Lord of Rot

Under Stacy’s reluctant gaze, Bode took away the Sword of Oaths.

They then earnestly followed the Priest in a prayer to the Four Gods.

This time, Leech prayed with great earnestness. It was hard to say whether he truly hoped the Four Gods would bless his marriage, or if it was simply because he felt he was finally gaining some control over his future.

When one has the power to withstand the risks of the future, there is naturally no more fear.

The main focus of the banquet soon shifted away from the couple and onto Lewis.

As the ’Little Crocodile’, Lewis held a unique status. He was in his prime and poised to become the next Crocodile Baron, so naturally, the other nobles were eager to build a rapport with him.

Leech and Stacy chatted idly, drinking their wine, feeling quite relaxed.

A man with above-average looks approached them.

Black hair and black eyes were a rare sight, so Leech was somewhat surprised. He knew his own black hair came from his father’s side of the family, not his mother’s. Otherwise, he might have mistaken the man for a cousin.

”Miss Stacy.” He first greeted her with a nod and a slight bow, then turned to Leech. ”You must be Lord Leech. It really is...”

His gaze upon Leech was somewhat resigned, yet also oddly at ease. ”I’d like to have a drink with you.”

Leech glanced at Stacy, confused about what this man suddenly wanted.

She nodded at Leech, signaling that it was fine.

”Of course.”

Feeling utterly baffled, Leech had a drink with him.

The man couldn’t hold his liquor, nor was he an Extraordinary Knight, and his gaze only made Leech more perplexed.

’A romantic rival?’

’Don’t tell me he’s been in love with Stacy for years, only for me to swoop in and steal her away. And just today, he happened to get a boost from some wise old master and decided to come over and utter some fighting words.’

”Fortunes change, don’t they?” Leech probed tentatively.

”Hm?” The other man was baffled.

”It’s nothing. Drink up!”

”Alright!”

’Grief, not grudges. That’s a relief.’

After a few more glasses of wine, Leech’s cheeks were slightly flushed, while the other man had already collapsed on the floor.

In the distance, quite a few people had already passed out from drinking. Lewis, in the best of moods, was going all out, taking on all comers and drinking them under the table one by one.

Leech had only drunk one person under the table, so it hardly caused a stir.

Servants immediately came over and carried the man away.

Leech sat back down beside Stacy. The sudden intimacy and proximity felt a bit strange to her.

Before, she was dealing with a powerful man; now, she was dealing with her fiancé. The mental shift had turned the great general into a timid quail.

”Who was that, really?” Leech asked.

Stacy turned to look at Leech, her eyes fixed on his profile.

”What is it?” Leech touched his cheek, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Stacy said, ”His name is Leech Joe, the son of one of my father’s knights. He’s quite talented, but he sold off his entire family fortune to treat his father’s illness. His father passed away a while ago. When my father attended Knight Joff’s funeral, he saw him and gave him a chance, allowing him to swear fealty and become a Knight. On the day he swore his oath, he didn’t even have a Longsword of his own. My father had to give him one.”

”So he’s a devoted son,” Leech said with a nod. He admired devoted people, and he was sure Lewis did as well; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made an exception to knight the man.

But the question in his mind remained unanswered. ”So why did he want to drink with me? To borrow money? No, his father already passed away.”

’My reputation as some nouveau riche tycoon shouldn’t have spread yet, right? Don’t tell me Kunber Aix has been going around telling people I’m wealthy?’

Stacy shot him a glare. ”He’s Fami’s fiancé.”

”You mean Miss Water Hyacinth from the ivory tower?” Leech asked, genuinely surprised.

’How long has it been? She just got back from a trip to Porcupine Territory, and she’s already engaged?’

’Then again, it makes sense. The daughter of a minor noble has little choice in the matter. Fami Port couldn’t afford to wait until she was twenty-one to marry like Stacy could; she simply didn’t have that luxury.’

Leech recalled that he hadn’t seen Miss Water Hyacinth at the previous night’s banquet. For the sake of her reputation, an engaged woman like her wouldn’t appear at a feast held for a man who was still technically unmarried.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. He wasn’t a fool; he had sensed Miss Water Hyacinth’s feelings for him. It was just a shame that between her and Stacy, he could only choose Stacy. It wasn’t for personal gain, but a matter of personality. He wasn’t the romantic poet she imagined him to be; she had mistaken him for someone else from the very beginning.

Only when he was with Stacy could Leech reveal the personality he’d had back on Earth. It allowed him to relax completely. He didn’t have to pretend to be a gentleman; they could drink, argue, and even fight together. He didn’t have to put on the airs of a lord or a gentleman. It was easy and enjoyable.

Still, with Water Hyacinth engaged, he felt a slight sense of loss. It wasn’t sadness, just a man’s vanity at play.

”Haven’t you noticed?” Stacy said. ”Fami had many suitors at the time, many drawn to her for her beauty. But in the end, she chose Knight Leech.”

Leech: ”...”

’Should I say I noticed ages ago, or pretend I really didn’t?’

’Black hair and black eyes, a name like Leech, a similar build and height...’

Leech Joe was practically the junior version of Leech Clarence. And considering the man had come over looking jealous for a drinking contest just moments before, even someone completely oblivious would have figured it out by now.

