The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 160 - Head Theoretical Professor Kaiden (12)

The golden cat slipped through the Chief Mage's fingers like slime, falling to the floor with a soft thud.

The golden liquid pooled briefly on the floor, then evaporated in an instant with a strange hissing sound, leaving only faint traces of vapor behind.

"Kaiden is erasing the evidence. I didn’t think he’d go this far…."

The Chief Mage pulled his hand back, his face marked with frustration and unease.

"It seems I should leave now. My apologies, Professor, for intruding so suddenly and for leaving just as abruptly."

"Oh, no, it’s fine…."

I replied, though my tone was hesitant.

"Then, I’ll take my leave."

The Chief Mage's robes billowed behind him as he hastily vanished from sight.

Left alone, I crouched down and ran my hand across the floor where the golden liquid had been.

There was no trace of it left—no texture, no residue. It had completely vanished.

What was that?

Gold melts, sure, but gemstones too? And even if they could, how could they evaporate like water?

I’d never heard of anything like it.

So, was the golden cat Kaiden gave me not made of metal or mineral after all?

And what? Surveillance magic? Kaiden’s been watching everything happening here?

"Professor Dian."

A knock on the door broke my thoughts. It was Kaiden.

When I opened the door, Kaiden was there, smiling up at me with his usual gentle expression.

"Professor, is something the matter?"

"Something the matter?"

I feigned ignorance, unsure of his intent, but Kaiden tilted his head slightly and peered into the room, his smile never wavering.

"The anti-loss magic on the golden cat has been disrupted."

"Anti-loss magic…?"

"It’s a very valuable item, so I placed a spell on it to prevent it from being lost or stolen. I forgot to reconnect the magic to you after I gave it to you. But the spell suddenly deactivated, and I was worried something might have happened, so I came to check."

After a brief silence, I replied.

"Nothing happened."

"Really? Then it must have been a mistake on my part. Please hand me the golden cat. I’ll recast the spell for you."

The golden cat had already melted and disappeared, though.

I said nothing, and Kaiden’s expression remained calm as he quietly disappeared from the doorway.

Sensing movement behind me, I turned to see Kaiden now standing inside the room, looking down at the spot where the golden cat had melted away.

"How strange."

Extending his hand, Kaiden began to gather faint, glittering particles from the air above the floor.

"For the golden cat to melt… This is no ordinary event. It seems an exceptionally powerful spell was at work."

Kaiden glanced at me before continuing to move his hand, tracing invisible patterns in the air.

"The Chief Mage was here, wasn’t he?"

Kaiden spoke with a serene smile.

"I can sense traces of his magic. He must have had some business with you?"

As I opened my mouth to reply, Kaiden raised a finger to his lips, signaling me to stay silent.

"Let me guess. He asked you to convince me to join the Imperial Department of Magic. Then he noticed the magic on the golden cat and jumped to conclusions, claiming it was surveillance magic."

Kaiden stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Did he ask about the origin of the golden cat? You’re a kind person, Professor, so you probably told him it was a gift from me."

Kaiden’s smile widened as he studied my expression.

"It seems my assumptions were correct."

"So, was it really surveillance magic?"

"Surveillance magic? That’s absurd."

Kaiden laughed softly, shaking his head.

"I’m sure the Chief Mage said that. He must have claimed I placed surveillance magic on it, then melted it down with his own magic and framed me for destroying evidence. In truth, he was probably jealous that I gave you such a gift and acted out of spite. After all, he knows you’re not a mage and can’t discern one spell from another."

Kaiden studied my face once more and asked softly,

"Do you doubt me, Professor?"

"Not sure yet."

"I’m an Archmage, Professor. If I wanted to spy on you, I wouldn’t need such a clumsy method."

Kaiden smiled faintly.

"And besides, I see you every day. Why would I need to resort to spying?"

I didn’t respond, keeping my eyes locked on him.

Who was telling the truth?

The Chief Mage claimed the golden cat was enchanted with surveillance magic and that, when discovered, Kaiden made it dissolve entirely to erase the evidence.

Kaiden argued the spell was merely anti-loss magic and accused the Chief Mage of destroying the cat out of petty jealousy.

It’s starting to feel like Kaiden is the one lying.

If Kaiden’s claim were true, the sequence of events doesn’t add up.

The Chief Mage wouldn’t have immediately grabbed the golden cat and destroyed it without knowing for sure it was Kaiden’s gift. He should’ve first learned it was from Kaiden, then fabricated the story about surveillance magic before melting it.

Would he have touched the golden cat, not knowing if Kaiden had enchanted it? Unlikely.

This isn’t a magic academy—it’s a specialized mission academy. It’s reasonable to assume the Chief Mage believed Kaiden was the only mage here capable of enchanting such an item.

