The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 3 – No Big Deal

After looking at Linus’s serious expression, I burst out laughing.

“What, are you kidding me? You want me to teach kids?”

But Linus didn’t laugh.

“I’m not kidding, Dian.”

In fact, I also knew that Linus wasn’t joking. He wasn’t the type to joke around like that.

He really came all the way from the Imperial Capital to offer me the position of Academy headmaster. If he really was here because he simply wanted to see me, there would be no need to bring the Imperial Guards, boarding an Imperial Warship.

But I refused.

“I’m sorry, but I think that might be difficult.”

“There’s no need to be humble, Dian. You have the ability to be the headmaster.”

“No, it’s not about being humble. I just can’t do it.”

Linus looked a bit puzzled and asked.

“Can I ask why?”

“You know, I’m not good at sitting in a place and managing things. And a place with that much responsibility is too burdensome for me.”

“It won’t be just you. There are many capable professors and administrative staff who will support you. You just need to share your experience and skills with them.”

“It’s still not going to work. Being the ‘headmaster’ is not just about authority and responsibility, but also about making decisions that affect everything, and I don’t want to do that.”

I refused again, and Linus let out a soft sigh.

“The current headmaster of the academy is in a difficult situation because of his bad reputation, and the Imperial Castle is trying to find a replacement as soon as possible. But we’ve looked at many candidates so far, and none of them have met our standards. You’re the only one who can do it.”

But I still refused. I didn’t reject all that title and territory and came all the way to this neutral harbor to get involved in complicated things. I just wanted to live quietly and peacefully.

If someone asked me to kill the Demon King again, I’d do it without hesitation. But being the headmaster of the academy? That’s something I have to refuse.

“I’m sorry, Linus.”

Linus, who had been silent for a moment, spoke up.

“To be honest… the Imperial Palace wanted to make me the headmaster.”

“What? Are you just trying to push it onto me?”

“It’s not that. I’m thinking of retiring soon… And the Imperial Palace has told me to find a suitable person for the position if I do so.”

“Retiring? Are you going to settle down somewhere too?”

“I hope I can. In fact, my child will be born next month, so I’m going to focus on raising my child.”

“What…? A child…? Parenting…?”

I was stunned by the unexpected news and asked stupidly.

“You… got married?”

“Yes, I married Celine.”

“Wh-what?! For real?!”

Celine was a hunter from the Hero Party, and she had a subtle thing going on with Linus throughout the journey.

Before the battle with the Demon King, Linus even left a will asking me to make sure Celine can safely return to her hometown after he died.

Both of them were so dense that it was frustrating that they wouldn’t just confess and start dating, but in the end, they got married. Wasn’t this really great news!

“Congratulations, brat! You finally got married!”

I patted Linus on the back, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“Who confessed first? Huh? Ah, it must have been Celine. She’s more proactive than you, after all. Is it a boy or a girl? No… wait a minute…”

I was so happy that I started talking nonsense, but then I suddenly remembered something.

“You said the child will be born next month…?”

Celine had lost her left leg in the battle with the Demon King, and it would be difficult for her to take care of the child alone.

“Exactly, Dian. That’s why I want to quit. You can understand why, right?”

“Then can’t you just hire a nanny or something?”

“It’s not that simple. My work in the imperial capital is too busy, and there are many days where I go out at dawn and return the next morning, Dian…”

Linus spoke in a low voice.

“Up until now, I’ve been content, thinking it was for the continent, but after getting married and having a child, my heart has changed a bit… I don’t want to just leave my child to a nanny and go out. I want to see my family’s faces and come home to them.”

He had always lived with a sense of sacrifice, feeling patriotic, but now that a being who truly requires sacrifice has appeared, he has become confused.

It reminds me of an incident from the past. When I was in the army, a high-ranking officer said something like this.

‘When you go on leave, your child is taking steps, and when you go on leave, your child is talking, and when you go on leave, your child is going to elementary school. At first, they cry when they see you, and later they call you ‘uncle’ who comes home once a month, and now they finally call you ‘dad’.’

You work for your family, but you’re actually getting farther away from them. Linus’s words were really right.

