The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly - Chapter 122

Chapter 122 – A Slap for Every Penny Found (4)

“Hiyahhh….”

As the carriage left the academy and entered the main streets of Calvasar, Olysia couldn’t contain her amazement.

Although it wasn’t her first time seeing the city, she always had the same reaction every time she visited.

“Calvasar in the height of summer has a unique charm, doesn’t it….”

She’s said that a few times now.

“Calvasar in early spring is so full of life….”

“Now that the weather is getting warmer, Calvasar’s streets seem even more lively….”

“Looking at the fashion of these stylish people, it feels like summer is here….”

Olysia always speaks like that whenever we come to town, and I’m out of words to respond with anymore.

Still, it’s not like what she says is wrong.

Calvasar in summer does have a distinct character different from spring.

As the largest city of the Empire and the birthplace of every trend, fashion, and culture, Calvasar retains its sophisticated elegance and wealth, even under the blazing summer sun.

The towering old-fashioned buildings reveal the grandeur and dignity of the Empire, while the finely paved streets shimmer in the sunlight.

On both sides of the street, rows of shops showcasing the latest trends display a colorful assortment of goods.

Summer fruits, flowers, jewellery, pretty clothes, accessories, shoes, artwork, food, and so on—listing everything could take more than a week.

Banners and posters announcing summer festivals were scattered around, and the cafes and restaurants had filled their terraces with tables.

The bustling streets, though complex and flashy, were packed with people.

Silk dresses that were light as air, hats adorned with pearls and gold, sharply tailored linen shirts and pants, polished shoes, fans decorated with various ornaments, sunglasses, cool sandals.

People dressed in styles you wouldn’t see in any other city walked the streets, enjoying the leisurely weekend.

No wonder Olysia was completely mesmerised.

Compared to Brunswell, this place might as well be an entirely different world.

Many cities were destroyed during the war, and reconstruction was still ongoing, which drove even more people towards Calvasar.

Thanks to its geographical advantages, Calvasar was one of the major cities that miraculously escaped the ravages of war.

To the west and south, it faced the sea, while the southeastern side was blocked by mountains, making it very difficult to attack.

The only place an army could easily move was the Calvasar Plain stretching to the east and north.

The same plains where Linus now holds some territory.

The Demon King’s army, which was weak at sea but excellent in major open field battles, naturally advanced on the capital through the Calvasar Plain.

At the time, the Human Alliance was struggling severely, with no means to stop the massive army advancing across the plains.

The Imperial Palace responded by gathering all the mages left in the Empire and bombarding the advancing forces with attack magic.

In addition, Linus and I wreaked havoc from behind enemy lines, ultimately preventing the Demon King’s army from crossing the Calvasar Plain.

The losses the Demon King’s army sustained were devastating, and after that, the tide of the war began to turn. The Demon King Slaying Special Unit was established, and from there, the army was driven into ruin.

“Hurry up and get off, Sir Dian!”

While I was lost in my memories, Olysia pulled at my arm.

As soon as I got off the carriage, passersby turned to look at me.

More precisely, they were staring at Ismera, who was standing beside me.

Elves, being beautiful by nature, always drew attention no matter where they went, and especially today, as Ismera had dressed up for the outing.

Anyone who didn’t glance at Ismera like this probably wasn’t human.

“Let’s start over there!”

Olysia led us into the bustling shopping district.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Professor!”

As I followed behind Olysia, who was running around like an excited colt, I had to exchange greetings with students who were also out for their weekend outings.

Olysia was practically out of her mind with excitement, and Ismera’s words in the carriage about “getting her a gift for working hard during the competition preparations” had clearly acted as a trigger.

“Miss Olysia certainly has a lot of energy.”

“Of course, she’s thrilled to receive a gift from an esteemed elf. She’s probably imagining how expensive and luxurious it’ll be. Besides, Olysia’s always loved coming into the city.”

After sharing a brief story about her ten years living in Brunswell, Ismera nodded as if she understood.

“For a human girl, that place must have been unbearably dull.”

“Well, it’s what happens when you end up with the wrong master.”

“Master, you say? Come to think of it, I heard Miss Olysia used to be a slave… Ten years ago, she must have been just a little girl. Why would you take in such a child as a slave….”

As Ismera’s voice grew increasingly suspicious, I hurried to explain.

I told her how I had seen Olysia being caught and whipped after she tried to escape from a slave ship docked temporarily at Brunswell, and I couldn’t bear it, so I bought her.

Upon hearing that, Ismera’s expression softened.

“That’s truly incredible…. You’re always saving everyone, aren’t you….”

