The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 23

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 23

Chapter Title: Return of the One-Horned Herd

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A day passed, then two, and by the third, I started to get a bit worried. That's when Nina returned with a triumphant look on her face.

In stark contrast to her, the leader One-Horned Horse looked utterly spent, its initial majesty nowhere to be seen.

Drool dripped from its mouth, and its black body was covered in foam from sweat.

Yet even so, the One-Horned Horse exuded dignity.

The horn rising from its head gleamed like a black pearl, and its elegant form outshone any ordinary horse.

And that massive size on top of it all.

Jin couldn't help whistling in admiration.

Nina hopped down from the One-Horned Horse with a bounce. She wobbled side to side as she said,

"I'm totally wiped out. My whole body's soaked in sweat. It's so sticky."

"Well, you clung on up there the whole time, so of course. Your stamina's incredible."

The One-Horned Horse was impressive for having the endurance to run for three days straight, but Nina enduring it was no ordinary feat either.

"I'm starving, sleepy, and I wanna wash up. Bath, bath."

"Let's eat and sleep first. You won't be able to sleep on an empty stomach."

While Jin prepared the meal, Nina took the One-Horned Horse down to a nearby stream to wash it off.

When he spotted Nina returning alone, Jin asked in surprise,

"What about the One-Horned Horse?"

"Huh? It probably went off to rest with its herd."

"It ran away?"

"Nah, it lost fair and square once, so it won't do that."

Nina shook her head while slurping down the porridge Jin had made from boiled rations. But Jin still felt uneasy.

'What if it runs off and never comes back?'

Oblivious to his worries, Nina collapsed into sleep right after eating. Jin draped a blanket over her as she snored loudly, then watered the gathered plants so they wouldn't dry out.

The next morning, Nina didn't stir until the sun was high in the sky. After eating the meat Jin had hunted and some tree fruits, she finally perked up.

"I wanna wash up. But is it safe to use the water here?"

Thanks to years of accumulated experience, she could distinguish a few edible fruits and meats from the Violet Forest.

Springs were the same.

But she'd never come this far before, so she couldn't secure safe spring water.

"Don't wash here—go outside to do it. It's dangerous."

Jin shook his head with a "Come on now." Nina had no choice but to agree.

"The One-Horned Horses were fine, though..."

"You think we're the same as them?"

"Fair point."

Nina nodded.

After packing up, she formed a circle with her thumb and index finger and whistled.

Piiiik—!

The sharp sound echoed long and far, and soon the sound of hooves approached.

"It really comes when you call."

Jin marveled in wonder, but his eyes widened further. This wasn't the sound of one or two hooves.

When the leader One-Horned Horse arrived leading its entire herd, Jin's jaw dropped. Nina slapped his back with a smack and said,

"Alright, let's head back."

Since they had to lead the herd of One-Horned Horses, they took a detour around the village, but their speed was so tremendous it barely slowed them down.

The riderless horses trailing behind struggled to keep up.

Jin picked one One-Horned Horse to ride and got thrown off several times. But since Nina had subdued the leader, he managed to saddle it and tie on reins, finally climbing aboard again.

"Whoa, this is unreal."

Jin kept gasping in awe, urging his mount forward, then sideways, over and over.

These were maneuvers that required training from foalhood, yet the One-Horned Horse picked them up after just two or three tries.

Jin chuckled as he drew up beside Nina.

"Everyone at the castle's gonna flip when they see these. Do we even have stables big enough?"

"We'll find a pasture. I'll hand them off to someone reliable."

"The One-Horned Horses?"

"Yeah. Gotta breed 'em with our horses to create a new bloodline."

"Ah, makes sense. They're too wild to handle otherwise. I can ride this one now, but who knows what it'd do without you watching."

They were docile enough with Nina—the one who'd subdued the leader—nearby, but without her, they might buck off their riders.

Gazing at the horn on his One-Horned Horse, Jin muttered,

"So they'll be Rubaenu breed, then?"

He couldn't even imagine how much a foal from breeding One-Horned Horses would cost.

Only that it'd be eye-wateringly expensive.

"Yep. But this is just the start. We need a steady supply in the territory first before the next phase."

Jin nodded at Nina's words.

"True enough."

'We've got five years ahead.'

Five years until the heroine saintess appeared.

The horses would be sorted one way or another by then.

'Now the real focus is those plants I've been cultivating.'

Nina grinned as she eyed her foraging pouch.

'Speaking of, to sell this stuff, I'd need to hook up with a merchant guild again. Or maybe skip them and start our own?'

Why hand over commissions to merchants?

'Gotta talk to Adrian about it.'

With that resolve, Nina picked up the pace. Thanks to it, the return trip took half the time of the journey there.

Jin felt his stamina flagging, but he was awestruck once more.

'Barely any sway.'

Riding required syncing your breathing. You had to keep balancing atop the horse and match its motion.

But the One-Horned Horses had minimal sway, conserving the rider's energy as much as possible.

'No ordinary cavalry could keep up with these.'

Still, after so long in the saddle, he felt like he might die.

Upon arriving at the castle and dismounting, Jin shook his head.

"Ugh, I'm dying. Insane. Riding all day like that. Argh, my back! Thighs! Ass!"

As Jin grumbled on trembling legs, Nina snickered.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Once you train up, this'll be a breeze."

"What training?"

"You said you'd learn swordsmanship from me."

With her golden eyes wide, Nina spoke, and Jin shot back,

"Oh, that training. What's that got to do with riding?"

But Nina just gave a sly grin without answering.

The castle folk had all come out to gawk at the herd of One-Horned Horses, buzzing with excitement.

The stablehand turned pale at the sight of the massive beasts and floundered in panic.

"Just put 'em in the stables and feed 'em lots of beans. We won't keep 'em long. Rope off a temporary enclosure."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Nina handed the leader's reins to the stablehand and murmured low to it.

The leader snorted, then shook its head, yanking the reins free from the stablehand's grip.

Nina let out an awkward chuckle and told the stablehand,

"Looks like it'll be fine loose. It'll follow you."

"P-pardon? Y-yes..."

He started walking awkwardly, and the leader followed with its head held high in a spry gait.

"It really is following?"

The stunned stablehand muttered and quickened his pace. As the leader set off, the rest of the One-Horned Horses trailed in perfect formation.

Admiration rippled through the onlookers behind them.

"One-Horned Horses, for real."

"I thought they were just from legends."

"And not just one—a whole herd."

"Incredible."

"They're huge. One could pull three wagons easy."

"No kidding."

The crowd clicked their tongues in awe as they followed the One-Horned Horses. Nina loaded Jin down with all the luggage and headed inside, leaving him to puff out his chest a bit.