The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 134 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (16)

Hindrasta, who had smashed the door to escape, thundered down the stairs.

"Argh?! What the hell?!"

"Where the hell are you going at this hour, Sophie?!"

A commotion broke out on the first floor, followed by the sound of things crashing and breaking.

With a sigh, I got up from the bed and walked over to the door.

As imposing as Hindrasta's body was, I still couldn't stand the smell of urine.

Judging by earlier, she seemed to have tossed her underwear somewhere and was going around commando, but even so, it’s not like the smell just disappears.

She's been walking around the Academy without panties because she claimed to have no money. Crazy dragon.

As I picked up the broken pieces of the door, I noticed someone collapsed in the hallway.

It was Scala, unconscious.

So, it was Scala and Hindrasta arguing at the door earlier.

I could guess what happened.

The two must’ve been fighting over who’d get into my room, and Hindrasta knocked Scala out and barged in first.

I lifted Scala and tossed her onto the bed before heading back downstairs.

Thanks to Hindrasta, I was wide awake, and it didn’t seem like I’d be getting any more sleep.

# # # # #

"Aaaaahhh!!"

Hindrasta burst out of the headquarters and sprinted madly, fleeing the city of Reblanc.

KWA-KWANG!!

A polymorphed dragon running at full speed is quite a sight to behold.

It was like a massive beast plowing through a field—the unpaved ground kicked up dirt, trees swayed, and birds scattered into the night sky, cawing in alarm.

Hindrasta kept running until she reached the Reblanc River, which circled around the city, and then leaped several meters into the air, diving into the middle of the river.

Once in the water, she began frantically scrubbing herself, washing deep into every part of her body.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!!"

It had seemed like a good idea.

As a dragon, Hindrasta had an insatiable greed for wealth, money, and treasures.

But just as much as she was obsessed with money, she had a pathological need to settle debts. She couldn’t stand owing anyone anything.

She had racked up quite a bit of debt with Dian today, and in her desperation to clear it as quickly as possible, she’d come up with a plan.

The plan was to offer Dian her polymorphed body.

It wasn’t her true form, so it didn’t matter, and Dian seemed to like women, so wouldn’t it be a mutually beneficial arrangement?

If it turned out to be enjoyable, they could do it again in the future.

In truth, Hindrasta’s grudge against Dian had faded considerably over time.

After being forced to live as a human in the city for the past 10 years, her mindset had started to assimilate to a degree.

For a dragon, 10 years is a blink of an eye, but living as an entirely different species is another matter.

Hindrasta had come to realize that when Dian had beaten her during the war, it wasn’t because he hated her personally, but because he needed to change the tide of the war, which had been going poorly for the human alliance.

That didn’t erase the pain, fear, or humiliation she felt back then, but still.

In the Academy, apart from the initial period, Dian hadn’t even bothered her—he’d actually taken care of her in small ways here and there. novelbuddy.cσ๓

She had to admit that staying at his house for a month while preparing for the competition had been fun.

After ten long years of rough mercenary work, Dian’s cozy home had been like heaven for her.

The diligent maid, Olysia, who catered to her every need, and the always calm and kind Ismera who taught her... even the experience of working with friends her own age (in human years) toward a shared goal had been something entirely new to her as a dragon.

Had she not been cursed with this polymorph form, she likely would never have known these emotions for the next several thousand years.

For a variety of reasons, Hindrasta’s feelings toward Dian had changed somewhat, which was why she’d come up with her plan.

And to be honest, Hindrasta was also curious.

She had to live as a human for the next thousand years, so it made sense to get used to some aspects of human life, right?

Someday, she’d need to know about human mating, and Dian seemed like the perfect teacher.

He knew her well, was much stronger, and based on her experience over the last ten years, he was quite handsome by human standards.

If she had to learn about it anyway, wasn’t it better to learn from someone like Dian?

So, she had seized the moment and headed to his room.

Scala had been lingering at the door, so they’d had a bit of a scuffle. When she wouldn’t give in, Hindrasta had simply knocked her out by slamming her into the wall.

She managed to get into Dian’s room and onto him, but she’d forgotten the one crucial detail of washing up after peeing.

How could I have missed that? I’m going to lose my mind!

Scrubbing herself furiously, Hindrasta berated her own stupidity.

After thoroughly washing, Hindrasta climbed out of the river, dripping wet.

Now that she was clean, it should be fine, right? She could just ask Dian to do it again, couldn’t she?

After all, there was still a debt to settle.

When she returned to the headquarters, Dian was already downstairs.

"Hey, come up."

Hindrasta called, dripping water and gesturing with her finger.

"It doesn’t smell anymore."

"I’m not going."

"What? Why?!"

"I’m wide awake now, and I’m not in the mood anymore."

"We can just do it again!"

"No, no. I don’t think it’s going to happen."

When Dian waved her off, Hindrasta had a sudden thought.

Is this bastard completely turned off by the smell earlier? Does he not even think of me as a female anymore?

