The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 77

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 77

Chapter Title: Benzel's Request

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If Nina hadn't caught it so easily, it would have been an opponent that no ordinary soldier could have scratched with spear or sword.

Judging from the feel of touching it, normal fire wouldn't have worked either.

Even if they'd doused it in oil and set it ablaze, it would have kept moving just fine, putting the humans at an even greater disadvantage.

In short, without Nina, this incident would have resulted in massive casualties.

'And that same creepy feeling I sensed back then... I felt it again.'

The sensation of receiving that unpleasant signal, just like when the rat burst out of the Green Hall.

Nina brushed her hair back up. Her hood had slipped off, so she pulled it down over her head again and said,

"No, this isn't the time to talk about that. Well, I'm off."

"Wait."

Panicking and about to grab her arm, Benzel remembered his earlier blunder and swiftly stepped in front of her instead.

"What is it?"

She looked up at him. Staring into her golden eyes gleaming from within the dark hood, Benzel said,

"Can we meet again sometime?"

"What...?"

Absurdity began creeping into Nina's tone, so Benzel hurriedly continued,

"As a knight of the order, separate from my service to my lord. There's something I'd like to discuss."

"Do it now."

"It's not for right now..."

Why is he hemming and hawing like this?

"Fine, sure."

Nina agreed offhandedly. She had no idea what it was about, but whatever—once wouldn't hurt.

Benzel's face lit up at her words.

"And if you want, I'll make arrangements for you to join the investigation."

"No need."

Nina flicked her hand dismissively and said, "Now I'm really going," before spinning around to dodge him and vanishing with quick strides.

Watching her go, Benzel let out a sigh.

Closing his eyes, he could still perfectly picture the sword being swung.

A clear silver arc.

The ideal he had always imagined was embodied right there.

As a knight—no, as anyone who wielded a weapon—he absolutely wanted to talk with her at least once.

He pulled a letter from within his coat.

'Who on earth... and why?'

He tucked the letter away again and set off.

He had to report this to his lord, the princess, as quickly as possible.

"And it was my rare day off, too."

Nina sprawled on the sofa like a cat lounging in spring sunshine, mumbling to herself. Jin, who had been standing guard in her place, frowned.

"You okay?"

Without even lifting her head, she just raised a hand and waved it.

A perfect sign that she was fine.

Adrian hung his quill on its stand and leaned back deeply in his chair.

"How was the Lily Knight Order Captain?"

At his question, Nina sat up. Jin stifled a laugh at the sight of her puffed cheeks brimming with dissatisfaction.

Still not gonna mention rescheduling her day off, though.

She had undone her pigtails as well, letting her silvery-white hair cascade smoothly down.

"His skills aren't bad, but he seemed awkward since he'd never faced a Belak before. He probably deals with humans more often."

"Would he have won without you?"

"His sword's Rengxi steel, and from the way he slashed, his strength is solid. He would've won. But he's not the speedy type, so he would've struggled. Casualties, too."

The centipede head was this big, after all.

She traced a circle in the air with her finger, and Jin shuddered.

"I really hate it. Why do they keep turning bugs into Belaks?"

"Efficient?"

Jin sighed with a 'really hate it' look on his face and said,

"More importantly, no uniform or anything—how'd the poison work?"

"I blew it with North Wind, but it was so brief that it probably would've been hard to sustain. Come to think of it, Benzel was exposed to the poison gas. Hope he's okay."

"Benzel?"

"The Lily Knight Order Captain."

Adrian tilted his head at Nina's answer and asked,

"I know that. You two on a first-name basis now?"

"No. I just unilaterally call him by name."

Lily Knight Order Captain is too much of a mouthful, Nina said as she lifted one leg onto the sofa and hugged her knee.

"Why do the Heretics throw their lives away like they're nothing? Do they really think the Corrupted Spirit Lord will treat them well?"

Once a villain, always a villain.

Nina pouted, and Adrian replied,

"What they promise is eternal life and glory in this world."

