The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 18 – The Professor You Chose (8)

When Nightley first received the map, she entered the dark forest alone with a light heart.

A mountain forest at midnight. No supervising instructor or accompanying teammates, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Although Headmaster Kirrin had restricted field exercises due to accident risks, she had put a lot of effort into theory classes.

Therefore, the students were very proficient in basic navigation skills, and Nightley, having studied further on her own, could roughly determine directions by just looking at the stars and the shapes of trees.

Although there was a difference between studying at a desk and actual ground experience, it was a minor issue that she would adapt to after a few attempts.

So, finding her way through the nearby mountains of the academy wasn’t a big problem.

Moreover, this was supposed to be a personal training session with Professor Dian.

Directly holding personal training sessions could lead to unfavorable gossip, so he probably chose a separate location to teach her.

She expected to find Professor Dian waiting for her after a short walk.

An hour later, Nightley realized something was amiss.

The route, which had been gently following the ridge, started to veer off course, and the terrain became increasingly treacherous.

At first, it was just a slight incline that required some balance, but it soon became so steep that she needed to grab onto trees to avoid falling off.

As she started to pant and sweat trickled down her chin and neck, Nightley stopped to check the map again. Had she taken the wrong path?

But even after checking the map and compass from different angles, the direction was correct. She had to navigate this treacherous terrain to reach the academy.

She decided to press on. There was a small flat area ahead where Professor Dian was likely waiting.

Another hour passed. Climbing a slope that was nearly a cliff, Nightley finally cursed out loud.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! That wretched professor! Where the hell are you?! Why haven’t you shown up yet?!”

But the only answer was her own echo reverberating back at her.

“Come out now! I know you’re watching!”

Still, there was no response.

Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, Nightley took out the map again.

She still had about a third of the way to go to reach the academy boundary, and there were hardly any gentle sections or detours.

The route was perfectly laid out to torment her, as if someone had intended to give her a hard time.

At this point, Nightley considered turning back. But that would be difficult.

She didn’t want to give up. After boasting that having her as a dedicated student would benefit his career, what would Professor Dian think if she returned empty-handed?

He would probably think of her as an arrogant noble girl who couldn’t back up her big talk.

Furthermore, returning would mean accompanying the infiltration professor or other assistants, and she couldn’t ignore the eyes of other students who would already be at the academy.

It wasn’t about being embarrassed or ashamed; she simply detested the idea of those lower-status people talking behind her back.

Besides, Nightley wanted to test her own abilities and limits.

While she excelled in all subjects at the academy, that was only in theory classes and written exams.

She didn’t yet know her level in challenging terrain.

If she couldn’t even cross the mountains near the academy, she wouldn’t be able to become the special agent she dreamed of.

She wouldn’t be able to live like the Imperial Special Forces her brothers had told her stories about, stories that had captivated her heart.

If she were deemed unqualified and relegated to a desk job, she might be caught by her father and forced back home.

That would render her past efforts to escape an arranged marriage and the resulting intense conflict with her father to enroll in the academy all meaningless.

No, she was going to make it. Even if it killed her. If Professor Dian had any sense, he would have set up some minimum safety measures.

Stuffing the map into her chest pocket, Nightley stood up, supporting herself on the ground.

After several near-misses and almost falling, she finally regained her balance and precariously began climbing the slope.

# # # # #

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! That wretched professor! Where the hell are you?! Why haven’t you shown up yet?!”

Hearing Nightley’s scream of frustration from further up the slope, Survival Professor Waver looked at me and smiled.

“It seems the class president is very upset.”

“Of course she is. She came expecting personal training, but she’s been climbing mountains the whole time.”

Waver and I were sitting in a tree below the slope where Nightley was taking a break.

We had been tailing her since she started her solo infiltration with the special map.

Almost two hours had passed, but Nightley still hadn’t noticed our presence.

“It looks like she’s going to take a break. Shall we have some snacks too?”

Waver took out two large pieces of jerky from the pouch at his waist and handed one to me.

“This is lamb jerky. I made it myself. It’s delicious.”

“Hmm, it is. Really good.”

Chewing on the jerky, Waver asked.

“By the way, Head Professor. I always thought I was unmatched in stealth and tracking, but seeing you today, I realize you’re no slouch either. Where did you train?”

“I didn’t formally train; I just picked things up here and there.”

“Really? I heard rumors that you were a veteran. What unit were you with?”

“Here and there. What about you? What did you do during the war?”

Not wanting to delve into my past, I changed the subject, and Waver answered.

“I was in the militia.”

Survival Professor Waver used to be a hunter from the eastern region of the Empire, Quirana. When the Four-Year War broke out and the Demon King’s army invaded, he and the locals formed a militia and fiercely resisted.

