The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly
Chapter 227

Chapter 227 – Side Story, Or (7)

The imperial extermination force, dispatched in haste per Nemara’s report, returned empty-handed.

The location itself had been accurate.

Though unmarked on any map, the team, guided by Nemara and Drevlon, had struck precisely where the demons had gathered.

But what they found was not a host of demons conducting some ritual.

It was a vacant clearing.

Not just any clearing.

The ground had sunken in as if struck by a meteor. There wasn’t a single trace left behind.

The extermination squad set up a temporary base at the site and began a thorough search.

But they found nothing of note.

Back in the Imperial Security Office, every expert was summoned to analyze the situation.

First: what exactly had the demons been doing there?

Unfortunately, magic that could replay the past didn’t exist, so the Security Office had to rely solely on the testimonies of Nemara and Drevlon.

“Judging by the formation of the demons, it resembles this mandala on page 1,045 of this book. It’s described as a necromantic diagram meant to raise the dead.”

“No, no. This one here matches the pattern more precisely — the ritual used by heretics to summon beings from another world.”

After extensive debate using every ancient tome and consultation with both domestic and foreign scholars, the possibilities were narrowed down to two.

A resurrection mandala — or an otherworld summoning mandala. Both were so similar, it was nearly impossible to tell the difference.

“The afterlife and another world — both are external to this one. Maybe that’s why the structures are similar.”

“So which one is it, then?”

“Considering these are demons, not some other race, I’d say the more likely answer is that they were trying to resurrect the Demon King.”

From every angle, the Demon King's resurrection seemed the most probable, and so the Security Office made a working assumption:

The unknown demons had been conducting a resurrection ritual.

Then, the matter turned to what had happened afterward.

“Could something have gone wrong with the ritual? With this kind of dark sorcery, the price of failure is often catastrophic.”

“Or perhaps the ritual succeeded — but the explosion happened during the moment of resurrection?”

“Maybe some righteous mage cast Meteor?”

The last theory was dismissed.

The Meteor spell had been lost to time. Even if it were possible, only Kaiden was likely capable of casting it.

But Kaiden had been at the Academy the entire time. If he had done something like that, he would’ve reported it.

One of the Demon King’s killers silencing the resurrection of the very Demon King? Unimaginable.

“If we assume the worst — the Demon King has been resurrected and escaped. Then the question is: where did he go?”

“Alone, he can’t do much. He’s probably regrouping with the remaining demons.”

“But here’s the strange part. Wasn’t the Demon King’s corpse cremated and scattered into the far sea?”

Indeed, the Empire had completely disposed of the body to prevent any chance of resurrection.

“Necromancy doesn’t always need the original body. Sometimes, a new vessel is created and the soul summoned into it. It’s fundamentally different from magic.”

“Hmm… If that’s the case, then this is a serious issue.”

The Security Office reached a provisional conclusion: a resurrection ritual was performed — and succeeded.

The question now: where had the Demon King gone?

He had once unified the scattered and persecuted demon race into the most formidable army in history, conquering the continent with unmatched charisma and brilliance in strategy.

Even in one-on-one combat, his power was so overwhelming that Linus and the rest of the Demon King Slaying Special Force barely survived their encounters with him.

Now, with his whereabouts unknown, the Demon King had become the greatest threat on the continent.

“Mobilize all mages and Special Unit operatives to search for the Demon King. Our Empire’s top priority right now is finding him — even if only to confirm whether he’s truly been resurrected.”

Mirelis issued the order.

“Should we request cooperation from the other kingdoms as well?”

“Not yet. If rumors of the Demon King’s resurrection spread, it will cause mass panic. Hold off for now.”

As she said this, Mirelis kept toying with a letter on her desk.

It was addressed to Dian — detailing everything that had happened.

If the Demon King really had returned, they would need to reassemble the Demon King Slaying Special Force.

And that would mean Dian’s help was essential.

The former emperor had said as much: how they treated Dian would determine whether that team became an ally — or an enemy.

