The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 29

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 29

Chapter Title: Nina Crushes the Eagle Knights

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Nina stepped forward first, and as expected, the knights wore knowing looks.

They anticipated that once Nina was eliminated, Jin would face them.

The red-haired Jin had gained some notoriety from the civil war, so everyone was wary of him.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you."

Nina smirked at her opponent's words and crooked her finger.

"Come at me."

"You...!"

The enraged knight lowered his lance visor and charged straight at Nina.

'?'

In an instant, Nina vanished from his sight. The next moment, an immense impact overwhelmed him, and his memory ended there.

Clang, clang.

The sound of armored plate tumbling across the ground brought silence to the arena.

"Just now..."

"What...?"

The soldiers and knights, ready to cheer, stared in stunned confusion. No matter how they looked at it, the situation made no sense.

Nina gripped her iron sword with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat from behind the knight with a sharp "Hyah!"

That much was possible.

But the knight struck by Nina's sword flew a great distance before crashing to the ground.

Even to the naked eye, the armored plate was visibly dented.

Nina swung the iron sword a few more times with a whoosh and said,

"Next one, please step up."

Only then did the crowd erupt in cheers as if released from a spell.

"Woooaaah!!"

"Waaah!!"

It was almost a scream. The farmers cheered with every ounce of strength.

The second knight reflexively stepped forward, but he couldn't comprehend it.

'With that build? How?'

Was something wrong?

Only when Nina said to the referee, "Give the signal?" did he hurriedly do so.

"Begin!"

The second knight cautiously raised his sword.

'Watch closely, then...'

And his memory cut off there.

Cheers erupted once more.

One by one.

The entranced knights stepped up but couldn't withstand even a single blow from Nina.

Now the farmers were weeping and embracing each other.

Feeling the reversed atmosphere, Nina let out a deep sigh.

"Ha, I've gone soft too."

A head strike would kill them, but she was settling for mere injuries by targeting their bodies.

How kind of her.

Of course, striking someone hard enough to crumple and send their plate armor flying could break bones, puncture lungs, or rupture organs.

'Better than cracked skulls, right?'

By the fifth, the knights changed tactics. They shed their armor for agility.

But to Nina, they were no different from mice before a cat, armored or not.

Six, seven, eight.

Each time Nina battered a knight back with her sword, the farmers leaped from their seats, stomping and clapping as they shouted.

Nina's sword showed no mercy. The knights weren't slashed, but they were surely broken and unconscious.

By the ninth, the knights fell silent.

"I-I forfeit."

The ninth knight dropped his trembling sword.

The knight captain's rebuke rang out.

"Forfeit in a duel? What are you doing!"

"Captain, th-that's a monster! A monster!"

Human strength has limits. They might have understood if Nina were a 2-meter-tall brute weighing three digits in kilos.

But she had a slender build. No such power should come from that body.

Captain Terivolta trembled before descending to the stage.

"I'll take the last one myself!"

"Oh."

Nina blinked. She thought he might not show fearing defeat, but the captain himself was stepping up.

'Knights are knights, after all.'

Nina twirled her iron sword.

Terivolta rejected armor.

That thing was a Belak.

No different from a Belak.

No need for anti-personnel armor, then.

He stood with his iron sword.

"Pleased to meet you."

Nina smiled softly at his words.

"I'll teach you a lesson."

Arrogant words, but Terivolta didn't rage.

He focused.

Dodge the first blow. Then create distance.

Tension strung his body taut.

"Begin!"

At the referee's cry, Terivolta charged Nina.

In an instant, Nina vanished from sight.

"This way?!"

He slashed, but the spot was empty.

"The answer is core muscles."

A whisper reached him, and Sir Terivolta lost consciousness.

Even the captain crumpled to the arena floor, leaving everyone staring blankly.

It hadn't taken long.

The Eagle Knight Order's ten elites fell to one person's hand.

All their victories, all their fame, crumbled by one hand.

Nina raised her iron sword high. Sunlight glinted off the blade like radiant splendor.

A subtle highlight effect courtesy of Nina and the sun.

The effect was tremendous.

The farmers leaped up simultaneously, stomping, clapping, and shouting.

"Long live Rubaenu! Long live the Ducal Family! Hooray!"

"Long live the Ebony Knight Order!! Hooray!!"

As if snapping to their senses at the cries, the Eagle Knights rushed over in a group.

"C-Captain!"

"Captain!"

Out of regard for his rank, Nina had struck his neck with her hand, not her sword—everyone witnessed it.

That force would normally snap a neck, but Nina controlled it perfectly; he was alive, merely unconscious.

"So, we win?"

Nina's clear voice pierced all the noise. All eyes turned to her.

Nina pointed her iron sword at the Eagle Knight Order's banner.

"Withdraw by sundown."

Nina shook a bottle of wine in admiration.

"These guys must be doing well. This is expensive stuff."

"Is this really okay?"

"What?"

"Well..."

Jin looked around. The two had taken over a tent the Eagle Knights hadn't packed up.

The long-term residence tents were hard to dismantle and move quickly.

Moreover, they needed to urgently report this defeat to the count, so the Eagle Knights fled with only minimal gear, like they'd been ambushed.

Had Captain Terivolta been awake, they wouldn't have retreated in such disarray, but he remained unconscious until the end.

And the monster who single-handedly crushed their ten strongest stared them down.

She might snap and swing her sword anytime.

That fear spurred their chaotic flight.

Thanks to it, Nina and Jin's tent overflowed with luxurious goods.

Nina had urged the farmers to stay the night, but they refused.

They wanted to rush back to the village and spread the news.

Nina distributed the tent's rations, and they thanked her profusely.

"Now that Young Master Adrian is the duke, life will get easier."

Nina slipped in some promotion.

"Of course. Absolutely."

The bowing farmers took their shares of food and returned home singing cheerful songs.

There was plenty of food, likely meant for a post-victory feast.

High-end items beyond what the farmers brought: fluffy white bread baskets, wine, jerky, fruit.

Even prepped pork.

"Wow, they have everything."

Nina and Jin lit the brazier, ate their fill, and drank heartily. Nina, having expended energy, devoured portions for ten grown men in one go.

"What if they come back?"

Jin asked, swallowing roasted pork.

"Those guys?"

"Yeah. Not all their soldiers are here. What if they regroup elsewhere and return?"

"They already lost the duel. No justification."

"They know it's just us two."

He meant they might return to murder and silence them.¹

Nina chuckled.

"So what if it's just us?"

Jin was momentarily speechless. Nina tilted her head and slathered butter thickly on white bread.

"If the Eagle Knight Order and soldiers vanish, won't the Raba Count family be in trouble?"

¹ Killing to prevent leaks.