The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 13

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 13

Chapter Title: Blazing Escape and Dream Reunion

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Her vision was scorched.

The air, thick with heat, began incinerating everything around them in an instant.

The group reflexively bolted away from the flames.

Lui slung Adrian onto his back. The fire was devouring their surroundings at an alarming speed.

A sizzling sound filled the air, accompanied by the acrid smell of burning hair tips.

‘No!’

The moment he thought they would be swallowed whole, with the fire demon closing in on their backs, a chilling wind enveloped the three of them. Before they could even gasp, their feet lifted off the ground, and they soared out of the forest in a single breath.

‘North Wind...’

The North Wind's icy chill felt refreshingly cool by contrast, a clear sign of just how ferocious the surrounding heat was.

Jin turned his head to look back. It was too dazzling to stare at directly.

A golden radiance shimmered in his vision. It was so bright it almost seemed dark.

Black spots flickered across his sight, just like when straining to gaze at the sun.

None of them said a word.

Soon, their speed gradually slowed, and the North Wind faded away as if exhausted.

The three tumbled to the ground.

Normally, they might have rolled into a proper landing and stood up, but they lacked even the strength for that.

The fact that the spirit couldn't sustain its power until the end meant something had happened to its contractor.

Adrian lay face-down on the ground, curled up for a moment.

Nina.

Nina.

Nina.

He was so furious he could barely contain it. Rage surged up first.

Why!

I told you so clearly!

Adrian pounded the ground with his fist several times. Then, exhaustion washed over him, leaving him unable even to twitch a finger.

He wanted to cry.

But he clamped his lips shut and forced himself to his feet. He swept back his disheveled hair and roughly wiped away the blood.

His mind grew cold.

All emotions seemed to vanish in the blaze of anger.

Without Nina, his life might as well be over.

Fine then.

Those who took her from me will lose everything too.

His head still spun, but he could at least stand on his own two feet.

The pollution hit him harder than the head wound.

“To think we'd be taken down by a priest sent from the temple.”

His voice came out rough. Vice-Captain Lui let out a sigh. He was struggling to steady himself too.

“It seems heretics had infiltrated the temple.”

When he'd seen the eerie glint in that fake priest's eyes, he'd chalked it up to outrage at heretic behavior—nothing more. Something had felt off, but he'd never imagined the man was one of them.

Adrian bit his lip. It split open, blood trickling out, but he didn't feel it.

Even when the man had said there was a problem with the barrier and asked them to come over and hold an item while standing there, Adrian hadn't suspected he'd chant a spell to obliterate the barrier in one go.

They'd just stood there listening blankly, assuming it was part of investigating the barrier.

‘Stupid bastard.’

Adrian steadied his ragged breathing. Self-loathing could wait.

Lui spoke up.

“Let's head back to the fortress for now. We need to tend to your injuries, Captain, and Kiril is there too. We have to return to Black Shield Castle.”

Lui swallowed once before adding,

“We might need to activate the grand barrier.”

Jin said in a dazed voice,

“We're not going back? To go and... get Nina...”

He trailed off, unsure what to say.

“We're not.”

Adrian started walking as he spoke. His stumbling, sluggish steps had become resolute.

“Why? If Nina's still alive somehow...”

“Then she'll come back.”

Adrian said lowly. Jin faltered. Adrian repeated,

“If she's alive, she'll definitely return to me.”

Jin bowed his head.

For the first time, his red hair looked so lifeless. Overwhelmed by helplessness, he closed his eyes.

After contracting with a spirit, spirit mages borrow greater power through incantations.

But to draw more power and abilities beyond that requires more than just incantations. And to borrow from a higher spirit without a contract...

He'd heard tales of offering parts of one's body to borrow such power.

But he'd never dreamed Nina would utter such an incantation.

Jin slowly turned to look back. The golden blaze illuminated the darkening sky.

“Nina, Nina.”

Nina opened her eyes. She was huddled amid the bushes. A familiar voice called to her.

Her eyes widened.

Her brother smiled and extended his hand. Nina's face crumpled.

“Brother!”

“Let's go home.”

Nina grabbed his hand and sprang up. Her much older big brother had always come looking for her. He'd always tracked down his runaway youngest sister, who insisted this wasn't her home, and the little girl she used to be.

Tears overflowed.

“Why are you crying, huh?”

Her brother scooped her up effortlessly and set her on his neck. Nina buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

“I know it's a dream.”

“Is that so? I see.”

Her brother laughed heartily. Nina ran her hand over her flowing twin braids.

‘My hair used to be this long when I was little.’

Gazing at the wheat fields turning golden with honey hues, Nina wiped her tears with both hands.

“Or am I dead?”

Did I cross the sea of glass?

“No, you're not.”

At her brother's words, Nina clutched his head tightly and said,

“Yeah, I guess so. Then I'll say it even in this dream. Thank you for loving me so much. I only caused trouble, but you always loved me. Thank you.”

“Nina is the cutest Nina in the world, after all.”

Nina cried and laughed at his words. She was so happy she never wanted to wake up.

“Why is our Nina crying?”

At the cheerful voice, Nina whipped her head around. Her sister stood there, wearing the headscarf Nina had clumsily embroidered. Exactly as she remembered.

“Sister!”

Nina reached out, and her brother awkwardly bent down. As Nina lunged into her arms, her sister laughed.

“Oh dear, our cute Nina. You've grown so heavy. Our prettiest Nina in the world.”

Nina sobbed silently. Her sister whispered softly,

“Shall we go back together?”

Nina's lips quivered. She looked up at her sister through tear-streaked eyes.

“No, not now. I can't leave Adrian alone. So... so...”

As if determined not to forget, Nina kept her gaze fixed on her sister and brother's faces.

“I know this is a dream. I can't go back, and I won't. So whoever's making me dream this... come out.”

Flip.

The sound of pages turning rapidly rang out as a gust of wind blew in. Nina watched the entire scene blur away.

Two figures appeared in a vast white space. No, they didn't seem human.

The woman wore golden scale armor, with enormous curved goat horns sprouting from either side of her head.

A cloth draped over her face down to her neck, hiding her features.

The other wore gleaming silver plate armor and a helmet that concealed their face.

Both towered around 190 centimeters tall, forcing Nina to step back to see them properly.

The horned woman apologized gently.

That apology felt unlike any human's—sincere enough to sense its truth.

So Nina let go of her unease right away. Besides, it wasn't a bad memory.

“No, it's fine. I'm glad I got to see them. But that wasn't the real them, right?”

“...You're right.”

Nina murmured softly.

“It makes me want to cry...”

The woman in scale armor reached out and wiped away Nina's tears. It was a natural, unhesitant gesture.

Somehow familiar and comforting.

Embarrassing, but Nina had no desire to pull away.

“So... what happens to me now? You two are spirits, right?”

Tilting her head, Nina asked. The woman chuckled softly.

A leisurely, beautiful voice. Strange. It felt oddly familiar somehow. Comfortingly so.

“This is going to sound really weird, but...”

“Have we met before?”