But applying anti-loss magic to an expensive trinket isn’t uncommon.

Wealthy people often spend fortunes commissioning such spells. That a gem-encrusted gold object was enchanted with anti-loss magic wouldn’t necessarily lead the Chief Mage to immediately suspect Kaiden.

On the other hand, Kaiden’s behavior is highly suspicious.

Even if we accept that he gave such an extravagant gift as a token of appreciation, shouldn’t he have mentioned the magic on it to me?

And earlier, when he stood outside the door asking for the golden cat, his immediate reaction—teleporting straight to the spot where it had dissolved—was suspiciously swift, as if he already knew what had happened.

Kaiden was lying.

"Professor, do you doubt me?"

Kaiden asked again, his smile unwavering.

"Whom do you trust more? Me, your trusted comrade from the war, the one who emerged from a decade of isolation just for you? Or the Chief Mage, whom you’ve only just met?"

"Of course, I trust you."

I answered with a smile.

"Good to hear."

Kaiden’s smile deepened.

"I knew you believed in me, Professor. Our bond is unshakable."

"Naturally."

"Great."

Kaiden’s eyes curved into a sweet, cat-like smile.

"Then let’s have lunch together, Professor."

# # # # #

Late at night, past midnight, at the Imperial Department of Magic.

The Chief Mage sat alone in his office, his chin resting on his hand as he tapped his desk absently.

His usual routine of hurried paperwork after dinner was replaced by quiet contemplation.

The events of the day—his visit to the Academy, his encounter with Professor Dian—played over in his mind.

The golden cat in Professor Dian’s room had been enchanted.

At first, the Chief Mage thought it was a simple anti-theft spell, common for expensive items.

But the magic’s faint resonance felt too subtle for such a purpose. True anti-theft spells emit strong energy the moment the item is displaced.

As he concentrated further, he realized it was surveillance magic, skillfully concealed to escape detection.

The Chief Mage recalled Kaiden’s refusal to join the Imperial Department of Magic years earlier. Kaiden had said he was searching for someone—a person who had forsaken everything and vanished.

Now, it all made sense.

That person was Professor Dian.

Kaiden had come out of his decade-long seclusion for him.

The Chief Mage's thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Chief Mage."

Startled, he looked up to see Kaiden standing in front of his desk.

"Kaiden?! How did you—? The defensive spel—!"

"You visited the Academy today, didn’t you? You asked Professor Dian to convince me to join the Department of Magic, didn’t you?"

The Chief Mage couldn’t respond.

It wasn't because he had no excuse, his mouth wouldn’t move.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"What authority do you believe you have to come between Professor Dian and me?"

Kaiden smiled softly.

"You must already know you have none."

"Mmff!"

"The place I belong is by Professor Dian’s side—not here at the Department of Magic."

Kaiden’s gaze swept the office as his smile widened.

"I’ll leave the Department of Magic intact, as it would be inconvenient for Professor Dian if it were destroyed. The same goes for you, Chief Mage. If you were to suddenly 'disappear,' Professor Dian might begin to doubt me."

Kaiden reached out, lightly brushing the Chief Mage’s cheek.

"Never approach Professor Dian again, or try to interfere with our relationship."

An icy chill radiated from Kaiden’s fingers, causing the Chief Mage to flinch involuntarily, his body instinctively recoiling.

"Not that you’ll be able to anymore."

Kaiden vanished.

The Chief Mage gasped for air, struggling to gather his magic to trigger the ward’s alarm.

But nothing happened.

No matter how hard he tried, his magic failed to respond.

Kaiden’s parting words echoed in his mind.

‘Not that you’ll be able to anymore.’ @@novelbin@@

Had he… sealed his magic?

# # # # #

That night.

I lay on the roof of the main building, slowly opening my eyes.

From the direction of the Head Theoretical Professor’s office, I felt the faint ripple of magic.

The energy resonating through the walls suggested teleportation.

Not to the dormitories. Somewhere outside the Academy.

Roughly northeast. Not precise, but enough to get a sense.

Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, letting it pass without question. But now, with focus, I could pick up on it clearly.

Of course, Kaiden, if you knew I was here watching you, you could have concealed your magic’s trace just as easily.

But you didn’t know. I had hidden my presence completely—my breathing, my movements, everything.

So you cast your spell without preparation, completely unguarded.

On this moonless, late night, well past midnight—where are you going?

You were the comrade I trusted with my life.

You claimed to believe in me, just as I believed in you.

The moments of doubt I felt, I brushed aside as things beyond the understanding of an ordinary man like me—a realm reserved for an Archmage.

Even after ten years, I never imagined you would deceive me.

To suspect something impossible would happen is inherently contradictory, after all.

But now, I know for certain—something is there.

I trusted you because I believed in you.

Now, Kaiden, I can no longer trust you.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]