The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly
Chapter 228

Chapter 228 – Side Story, Or (8)

Before I knew it, autumn had come — the kind that stings your nose in the morning and evening chill.

Soon, it would be graduation day.

The organizations under the Imperial Security Office usually begin initial training in winter, so the Academy’s academic calendar is aligned to match theirs.

If the hiring institutions are on that schedule, the Academy can’t just do its own thing.

That’s also why we pushed the students like mad the moment the second semester began.

It’s not just that time feels short in the latter half of the year — there truly isn’t enough of it.

The graduating students were now in the thick of their final, tailored lessons, each matched to the demands of their future postings.

Knightley to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hindrasta to some unnamed special unit, Merilda to Codebreaking.

Each of them had been assigned to a role that fit their talents perfectly.

I’d been quietly worried that one of them might die in the field after graduation — but now I could rest a little easier.

Sure, the Ministry or Codebreaking might work you to death — but you wouldn’t die by the sword.

And Hindrasta? She’s not going to die. Period.

So, is everything finally wrapping up?

No — not quite.

As graduation approached, Knightley’s antics grew even worse.

That damn arranged marriage again.

Convinced that the marriage to me — unilaterally arranged by her father, Duke Toulouse — was set in stone, Knightley became desperate to get a final confirmation before graduation.

Knightley was always like that. Fierce will to win. Couldn’t accept not getting what she wanted.

But I was sorry to say — I had no plans to marry anyone, and even if I did, it definitely wouldn’t be Knightley.

I’d explained that to her clearly, multiple times. But she still refused to accept it.

“Why are you rejecting the daughter of a great noble?! If you marry me, Daddy promised to give you this and that and everything else!”

“I don’t need it. I’m not interested. If I cared about that sort of thing, I wouldn’t be working as a professor.”

“Unbelievable!”

Hindrasta was another headache entirely.

Dragons take grudges and favors to an extreme — with obsessive intensity.

She still hadn’t "paid me back" for what she owed, and at every opportunity, she looked ready to pounce.

Not a figure of speech — her eyes literally glowed in the dark.

When I walked home after sunset, I’d sometimes see two eerie gleams flash from a nearby alley.

It was Hindrasta, lurking in the shadows.

Even when I told her “this isn’t the way to repay someone,” it didn’t register.

Stubborn lizard-brained fool.

At least Merilda was normal.

She was the same as always — polite and composed — studying late into the night to prepare for her upcoming role in Codebreaking.

These days, it was hard to even catch a glimpse of her.

Kirrin and Ismera were also extremely busy.

It was the Academy’s first-ever graduation. Of course they were.

From the seating arrangements at the ceremony to this and that — there was a lot to be sorted out.

I quietly listened… and suddenly came up with a brilliant way to solve all of our problems at once.

“Let’s use illusion magic.”

“Illusion magic?”

“We cast an illusion over the main auditorium — make it feel like we’re somewhere grand and majestic. It’ll save us time, money, and labor. A genius solution, if I may say so.”

“Hm?”

Kirrin’s ears perked with interest, only for Ismera to shoot him a death glare.

“Headmaster! You’re not seriously considering that idea, are you?”

“Huh? Is it not…?”

“If illusion magic could solve everything, why would we maintain training grounds and hire professors? We could just illusion it all.”

“That’s a fair point — eep!”

Kirrin shrank back as sparks practically flew from Ismera’s eyes.

“Illusion magic should only be used to do what’s physically impossible. Relying on it for everything cheapens reality itself.”

Kaiden nodded gravely at Ismera’s words.

“The vice-principal is right.”

“So we’ll proceed with proper preparations...”

With both Scary Ismera and Stern Kaiden saying that, Kirrin meekly turned to glance at me, tail tucked.

Cute.

# # # #

One day, not long before the graduation ceremony—

A cooperation request suddenly arrived from the Codebreaking Division.

The request was for an early observational visit for Merilda.

They expressed high expectations for her — top graduate from a public academy, former deputy administrator in her village, and the highest theory scores at our Academy. They wanted to meet her before officially welcoming her aboard.

It was a great offer, so I accepted it gladly.

The capital graciously opened a dimensional portal to accommodate Merilda’s schedule ahead of her formal assignment.

