Chapter 501: She Has the Scent of a Dragon

The twenty thousand Jinri from the giant’s foot pelts arrived in installments. The money had barely warmed Leech’s hands before he had already allocated it.

The funds went toward buying grain, building houses, recruiting new residents, raising warhorses, creating bombs through alchemy, and purchasing ships to be retrofitted with cannons.

Of course, he could have followed the example of other lords and simply fleeced his subjects first; he was sure the territory’s residents wouldn’t have even thought it strange. But Leech had his principles. ‘We have no quarrel with each other. If you work for me, I’ll make sure you can eat.’

The financial hole from repairing the Corpse Ghosts also needed to be filled. One hundred and ten Corpse Ghosts was not a small number, and Leech had to spend several thousand Jinri on gold to barely resolve the issue.

After that flurry of activity, his life had paradoxically become much more leisurely.

With a rocket for transportation, he could shuttle between Iron Valley and Porcupine Territory in extremely short order. However, considering that each trip still took a considerable amount of time and effort, Leech preferred to stay in one territory for a while, or simply go wherever he was needed most.

He no longer needed to worry about the development of Porcupine Territory, as all aspects were running smoothly. Therefore, he spent most of his time in Iron Wall Castle in Iron Valley. The number of chefs, the quality of ingredients, and even the quantity of maids were roughly the same in both places. Besides, Iron Valley’s development was at a stage that more urgently required Leech to be present.

“Lord.”

“Come in.”

“Yes.” Pushing open the door, Lily, the so-called ‘Cinderella’, entered the hall. She glanced at the woman who had been by the Lord’s side ever since his return. Lily had learned her name was Isis, and she felt an instinctual fear toward her.

Isis was always in a black dress, her eyes covered by a cloth. She was blind, yet it was as if she could see right through people’s hearts.

Furthermore, of the guard Knights who usually flanked the Lord, only Jonney and a “short” Knight completely encased in tin-can-like plate armor remained. Compared to Jonney, this other Knight was indeed short—about the same height as Leech… This Knight was, of course, the Half-Beastman noble, Kaqi.

She had once tried to persuade the Lord to keep more guards with him, but he had always refused.

‘Are you kidding me? If an enemy appeared that Isis, Jonney, and Kaqi couldn’t handle together, then no amount of extra guards would be of any use. Slitting my own throat would probably be quicker, more convenient, and even more comfortable.’

“Lord, a letter has arrived from Linta Bay.” Lily held an unopened message cylinder and bowed her head in greeting to the three companions.

Although the trio rarely spoke or interacted, Lily knew they were special. The Lord took them practically everywhere and trusted them implicitly.

Leech was surprised. “A letter actually came! Quick, let me see!”

He had been writing to Linta Bay frequently of late, awaiting a reply from Stacy. As far as he knew, the great battle there had concluded more than half a month ago, but he had yet to receive a letter back. Then again, ‘knowing Stacy’s personality, she would probably agonize for ages just to write a reply.’

On the other hand, he hadn’t written to the Desert Area. His Corpse Ghost unit was stationed there, so it was safe to say Leech had eyes all over the territory belonging to “Princess Sophia” within the entire desert.

He left the Corpse Ghost unit there not only for added security and to avoid revealing that the Corpse Ghosts were, in fact, Half-Beastmen, but also to guard against the Half-Beastmen from the other continent. If they could invade once, they could certainly do it again. It was never wrong to be cautious.

However, even though he didn’t write to the Desert Area, people from places like Kuer Oasis, which now possessed complete “sovereignty,” as well as Lisu Muma and the young noble Hahn, all took the initiative to write to him.

Their sincere attitude earned them Leech’s trust in return, as well as a slight loosening of operational restrictions, allowing them more freedom of action.

After delivering the letter, Lily discreetly turned and left.

He opened the letter. Sure enough, it was Stacy’s handwriting.

“To Leech,”

The opening was blunt and dry. Leech patiently read on.

“Our forces successfully took to the field and eliminated the enemy. I used the Oath-blade you gave me to achieve a victory that was my own.”

Leech sighed. ‘So, I shouldn’t have worried about copyright infringement back then. I should have just called it the Sword of Promised Victory.’

Of course, that was just a fleeting thought. The sword’s materials were mediocre, and its innate abilities weren’t that great either. It couldn’t compare to even a mid-tier wondrous item. If not for its appearance, it would have surely been classified as “inferior.”

“But there’s bad news. Bode didn’t want me to tell you, and neither did Fami. That’s why I’ve waited so long to send this. The raid was so sudden, we didn’t have time to react. Fami’s fiancé was abducted. The woman Bode fancies was also taken. We gave chase, but we lost their trail. Even after we annihilated the enemy’s tribe, we still couldn’t find any trace of them.”

Leech remembered who Miss Water Hyacinth’s fiancé was.

His name was Leech Joe, who could be described as the budget version of Leech Clarence. Their hairstyle, face, and even personality were vaguely similar.

Leech’s only impression of this “Sir Leech” was that he loved to raise death flags.

And he never thought the man would actually end up disappearing from the battlefield precisely because he was always raising them.

At the end of the letter, Stacy mentioned Chuina, saying her studies were progressing quickly. She also stated that she still had many things to attend to in Linta Bay, but that they could keep in touch through letters.

Leech put down the letter and picked up his pen.

He wanted to ask how Miss Water Hyacinth was doing. Ever since learning of her feelings for him, it was impossible for Leech to say he didn’t care, especially since she’d found herself a budget replacement for him. But as for caring… he was in no position to give Miss Water Hyacinth any official standing in his life. Especially since she had just lost her fiancé.

In the end, he just wrote a few pleasantries, adding that he would keep an eye out and help search for the missing people.

After the letter was sent off, Leech decided not to press Bode Wisdom about money just yet. The man had just lost his woman; this was a time for condolences.

“Human emotions are so hard for a dragon to understand.” On Leech’s shoulder, the Brass Dragon that had been posing as a small ornament shook its head and tail. It would occasionally reveal its true form.

The more people saw it, the less they found the Brass Dragon to be strange.

They had come to take for granted all the magical things that happened around their Lord!

Leech reached out, pinched the Brass Dragon, and held it up in front of his face. “What’s so hard to understand? Aren’t you from the Dragon Race the ones who love to fool around the most?”

“The books you’ve read are pure slander!” the Brass Dragon retorted, struggling fiercely. “Giant Dragons are sincere and passionate creatures! Every single time we fall in love, we give it our absolute all!”

“Every single time?” Leech latched onto the key phrase.

The Brass Dragon said nonchalantly, “Of course, every time! A Giant Dragon’s emotions are rich, but that doesn’t mean we’re not devoted… Aren’t you looking for those human females to m… m… mmph.”

Leech quickly clamped his hand over the dragon’s mouth. “‘Mate,’ was that what you were going to say? Shut it!”

Leech flicked the little Brass Dragon a few times for his own amusement. The dragon, which had been struggling fiercely, suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, its gaze turning toward the hall. “That maid over there… she smells like a dragon!”

“A wyvern?” Leech looked over. It was a new maid; he thought her name was Teresa.

‘I wouldn’t mind capturing a Two-Legged Flying Dragon. It could even be Palace Level.’

“Wyvern? What bullshit crawling reptile is that?” the Brass Dragon said with utmost seriousness. “It’s a Giant Dragon!”