“Quirana has a long tradition of hunting families. We learn to shoot bows and set traps as soon as we can walk. The mountainous terrain also gave the Demon King’s army a hard time.”

I knew well about that. Early in the war, the Demon King’s army swept across most of the continent, but there were a few places where they struggled, one of which was Quirana.

Mountain warfare in a region full of skilled hunters proficient with bows and traps. It must have been a nightmare.

“So, did you have some fun?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I received a medal for my efforts.”

“Really? What medal did you receive?”

“A Third-Class Meritorious Service Medal. I got it for putting my hundredth arrow into a Horned Demon’s head.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. Killing a hundred demons with a bow, and you were just a civilian hunter.”

“Haha, thank you.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

At that moment, a rustling sound drew our attention upward, and we saw Nightley struggling to get back on her feet.

“Oh, she’s getting up. I wonder if the class president will move forward or turn back.”

Waver and I held our breaths and watched Nightley.

After a moment of hesitation, she placed her hands on the ground and began to crawl up the slope.

Waver watched her with quiet admiration.

“I thought a noble lady wouldn’t endure such hardship, but she’s impressive. Truly worthy of being the class president.”

“Alright, Waver, you go ahead and wait for her. I’ll follow behind.”

“Understood, Head Professor. See you back at the academy.”

Stuffing the remaining jerky into his mouth, Waver leapt silently from tree to tree, quickly ascending the slope.

I waited until Nightley had climbed enough of the slope before quietly following her.

# # # # #

“Haah…”

Seeing the academy lights ahead, Nightley let out a weary sigh and dropped to her knees.

She had just descended a rocky cliff. Her gloves were worn out, and her muscles trembled with exhaustion.

Despite this being her first exercise, Nightley had managed to reach this far thanks to her regular physical training. 𝐟𝗿ee𝘄𝗲𝗯𝐧o𝘃el.𝐜o𝚖

While she didn’t know the details of navigating challenging terrain, her basic fitness had carried her to the final point of the infiltration route.

“You did well, Nightley.”

Looking up with difficulty, she saw Professor Dian smiling down at her.

“Professor… Why are you doing this to me…?”

“Why? This is the first session of your weekly personal training.”

“This…”

Nightley forced her dry lips to move, baring her teeth.

“This… is personal training…?”

“You came alone, separate from the other students. And I’ve been monitoring you all along.”

“You followed me…? I didn’t sense a thing…”

“You wouldn’t know yet. You’ll be able to sense it with more practice. But…”

Professor Dian pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

“The final destination is inside the academy. It’s an infiltration exercise, remember?”

“Damn it…”

Grinding her teeth, Nightley used her knees to push herself up, her trembling legs stepping forward. Then she stumbled and fell.

Dian caught her just in time.

“Are you alright?”

Seeing that she didn’t respond, he realized she had passed out, completely unconscious.

It seemed pushing any further was impossible. It would have to end here.

When Dian signaled, Waver, who had been in the watchtower, acknowledged and withdrew from the tower.

The original plan included having her evade Waver’s ‘near-miss’ arrows while scaling the academy wall, but this was sufficient.

The purpose of sending Nightley into such a dangerous situation alone was to test her determination and resilience.

If she had given up on something as simple as overcoming rough terrain, there would be no point in continuing to teach her.

He would have just called her in once a week, killed time, and sent her back.

That’s why he tested her.

Until now, she had been cocky, thinking she could handle anything with her high theoretical grades, but reality is different.

I’ve seen plenty of platoon leaders graduate top of their class from military academies only to lose their nerve in their first battle. Theory and practice are entirely different.

Fortunately, Nightley didn’t give up and made it this far.

I was actually interested in teaching her, so this was a relief.

Nightley is an excellent student in many ways, and I was curious to see how far she could go under my tutelage.

And if we produce exceptional operatives among our graduates, the Second Princess would have no reason to doubt the current system, with Kirlin as headmaster and me as a professor.

Alright, Nightley. Let’s keep going.

# # # # #

“Good evening, Priestess.”

Maya, the Priestess, looked up from her patient records as she worked late into the night due to the night infiltration class.

Professor Dian, with a disheveled appearance, walked into the infirmary carrying an unconscious blonde female student on his back.

“This student participated in the infiltration class. She’s completely exhausted and needs divine healing.”

“Lay her down over there.”

While Dian placed the student on an empty bed, Maya quickly recorded the new patient’s details.

After confirming her patient record was thoroughly factual, Maya stood up and approached the patient.

[Late at night, Professor Dian arrived with a distressed smile, drenched in sweat and carrying an unconscious, attractive female student with disheveled clothing.]

[Given that no other students from the class came by, it’s suspected that their planned lesson included intense physical activity deviating from the standard curriculum.]

[TL/N: Why is this loli priestess so sus o-o]

[Translator – Peptobismol]