The Retired Supporting Character Wants to Live Quietly-Chapter 198

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 198 – Kirrin’s Black Forest (21)

“Grrrk…”

A dark elf, stabbed deep in the neck by Nemara’s dagger, foamed at the mouth and rolled his eyes back.

As the twisted dagger was pulled free, blood spurted like a fountain and the dark elf collapsed backward.

Not even bothering to avoid the spray, Nemara was drenched in blood as he turned his head sharply, eyes blazing.

In the darkness, Nemara’s ruby-red eyes gleamed like embers, glowing vividly.

The dark elves who met his gaze hesitated and retreated a few steps.

Around Nemara now lay a heap of dark elves who had foolishly rushed him and been sent to the afterlife.

Even poisoned, he was the clan’s chieftain.

A dark elf who had survived countless Karsals and led the clan thus far would not go down so easily.

But she couldn’t hold out for much longer.

The poison that had spread from the many darts stuck in him was gradually paralyzing his body.

Dark elves had a certain innate resistance to poison, so the chance of dying from it alone was very low.

But if the paralysis led to a beheading, death was certain.

It was because he had let himself dwell too deeply on thoughts of Marian.

Normally, he would have sensed the presence long before—he had been caught off guard.

Nemara knew it too.

Lately, he had been seeing hallucinations of Marian often.

Though he had occasionally seen her since Marian’s death, it hadn’t been to the point of losing track of reality.

It was a feeling unfamiliar to dark elves—a kind of "longing."

But in recent years, he had started mistaking the illusions for reality, thinking Marian had truly come back to life.

They were so vivid that, on days when she saw such visions, he would suffer for days afterward and be unable to tend to clan matters properly.

Because of this, the heir candidate, Drebren, had taken over most of the responsibilities.

In such a state, falling into Morkan’s trap was no surprise.

“Looks like you’re running out of strength, little brother.”

Morkan remarked as he watched Nemara flick blood off his dagger.

“No matter how formidable you are, if you took that poison head-on, there’s not much you can do.”

“You think you can become chieftain without going through Karsal like this?”

Nemara replied in a low voice.

“Many of the children who followed Nishira are already dead. Even if you defeat me and claim the title, you won’t gain much from it.”

“And why would you think that?”

Morkan chuckled.

“I’d gain Nishira, wouldn’t I?”

As he spread his arms, Nishira appeared from somewhere and embraced Morkan.

Nemara gazed at them in silence.

“Nishira was originally supposed to be my wife. But you took her from me.”

“It’s only natural for the clan chief to take all women.”

“But even before you became chief, Nishira was already mine.”

At Morkan’s words, Nemara turned to Nishira.

“Nemara. Baltar isn’t your son.”

Nishira sneered wickedly.

“He’s Morkan’s child—didn’t you know?”

“Is that so. So that’s why you pushed Baltar so forcefully as a candidate for clan chief.”

To solidify Baltar as a stable successor, then eliminate Nemara and place Morkan as the new chief.

And since it would not be done through Karsal, she had preemptively swayed the other wives and gained their approval.

After all, the other wives had long held resentment toward Nemara for taking a human woman as a wife.

They believed he was unworthy of being chief for polluting dark elf blood with impurity.

This was the way of their people.

Suddenly, Marian’s words came to Nemara’s mind.

She had asked, no matter what others thought, shouldn’t they at least trust and care for each other?

That even if the world fell apart, they should remain on the same side until the end?

But Marian—such a thing was impossible for dark elves.

As long as they were born dark elves, all they could do was stab each other in the back and bathe in blood.

Nemara gripped his dagger tightly and straightened himself.

Though his body was slowly succumbing to paralysis, he could still take a few more down with him.

If he could reduce the numbers here, Drebren would take care of the rest.

That meant he had to kill Morkan.

Drebren still wasn’t strong enough to face him.

Hunching forward, dagger in hand, Nemara stumbled.

Nishira mocked him.

“Truly a pitiful sight, Nemara. Didn’t I tell you? That human woman would be the end of your sanity.”

At the mention of Marian from Nishira’s mouth, Nemara’s eyes flared with fury.

“You ignored me then. And now you’re paying the price.”

