The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly
Chapter 224

Chapter 224 - Side Story, or (4)

That lunatic Linus dragged out a nightmare I had just barely managed to forget.

During the war, the Human Alliance was composed of nearly every sentient race with humans at its core.

Among them were the orcs, a warrior race. Linus and I had been assigned for a while to a unit made up of one such orc tribe.

It was there that one orc female warrior declared she would take me as her mate.

Apparently, it's natural for a warrior race to be drawn to the strong. Or so they say.

But there was a problem. Orcs, regardless of gender, were just slabs of muscle.

Imagine the Academy’s battle instructor Professor Brogg—just add a chest.

But even that chest wasn’t fat. It was muscle.

Anyone would end up with trauma if a two-meter-tall orc woman showed up in the middle of the night, carrying a club and rope, saying she was taking you to her den.

Ugh. Just thinking about it makes cold sweat run down my back.

“If you bring that up one more time!”

“Haha. Alright, alright. My bad.”

Linus chuckled low.

“Oh right, Dian. I forgot to thank you,”

Said Celine.

“I heard you suggested to Her Majesty the Empress that our tribe be granted territory.”

“I did. For a few reasons.”

“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, my father can finally achieve his lifelong dream.”

“Send him my congratulations. Tell him he doesn’t have to shoot arrows at guests anymore.”

We all burst into laughter.

Back when we went to recruit Celine, Linus, Lormane, and I were nearly turned into porcupines from all the arrows.

Though, thanks to that, Lormane awakened her holy shield for the first time, so something good did come out of it.

“Well, anyway. Now that it's all done, I’m off.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. I didn’t even get to eat properly because of how uncomfortable it was. And there's nothing left to do here.”

“I see. I’ll see you off. You’re heading out through ‘there’, right?”

“Yup.”

We all headed upstairs, through the imperial bedroom’s window and out of the palace.

Normally, we’d have to scale the walls, but since Celine’s leg was still bad and we had Kaiden with us, we just used magic to easily leave the inner palace.

“By the way, shouldn’t we bring Principal Kirrin?”

“He can come with Kaiden later.”

“What about Lormane? Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”

Didn’t think of that.

Looking back, I saw the front of the main hall packed with people.

Lormane’s probably in there somewhere too.

Going over would just draw unnecessary attention.

Then it happened.

“DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!”

Someone screamed my name with a booming voice.

I turned around—and damn it all.

Duke Toulouse was standing there, grinning from ear to ear, shouting at me.

His face was flushed red. Must’ve downed a good amount of wine at the banquet.

“Dian! So this is where you were!”

His voice was so loud, everyone in the area turned to look this way.

“The unsung hero of the Four-Year War! The bane of Hindrasta! The savior of the noble army! My eternal friend, DIIIIIIIIIIIIAN!!”

What kind of drunken madness is this!?

“Your Grace, do you know that man?”

“Know him? Of course I do!!”

Someone asked, and Duke Toulouse shouted back, voice booming.

“That man, Dian—!”

“Yaya! Kaiden! Portal! Now! And shut that lunatic up!!!”

Kaiden lifted both his index fingers, and a portal opened. Simultaneously, Duke Toulouse’s mouth sealed shut.

“Mmph! Mmmmmmph!”

“I’m going! You come later with Principal Kirrin!”

I hurriedly jumped through the portal.

# # # \#

The Chief Administrator of the Church is an extremely high position.

The third in rank in the Goddess Church, followed by the pope and high priest, and the one who manages all administrative operations of the entire religious organization.

With the authority to oversee a budget so vast it’s impossible to calculate, the Chief Administrator also holds a great portion of the pope’s power.

In practice, while the pope is more of a symbolic figure, the true influence within the church lies with the Chief Administrator.

Because of that, everyone wanted even a few words or a handshake with Lormane.

But because of her status, and her personality, Lormane couldn’t easily shake off the people crowding around her.

Even as she kept up polite conversation, her expression was uneasy.

She couldn’t shake the image of Dian, eating all alone behind that pillar.

Dian dislikes attention.

That’s why he threw everything away and left the capital ten years ago.

And yet, despite all that, he came back for Her Majesty’s sake.

And yet he couldn’t even eat in peace, tucked away in some lonely corner…

What’s he doing now?