"But they lost once already. Why stick with the losers?"

"They don't see it that way. They think the temple fabricated the story."

"The original is still the temple's, though. They just twisted it..."

Nina thought of the High Priestess.

'Now that I think about it, it's only natural the Heretics borrowed the temple's original. It's the religion she created.'

Nina sighed and continued,

"Whatever the reason, it's a headache for us... This is just my theory, though."

"What is it?"

Jin prompted her, and Nina gazed at the spirit mark on her right wrist before speaking.

"What if the Heretics have contracted with Corrupted Spirits?"

"What?"

Jin's voice rose in surprise. Nina stared at her mark with a grim expression and went on,

"When I first met the spirits, they told me something like that. Non-corrupted spirits don't demand body or soul. Which means the opposite for Corrupted Spirits—they do demand it."

That's how they control the Belak.

"Hey, isn't that... getting way too big a deal?"

Nina dropped her arm with a thud and nodded at Jin's words.

"I think so too. But when the Belak moved, I got this feeling similar to when I commune with spirits—but incredibly unpleasant."

"I felt it in the Green Hall too."

At Adrian's words, Nina said, "Then it must be something only spirit users can sense," before adding softly,

"Of course, it's all just my speculation."

This wasn't in the original story, so she had no choice but to share her inferences.

"Don't worry—just set up a plausible hypothesis. Act on it, and revise if it doesn't fit."

Nina's expression lightened at Adrian's words.

"Then let's go with that for now. We can always revise later if it doesn't pan out. Yeah."

Can't expect perfection from the start.

At that moment, Jin spoke up.

"But if it were me contracting with a Corrupted Spirit, I'd fight directly. Why bother using a Belak?"

Especially if the Belak dying means I die too.

"No way—Jin spotting the hole that fast."

"I mean..."

Jin scratched his cheek.

It was so unlike him that Nina tilted her head. Normally he'd snap, 'What do you take me for?'

"I was thinking recently about contracting a spirit myself."

Nina grinned.

No one had pried into his thoughts, but here he was confessing preemptively—so very Jin.

"You should. You've seen Young Master and me use spirits. It's not like you don't believe they exist."

"I don't even know what spirits are out there or which one to contract... and I don't have the eloquence to proclaim it."

"Hmm."

Nina eyed him with an ambiguous hum. She couldn't press him here; she'd have to find time later.

"Anyway, my day off's over like this. That list of tasty capital eateries is useless now."

"When did you even make a list like that?"

"I asked Mimina, and she said there's an Imperial Capital guidebook?"

Jin's green eyes widened round.

"There's something like that?"

"You didn't know? Apparently there is."

"People who live in the capital don't know about that stuff. It's for out-of-towners."

Nina stuck out her tongue at Jin. "And you came from Rubaenu too."

Jin coughed awkwardly and said,

"Besides, a day off isn't just once. You can go next time."

"But I don't know how long we'll be in the capital. How long are we staying?"

"We're planning to stay until the Imperial Ball is over."

"Then I'll get at least two more days off."

Nina's face brightened.

Adrian picked up his quill again and said,

"No need for an escort tonight. I have personal business."

"Don't nobles take escorts even for personal business? You have to bring a maid even for an affair."

Adrian replied curtly to Nina, "No need."

"Ridiculous. Then why did I even come along..."

She mumbled, then flinched.

"A date? If so, I'll tail you secretly. I absolutely won't get caught."

"...No. Not tonight, anyway."

He cut her off firmly. Nina whined for a bit before slinking out of the room dejectedly. Once she was gone, Jin said,

"Your Grace, I agree with the captain. Wandering the capital alone right now is dangerous."

"I'm not going alone, so it's fine."

Jin fell silent, having nothing more to say.

'Tonight Nina's gonna barge into his room and chew him out again.'

He swallowed a sigh, but that night, it didn't happen.

Someone had knocked on Nina's bedroom window first.

It was Adrian himself.