The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 43

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 43

Chapter Title: Enough as You Are

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I wanted to snap, "Who the hell is spouting that nonsense?!" without a second thought, but now was the time to listen.

"Yesterday, Nina, you said we have to dance right up to the end. I never even thought of it. So I wondered if there was something I could do."

Jin furrowed his brows.

"There wasn't."

He spat the words out and trembled with helplessness.

"I don't know how to find those useful plants in the Violet Forest like you do. I'm not as amazing as Kiril, or as helpful as the steward. Sure, I can do some accounting. I can handle numbers. But I don't even do that anymore."

Nina waited for him to say more, but Jin just lifted his green eyes to look at her.

Nina cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

"Hey, Jin. This is going to sound really cliché."

"Say it."

"When I got back that day... if I'd been crippled, would you not have been happy?"

"What are you talking about?"

Irritation and anger filled Jin's face.

"Do I seem like that kind of person? Even if you'd come back as a mouse, I'd have been happy."

Nina grinned at his words.

"What if mouse-me wasn't helpful and you felt sad about it?"

"Well, you'd still be you just by existing..."

Jin clamped his mouth shut, then opened it again.

"That's different."

"Different?"

"You're you. Nina la Dell."

"Yeah, you're you. Jin Raka."

Jin muttered in slight shock.

"I even forgot my own family name."

"I'm your captain."

Nina said it boastfully, staring straight at him.

"I'm glad you're here, Jin. I'm really glad you worry like that. You don't need to. Being Jin is more than enough."

"I'm not enough."

Jin grumbled, and Nina laughed again.

"That included, you're enough. The Young Master would be thrilled to hear it too."

"What? Why tell His Grace?"

Jin's voice rose in panic. Nina, who had been smiling silently, lowered her gaze for a moment before lifting it again.

"Jin, we can never be the same. We shouldn't be."

Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, but Nina waved her hand.

"No, I mean we're different. We have to be. The Young Master and I are different too. We look at the same goal. Right. But to reach it, we have to take different paths."

"You mean there are many ways to bring down a castle?"

Nina nodded at Jin's words. "Exactly."

"No one can do it alone. No one can be perfect by themselves. We're supporting each other with our differences."

Nina slowly reached out and took his hand.

"So do what Jin can do. I'll do what I can do. It's neither lacking nor excessive."

It's a perfect fit.

Nina furrowed her brow and said sternly.

"So don't stay up all night. You'll ruin your health. Eat well and sleep well."

Jin looked extremely reluctant as he said,

"Am I seriously getting lectured by someone seven years younger than me right now?"

"No, I'm just saying I like you so much that I need you."

At Nina's shameless words, Jin let out a short "Ha"—whether laugh or scoff, she couldn't tell.

He reached out and scooped her up effortlessly. Nina made a face and said,

"I've been eating a lot, you know?"

"Then why are you so light?"

"The spirits must've messed with my body."

Jin chuckled at Nina's grumbling.

"I can't help it since Nina needs me."

Nina's eyes widened, then she nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. I need you so, so much. Putting me in a warmed bed in the middle of the night, bringing me hot baths. I really, really like it. I need you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Jin tossed her out of bed. Nina landed gracefully on her feet like a cat, as always.

"Jin!"

As she protested and jumped up, Jin wriggled under the covers and said,

"I'm going to sleep more. Captain, I'm taking the morning off."

"Eek—!"

Nina lunged to snatch the blanket, but Jin clung to it desperately.

"I'm really sleepy."

Nina puffed her cheeks and patted the blanket.

"Come out after lunch."

"Yeah."

At his voice fading into sleep, Nina chuckled and opened the window in his room. She politely closed the shutters from outside, then leaped to her own balcony.

She stood there for a moment, basking in the early spring sunlight.

The spring sun was so gentle, warming her cheeks without burning.

Watching the soft honey-gold light bathe the castle, she could almost hear bees buzzing faintly somewhere.

Even the balcony railing, cold all night, held a subtle warmth.

Nina clicked her tongue.

Slept in.

She quickly changed clothes, tied her hair tightly, and headed to the training grounds.

The new recruits on the training grounds were training on their own.

Nina's eyes widened as she murmured, "Oh." Hiding slightly to observe, she could make out the hierarchy among the recruits.

As expected, those two.

Kell and Raja.

They trained the most competitively, pulling the others along. Inspired by the recruits, the veteran knights were busy with their morning drills.

Now, where was the third one who had stood out during selection?

Oh dear.

She spotted them training alone in the corner.

Nina chuckled and stepped out.

"Everyone's working hard."

"Captain."

"Captain."

The knights snapped to attention. Nina waved them off.

"Skip the greetings. Keep training. I'll join in and watch."

At her words, everyone returned to their spots. As Nina went to fetch her training iron sword, someone approached.

"Captain, here it is."

Nina smiled brightly at the person offering the heavy iron sword with both hands.

"Thanks, Sharo."

Sharo smiled shyly at that.

With smooth brown skin and wool-like beige curly hair, Sharo was the only female among the new recruits.

Nina took the heavy iron sword and began basic training. The body dulls immediately if not used even for a day.

She turned to Sharo, who was staring intently, and asked,

"Aren't you training, Sharo?"

"I am."

Sharo flushed and raised her wooden training sword.

Weapons varied slightly, but basic training was the same for all.

Nina considered basics the most important, before any advanced work. Knights had to complete the daily quota she set.

Afterward, their mouths tasted bitter, on the verge of vomiting, but not one skipped—they pushed through to the end.

Because Nina oversaw personal training after.

Raja finished basics first today. His light purple hair and training clothes soaked with sweat, his stylish two-block haircut disheveled. But he yelled, "Done!!" and ran to Nina.

"Ca-Captain! I'm finished!"

Nina let out a long breath. She too was drenched from training, but smiled and asked,

"Really all done?"

"Yes."

"Got it. Come on."

No formal stance or signal. Nina's words were light, and Raja swung his sword with full force in response.

Everyone stopped training to watch intently. Observing a fight was great study.

Especially against the captain.

Sharo's mint-green eyes burned as she followed their movements.

Kell sidled up to her and whispered,

"Hey..."

"Scram."

Kell shrugged at Sharo's words, then tried again.

"Look, we're both—"

"Scram."

"—in the same unit, we can't just not talk forever?"

Sharo glanced up at him. Kell flashed the easy smile that won people over.

But Sharo backed away instead.

"I'll talk if needed. Not now."

Kell was oddly pleased at her longer response. He understood why she was defensive among all the dark-haired men.

But staying like this would be a problem as fellow knights.

"Unnecessary? How do you know what I'd say?"

Sharo ignored him, focusing on the spar.