Come to think of it, it's weird to expect him to be okay with the idea in the first place, knowing I’m a dragon.

This is a lost cause.

"Then what about the debt? Are you just going to let it go?"

"Do whatever you want with it. Scala gave you that extra as a fee, so I don’t care."

"Hmm, I see... that’s how it is..."

Well, that’s not so bad. Since there’s no debt left, I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

But why does thinking about it piss me off so much?

"Wait a minute! Tell me why you don’t want to do it with me! Is it because of the smell, or because I’m not attractive to you as a female?!"

The mercenaries around them stopped what they were doing and turned to stare.

"I scrubbed everything clean, but you’re still saying no? Does that mean I’m not attractive?!"

Somewhere in the background, the sound of a beer mug hitting the floor was heard.

Even though she’s lived as a human for ten years, Hindrasta was still a dragon at heart.

At important moments like this, none of the other mercenaries amounted to more than ants in her eyes.

"Give me a clear reason! I need to know!"

"I said no! I just keep thinking about it!"

"You little...!"

When Dian refused again, Hindrasta clenched her fists, trembling with rage, and stomped her way back up to the second floor.

Anger boiled inside her.

Originally, her goal was just to settle the debt.

So, when Dian said she didn’t owe him anything anymore, she should’ve felt relieved—but she didn’t.

Being rejected to her face again and again just made her feel... dirty.

As a dragon—one of the most powerful creatures—Hindrasta had never in her life been denied something she wanted.

Back in her dragon days, every creature in the mountains trembled at her feet, and during the war, both humans and demons fled in terror when she appeared.

Sure, she had run into a couple of crazy humans who had managed to overpower her, but that was just a temporary setback.

Even after becoming human and joining the Reblanc mercenaries, nothing had changed.

As a polymorphed dragon, stronger than any human, no one had ever dared defy her will.

No one, that is, except for Dian.

Why is it always like this with that guy?!

Not a single thing goes the way I want it to with him!

This is humiliating.

Not as bad as getting beaten half to death ten years ago, but still, it’s shameful!

Having never experienced anything like this before, Hindrasta found herself slowly developing an overwhelming desire to crush that smug human beneath her and make him kneel before her, begging for mercy.

Dragons are known for their obsessive tendencies.

Usually, this manifests as an obsession with material wealth, but sometimes they fixate on entirely different things.

For example, some of the ancient great magicians of the past were actually dragons in disguise—dragons whose obsession had twisted into an all-consuming passion for magical research.

The famous Varosa Labyrinth, the most magnificent and bizarre structure on the continent, was also the work of a dragon.

Would you believe that a single dragon built that vast maze that even the dwarven gods of architecture were in awe of?

In this way, some dragons become fanatically obsessed with specific, unimaginable pursuits.

And now, Hindrasta found herself slowly shifting her obsession in a new direction.

Just you wait, Dian... I’ll make sure you crumble and beg at my feet....

# # # # #

The next morning, after being treated with great hospitality, we finally made our way back to the Academy.

"Thank you so much, Dian,"

The mercenary leader said, shaking my hand vigorously.

"You’re the savior of our mercenary group. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out."

"I appreciate it. But I doubt a professor at the Academy will have much need for a mercenary group."

"Well, you never know. Maybe you’ll need us to assassinate a rival professor to secure your next promotion?"

I burst out laughing at that ridiculous response. No matter how likable he was, a mercenary was still a mercenary.

His father, Scala’s grandfather, was a notorious thug in Reblanc, after all. Some things never change.

"Brother!"

Scala barged in, pulling her father away and grabbing my hand tightly.

"You’ll come back again, won’t you?"

"I’ll come if I have the time."

"You have to come! I have a gift for you. I was going to give it to you last night, but I got too drunk and fell asleep."

Seems like she doesn’t remember getting slammed into a wall by Hindrasta.

"Anyway, you have to come back. And next time, you have to come alone!"

"Alright."

"When are you coming?!"

"Ugh, why are you being so clingy, you damn brat?!"

Hindrasta snapped, clearly annoyed by Scala’s persistent questions.

"We need to get back to the Academy! We’ve got work to do! A mountain of it!"

"What work do you even have?! All you ever—whoa!? Don’t push me! You crazy—!"

Ignoring her protests, Hindrasta shoved Scala aside, baring her teeth like a feral dog.

"Professor Orendi! Open the gate!"

"Ugh... yeah, sure..."

Still hungover and looking half-dead, Orendi weakly raised his hand to open the dimensional gate.

"Come on! Let’s go!"

"Take care, everyone. Good luck with your business."

"Goodbye, Dian! See you next time!"

"Ughh... I think I’m gonna puke... stop pulling on me, Student Sophie...."

With Hindrasta’s iron grip on me and Orendi, we bid farewell to the mercenary group and returned to the Academy.

What the hell was Hindrasta in such a rush for anyway?

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]