The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 36 – Suspicious Pink Girl (3)

After lunch, the afternoon evaluations began.

For our Combat Department, the focus was on basic armed combat under Geneb’s supervision.

Armed with only a wooden sword, applicants would spar with our combat instructor instructors to be qualitatively assessed.

I wasn’t involved in the theoretical evaluations, so I leisurely headed to the outdoor training ground.

Through a group of theoretical instructors carrying test papers, I spotted Ismera.

As a pure-blooded elf, she stood out like a peacock among chickens.

Noticing me, Ismera gave a beautiful, elegant smile that could melt anyone’s heart.

“Thank you for your hard work, Professor Ismera.”

She briefly nodded at me, and her expression instantly turned icy.

However, it was so brief that only someone like me could catch it. We passed each other as if nothing had happened.

That elf really lives a tiring life.

When I arrived at the outdoor training ground, the pink-haired girl, named Sophie, was standing with a wooden sword over her shoulder, facing a combat instructor.

“Are you here to observe?”

Geneb, who had been watching with her arms crossed, greeted me.

“I’m here to watch that girl.”

“Let’s begin.”

With a sharp whistle, the sparring began.

The combat instructor moved first, closing the distance with quick, narrow steps and launching an attack.

Our combat instructors are composed of individuals with considerable battle experience, so their attacks are something an ordinary person could never fend off.

However, the girl effortlessly dodged the attacks as if dancing, her movements fluid and precise.

The instructor, having been told to go all out, pushed the girl aggressively, forcing her to retreat to the edge of the training ground.

But no matter how I look at it, she looks like she’s barely trying.

“She’s not a genuine applicant.”

Geneb seemed to have noticed this as well and evaluated the situation similarly.

The girl, who had been continuously retreating, suddenly made a threatening move, leaning her upper body to the left. The instructor flinched and shifted in that direction.

“That’s a feint.”

He was tricked.

The wooden sword, which had been resting on the girl’s shoulder, swung down at an impossible angle, striking the instructor.

“Gah!”

Before he could even defend, the sword landed on his shoulder, causing him to collapse to his knees.

The instructor was helped away by other instructors, and Geneb silently scribbled on the evaluation form.

Meanwhile, the girl, now alone, gave me a characteristic smile and stared at me.

After a brief stare, she threw the wooden sword on the ground and walked away from the training ground.

Does she know me, or is she just staring because I’m good-looking?

# # # # #

After the afternoon evaluations, during dinner.

All faculty members gathered in the conference room for a meeting led by Headmaster Kirrin to discuss the progress of the selection process.

The final number of applicants who survived today was thirty.

Kirrin verified the detailed rankings and tomorrow’s evaluations and preparations one by one.

At the top of the list was ‘Sophie’. Could this be the pink-haired girl?

“It probably is.”

Sitting next to me, Psychology Warfare Professor Felimia, answered my query.

“She stood out so much that I took a closer look at her application.”

“Anything unusual?”

“She’s from the Revlon Mercenary Corps.”

Revlon Mercenary Corps is a notorious large mercenary group in the Empire.

But they didn’t start that way; they began as a small group of thugs from Revlon, acting as organized crime.

Their violent and ruthless nature made them the go-to for noble’s dirty work, gradually growing in size.

As their reputation spread, more lowlifes joined, eventually transforming them into a mercenary corps.

During the Four-Year War, they took on jobs too dirty for the army, rapidly gaining recognition and growing into the large mercenary corps they are today.

And this twenty-year-old girl was part of them… that’s definitely unusual.

“Does Revlon accept female mercenaries? I don’t recall that being the case.”

“They didn’t, until recently. She probably joined them not long ago.”

“Do you know anything about her?”

“There is some information that I came across through various channels.”

Felimia adjusted her glasses and shared what she knew.

The girl joined the mercenary corps a few years after the war ended.

She reportedly stormed into their headquarters demanding to be hired.

At first, the mercenaries thought she was crazy and told her to leave, but she threatened to kill the mercenary leader if they didn’t accept her.

One enraged mercenary tried to slap her, only to end up with a broken neck, left in a vegetative state… What a story.

In any case, having proven her abilities, she was immediately taken into the mercenary corps, and she quickly made a name for herself.

Even if a woman can wield a sword and kill, the way she joined the mercenary corps is absurd.

If she’s twenty now, she would have been even younger then, yet she broke the neck of a seasoned Revlon mercenary?

“Are you sure about that?”

“Whether it’s true or false depends on your belief, Head Professor.”

