The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 20

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 20

Chapter Title: Essential Item for All Knights

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Essential item for all knights.

The reason knights are called knights.

It's the horse.

What makes a knight a knight is a horse.

Combat horses used in battle and ceremonial horses used in parades are trained in completely different directions and methods.

A proper knight must possess at least those two, but both came at extremely high prices.

Prices that non-nobles couldn't even dream of affording.

But the Ebony Knight Order rarely traveled on horseback, so it had simply been forgotten.

The Violet Forest was home to One-Horned Horses.

These jet-black horses with horns sprouting from their heads had hooves so tough they required no horseshoes, gleaming like obsidian. Their bodies were muscled like steel, allowing them to leap lightly like deer and strike with the power of leopards.

Moreover, from their necks to their backs, they were covered not in a mane but in scales that sparkled with a steely sheen.

'The heroine discovered them—in a herd.'

A massive herd of One-Horned Horses bounding through rough terrain like goats deep in the Violet Forest.

Just the number spotted in the woods alone was around thirty or forty—enough to outfit an entire knight order.

'Kuuh, nice.'

Before recruiting knights, she needed to secure these first.

'I wonder if she's growing wheat?'

Her vegetable garden was full of all sorts of useful plants, wheat among them. There was no farmland in the Violet Forest, nor time to tend crops, so it had only been kept as seed stock.

The wheat found in the Violet Forest was shorter than regular varieties but yielded far more.

Even with limited farmland, rotating regular wheat and the Violet Forest strain would do the trick.

'But why is the diet like this?'

Nothing but potatoes.

She couldn't feed their Young Master potatoes day in and day out!

Nina knew Adrian had a palate as refined as his appearance. He was simply enduring it.

'There might be more besides what the heroine found. Let's search.'

She planned to scour the Violet Forest relentlessly and squeeze every last resource from it.

'Come to think of it, there's a mine too.'

She had to work hard.

Without money, how could she move forward?

'People too.'

Names of people currently lost in obscurity but destined for fame in the future scrolled through her mind.

'Recruit as many as possible.'

Roughly speaking, neither the imperial family nor the temple seemed likely to side with the ducal house.

In that case, they needed enough power to stand firm without them.

'Heretics bastards.'

Grinding her teeth, Nina smirked all the same.

For her, this situation wasn't so bad.

'Didn't expect relations with the temple to sour like this. They were on good terms originally.'

In the original story, priests had sacrificed themselves by the dozens to seal the rift with a barrier and comfort the Young Master, so the Rubaenu Duke had always been favorable toward the temple.

'That's why they get backstabbed and crushed in the end.'

Considering the final boss was hiding in the temple, it was better to have soured things early like this.

'The imperial family. Well, as the Duke's power grows, they'll come crawling close on their own.'

With that in mind, Nina pictured Lui, Jin, and Kiril in turn. At least she had these reliable comrades to rely on.

Yawning lightly, Nina closed her eyes. She'd just sort her thoughts a bit, then head out.

Or so she thought—but the moment her eyes shut, she fell asleep.

When she woke, she was in the Young Master's bed. The spot beside her was empty.

Embarrassed for oversleeping, Nina climbed out and returned to her own room.

For breakfast, she had potato pancakes and potato soup, then toured the castle.

She had only visited the main keep once, right when she was first appointed to the Ebony Knight Order.

Built thick with black stone, it resembled a defensive fortress.

A drawbridge gate complete with a moat.

The servants wandering inside numbered fewer than twenty.

"And they're all maids or manservants. No close retainers?"

Thinking Lui with his quill in hand looked like a painting, Nina asked. Lui looked up from his papers to reply.

"No one worthy of the Duke's eye."

"Uh..."

Nina sighed.

"He doesn't keep them close. But regardless, he needs people."

"I agree. It's been about two years since purging the deadwood. Time to bring in fresh blood."

Lui's words made Nina's golden eyes gleam.

"Vice-Captain—no, Sir Lui, do you have candidates in mind?"

The title of steward didn't roll off the tongue easily. And Vice-Captain still felt like 'Sir Lui'!

Lui glossed over her form of address smoothly.

"I do."

"Tell me, Sir Lui."

Nina dragged over a stool and plopped down. Lui chuckled and set his pen aside.

"The Imperial Academy is flourishing. Not just from the empire—applicants from kingdoms line up to enroll."

"Ah, I've heard. The fourteen towers, twenty-two bridges, river of wisdom?"

Lui nodded at Nina's words.

"City of Towers, or City of Canals. The issue is recommendation letters."

"What's wrong with recommendation letters?"

"Without one from the empire, you can't find work. And the academy doesn't issue them to certain groups: those without titles, nobles from weak houses, or foreigners."

"Then what happens?"

"Jobs become nearly impossible. Or they end up in illegal work or very low-paying gigs."

"You're targeting them, Sir Lui?"

"Exactly. The ducal house accepting people without letters could raise prestige issues, but..."

"Our Young Master doesn't care about that."

"The problem is verifying their skills without letters."

"You have candidates?"

"Yes, but."

Lui paused and looked at Nina. Catching his meaning, she smiled.

"I'll look into it. I'll tell the Young Master."

"Thank you."

Lui replied, picking up his pen again before adding,

"It feels like things are finally moving again now that you're back, Lady Nina."

Nina flashed him a grin. "I'm your Nina," she said brightly. Lui laughed.

Laughing out loud like that, he realized it had been ages since he'd laughed without a care.

Heading to the kitchen, she sweet-talked the cook with her silver tongue and commandeered the oven.

The cook watched with interest as she prepared a potato omelet.

Transferring the steaming omelet to a plate and whipping up iced tea with her spirit powers, Nina headed to Adrian.

Adrian had barely touched his breakfast, so this omelet would be his brunch.

She plunked the tray down in front of him in the study, and Adrian smirked.

It had been ages since she'd cooked for him. Normally he'd ignore it and pick at cold food, but today he properly took fork and knife.

The still-hot omelet was simply delicious.

Potato, onion, egg, olive oil.

The humble ingredients combined into something rustic yet honest. He polished off the plate and sipped the cold tea leisurely before asking,

"So?"

"I talked with Sir Lui, and..."

Before Nina could finish, Adrian nodded.

"Do whatever you want, Nina."

"How'd you know what I was going to say?"

"I said I trust you."

Adrian gauged her expression before adding,

"You talked with Lui, right? About close aides, probably. Gather people, talk to them, whatever—do it the easy way."

"You knew but didn't act?"

"No need."

The swift, ruthless purge of internal strife had been solely to protect Jin and Lui.

Someday, when he met Nina again, she'd surely ask after them.

Truth be told, if it had been just him, he would've slaughtered everyone in that meeting hall.

'Such hypotheticals are pointless.'

So he thought, gazing at the Nina before him. Imagining a life where she—with her long silver twintails—had never appeared was impossible.

Nina shook her head.

"Knew it. But I want to feed my Young Master tasty things and dress him in fine clothes. So we have to work hard now."

She planted her hands on her hips with a clack, and Adrian nodded.

He agreed.

"So do as you like."