’Being treated as a stand-in by his own fiancée... Leech would have been furious if he were in the same position. He completely sympathized with his junior version.’

There was a world of difference between them in every aspect—strength, power, fame, looks, and so on. His frustration could only be expressed through a drinking contest, but unfortunately, the younger Leech couldn’t even win at that.

Turning to see her smiling, Leech asked, ”You’re not worried at all?”

Hugging the box to her chest, Stacy said, ”Because I have the wind in my hands.”

”The wind? What is that supposed to be?” Leech asked curiously, but her only answer was a smile.

For the next two days, Leech enjoyed the rare feeling of actually being in love.

There were no power struggles, no need to be concerned about the disparity in their strength. It all reminded Leech of that old meme from Earth: [Tomboy_Theory.jpg].

For a straight guy, a typical woman came with a whole host of problems: arguments, petty tempers, guessing games, and so on. In other words: physical compatibility without spiritual harmony.

A gay guy, on the other hand, shares your interests and hobbies. In other words: spiritual harmony, but physical incompatibility.

The tomboy, however, combined the best of both: she shared the same interests and hobbies, and she was a woman. The ultimate choice for a straight man.

Conversely, a femboy combined the worst of both: not only was he a man in terms of ’hardware’, but he also came with the whole host of problems a straight guy would associate with women.

Of course, the meme was just for laughs and not to be taken seriously.

But a woman as genuine and unpretentious as Stacy would intimidate many men at first glance. Only after getting closer would they discover just how comfortable she was to be around.

...

「Before Green Forest Castle.」

The knights loyal to the Crocodiles had gathered.

Leech had deliberately waited until this day to see Stacy and Bode off to the battlefield.

Stacy was once again dressed in her plate armor, her hair braided and coiled at the back of her head.

She held the Sword of Oaths and stood beside Bode.

Leech walked over and asked, ”When will you arrive?”

Bode answered, ”We should reach Endor by the end of August, and the war will be over in September.”

”I didn’t realize you had a talent for comedy,” Leech laughed.

’The war can’t possibly end that easily. It’ll probably drag on until the end of the year.’

Bode said, ”I’ve already made arrangements. That Kunber fellow won’t be able to get the better of us.”

”When you’re in charge, I have nothing to worry about,” Leech nodded.

Bode turned and left, leaving Leech and Stacy time to say their goodbyes. In truth, they had already said their farewells the day before, and anything more would just be a repeat of yesterday’s words.

Leech simply said, ”Be careful.”

He’d probably heard some inside information from Lewis. This war was more like a chance for knights to farm achievements, a clear path for promotion. It also served as a signal that the Crocodile Clan was returning to the central lands. It was practically risk-free—unless the Barbarian Tribe suddenly lost their minds and decided to charge the royal capital, kick out Bor II, and crown themselves king.

If it really came to that, even hiding in Linta Bay would be useless.

A familiar purple figure approached and stopped in front of the two of them.

It was Miss Water Hyacinth. She was as beautiful as ever, but much of her innocent, vibrant spirit was gone, replaced by a quieter demeanor.

”Lord Leech,” she greeted him, then looked at Stacy and took out a Jinri coin. ”Take my treasure and accept my blessing.”

Stacy took the coin. ”Thank you.”

Leech saw that Stacy didn’t quite understand the meaning behind the gesture, so he explained, ”It’s probably from *Little Donna’s Journey*. There’s a part where Little Donna says goodbye to an elf and receives a gold coin from a dragon-elf. The coin is supposed to carry the dragon-elf’s blessing.”

Miss Water Hyacinth looked up at Leech, pleasantly surprised. But then, as if remembering something, she immediately lowered her gaze and said to Stacy, ”I have something to say to Leech. I’ll go on ahead.”

”It seems you and Fami have a lot of common interests after all,” Stacy said, looking at him.

”Not at all,” Leech said, shaking his head. ”I skimmed that book a while ago. The protagonist is a total Mary Sue. No matter how vile her enemies are, they trip over themselves to give her lavish gifts. A dragon-elf that’s one-in-a-million-years just happens to show up to give her a special blessing. Halfway through, I couldn’t stop thinking, ’How can someone with such incredible luck not even afford a meal?’ It’s like starving while holding a golden bowl. And she still cries every day about how pathetic her life is.”

”It’s a good thing Fami didn’t hear that,” Stacy said.

Leech shrugged. ”We’d probably get into an argument.”

Miss Water Hyacinth didn’t have to go looking for her fiancé; he was already walking over, unable to stop himself after seeing his fiancée approach Leech first.

”This is for you,” Miss Water Hyacinth said, handing a Jinri to Leech Joe.

”What’s this?” he asked, confused. He took the Jinri and then announced loudly, ”Fami, don’t you worry! I will definitely achieve enough merit on the battlefield! Those steppe Barbarians are nothing to worry about! I’ll cut off their heads from horseback and win glory for you! Then I’ll come back and marry you! Wait for me!”

The area fell silent for a moment, and everyone’s eyes turned to Leech Joe.

Then, a buzz went through the crowd, as if everyone had been stirred to a fever pitch by his words.

Stacy looked at Leech and asked, ”What’s wrong?”

She noticed his expression was a bit strange.

Leech shook his head. ”I just see that he’s covered himself in flags.”