Felimia replied with a vague smile, indicating that even she wasn’t entirely certain.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

“Still, a girl in Revlon at her age, that’s quite the unusual background.”

“Isn’t it?”

“So why did she apply here?”

“She applied along with three other Revlon mercenaries. They’re all twenty years old.”

“Hmm, it’s hard to imagine four of them trying to leave the mercenary group at once. Perhaps Waver’s guess is right—they might be here to guard someone.”

“Here, take a look at this.”

Felimia handed me one of the application forms.

“What’s this? The Zenovi Trading Company? Ah.”

The daughter of a wealthy merchant family on the continent applied to our academy as a special student.

So, the Revlon mercenaries joined the academy as applicants to follow her in for protection. Regular guards would have been stopped at the gate.

Now it all makes sense.

Let’s see. The list of those who passed today… I don’t see the Zenovi Trading Company’s daughter.

So, the Revlon mercenaries who followed her for protection will likely drop out and leave. What a waste.

After reviewing the preparations for tomorrow’s evaluation, Kirrin brought up the issue of the failed applicants’ departure.

Usually, they would be sent home, but it was too late now, and most would end up spending the night nearby.

Kirrin suggested that the academy should take responsibility for their accommodation since they had traveled far for the test.

It was a reasonable suggestion and would help improve the academy’s image. I agreed, and the other Combat Department professors followed suit.

Professor Ismera, sitting opposite, twitched slightly around her eyes but only smiled.

She probably wanted to oppose Kirrin and me, but objectively, it was a good plan, so she couldn’t openly reject it.

“Professor Ismera, what do you think? Please share your opinion.”

“Haha… Headmaster, you consider such meticulous details that we might overlook in our schedules.”

Despite whatever she might feel inside, Ismera had no choice but to agree, and it was decided that the failed applicants would stay at the academy overnight and leave in the morning.

“Thank you for your efforts today. Let’s give our best again tomorrow. Meeting adjourned.”

Kirrin dismissed the meeting, and it ended.

Outside, the sky was completely dark. I was getting hungry.

I wondered what Olysia might have prepared for dinner tonight.

The academy, being a school, naturally had a cafeteria.

It was large enough for both staff and students, but the food was just passable—not bad, but not good enough to choose over a home-cooked meal, so I always had dinner at home with Olysia.

The commercial district had some branches of famous restaurants, but they were always crowded, making it difficult to eat there.

I might need to clear another building next to expand the commercial district.

“See you all tomorrow.”

“Good night, Head Professor.”

“Rest well, Head Professor.”

After parting ways with the other professors at the intersection in the faculty quarters, I headed home alone.

The pleasant evening breeze brought thoughts of Sophie, the pink-haired girl.

I want to bring her into our academy.

Her performance in the physical fitness test and basic armed combat was exceptional. It would be a shame to lose such talent.

Having a student like her would enhance the academy’s reputation, attracting more applicants next year, allowing us to select even higher-quality candidates.

Moreover, with better graduates, the Second Princess would likely consider keeping Kirrin and me here a wise decision.

But this isn’t ten years ago, and I’m a professor now. Forcing my will through would be difficult.

Still, it’s disappointing.

Wait a minute.

She’s staying at the academy tonight, so maybe I should visit her dorm and try to persuade her.

If I could convince her that being a special agent is more rewarding, she might stay…

But what’s her true identity?

The knowledge I have from the original story is outdated since it ended ten years ago with the Demon King’s death. I don’t know what happened afterward.

At that time, Sophie would have been just a ten-year-old girl. If she had stood out, I would have known immediately.

Entering a notorious mercenary group before turning twenty is intriguing.

Lost in thought, I stopped walking.

Looking down the darkened street, I quietly spoke.

“Come out.”

Someone slowly emerged from behind a wall.

Even in the evening twilight, her pink hair was vividly noticeable.

It was Sophie, the Revlon mercenary who had entered the academy to protect the Zenovi Trading Company’s daughter.

“It’s been a while, Dian.”

With her hand on her hip and standing in my way, Sophie smiled.

Just turned twenty.

Back when I was active, she would have been a ten-year-old kid, yet she knew my name.

And she spoke as if we had known each other for a long time.

What is this situation?

After weighing various possibilities, I came to a plausible conclusion.

Could it be…?

“Hello, Hindrasta.”

Nothing else explains this situation.

Unless she was a dragon polymorphed into a human girl.

Realizing I had figured out her identity, Hindrasta’s smile widened.

[Translator – Peptobismol]