The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 84

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 84

Chapter Title: Jack's Confirmation

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Back in the room, Jack was sitting there with a troubled expression on his face. Guessing the reason for his return, Adrian spoke up.

"What do you want to confirm?"

"How can you be so certain that’s Nina la Del?"

"Because it’s Nina."

"What if she actually died two years ago? What if something else is disguised as Nina right now?"

"No."

"But—"

Jack frowned, and Adrian flicked his hand as if to say, Speak.

"You don’t like that person much. Aside from you, Master, and the former captain, I’ve never really paid them any mind. I know full well myself that I’m emotionally handicapped."

"And?"

"How should I put it? Lady Nina’s words just sink in so easily, you know? At first, she swung her sword at me, right? Honestly, I thought she was a pain."

Even though she knew he harbored no malice, she swung anyway.

That’s what made her a pain.

"But then she chased after me... Ha."

Her words—her flowers—slipped effortlessly, whoosh, right into his heart.

People usually have shields around their hearts, making it hard for words to pierce through and touch them, but hers reached him with ease.

"And when she speaks or smiles, there’s something that grabs your attention. A sparkling quality, maybe?"

Something that makes you turn around like, Huh?

"I’ve heard people say she has charm or charisma. But hers is a bit... Is she even human?"

Knowing exactly what kind of person he was, Jack found the very fact that he felt fondness for her deeply suspicious.

"She is. And how do I know? Nina’s always been like that."

From the very start.

"How do you think a fourteen-year-old girl could stay unscathed in a knight order packed with rough men who might die tomorrow—no, honestly, a group closer to mercenaries?"

Even if they initially mistook her for a boy and let it slide, things were different after that.

At Adrian’s counter-question, Jack’s mouth fell open, then snapped shut.

"Yeah. You’re right. Damn."

Then it really is Nina la Del.

Imagining there being two or more people like that was somehow scarier.

He smacked his lips and glanced slyly at Adrian.

"As an informant, she’d be an unparalleled asset."

"No."

"Knew you’d say that."

Jack rose from his seat with a smirk.

"You must have it rough, Master."

"What?"

"Our captain being so popular and all."

He said it playfully, but Jack thought it fortunate that she was strong.

The stronger and thicker a person’s heart’s shield, the easier it would be to fall for her. For such people, she had a high chance of becoming a one-of-a-kind existence.

With that personality and that strength, that’s probably how she’d survived unscathed until now.

Of course, affection and fondness come in all varieties, and how they develop depends on the other person.

But they could still go south in weird ways, Jack mused with an odd twinge of worry.

Adrian set the report down on the desk and replied.

"Not really."

"Oh?"

Jack teased lightly, but Adrian stared him down squarely and answered.

"If Nina’s happy, that’s enough."

Jack muttered something short and ambiguous—"I see" or "Maybe"—before withdrawing.

Adrian gazed at the window as dawn broke.

Today looked like it would be another busy day.

Benzel surveyed the ballroom. As captain of the Lily Knight Order, more than a few people wanted to speak with him.

Especially those looking to curry favor with the Viarrentil Princess or flaunt their connections—they always made a point to greet him.

Benzel responded politely to every greeting, but his gaze never lingered long on anyone.

Is he not coming?

He had come specifically after hearing that the Rubaenu Duke would attend, but it seemed he wouldn’t show today either.

More than half—no, nearly all—the talk at the ball revolved around the Rubaenu Duke.

Lady Nina, who defeated the Belak that appeared in the city. Lady Nina, who thwarted the mad sage’s villainy.

Randell, one of the seven sages, had blown the lid off everything, turning the sages’ gathering upside down. The temple had raided the lab but found no fragments, and word was spreading fast.

The place supporting and protecting Sage Randell was none other than the Rubaenu Ducal Family.

The temple had requested audiences with Randell several times, but the duke had politely refused each one.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the capital was currently swept up in a Rubaenu Ducal Family frenzy.

Every incident that cropped up was tied to the Rubaenu Duke.

Nobles who had kept their distance at his initial debut flipped their attitudes faster than a pancake.

Like ants swarming sugar, they started clinging to the Ebony Knight Order members, their captain, and the duke himself at balls—and from then on, the duke’s attendance plummeted.

Some even began imitating the Ebony Knight Order by dressing head-to-toe in black.

At that moment, the entrance buzzed with excitement.

Benzel snapped his head up hopefully, straining his eyes.

"His Excellency, Duke Rubaenu, has arrived!"

With the announcement, the duke’s entourage entered.

The Ebony Knight Order’s symbol was the black hawk.

The ballroom brimmed with bright, vibrant colors, and the black uniforms cutting through them stood out even from afar.

It was like a black hawk amid a flock of small, fluttering colorful birds.

And at their center, the Rubaenu Duke’s presence remained utterly undiminished.

In another sense, the Rubaenu Duke was currently the talk of high society.

The sleek cane topped with a silver headpiece that he carried had caused a true sensation.

Until then, canes had been for old folks shuffling along.

But that dark purple cane with its ornate headpiece was alluring, rocketing to popularity in an instant.

Once it became known that the deep purple wood was a specialty from the Violet Forest alone, its hype soared even higher.

One might say its danger appealed to people’s thrill-seeking side.

And what of his uniquely toned attire?

Regardless of gender, most wore bright, flashy outfits with copious fabric, yet the Rubaenu Duke favored dark hues tailored perfectly to his frame.

A new frontier for gentleman’s fashion.

People called it that and rushed to commission similar outfits.

His elegant speech, smiles, and every mannerism became the trend.

His conversation style—cheerful and gentle yet often biting—and his imperial accent, both sides of it, too.

Even phrases like “The Rubaenu Duke’s nobility outshines the royals’ own regality” were circulating.

And what of the gold pocket watch he’d recently brought out?

Clocks were for hanging on walls, not something small enough to carry around.

Yet the gold watch the Rubaenu Duke had commissioned from Karak Workshop fit neatly in a pocket.

It cost as much as a year’s budget for a minor territory—an eye-popping sum—but high nobles scrambled desperately to order their own somehow.

He was a walking billboard, so Lorokomo bent over backward to get him carrying their items.

Similarly eye-catching was the woman with silver hair cascading in twin tails.

She’s here.

A flicker of relief crossed Benzel’s face unbidden.

Nina still stood rigidly behind the duke, her face cool as ever. Her golden eyes were icy, and the faint smiles she occasionally flashed were sharp.

But Benzel knew well how rich her expressions and voice could be in other moments.

Even if those moments involved her being irritated, that is.

Benzel bided his time until the crowd thinned somewhat, then approached.

"Greetings to Duke Rubaenu."

Benzel bowed politely, and Adrian glanced at him.

By noble etiquette, the lower rank could initiate a greeting, but whether a conversation ensued was entirely up to the higher rank.

"Sir Benzel, good to see you again."

Adrian acknowledged him. Benzel relaxed, lowering the hand pressed to his chest, and spoke.

"I’d like to have a brief word with Lady Nina."

A murmur rippled through the surroundings like invisible smoke.

Nina la Del.

No one was unaware that she too was at the eye of rampant rumors.

If the Rubaenu Duke had captivated high society, Nina had captured the capital’s public sentiment.

She stood there with a long coat draped over her shoulders like a mantle and a uniform glittering with gold buttons and accents—the most famous figure in the capital right now.

The Empire’s Greatest Sword.

As public opinion tilted toward accepting her self-proclaimed title as truly hers, the Lily Knight Order captain—arguably her greatest rival—had just addressed her.