The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly
Chapter 202

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 202 – Kirrin’s Black Forest (25)

Kirrin didn’t come out for a long time.

Before anyone realized it, half the day had passed and it was already lunchtime, so we ate.

Thankfully, the menu wasn’t poison-laced skull soup, but proper food.

“Never thought I’d be treated to a meal by dark elves in the Black Forest of all places.”

“We also never imagined we’d be dining with the Grand Chief Administrator of the Church.”

“By the way… what are you going to do about that?”

Lormane pointed toward the corpses scattered in the distance.

There had been so many dark elves who sided with Nishira that not all of the bodies had been cleared yet.

And blood was splattered everywhere.

A normal person would’ve fainted or at least looked horrified, but Lormane didn’t seem particularly fazed.

Compared to what she’d seen during her time in the Special Forces Unit, this was nothing.

“Well… I was thinking of just gathering them up and tossing them outside the Black Forest. The beasts will take care of the rest.”

“That’s not an appropriate method. Having rotting corpses near your dwelling isn’t just about the smell—it’s a serious hygiene concern.”

“Then what would you suggest? Burning them runs the risk of a wildfire spreading out of control.”

“If you don’t mind, I can help.”

Lormane proposed a method using divine power.

With high-purity, concentrated divine energy, she could completely purify the corpses.

The idea of burning corpses with divine power sounded absurd—but apparently, it was possible.

Fwoosh—!!

“Whoa?!”

The blinding light, brighter than the sun, startled the dark elves. They shielded their eyes.

When the divine flare subsided a moment later, nothing remained.

Not a single trace.

How is this even possible?!

“A properly trained Oracle Priest can wield divine power that closely approaches that of the gods.”

Lormane explained calmly.

“The power of the gods isn’t only about mercy and compassion. Judgment, too, is within the domain of the divine. That’s why I can burn the dead.”

“…Then what about the living? Can you burn them too?”

Lormane only smiled, saying nothing. So she can, apparently.

“Isn’t there a risk of the gods getting angry when you use their power so freely?”

“They likely wouldn’t even notice. Like scooping a single cup of water from the ocean—it changes nothing.”

Creepy.

A priest who can use divine power freely without even needing divine permission?

She’s become a full-blown overpowered character over the past ten years.

“If you put your mind to it, there’s probably nothing you can’t do.”

“But that’s not true. If I were that kind of person, the gods would never have made me an Oracle Priest in the first place.”

“…I see.”

“This time as well, I only came because Sir Dian asked me. As you know, the Grand Administrator doesn’t move for personal reasons—it’s extremely restricted.”

“Sorry, Lormane.”

“It’s fine. If it were your request, Sir Dian, I’d drag even a greater demon out of hell by the collar if I had to.”

“Wait, is hell actually real?”

Zakrion, who had been listening, cut in.

“Hell is real, dark elf.”

“Then is it true that if you do bad things, you go there after you die and suffer for eternity?”

“That part is not true.”

Lormane gave a gentle smile.

“Hell is not an afterlife—it is a physical world, existing in another dimension. A place where sulfur flows instead of water, where acid rain falls instead of normal rain, and where demons cloaked in black flame live in peace.”

“In peace?”

“From their point of view, yes. It’s a completely different world from this one.”

I’d heard the setting included the existence of hell.

But this was the first time I’d heard it officially from the Grand Administrator herself.

So demons and hell really do exist…

“You said it’s a real world—then that means they could cross over into this one?”

“They could. The Church’s long history contains records of demons breaching this world and being exorcised.”

That’s a first.

“Even now, reports of suspected demon appearances are received from across the continent. Though in recent years, they’ve all turned out to be misunderstandings or hallucinations.”

“Still, it’s frightening.”

“That’s only because you don’t understand it. Fear comes from the unknown.”

Lormane smiled warmly.

“If a demon did appear, could you burn it with divine power like before?”

“I wouldn’t know—I’ve never tried.”

Well, yeah. What are the odds of a demon showing up in our lifetime?

Just then, Kirrin emerged from Nemara’s quarters.

“Kirrin.”

Her siblings stood up, and Kirrin gave a faint smile.

Her eyes were red and swollen—she must’ve cried a lot.

“Did he scold you again? Seriously, he’s too harsh.”

“No… nothing like that. He didn’t scold me.”

Kirrin turned to me.

“Dian. You should go in.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Dad wants to see you.”

“Me? Why?”

“He said he wants to speak with you in private.”

