The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly-Chapter 5 – Imperial Special Mission Academy

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 5 – Imperial Special Mission Academy

“Wow, it’s really huge!”

Olysia exclaimed as she got off the carriage upon arriving at the Imperial Special Mission Academy.

Indeed, as Olysia described, the academy was incredibly vast.

Thegrand parade ground, where events and major exercises took place was the size of several modern-day football fields combined. Surrounding it were the headquarters and main buildings, forming a structure akin to a small town.

Beyond that, numerous smaller facilities could be seen, along with a hill covered in bushes within the grounds.

And all of these were encompassed by a sturdy wall towering about ten meters high, presumably enchanted to ward off external intrusions.

“Hello, Sir Dian. I’ll take you to meet the headmaster. Will your younger sister be accompanying you?”

The administrative director who greeted us asked upon seeing Olysia, who had similar brown hair to mine.

“She’s my maid.”

“I see. Then I’ll have her escorted to the dormitory to unpack her belongings.”

The carriage carrying Olysia continued on its way, and I followed the administrative director towards the main building.

“Headmaster, the successor has arrived.”

Waiting for me in the office was… huh? What’s this?

Something dark stirred slowly behind the desk piled high with documents. It was a Dark Elf.

With ruby-red eyes and jet-black hair, and smooth, dark chocolate-like skin, except for the distinctively slender physique and long ears, they were nothing like regular Elves.

Upon confirming the race of the academy’s headmaster, I could understand what Linus meant when he said the current headmaster excelled in personal abilities but lacked in organizational management.

Dark Elves were born to be assassins, possessing agile bodies, highly developed senses, and innate abilities in memorization, making them unparalleled in their field.

However, being a minority race and accustomed to living in dark forests, they faced many limitations in working in civilized society.

But how on earth did a Dark Elf end up in this position?

And that Dark Elf seemed rather peculiar.

Instead of the typical dark, ebony-like skin, she had a somewhat brighter tone resembling chocolate. And why did her face look so… gentle?

Despite currently trying to maintain a fierce look, compared to typical Dark Elves who resembled snakes, she seemed to resemble a cute kitten.

“Hello, headmaster. I’m Dian.”

I greeted, but the Dark Elf headmaster remained silent, just staring at me. Did I do something to displease them?

“Hello?”

Still no response, just a silent, scrutinizing gaze. Why? As the headmaster’s silence lingered, the administrative director cleared his throat.

“Headmaster, this is the successor. We received words from the Imperial Palace.”

“I’m aware. I just… see what a human looked like in detail.”

Only then did the Dark Elf headmaster mumble while scrutinizing me up and down.

“Hello, headmaster. My name is Dian.”

“I’m Kirrin Nemara. But, what did you do in the past? What kind of experience do you have that led the Imperial Palace to send you as a substitute for Sir Linus?”

“Did the Imperial Palace not inform you? Then I won’t bother telling either.”

I had heard from Linus that upon leaving the Imperial Palace, all of my records were classified as confidential. It was said to be because they planned to use them for propaganda but worried about the negative image if I were to escape.

So, if the Imperial Palace didn’t send my resume for the position of headmaster, there was no need for me to mention it either. Perhaps it was a measure taken out of concern that if they sent me as a professor, the hierarchy would be disturbed by my background.

“Nevertheless, your appearance is surprisingly normal. When I heard that you were coming as a substitute for Sir Linus, I imagined someone with the stature of a troll or an orc, displaying a chest full of fur and gnawing on deer bones like a savage.”

“Interestingly, those of us with normal appearances tend to survive longer on the battlefield. But…”

I paused for a moment before continuing.

“If you are a Nemara, are you from the same Nemara Clan I know? The assassination group that infiltrated the Imperial Palace.”

“Yes, that’s right. That Nemara Clan.”

Ah, I see. Now everything falls into place as to why a Dark Elf ended up as the headmaster of the academy.

Originally, Dark Elves were allied with the Demon King’s army during the war. They were troublesome individuals who caused significant damage to our allies while acting as assassins.

However, when Linus and I blocked the dragon Hydrastar together and were both promoted to captains, there was an incident where Dark Elves infiltrated the Imperial Palace.

Their goal was, of course, to assassinate the Emperor. However, they failed. It was due to the defection of the Nemara Clan, who were part of the assassination attempt, that the plan was foiled.

For reasons not entirely clear, the Nemara Dark Elves, who had a strained relationship with the leadership of the Demon King’s army, killed all the other Dark Elves who infiltrated with them and defected along with their clan.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

As a result, the Emperor greatly appreciated the Nemara Clan’s actions and appointed a Dark Elf from their clan as the headmaster of this academy. Anyway, it was part of the Emperor’s promise, so it had to be fulfilled.

“This is an honor. It’s my first time meeting someone from the Nemara Clan.”

“Yes… and this will be the last…”

“Pardon…?”

“I will be kicked out and go back to the forest where my clan lives, never to return to the human world again…”

With that, tears began to well up in the headmaster’s ruby-colored eyes.

“Oh, dear…”

Seeing that, the administrative director whispered to me in a voice barely audible.

“I think… you haven’t received any news from the Imperial Palace yet. For now, I…”

“No, stop.”

The headmaster closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again, adopting a cold attitude as she cut off my words.

“I don’t want to hear it. I’ll probably be fired anyway. It’s obvious.”

