, nobles rarely killed their enemy counterparts on the battlefield. Taking them captive was the priority.

”La Bill. I accidentally blew his head off.”

’Some accident!’

”Well...” Tyler Rose said. ”Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. It’s quite normal for people to die.”

There was an unwritten rule among the nobility: death in battle was considered a matter of honor, not a personal blood feud.

Whether anyone truly believed that in their hearts, however, was another matter entirely.

Tyler Rose quickly added, ”Besides, Wells Bill still has another son.”

But Leech asked, ”Just Dreden Bill left, is that right?”

”Wells Bill does indeed only have two sons.”

Bastards didn’t count, as they had no right of inheritance.

But he didn’t understand why Leech was asking this.

’Could it be...?’ He was suddenly struck by a powerful premonition.

Leech asked, ”Can the feud from killing both of a man’s sons be erased?”

Tyler gave a bitter smile. ’How in the world did the Monkey Clan manage to provoke Leech? He actually slaughtered both heirs.’

From what he understood, Wells Bill’s health was not what it used to be, and he was likely no longer capable of fathering more children.

A feud like that could never be erased.

”He... still has a daughter...” Tyler Rose said, forcing the words out.

Daughters did have rights of inheritance, and there had even been Baronesses in the past.

But the animosity would not simply vanish because of that.

”Sigh,” Leech let out a breath. ”I’d love to stop here, but I won’t sleep well at night knowing a powerful enemy is plotting against me.”

This was a clear signal.

Tyler Rose’s heart pounded in his chest.

He mentally calculated the odds: If Leech were to attack the Monkey Territory’s Shanzhang Castle, what was the probability of success?

The answer was: success was guaranteed!

It wasn’t that Tyler had absolute faith in Leech, but that Leech always seemed to be holding back, never revealing the true extent of his power.

Each time he revealed just a fraction of it, the results were terrifying.

’Would the Duke allow Leech to attack the Monkey Territory? Of course not.’

Leech already had his hand in the affairs of Longship Castle. If he were to conquer the Monkey Territory as well, his domain would expand to include Porcupine Territory, Iron Valley, Waterfall Land, and the Monkey Territory—four distinct regions.

Wouldn’t he then have direct control over the entire southern part of the Eastern Gorge!

Moreover, unlike the barren lands of Iron Valley and Porcupine Territory, the Monkey Territory and Waterfall Land were fertile. With the backing of four territories, combined with the abilities Leech had just demonstrated... this was not an outcome the Duke would wish to see.

Right now, all the Duke wanted was stability.

”Lord Leech,” Tyler Rose said with a bitter smile, ”I came here under the Duke’s direct orders. If he finds out I failed to prevent a war between the two domains, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

’What the hell does your trouble have to do with my blood feud?’

But Leech said, ”That’s simple. You just need to write a letter and tell the Duke that you arrived a day late.”

”A day late?”

’It’s impossible to even get from Longship Castle to the Monkey Territory in one day. Don’t tell me you can fly.’

”SCREEE—!”

Rocket flew over, diving down.

Tyler cried out in shock, ”What is that?”

Leech didn’t explain, only smiling as he said, ”One day is more than enough.”

Rocket landed beside Leech.

As it drew closer, Tyler could finally see how enormous this eagle-headed Flying Horse was. An ordinary warhorse would be a full size smaller than it. It exuded an intense, dangerous aura as it approached.

This was a ferociously powerful magical beast!

”Lord Leech, I’d like to write a letter to Roaring Castle, I was wondering...”

”Of course!” Leech said. ”Yi Lin, quickly escort Lord Tyler so he can write his letter.”

Tyler had to write a letter. First, he would report on the situation of the battle for Waterfall Land: the fighting was over, and the tide had been turned by Lord Leech’s decisive intervention.

Second, that Leech intended to annihilate the Monkey Clan.

But after a moment’s thought, he decided against writing that part.

’Just as Lord Leech said,’ he thought, ’if I try to stop this war with the Bill family now, it will only delay the inevitable, leading to a bigger explosion down the line.’

’It’s a fight to the death. Even if the Duke were to forcibly suppress it, things wouldn’t stay quiet for long.’

Tyler Rose was more inclined to preserve true peace. Suppressing a blood feud wouldn’t bring real peace; on the contrary, it would only breed more resentment and lead to more deaths in the end.

’It would be better if I really did arrive a day ”late.” By the time I ”get there,” Leech will have already killed that unlikable old monkey, Wells Bill.’

’The matter would be settled, beyond anyone’s power to change.’

’That sounds much better than ”my mission to mediate was a failure,” and it would also save me from being implicated.’

’But for that to work, this letter must be sent a day late. And Leech has to truly possess the ability to cut through layers of defenses and get directly to Wells Bill.’

’That part is up to Leech. It has nothing to do with me.’

’A one-day delay. A simple favor that costs me nothing.’

Tyler Rose then quickly wrote down a third point.

Lady Jie Lin has given birth to a son, named Lirde Wadu.

He recommended that Lirde Wadu be ennobled as the Baron of Waterfall Land as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, in a short while, the master of Waterfall Land would no longer be a Wado, but a Clarence!

He wasn’t wrong. Except he didn’t need to wait ”a short while”—the castle already belonged to Leech’s son.