The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 81

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 81

Chapter Title: Randell's Burden

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After hearing the detailed location of the research lab and even the traps installed there, Jack left.

Nina perched on the armrest of the sofa where Randell was sitting and asked,

"But why did that guy die like that? Does cutting off an arm kill you? Does Taruka go berserk like that?"

"Of course not. This is just my guess."

He unconsciously made a gesture to summon Taruka, then sighed and spread his hand open.

"When he talked about increasing Taruka, he was probably the test subject himself. He must have gathered that power through the spirit fragment and filled himself with it. To control that power, it seemed like he needed that fragment. When he used magic, he no longer drew on Taruka."

"So when he was separated from the controlling fragment, his power went berserk?"

"Something like that."

"Can't you sense anything from that fragment, Randell?"

"No, I can feel something, but I can't tell exactly what it is."

He pulled out the crystal orb he had kept wrapped in his hood.

Nina grimaced, and Randell asked,

"You hate it that much?"

"Yeah, I really do. It's like you're holding a half-rotten skull right now."

"...I get it."

"But it's liquid inside, so why is it a fragment?"

Nina eyed the excessively transparent and beautifully sparkling crystal orb with a dubious expression.

It was less unpleasant than when the Sage had held it and used its power earlier, but it still felt off.

The only one who can purify this is the Saintess.

Only the heroine, the Saintess, could purify corrupted spirit fragments and make them disappear.

In the original story, the temple gathered the fragments they found and sealed them—or at least that's how it appeared on the surface. Thanks to that, no one knew what the High Priest was doing with them.

After Saintess Fiona appeared and her purification powers manifested, the High Priest became even busier.

He deliberately let the heretics steal some of the fragments the temple had collected.

That was the reason the protagonists' group kept falling into disadvantageous positions in the original story.

They never realized the collusion between the temple and the heretics.

Who could have figured that out?

When the heretics stole the fragments, even the Temple Knight Order Captain—who was close to Fiona—was murdered.

The death of the Temple Knight Order Captain, who had been close to Fiona, came as a huge shock to her.

And that's when Randell found her crying...

He comforted her gently and listened to her story.

Thinking about it, she looked at Randell. His vividly blue eyes, swirling with a fluorescent glow, met hers.

Randell... hmm.

Would Randell without his glasses act the same way as back then?

It's unlikely he'd act exactly the same.

Recalling Randell and Fiona's romance, Nina snorted dismissively.

If it's fate, it'll happen on its own, and if not... whatever. It's not like I'll die without a boyfriend.

"What's wrong?"

At Randell's worried question, Nina shook her head.

"Nothing."

Randell leaned back and asked seriously,

"Is it because of this fragment? Step back—it's dangerous."

"Nah, I'll pass."

Nina stood up and took a few steps away. Randell gave her a faint smile and explained,

"The fragment is just symbolic. Besides, it's a spirit fragment. Spirits are invisible to human eyes in this world... So maybe the liquid isn't the fragment itself, but there's something invisible inside it."

"Makes sense."

Nina thought of the Sun and Winter. Even when they met in her mental world, they hadn't shown their faces.

The laws that maintained the world.

Nothing beneath them could dare break those laws.

"I'll keep it safe."

At Adrian's words, Randell looked up at him and said,

"You're a spirit user too, Your Grace. Are you sure that's okay? Wouldn't it be better to entrust it to the temple?"

"I can't trust the temple right now."

At Adrian's words, the two stared at each other in silence.

"May I ask for your reasoning?"

"A temple priest broke the barrier in the Violet Forest."

"!!"

Randell blinked in surprise.

"I didn't know that."

"You probably don't know that Lady Nina nearly died because of it either."

Randell whipped around to look at Nina, who said gravely,

"Come to think of it, yeah. I basically died once because of the temple. If it weren't for the spirits, that would've been it."

She would've ended up barbecued after forcibly summoning the Sun.

It felt like ancient history now, even though it had only been a little over half a year since her return.

Adrian, who had experienced everything two years ago, seemed to remember it more vividly.

This is all because the Sun trained me for way too long.

Nina made that excuse to herself. Randell said seriously,

"If heretics have infiltrated the temple, we definitely can't take that risk. But isn't it dangerous for you to keep it, Your Grace?"

"Then who can?"

Adrian countered, and Randell bit his lip slightly.

I'll keep it.

He wanted to say it, but given his current situation, he couldn't. He'd be chased off the Isle of Sages immediately, leaving him without even a place to stay.

"It'd be safe with the Young Master, but isn't it risky for a spirit user? Why not just leave it with Randell?"

At Nina's blunt words, Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"Randell is..."

"And can't Randell stay at our mansion? It'll be awkward with the other Sages, so stay with us for a while, okay? It'd be great if you kept helping with the research too."

Nina grinned cheekily as she spoke.

She looked back and forth between the two men.

"Huh? Is that no good? Can't do it?"

"...It can be done."

"No reason it can't..."

Somehow, they both answered with faces that seemed convinced yet not quite.

"Then it's settled."

Nina summed it up neatly and said to Adrian,

"Young Master, I'll show Randell to his room."

Adrian nodded, and Nina left the room with Randell. She gave him one of the few clean guest rooms in the townhouse.

"It's empty. We should have him fetch his luggage tomorrow. Maybe ask a servant."

Nina sighed. Randell finally said what he'd been wanting to since earlier,

"Your hair looks pretty."

"Oh, this? The Young Master braided it."

"...Your hair?"

"Yeah, he's good with his hands."

Randell's words caught in his throat at Nina's beaming smile.

As he stood silently, Nina stepped closer with a worried look.

"You okay? What happened to the cut on your lip? Did that guy hit you? Who took your Taruka?"

"Can I start from the beginning?"

"Of course. I've got time."

Nina placed her hands on her hips and replied. Randell smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"We talked about Taruka earlier, right?"

"Yeah. The power needed for magic. It's innate, can't be changed."

Nina recited the summary, and Randell nodded.

"Right. Most research—Sages' research, that is—requires Taruka. My plant research too. We use magic for mutations or alterations to improve them."

"I see."

"Yeah. So the more Taruka you have, the more research you can do."

"People with low Taruka must have it tough."

"That was exactly the problem."

A sharp edge entered Randell's voice. His blue eyes began to blaze with anger.

"I didn't notice when I wore the glasses. They blocked all negative emotions. I..."

Grind.

The sound of him grinding his teeth made Nina gently tug at his sleeve.

Randell looked down at her with a face on the verge of tears. His eyes wavered.

"I was a tool for supplying Taruka to them."

His whisper held no strength.

The most common thing Randell heard upon returning to the Isle of Sages was, "How on earth did you manage to lose your glasses?"

Questions about his work for the ducal family felt more like an interrogation.

Back then, he thought they were just worried about the Sages' knowledge leaking out and being misused.

But once he sat back in his own lab, his daily life started cracking bit by bit.

No, it had already been cracked—he just hadn't noticed.

Randell was one of the few on the Isle of Sages born with a large amount of Taruka.

Naturally, many reached out for his help with their research.

That was fine.

The problem came when he said he could no longer share his Taruka for others' research.

He politely asked for their understanding.

He had more research he wanted to do in the Rubaenu Duchy, and he needed his Taruka for that.

But unexpectedly, he faced fierce backlash.