“Um, for now, I’m not going to be the headmaster. I’m here as a professor.”

“Of course you are… Eeek?! What?!”

“What do you mean?!”

Both the administrative director and Headmaster Kirrin shouted simultaneously at my words.

“The headmaster position is too burdensome for me. Her Highness, the Second Princess, had instructed me to do so as well. The Director of National Security, your superior.”

“I’m not getting fired?!”

As the headmaster excitedly raised both arms, various weapons, including daggers and ropes, spilled out from sleeves and inside clothes. Of course, she was a Dark Elf, after all.

“Oh, dear. No, don’t touch them. They’re dangerous items.”

The headmaster, crouching down, stopped me from helping and picked up the weapons herself.

“I’m sorry. I showed a disgraceful sight.”

“Haha… It’s okay. So, what should I do now?”

“Actually, it’s perfect timing since there’s a vacancy. Talk to the administrative director.”

Following the headmaster’s words, the administrative director grabbed my arm and led me away.

“Come this way, Sir Dian.”

As we left the office, the administrative director bowed his head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Sir Dian. I’m sure you were quite startled because of the headmaster.”

“No, it’s fine. There are all kinds of people in the world. But isn’t the headmaster being a bit too obvious in her joy?”

At my words, the administrative director gave a faint smile.

“Rumors were circulating that the Imperial Palace was considering Sir Linus, the hero of the continent, as her successor, and upon hearing this, she went as far as not eating or drinking several days.”

“Really? That much?”

“The headmaster doesn’t want to return to the Dark Elf forest.”

“Why not? Is she very ambitious?”

“Not exactly. There are some complicated circumstances.”

The administrative director briefly explained Kirrin Nemara’s background to me.

Her father was the leader of the Nemara Clan. He was the mastermind behind the betrayal and annihilation of the other Dark Elf during the Imperial Palace infiltration incident.

In return, the Emperor accepted the surrender of the Nemara Clan and repaid them for saving his life. The leader of the Nemara Clan demanded that his daughter, Kirrin, be appointed as the headmaster of this newly established academy.

Originally on the side of the Demon King’s army, the clan’s defection caused considerable opposition. However, the Emperor couldn’t back out of his promise due to reasons of dignity, so he brought Kirrin here. 𝘧𝘳ℯ𝓮𝘸𝓮𝑏𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓁.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Emperor probably never expected such an unreasonable demand to arise. He might have anticipated land or money, but this request was beyond imagination.

“The headmaster’s father was very pleased when she was appointed as the headmaster. It was a moment of recognition for the Dark Elves, who had been marginalized, to finally be accepted as part of civilized society.

In simpler terms, it’s like the child of a rural judge suddenly coming out of the backwaters.

“So, do you understand now? Why the headmaster doesn’t want to resign and return to the forest? It’s because it would disappoint the entire clan.”

After hearing the administrative director’s explanation, I could roughly guess the situation in the Imperial Palace.

As the Director of the Imperial Special Mission Academy, a vital institution, the Second Princess, who was also the Director of National Security, was pondering how to remove the Dark Elf, who was appointed by the Emperor’s promise. In the end, she resorted to the trump card, Linus.

It was calculated that if Linus, the savior of the continent who killed the Demon King, was involved, even the Emperor’s parachute couldn’t save her.

However, Linus, who was married to Celine and expecting a child, happened to be seeking retirement. So, the Second Princess made an absurd proposal that if he found a suitable replacement, she would allow him to retire. But, was there someone who could replace Linus in this world?

And coincidentally, the fact that I had a fight with those Ferenchino guys was reported to the Intelligence Bureau, and Linus, who caught wind of it, came to ask for my help.

To put it simply, it was as if the child of a friend who greatly helped the chairman had been parachuted into the company, and the chairman’s own child, the executive director, wanted to drive them out. Isn’t this a ridiculously tangled situation? I never imagined it would be so complicated.

“Anyway, Sir Dian, it’s fortunate that you came as a professor rather than the headmaster. The headmaster can retain her position, and we have a great professor here at our academy.”

“What should I do then?”

“Please take on the role of Head Combat Professor. Since you were mentioned as a candidate for headmaster by the Imperial Palace, your abilities have already been verified.”

“Is there no position available as a regular subject professor? I don’t want to do anything too difficult.”

“I’m sorry, but there are no vacancies for subject professors. The previous Head Combat Professor just resigned, so please go that way.”

Head Combat Professor… It’s a bit vague, but it’s better than nothing. Considering Linus and Celine, compromising at this level is necessary.

“But why did the previous professor resign?”

However, the administrative director didn’t respond to my question and just smiled meaningfully.

“I survived!!”

Just as we were about to take another step, we heard Headmaster Kirrin’s ecstatic cheer from behind the closed door. It seems she didn’t realize we were still in the hallway.

For a Dark Elf, she’s quite a character, that woman.

But anyway, looking at the pile of documents earlier, it’s definitely not a comfortable position. Even in current times, the heads of institutions and CEOs seem to be playing around, but in reality, they’re incredibly busy. It’s not all about sweating in the field or sitting in the office all day.

It is something you can never understand without experiencing the position firsthand.

Moreover, considering the size of this academy, it’d be even stranger if it were too idle.

I made the right decision not to become the headmaster.

[Translator – Peptobismol]