“Take your time looking around, and if you’re curious about anything, ask all the questions you want.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

And with that, Merilda stepped through the portal to the capital.

# # # #

Deep beneath the capital, where the Imperial Security Office’s core functions were located—

Merilda toured the facility with the Codebreaking team, engaging in light conversation.

Work environment, job duties, lodging, salary — all the practical matters.

After all, her deployment to Codebreaking was just around the corner.

“Is it always this busy around here?”

Merilda asked, watching people rushing through the halls with hurried steps.

“Always busy. Constantly. This is the place where every piece of intel on the continent ends up.”

The staff member guiding her replied with evident pride.

“Maybe that’s why you didn’t notice this fall.”

Merilda smiled, picking up a paper that had slipped from a passing worker’s bundle.

“Oh dear, you shouldn’t touch things here so casually.”

The staffer quickly retrieved the paper from Merilda’s hand.

“By the way… is the Security Office researching otherworldly necromancy?”

As they resumed walking, Merilda asked casually.

The guides froze mid-step and turned to stare at her.

“What did you say, Miss Merilda?”

“That paper just now — the diagram on it. It’s used in otherworldly necromancy, isn’t it?”

“Otherworldly necromancy…? You mean… not summoning, not necromancy, but both? And how do you know that...?”

“I read about it in a book. In Codebreaking, understanding rituals and symbols is really important.”

The guides, stunned silent for a beat, finally snapped out of it and grabbed Merilda by the arm.

“This way. Quickly!”

# # # #

Mirelis strode swiftly through the halls of the Security Office.

Her sudden appearance sent people scrambling to the sides of the corridor, giving her a wide berth.

For the emperor to show such urgency — the situation had to be serious.

She had just received a report that a student touring the Security Office had found a possible answer to the demon ritual.

Her aide opened the door to the Codebreaking room, and Mirelis burst in.

“Where is she?”

“Over here, Your Majesty!”

A crowd had gathered around a wide table at the far end.

Papers related to the demon incident were spread out across it, and a small, youthful girl was examining them intently.

So focused was she that she didn’t even notice everyone standing to greet the emperor.

Someone moved to alert her — but Mirelis raised her hand to stop them.

“She’s a Special Mission Academy student?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. A graduating student named Merilda, scheduled for assignment here.”

The aide stepped forward and recited her background.

“…There’s something off about this.”

Merilda spoke up.

All eyes turned to her.

“There are two mandalas overlaid here. One for summoning, and one for necromancy.”

“Explain.”

Merilda looked at Mirelis. Someone beside her whispered.

“That’s Her Majesty, the Emperor.”

“Your Majesty.”

Merilda bowed deeply, but Mirelis gestured again.

“Formalities later. Start with the explanation.”

“Understood.”

Reading the emperor’s practicality immediately, Merilda began.

“This is a mandala. But it’s flawed. From its structure, it seems to have originally been a necromancy diagram. But due to a misalignment in some placements, it accidentally overlapped with a summoning mandala.”

“You mean… both summoning and necromancy occurred simultaneously?”

“Yes. I understand that the principles behind them are similar.”

Murmurs began to spread through the room.

The capital’s current working theory was that the ritual was for the Demon King’s resurrection — whether it had succeeded or failed remained unclear.

But Merilda was speaking of both resurrection and summoning.

“You said necromancy. Specifically — what does that entail?”

“Bringing back the dead.”

“Even without a physical body?”

“As I understand it, a new body can be created. A possession-based resurrection.”

“This mandala — it was drawn from a ritual performed by surviving demons deep in the continent’s uncharted lands.”

“Your Majesty! That information is classified!”

Mirelis ignored her aide’s outcry and continued.

“We suspect this was a ritual to resurrect the Demon King. Our biggest concern now is whether it succeeded. What is your assessment?”

Every gaze shifted to Merilda.

“I believe it did succeed.”

She answered firmly.

“The mandala is precise. Though this section here is slightly off, the structure isn’t broken. Records indicate that the gaps were filled by supplementary participants.”

“The Demon King… has returned.”

Mirelis murmured. A chill swept through the Codebreaking Division.

“And what about the summoning? Along with the Demon King’s resurrection — should we assume something else, unknown to us, was summoned as well?”