Especially in Linus’s case, even if he quits his job right away, he has the conditions to live comfortably for the rest of his life, so he would want to be even more faithful to his family. Until now, his service to the imperial capital was not for the purpose of making a living, but to establish peace and stability in the era after killing the Demon King.

“I understand your situation. Hiring a nanny isn’t a fundamental solution. I get it.”

“Sorry, Dian. I came to see you after ten years, and I’m making such an absurd request.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m somewhat taken aback by the news that you got married to Celine right now. You said you’re leaving tomorrow at dawn, right? I’ll think about it and give you an answer then.”

“Alright, Dian. Sorry again.”

# # # # #

After Linus and the knights returned to their ship, I lay down on the sunbed on the terrace and organized my thoughts.

My two close friends had finally gotten married and were having a child next month.

Celine’s body wasn’t fully recovered, so Linus wanted to quit his job and focus on raising the child, but the Imperial Palace wanted him to become the headmaster of the academy or find a suitable replacement.

This was a difficult situation, and Linus happened to know my whereabouts because of my recent encounters with Ferenchino, so he came to me.

He could just hire a nanny, but Linus believes there’s no point in starting a family if a nanny is raising his child white he is tied down to work. I agree with him 100%.

Then, shall we weigh the two?

Breaking away from the original story and enjoying a comfortable life, earning money and living in seclusion in a harbor city vs. going to the academy to work for the sake of my friends, a couple who have been through life and death with me.

Of course, the latter is the answer. My precious friends, Linus and Celine, are in a difficult situation, and I can solve it for them. What can I do?

And, to be honest, my body is a bit rusty from 10 years of just eating and playing around.

A long-distance trip to help my friends who are in a difficult situation. Not bad.

But the headmaster of the academy is still too high of a position. I don’t want to be tied to such a burdensome position. Is there a better way to do this?

“Sir Dian, what are you doing?”

“Sit down for a moment.”

When Olysia came out to the terrace, I told her to sit on the sunbed beside me, and explained my current situation to her. Olysia was smart, so she might come up with a good idea.

After listening to my story, Olysia thought deeply, rubbing her chin, and then snapped her fingers.

“I thought of a great idea! A way for Sir Dian to help your friend and his wife without taking on too much responsibility. Of course, we need the permission of the high-ranking officials in the Empire.”

Olysia whispered her idea in my ear. Oh, will this work?

# # # # #

Dawn was slowly breaking.

Linus was leaning on the railing of the deck, which was covered with thick fog, looking out at the pier.

Will Dian really come? He probably will. Dian is Linus’s most trusted friend.

It’s been 10 years since they last met, and now he’s asking for a difficult favor. Linus didn’t have a choice, though.

After leaving the capital, no one knew how Dian was doing, and they were worried that he might have died somewhere, but there was no way to find him. Dian had perfectly disappeared, and although he occasionally sent letters, it was impossible to track the sender’s location.

In the past, Dian had often said to Linus, “you are the main character of this world, I have no place in this era of peace.“

Maybe that was a hint about his 10-year disappearance. He couldn’t be sure. But anyway, Dian will help.

From the time he was a low-ranking soldier in the army to when he killed the Demon King, Dian had always helped Linus, and 10 years ago, he promised to help whenever Linus needed it.

‘You’re a new recruit too? Nice to meet you. Let’s get along.’

When Linus was first deployed to the battlefield, Dian, who had enlisted around the same time, approached him.

Dian, with his unkempt brown hair and cheerful eyes, was a bit of an oddball compared to Linus.

Linus, who couldn’t stand injustice, was different from Dian, who was a bit of a scoundrel.

Dian would check the commander’s gaze and sneak away to rest, or use various tricks to get more rations, or secretly go to the supply room to steal new supplies.

Linus didn’t like people like that, who only thought about making things easy for themselves and had no shame about being unfair.

So, at first, Linus avoided Dian, but in a small platoon of about 30 people, it was hard to avoid him. Linus ended up getting entangled with Dian unintentionally.

‘Hey, Linus. Come here. Let’s eat this together.’

‘Where did you get that? Did you steal it from the supply room again?’

‘Stop nagging. The platoon leader himself tucked it away in his tent. It was supposed to be for the soldiers.’