I looked at the others, but as expected, none of them had a clue either.

What could Nemara want to talk to me about?

When I entered, Nemara was already sitting up.

“How’s your condition?”

“I’m fine. The divine power worked wonders.”

“I’m glad.”

“Thank you, Professor Dian. Without you, we’d all be dead.”

“Exactly. Good thing I was here.”

He seemed briefly taken aback by my flippant reply and went silent for a moment.

“In any case, I’ll make sure to repay this favor one day. Right now, things are a mess.”

When dawn broke after the chaos and they began clearing the corpses, they realized that almost the entire clan was dead.

Many had sided with Nishira and Morkan, and others had died fighting against them.

The number of surviving dark elves was depressingly small.

For a people who lived off of mercenary contracts, losing this many was a critical blow.

And really, the dark elf race at this point was practically synonymous with Nemara’s clan.

The others had all been killed or driven into hiding as war criminals.

“What will you do now?”

“I intend to search for other clans. Some never participated in the war to begin with—just ran when the retribution began after the war.”

“There are people like that?”

“Of course. Not all dark elves took the Demon King’s side. Right now, we can’t afford to be picky. I just hope some of them are still alive.”

Nemara fiddled with his eyepatch as he continued.

“Our clan was just… lucky. We turned on the Demon King at the right time, and that’s why we’re still alive. It’s all thanks to Marian.”

“Marian… you mean Kirrin’s birth mother.”

Nemara began to tell me about Marian.

To my surprise, Nemara’s betrayal of the Demon King and Kirrin’s appointment as Headmaster hadn’t been political maneuvers—they were all according to Marian’s dying wish.

Because of her, the Human Allied Forces may have won the war.

If the Emperor had been assassinated back then, no one could have predicted how the war would’ve ended.

Maybe the fighting would’ve dragged on for decades. Or maybe the Demon King’s army would’ve conquered the continent.

“Kirrin takes after Marian. That’s why she can’t live as a dark elf in the Black Forest.”

“I can see that.”

“I asked Kirrin what would make her happy.”

“And what did she say?”

“She asked to remain as Headmaster.”

That was unexpected. She’d looked like she wanted to run away from that position for so long.

“Had a change of heart, did she?”

“Well, Kirrin said it like this. Up until now, everything she’d done had been someone else’s will—but from now on, she wants to move by her own. That’s what she said. I don’t quite get what she meant.”

“She’s realized she’s not a puppet anymore.”

Nemara looked at me.

“Is that it?”

“I’d say so. You’re a dark elf, so picking up the nuance of conversations might not come easy.”

“I see. Either way, it means the talk went well, doesn’t it?”

“Something like that.”

Nemara nodded.

“So… Professor Dian. I have a favor to ask.”

“I’m not interested.”

I preempted him, and Nemara gave me a look.

“You want me to marry your daughter, right? Well, I’m not planning to get married any time soon.”

“…Marriage? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that it?”

“It’s not.”

“Then what is it?”

“Help Kirrin.”

Nemara said.

“I want you to stay by her side and help her fulfill her duties as Headmaster.”

Nemara turned his gaze to a shelf stacked with skulls.

“I can’t do anything for her. I’m a dark elf. All I know is how to kill people. That’s no help for running an academy. So I’d like you to be there for her.”

“I already am. And I will be going forward.”

“That’s good to hear. And… there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

After a moment of silence, Nemara spoke.

“I want to send Sharian and Zakrion to the Second Princess.”

“…What? All of a sudden?”

“This has nothing to do with Kirrin. But seeing how things are in the capital, it feels like I need to have feet on both sides.”

Everything Nemara had done until now was because of Marian’s last request and for Kirrin.

But without keen insight and foresight, charging ahead blindly would’ve doomed his entire clan.

Turning on the Demon King was no easy decision. And stabilizing things post-war while gaining the Emperor’s trust was even harder.

Just what does Nemara see in the capital’s current state? How far ahead is he looking?

“Mr. Nemara. What do you think will happen to the capital?”

“The Emperor will die soon.”

Nemara answered plainly.

“They say he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in ten years.”

“Ten years? Why not?”

“They say he’s afraid that one of the Special Force members who went missing will come back to kill him.”

A missing Special Forces operative?

The Empire had assembled a ton of them during the war. This must’ve been one of them.

They sent people on dangerous missions and never properly compensated them—of course things went south.

They should’ve handled it better.

Seriously, that useless old man… tsk tsk.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

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