The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 22

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: One-Horned Horse Chase

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Nina, having gathered information from North Wind, dashed around the Violet Forest here and there, collecting plants.

Jin kept marveling, "How on earth do you find these things?" as he tied the collection sacks to the horse.

The two gradually ventured deeper into the forest.

After passing the sealed barrier and heading even further inside, the atmosphere changed completely.

By evening, as they set up camp, the sun set quickly.

"I've never gone beyond this point before."

Jin said that as he tossed firewood into the bonfire. Sparks flew up into the sky in countless numbers.

A pewter kettle hung over the bonfire.

"Yeah, but we have to go in to find what we're after."

At Nina's words, Jin stared at her blankly and said, "Well, that's true, but..."

His cat-like green eyes sparkled in the firelight.

"Did you hear it from a spirit?"

"Hm?"

"I mean info like this. Finding plants and herbs and all."

"Yeah, partly because Kiril asked me to, and partly from the spirits."

Nina answered vaguely. Steam rose from the pewter kettle as Jin lifted it down with a tree branch and asked,

"Can't you teach me too?"

"Huh? Teach you what?"

"Swordsmanship."

"Swordsmanship? Me? To you, Jin?"

"Yeah. You've improved so much it's insane. I couldn't even compete with you now. You're probably the strongest among us at the moment."

Even an outsider could tell how skilled a swordswoman Nina was.

There was no wasted motion in her swordsmanship. Her blade flowed naturally from her fingertips, like an extension of her limbs.

"You're the captain. Bestow your teachings upon me."

He said as he handed her a cup. Nina took it and replied,

"But I use a sword, and you use a halberd, right?"

The halberd, a combination of axe and spear, was Jin's main weapon.

She always marveled at how the giant man wielded the heavy halberd with such freedom.

"The basics are the same, aren't they?"

"Well..."

Nina trailed off and clamped her mouth shut. Come to think of it, she'd learned how to use the halberd from Sun too.

'It's good to know how to handle all weapons, more or less.'

Was this part of the bigger picture?

Nina said playfully,

"But can you withstand my training, Jin?"

"Of course! I'll do anything if it makes me stronger. Back then... if only I'd been stronger then..."

Jin grimaced and spat out the words like he was vomiting blood. His reaction was more intense than expected, and Nina's eyes widened in surprise.

"Jin? You okay?"

"Nina."

"Yeah?"

"You're precious to me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be a drunken wretch wallowing in despair by now, stabbed to death in some alley."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"For real. I..."

Jin grimaced again and swallowed his words. Perhaps the few days of adventure alone together in the darkness had loosened his heart a bit.

"You know I'm the second son of a trading company, right?"

"Yeah, I heard."

"My family thought money could buy anything."

Nina tilted her head. Jin gave a wry smile at her reaction.

"Love, loyalty, faith—even lives. Money makes it all happen. So people without money have no value, and there's no need to uphold morals just to make money. Money is everything."

They'd do anything for money, and nothing without it.

Wasting money frivolously was the same. That's why his family dabbled in usury and slave trading.

"I hated that, so I ran away and became a mercenary. But a friend I trusted co-signed a loan for me, and I ended up in debt."

"So that's why you joined the Ebony Knight Order? They pay reliably."

Jin nodded at Nina's words. He was relieved she didn't click her tongue at him for co-signing like an idiot.

"But doing mercenary work and joining the knight order made it seem like money really was everything. For real. The faith, friendship, and love I believed in felt like shallow fantasies of the weak."

Jin grinned crookedly.

"I was sick of it. So sick that I couldn't sleep without booze. Then..."

Jin stared straight at Nina. His green eyes held no shadow.

Nina always thought they contrasted with the young master's shadowy lake-like eyes, and she opened her mouth. "Me?"

"Yeah, you."

Jin grinned.

"You came along and showed me that what I believed in wasn't wrong."

"I didn't do much."

Nina looked dubious, but Jin shook his head.

"No, you've done a lot for me. But..."

He cut himself off sharply and narrowed his eyes.

"Do you know how I felt, turning my back and running away, leaving someone like you to die?"

"Um..."

"You don't. You shouldn't."

"Yeah, I don't."

She bowed her head but remained defiant.

Jin let out a big sigh. "Ha!" Then he said,

"I don't want it to happen twice. I want to get strong enough to fight back-to-back with you. I've been trying my best... but seeing you now, it's just not enough."

There was a limit to the skill gap.

"Jin."

Nina grinned.

"I really like you, Jin."

"That's so out of left field."

Nina burst out laughing at his words.

She liked his straightforwardness, his blunt outbursts.

To some, such a confession might seem too sudden, too heavy—Why say this now?—but not to Jin and Nina.

Jin, much older than her, had been upfront from the start, hiding nothing from the young girl.

"I like how honest you are."

"Only you would."

Nina nodded at his words.

"True, I'm honest too. Being truthful is a virtue worth praising."

"So you'll teach me?"

Jin steered the conversation back. Nina wiped her smile and answered,

"Got it. Then I'll drill you hard."

"Huh?"

"If you're that determined. I'll teach you thoroughly."

She'd pass on the hellish training she'd received from Sun, exactly as is.

Nina said firmly, "Don't worry. I'll steel my heart and never go easy."

Jin nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah!" He'd regret that agreement the moment training began.

The next morning, early, as they delved deeper into the Violet Forest, rugged terrain appeared.

A valley ran between cliffs, followed by sheer mountains.

There, Nina and Jin spotted a One-Horned Horse.

Lying in wait and watching them, Jin marveled,

"A real One-Horned Horse? It's hopping around the cliffs like a mountain goat. How is that possible with that build?"

"We're catching it."

At Nina's words, Jin said, "What?" Nina grinned.

"It suits the Ebony Knight Order perfectly. Especially that one, that one."

The one Nina pointed to was clearly the herd leader—the largest and most magnificent.

"How do you plan to catch it?"

"Same as any wild horse. Don't worry."

Nina took off her gear and handed it to Jin.

"I'll be back. Don't worry if I'm gone a day or two."

She fashioned a loop from rope.

"What? Hey, what are you gonna do?"

With the incantation, Nina's movement speed increased. By the time the One-Horned Horse herd noticed her, she was already closing in on the leader.

As the herd scattered, unsure how to deal with her, she vaulted onto the leader's back.

At the same time, she looped the rope around its neck and yanked. It was lightning-fast.

Jin swallowed hard.

The leader One-Horned Horse bolted like a mad thing. It was the kind of maneuver that should've thrown off whatever was on its back.

But Nina held on, so it started bucking wildly, then plunged down the cliff in one go. Desperate to shake her off.

It was so swift, it vanished from sight in an instant. Jin groaned, "My god."

'She'll be fine.'

It was Nina, after all.

Even if she fell, North Wind would catch her. Jin scratched his head and found a spot nearby to set up camp.