The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 17

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: Revelations Over Potatoes

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“Huh? Me? I did?”

What had I done?

“You sealed the broken barrier with spirits, didn’t you? Thanks to that, the corruption cleared up, so we just had to take down the rampaging Belak one by one.”

“Oh, right.”

Nina recalled the seal etched into the barrier. It must have appeared the moment she summoned the Sun.

She really looked out for us in every way.

“Belak couldn’t get near that barrier, so we used it as our base and picked them off one at a time.”

Lui said this as he brushed back the hair tied low in a single ponytail behind his back.

“We survived several close calls with death. It felt just like the Knight Order before Your Grace arrived.”

“I’m just glad you all made it.”

Nina let out a sigh.

Jin reached out and ruffled Nina’s hair wildly.

“Same goes for you. What’s with this? Why’s your hair so soft?”

“There’s a story behind that too. Anyway, so what happened next?”

Adrian gave a brief explanation.

“A plague broke out.”

“A plague?”

Huh? This was new to me?

The story began with the heroine Fiona’s appearance, so much of Adrian’s past was hidden.

Nina didn’t know much about what had happened to him beyond the major events that affected the original plot.

“It swept the entire empire. The elderly and weak suffered the most.”

Curiously, the Ebony Knight Order—effectively quarantined by their battles with Belak—saw not a single case.

Dr. Kiril’s meticulous care played a role too.

The plague hit the Rubaenu Duke’s estate hard, claiming both the Duke and the young master.

Adrian was the only rightful heir left.

Though a bastard, he was on the Duke’s family register and held succession rights.

“And then?”

As Nina pressed for more, Jin scratched his chin.

“Chaos erupted. Before the funerals even ended, the Duchess teamed up with the Duke’s younger brother, claiming Your Grace had poisoned them both.”

“Escaping the manor was a headache in itself.”

Lui gave a wry smile as he reminisced.

Adrian alone remained calm, as if he’d known it all along.

Having summoned the Ebony Knight Order nearby in advance, the group escaped unscathed.

Then civil war broke out in the ducal house.

Adrian and the Duke’s younger brother vied for succession rights. Most vassals sided with the brother, backed by the Duchess.

Adrian’s forces were vastly outnumbered, making victory seem impossible.

Yet he never lost.

Unless it was a tactical retreat, he always won.

Like effortlessly capturing white stones in Go, Adrian crushed the rebels as easily as breathing.

Brutally. Thoroughly.

His banner alone made limbs tremble, swords drop from hands.

Half a year.

In just half a year, he quelled the strife and ascended as Duke.

Lui had felt awe and terror in equal measure.

It was like riding a ferocious tiger that never stopped.

A tiger charging toward ruin without end.

But…

Lui glanced at Nina.

Maybe now he could relax a little?

Nina sighed heavily.

“So much happened while I was gone.”

She felt a pang of regret for not being there. But at least his own hands hadn’t slain his family. That was a relief.

She was glad the future she wanted to change was shifting.

Or so she thought…

Hm?

Entering a crowded street, she noticed the uneven road.

Hm?

The people’s clothes were ragged too.

Suddenly anxious, Nina looked around.

My garden… it couldn’t be ruined, could it?

She’d chatted endlessly with Adrian about tending it this way and that…

No, there was a civil war. No time for the garden.

So she reasoned, until Black Shield Castle came into view. She covered her face with both hands.

Sob sob, our territory’s so poor.

The Rubaenu territory had two castles: Black Shield Castle near Violet Forest, and Silver Lake Castle in the center.

The latter was the ducal seat, so few lords like Adrian stayed at Black Shield.

Maybe just the founding Duke.

Like a fortress for battle, Black Shield had small windows and age-old grime everywhere.

Stains that wouldn’t budge even scrubbed with pig-bristle brushes dotted the place.

The window frames were filthy too—sticky, slippery no matter how you cleaned.

The interior was utterly barren.

No people, no furniture—nothing.

Like cave-dwelling primitives on stone floors. Nina was stunned.

“Was it always this empty?”

“Clutter’s more hassle.”

Seeing Adrian’s furrowed brow, Nina got it.

He didn’t like the decor… Adrian’s tastes are high-end. Right.

Better to rip it all out and store it than live with what he hated.

The rebellion ended in half a year, but cleanup took longer.

No time, money, or leisure for redecorating.

“My goodness! Nina!”

Dr. Kiril gaped at Nina. Grinning, Nina said,

“No dissecting me.”

“What a shame.”

Kiril strode over.

“Let’s start with an exam.”

After the checkup, Kiril declared her “perfectly healthy,” and Nina finally escaped her grasp.

By then, drinks were ready. The group gathered cozily.

Less a banquet, more a casual booze-up.

Meanwhile, Nina eyed the castle and the few servants working.

So few staff, castle’s echoing empty. Nothing here.

She felt it strongest at the drinks.

Why are the sides all potatoes? All potatoes.

There was meat, but more potatoes.

Potatoes were peasant food, not noble fare—so exempt from taxes, precious crop.

As a kid, with her brother busy on wheat, Nina and her sister grew potatoes.

But potatoes at a ducal booze-up? Tasty, sure, but…

Munching something like potato pancakes from sliced spuds, Nina shared her tale.

At the spirits mention, eyes widened. When she said they’d repaired her body, Kiril demanded a “thorough inspection.”

Jin said with a strange look,

“That explains why you felt oddly light.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, you’re weirdly light. Not human-like. If spirits fixed you, it makes sense.”

“I’m light?”

Asking Adrian beside her, he grabbed her sides and lifted.

Even Nina was shocked how easily she rose.

“Eep?”

“Light.”

Adrian set her down. Feeling indignant, Nina jumped up.

“But my strength’s way up! I chop firewood barehanded! Watch—I’ll lift the Young Master!”

“Pass.”

Deflated by Adrian’s refusal, Nina spotted a side table nearby.

Marble top, bronze legs—old and heavy-looking.

“Look!”

She hoisted it one-handed. Everyone gasped. Jin muttered awkwardly,

“You could do strength shows anywhere.”

“I can swing it like this, light as air.”

She twirled it; people sidestepped. Setting it down, she added,

“Downside: efficiency sucks. I get starving hungry. After one burst…”

She devoured a baked potato in seconds.

Kiril tilted her head, intrigued.

“Strong means eat more? Fascinating.”

Kiril patted Nina’s head.

“You’ve been through it, kiddo.”

Nina sighed.

“You all seem to have suffered more.”

Starting on the civil war, Jin shuddered.

“Dealing with those bastards was worse than Belak.”