“Is that so.”

“Since it’s all over anyway, shall I share a secret?”

Nishira smiled.

“I was the one who killed that human woman. Poisoned her.”

Nemara faltered and dropped to one knee, as if collapsing.

“Ha. Seems you’re taking it quite hard. You really didn’t know?”

Wrapping her arms around Morkan’s waist, Nishira continued.

“It didn’t make sense for someone that nosy to suddenly fall ill, right? In a forest full of women who hated her—did you really think she died of natural causes?”

Now Nemara was fully on the ground, palms braced against the dirt.

“Nemara, Nemara.”

Nishira called in a coaxing tone.

“Are you thinking I’m a villain now? But really, you’re the terrible one. You knew that Morkan and I loved each other.”

Nemara didn’t lift his head or say a word.

“And yet, you didn’t cast me out. You kept me as your wife. You’re the cruel one, Nemara.”

“Can… dark elves… even love?”

Nemara asked quietly.

“Hmm?”

Nishira looked at him for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Is there a law that says we can’t?”

“Well… no such law exists.”

Nemara replied.

“In that case, it’s better to send you to the one you love.”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Nemara yanked his hand, which had been braced on the ground.

A taut wire hidden beneath his palm snapped tight—exploding a trap under Nishira’s feet.

“KYAAAAA!!!”

A blade shot up from below, slicing Nishira’s left leg cleanly in half from heel to thigh.

Nemara had only pretended to collapse in despair—to find and trigger the trap mechanism hidden beneath the ground.

There had been two blades—but Morkan had shoved Nishira away and narrowly avoided them.

Bleeding like a waterfall, Nishira looked at Morkan with pale, stunned eyes.

More than the pain, more than the fact she had walked into Nemara’s trap and was mortally wounded, what shocked her most was that Morkan had thrown her aside and dodged the blade alone.

“To think you hid such traps at the doorstep…”

Morkan muttered, admiring the bloodstained blade rather than showing concern.

“Morkan…”

Nishira moaned, collapsed on the ground, but Morkan didn’t even glance her way.

“That was your final gasp, huh, Nemara. Let’s finish this.”

Having spent his last strength to trigger the trap, Nemara lay on the ground as Morkan walked toward him.

So this is the end.

I had hoped to take him with me—but my body won’t move.

As his vision began to blur, Nemara glared at Morkan—

And then, he saw something.

It was Marian.

Marian was shouting something and running toward her.

‘It’s… dangerous here…’

Nemara mumbled, his lips barely moving.

‘Don’t come… If you do, you’ll die…’

But his voice was too faint. Marian kept coming closer.

No. I can’t lose Marian again.

“Father!”

That was when Marian’s voice rang out clearly.

Only then did Nemara realize—

That wasn’t Marian.

It was Kirrin, who looked just like her mother.

Why now… why would Kirrin come here…

Nemara struggled to raise an arm and waved it, telling her not to come.

Don’t come. You mustn’t.

I made a promise to Marian—

That I would let you live happily.

If you come here now, I can’t keep that promise.

No matter what, I must… save Kirrin…

That’s the only way I can keep Marian’s promise…

I was too complacent.

I should’ve listened to Drebren and killed Nishira when I had the chance.

I should’ve cut her off before she swayed the other wives.

Lately, with the visions of Marian clouding my mind, I failed to sense Nishira’s strange behavior and respond to Morkan’s ambush.

At Kirrin’s voice, Morkan turned.

“What’s that? The half-blood?”

Morkan gripped his dagger.

“How filthy. A mongrel with human blood in the Black Forest.”

Realizing Morkan intended to kill Kirrin, Nemara hurled his body forward.

But paralyzed, he collapsed onto the ground.

Still, he didn’t give up.

Pressing his face to the earth, he found the wire hidden in the soil, bit down, and yanked with all his might.

A net sprang from the ground beneath Kirrin’s feet, lifting her into the air.

Morkan’s dagger barely missed the net’s edge.

“Damn you…”

Morkan growled and turned toward Nemara.

Bleeding heavily, Nemara grinned through it. frёewebηovel.cѳm

“Kirrin… must not die…”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]