“What are you doing?! Come on, hurry up!”

At that moment, Olysia, who was standing in front of a clothing store, waved at us.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

As we walked over to her, the people passing by began whispering among themselves.

“She’s a half-elf but looks completely human.”

“Is that what happens when the mother’s an elf?”

I realized they were mistaking me and Ismera for a married couple and assuming Olysia was our daughter.

Olysia and I both have brown eyes and brown hair, and back in Brunswell, we were often mistaken for siblings with a large age gap. It must be the same here.

And since elves are generally known to be aloof and rarely associate with other races, seeing us together like this, it made sense for them to think we were a couple. It was a reasonable assumption.

“People… they’re mistaking you and me for a married couple….”

Ismera’s face flushed bright red, and she clung tightly to my sleeve.

“Could they be thinking we’re a young couple on a weekend shopping trip with our child….”

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

“What would they think happened, then…? That an adventurer, visiting the Great Forest by chance, fell in love with an elf there…?”

“That’s a possibility.”

“After having a child, the adventurer quit his dangerous job for the sake of his family and took a more stable position, while the elf supports such a husband, finding joy in their modest happiness each day….”

“Uh, yeah, something like that?”

“Ah… Just imagining it makes me happy….”

Ismera let out a trembling sigh and unknowingly took my arm, but then quickly caught herself and stepped away.

“I hope no one from the academy saw us, right?”

“It’s better to be careful. Now, let’s go. Olysia’s getting impatient.”

Ismera bought Olysia a very pretty dress.

It was the twenty-third dress out of a total of sixty that Olysia tried on today, after visiting eight different stores.

Olysia was so serious about picking the right outfit that her expression was as focused as a mage calculating coordinates for a precision strike. I didn’t dare suggest she pick something at random.

Surprisingly, Ismera matched well with Olysia, enthusiastically bringing her clothes to try on.

“Your mother must be young, judging by her sense of fashion.”

The store owner said, and Ismera simply smiled shyly without correcting her.

Eventually, Olysia picked out the dress she wanted and changed into it on the spot before stepping out onto the street.

“How do I look?”

“It looks good.”

“You look beautiful, Miss Olysia.”

When Olysia spun around once, both Ismera and I applauded her and gave her compliments.

Feeling excited, Olysia leaped like a ballet dancer, tapping her feet together in mid-air.

She’s completely elated.

“So, shall we have some lunch now? I’m starving after all that walking.”

Following a girl who’s absorbed in shopping is exhausting; it’s almost more tiring than marching or infiltrating somewhere, to be slightly dramatic.

“Wait a moment. I’d like to buy something too.”

Ismera unexpectedly spoke up.

“You? Elves buy things? Fine, go get whatever you need, and then we’ll eat.”

What could an elf, who practically has no personal property, possibly want to buy…?

The place Ismera headed to was a men’s clothing store.

“Try this on.”

She picked out a sleek, white silk shirt.

It was glossy on the surface, obviously quite expensive and high-quality.

After trying it on, I found that it fit perfectly, and was very comfortable for movement. I rather liked it.

“Hey, this is pretty nice. But why clothes for me all of a sudden?”

“Your usual shirts are getting quite worn out.”

When I first arrived at the academy, Olysia bought several identical white shirts.

Professors generally wore white shirts beneath their capes, so I had her get multiples for convenience.

After half a year of rotating those shirts while catching trolls, climbing mountains, riding horses, and doing all sorts of activities, they were gradually wearing out.

I wasn’t interested in fashion, and since Olysia washed and ironed them so thoroughly that you couldn’t really tell from the outside, I just kept wearing them. But clearly, that wasn’t good enough for Ismera.

“It suits you perfectly.”

Ismera approached me, smiling as she ran her hand across the chest of the shirt I was wearing.

Olysia was staring at us with a very puzzled look on her face.

# # # # #

Finally, we left the clothing store district and went for lunch.

Since Ismera is strictly vegetarian, finding a place to eat could’ve been tricky, but this was Calvasar, the Empire’s largest city.

As a place where all kinds of intelligent races gathered, there were, of course, plenty of restaurants with vegetarian menus for elves.

We had just picked a restaurant when suddenly, loud noises came from the other direction.

When I turned to look, I saw several city guards blowing their whistles and pushing people aside as they rushed somewhere.

If the city guards were making such a fuss, it must be a serious crime.

In that case, the culprit must be a real idiot.

Calvasar was home to the Imperial Palace, making it the safest city compared to any other.

Besides the well-trained city guards, the Imperial Guard and plainclothes knights often patrolled the streets.

What kind of idiot would…?

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