‘It’s still a bit difficult…’

‘Hey, Linus. Let’s just sleep over there in the bushes instead of setting up a tent. It looks nice and comfortable .’

‘We can’t abandon our post, Dian. And how are you planning to get out of tonight’s roll call?’

‘The deputy sub-commander is on duty. He’ll just fake the roll call and sleep all night. Let’s go, hurry.’

‘Is it really okay…?’

As a country bumpkin with an inflexible personality, Linus didn’t have many close friends, but Dian always looked out for him. When they actually got to know each other, surprisingly, Dian had a kind side to him.

Even more surprisingly, Dian had a natural talent for battle, and he had saved Linus’s life many times.

‘Hey, Linus. This is my personal opinion, but let’s move in this direction. It’s the only way we can survive.’

‘But the platoon leader’s order is to charge forward. That’s insubordination, and it’s punishable by death.’

‘You’re stupid. If we charge forward now, we’ll all die. Do you want to die before you even get to fulfill your wish?’

‘That’s true…’

‘Hey, Linus. Let’s take that guy down.’

‘That’s absurd! He’s an ogre! We need to wait for backup!’

‘Just listen to me, and we can do it with just the two of us. Let’s take that bastard’s head off and get a commendation.’

‘Dian! Dian! Come back! What the hell! Let’s go together!’

So Linus received countless help from Dian and eventually got recognized for his achievements, rising through the ranks alongside Dian.

Even when they were selected for the Hero Party and deployed to the Demon King’s castle, Dian was always by his side…

“Hey, Linus.”

Dian and his maid Olysia appeared from the fog, both carrying large travel bags.

“Dian! You’re here!”

Linus jumped over the railing and landed in front of Dian.

“I knew you’d come! Have you made up your mind?”

“I’m not going to be the headmaster of the academy.”

Linus’s face stiffened at the unexpected answer. Hadn’t Dian come here to accept the proposal? Then why the travel bags?

Seeing Linus’s surprise, Dian continued.

“I’m not going to be the headmaster, but I’m willing to be a professor at the academy.”

“A professor?”

“If I become the headmaster, I’ll have to take responsibility for all the troublesome things. But as a professor, it’s different. And besides, doesn’t the Imperial Palace want me to teach the academy kids with my know-how? Not managing things from the top. I’m not suitable for that kind of work, and you know it.”

“That’s true.”

Linus thought deeply about Dian’s new proposal. The conclusion was, it wasn’t bad.

The Imperial Palace had rejected all the candidates Linus had recommended, but Dian would be different.

Dian had exceptional talent in battle and plenty of real combat experience. Even if he wasn’t the headmaster, being a professor would be a good compromise.

“If you’re willing to do that…”

Linus was about to speak when he suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Due to his whereabouts being unknown, he hadn’t been able to send even a single letter during that time. And when he met him after 10 years, he made such an unreasonable request, yet Dian still…

Celine, once again, we’re receiving Dian’s help. As always, Dian is my indeed most trusted friend and ally.

# # # # #

“If… you’re willing to do that…”

Linus’s eyes welled up with tears, and I let out an awkward laugh.

“Alright. Then, since we’ve decided, let’s go right away. It’s okay if I bring Olysia along, right? It’s a bit awkward to leave her behind.”

“Of course. Come on, get on.”

Linus led the way, guiding us to the ship.

“By the way, it seems like Sir Dian’s friend is also quite aware of your eccentricities.”

“Be quiet, Olysia. It’s called being laid-back.”

I rebuked Olysia’s teasing as we boarded the ship.

“Let’s set off! Everyone, take your positions!”

With the captain’s shout, the sailors moved quickly, unfurling the sails and releasing the anchor.

As I stood at the bow of the ship, looking out at the sea, I thought to myself.

‘I just wanted to live quietly,’ but I didn’t want to cause trouble, so I helped Linus, and reached the end. And now, 10 years later, when I was really trying to live quietly, the protagonist has come to ask for my help again.

What can I do? I have no choice but to help. I promised to help 10 years ago, and Linus and Celine are truly precious friends to me.

From now on, my new goal is to become a professor at the academy and ensure Linus and his wife’s childcare activities can continue without any problems.

Becoming an academy professor… Ha! No big deal.