But they couldn’t bother him carelessly.

The only reason Dian had quietly remained at the Academy without complaint was because Mirelis had respected his space.

For now, the Empire would conduct the search on its own. If that proved insufficient, then — and only then — would they ask Dian for aid.

That was Mirelis’s decision.

# # # #

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was the pitch-black night sky. The Milky Way stretched endlessly above me.

I raised my hand and touched my head. Something strange met my fingers.

A bumpy texture, tightly coiled into concentric rings, ending in a sharp point — horns.

I sat up and looked down.

A naked body.

Muscular, well-built. A fine physique.

I tested my limbs.

Everything moved according to my will.

I stood.

There was nothing around me.

The ground beneath me had formed a wide, shallow crater — as if I had fallen from the sky like a meteorite.

Where was this?

I tried using the stars to get my bearings.

But it wasn’t easy.

There were too many stars. Finding a recognizable constellation was nearly impossible. I couldn’t even be sure the constellations I knew existed in this sky.

Well, first things first — let’s go.

Keep walking and something’s bound to turn up.

Just as I was about to start moving, I froze.

From the darkness ahead, countless glimmering eyes stared back at me.

“Grrrrrrrr...”

Under the starlight, they stepped into view — quadrupedal, wolf-like monsters.

I didn’t know exactly what they were, but judging by how they moved to encircle me, I’d been marked as prey.

I had no intention of dying like this.

I raised my hand and swept it slowly from left to right.

KRAKAKAKAKAKOOM—!!!!!!

As if raked by a giant’s claw, invisible force tore through beasts, trees, and soil alike — everything was shredded to pieces.

Hmm. That should do it.

Glancing down at my hand, I resumed walking.

First, I needed to find civilization. I was hungry.

Ah, but before that—

I raised my hand and broke off the horn on my head.

For now, these horns would only get in the way.

Purple flames consumed the severed horn. Reduced to ashes, it crumbled between my fingers.

Now, let’s go.

# # # #

A remote village on the edge of the continent.

The only inn in the village welcomed an outsider for the first time in ages.

A young man, stark naked, had knocked on the door in the middle of the night.

Claimed he’d been robbed by bandits while traveling nearby. Begged for just one meal, promising to wash dishes or clean up to repay it.

The innkeeper, reminded of his own son who had gone off to the Empire seeking work, took pity. He gave the man food and even handed over some of his son’s old clothes.

Now, the man was scraping his stew bowl clean, walking over to return it.

“I have no money. I’ll do the dishes.”

“Don’t bother. We barely get customers anyway.”

The innkeeper waved him off and took the bowl.

“Go upstairs and take any room you like. Bit dusty, since it hasn’t been cleaned, but it’s good enough for sleep.”

“No need. I won’t be staying the night. I’ve somewhere I need to be.”

“Oh? In the middle of the night?”

“Sir, have you ever heard the name Linus?”

“Linus…?”

The innkeeper looked at the man strangely.

“Who doesn’t know Sir Linus? He’s the hero who killed the Demon King!”

“Is he still alive?”

“Eh? Of course! It’s only been ten years since the Demon King died.”

“I see. Then… do you know anyone by the name of Dian?”

The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed.

“Dian? Never heard of him.”

“He was a member of the Demon King Slaying Special Force.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

The innkeeper scoffed.

“There was no one named Dian in that unit. Even kids around here know that.”

“I see… But the timing fits…”

The man muttered to himself, then asked another question.

“How far is it to Calvasar?”

“Calvasar… You mean the imperial capital? It’s far. Even if you hurry, it’ll take a month at least.”

“How do I get there?”

The innkeeper gave him directions, pointing out major cities along the way.

The man listened silently, then finally spoke.

“Understood. Thank you.”

He walked past the innkeeper and headed for the door.

“How’re you planning to get to Calvasar? You don’t even have a horse or a cart…”

“Farewell.”

The man closed the door behind him and stepped out into the night.