Could he be all alone in the empty banquet hall, quietly eating cold food?

Ahh, Dian….

This won’t do. I can’t just stand around here.

“Chief Administrator! Where are you going?”

“I have urgent business.”

Lormane gathered her priestly robes and dashed toward the main building.

Holy Knights assigned for her protection followed in a panic.

Meanwhile, Kirrin had been swept away with the crowd following the Empress and ended up in the palace gardens.

Clearly, it was a gathering full of big shots where an Academy principal wouldn’t stand out at all.

He figured he could slip away quietly…

But what truly weighed on his mind was Dian.

Why had Dian’s seat been behind a pillar? Was something wrong?

Did he eat all the food I brought?

Dian does love the dessert café at the Academy.

We’ve even had cake together for lunch now and then.

That’s why I brought him so many sweets…

Did he eat? Or is he still there?

Kirrin glanced in that direction.

The Empress was gracefully greeting the departing guests.

It didn’t seem like anyone would say anything if he slipped out now.

“Excuse me, sorry, excuse me…”

Kirrin weaved his way through the crowd with the nimbleness of a dark elf and returned to the palace.

Meanwhile, Mirelis—

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. I wish peace and prosperity upon you and the Empire.”

“Thank you. I also hope that the ‘minor legal dispute’ in your territory will be resolved smoothly.”

The marquis bowed before the Empress—but for a brief second, his face froze.

Currently, his land was in conflict with a directly governed imperial region over its borders.

For Her Majesty to refer to it as a “minor” legal matter meant one thing:

Settle it quickly.

The marquis’s expression turned bitter as he walked away.

Mirelis took that moment to glance toward the palace.

Dian hadn’t come out.

Was he still in the banquet hall? Or had he already slipped out through some hidden path?

Dian is a man who does not act unless he’s truly compelled to.

No one can force or threaten him.

He only acts when he himself believes it’s right.

Even his presence at the coronation was because he had decided it was something he ought to do.

If that’s the case… then perhaps, just perhaps, he—

“Assume my place.”

Mirelis ordered the Minister of State behind her.

As he stepped forward, Mirelis flicked her cape and turned toward the palace.

“Make way!”

Her aide shouted, and the imperial knights and guards cleared a path.

Hidden nearby, dark elves Sharion and Zakrion appeared and took position guarding the Empress.

As they reached the banquet hall entrance, a group of people suddenly burst from the other side.

“Stop right there!”

Her guards immediately raised their weapons.

“Stand down! That’s the Chief Administrator!”

Holy Knights accompanying Lormane raised their voices.

“Lower your weapons.”

At the Empress’s command, her guards immediately backed off.

“Chief Administrator. What brings you here? Weren’t you outside just a moment ago?”

“I came to speak with Dian, Your Majesty.”

“I see. Well, he is an old comrade. It makes sense you’d want to speak with him. Perfect timing, actually. I also wished to—”

Just then, another presence was felt from the other direction.

“Don’t move!”

The guards immediately pointed their weapons toward the source.

“Hiiik?! I didn’t do anything!”

There stood a thoroughly flustered Kirrin.

“Kirrin? What are you doing here?”

“That is, um…”

Sharion asked, and Kirrin began to babble.

“I was… gonna head back to the Academy with Dian…”

“Well, isn’t this a nice coincidence.”

Mirelis smiled.

“The Chief Administrator and I also came here for Dian. The rest of you stand down. The three of us will go in.”

Mirelis, Lormane, and Kirrin entered the banquet hall together.

Inside, staff were busily cleaning up the buffet.

And in one corner, behind a pillar, lay a pile of untouched food and stacked plates.

To someone unfamiliar, it might look like a shrine to some ancient hero or founding ancestor.

“Dian. Are you still here?”

But behind the pillar—there was no one.

“Wasn’t someone sitting here earlier?”

One of the servants bowed deeply.

“The gentleman has already left the hall, Your Majesty.”

“I see.”

Mirelis smiled bitterly.

Dian. You really are…

Lormane clutched her chest with sorrow.

I should have brought him more food. Stayed and kept him company…

Kirrin, meanwhile, was anxiously glancing at the two of them.

Looks like he already went back to the Academy… I should really head back too…