The Retired Hero is an Extra

While Jash believed that Amael was too easy and he caught him, Amael was indeed shell-shocked, but for an entirely different reason.

{Error...!}

{Error...!}

{Error...!}

{Host is advised to keep distance from this person and not to antagonize them!}

For the first time, the system issued a warning to Amael about not antagonizing a person.

That was the moment when he heard Caera's remark about Jash's rank, stunning Amael further.

It amplified his reaction to the system message as information regarding Jash that he was aware of differedd from the present.

Turns out, It was the system that failed to read Jash and when Amael inquired, it sent an optimistic message.

{Maybe in the future after the system is upgraded, but for now, he can't be appraised.}

Usually, the system only failed to glean information about those stronger than its host, however, the first exception came into being.

Oblivious to all this, Jash gloated in his mind as Amael paused in his tracks, surprising them.

"What happened? Did we reach the banquet area?" Caera asked in confusion, feeling out of place in this quiet area.

"Uhm, not yet. Just a bit more and we'll be there," Amael clarified right after he came to his senses.

'Did he get that surprised by my rank?' Jash guessed in his heart but immediately denied it. 'That's highly unlikely.'

After all, it didn't make sense for Amael to react so intensely since Jash was still weaker than Amael.

Unfortunately, Jash couldn't think of anything to which he could attribute Amael's odd behavior to.

Even if he thought he caught Amael, he didn't really know what he was actually aiming for.

'I know something's fishy, but so what?' Jash thought, irked by the complexity of his own thinking process.

Luckily, he didn't have to vent inwardly as a topic he too wanted to hear about came from Amael, who was trying his best to act normal.

"You both heard the rumors, right?" Amael asked and seeing the twins nod, he continued, "Do you have any guesses?"

Jash smirked slightly and teased, "Oh, you know, I was thinking it might be about your engagement."

Caera snickered, keeping a hand on her lips to hide it, and gave Amael a playful look.

It always intrigued her to talk about others' engagements despite knowing they won't happen unless they turn 18.

Of course, she didn't like talking about her own and would immediately refuse to talk, even going as far as entering closed door training.

Anyways, looking at Amael struggling to form a response, as if his words were caught in his throat made her praise Jash inwardly.

'He doesn't want to get engaged to Ava?' Jash wondered in intrigue, noting Amael's reaction.

"Ah-haha," Amael awkwardly chuckled and tried to change the topic, "I don't think it's that."

Taking a pause to look around the area and nodding to himself, he added, "After all, it's not everyday for the palace to be this charged with energy."

"Oh, we are here," Amael mentioned, gesturing for the twins to take a good look around the banquet area.

As they approached the grand hall where the banquet was set to begin, Jash's mind raced with the implications of the suspicious revelation.

The intrigue of the evening was far from over, and he was more determined than ever to uncover the truth about Amael.

'There's a high chance for it to be related to the world's truth and its connection to the novel,' Jash mused, half-believing it already.

His hunch usually proved to be true, so he thought all he needed to do was find some incriminating evidence.

Bringing the twins' attention back to him, Amael, ever the embodiment of charm and curiosity, smiled gracefully.

"Let's not keep the fun waiting. I've a feeling, tonight's going to be quite the event," he said eloquently, stealing a glance at Jash.

Jash nodded, his earlier frustration giving way to a cautious optimism, not missing the small movement Amael made.

"Agreed. Let's see what this night has in store for us," he mumbled with a serene expression.

While the two conversed with hidden intentions, Caera remained blissfully unaware and just refocused her mind back to how she entered.

She wanted to be perfect without letting out the slightest hint of a mistake while evaluating her potential classmates and rivals.

Naturally, among the numerous noble attendees, some would have children with enough potential to be her rivals.

Of course, Jash and Amael had different views on it.

Amael had a calculating gaze, ready to gain some Villain Points in this event by acting as he wished.

Jash, however, wore a different expression.

His strained emotions were barely concealed behind a tight smile, his irritation with banquets and crowds resurfacing.

'Damn! Why do I even hate them so much?' He rhetorically asked himself, knowing fully well the answer.

With that, the three stepped into the bustling hall, with lavishly dressed nobles and invitees roaming around.

Some wore expressions of false sincerity while the gullible ones found them to be real and fell for their tales.

Many nobles with clothes adorned in gold and silver, platinum and diamonds, stood with like-minded nobles.

Their disdain for the mundane dripped from their expressions yet none seemed to care about certain groups.

One such noble just so happened to be someone who complained at the 12th birthday banquet of Jash and Caera.

It was Lord Keger.

His excessively luxurious attire, quite suited to his figure, garnered quite a few eyes of intrigue and hatred.

He stood smugly full of himself until he caught sight of Amael Blake, Jash Ramille, and Caera Ramille entering together.

He gestured to his confidant to make his bootlickers follow him as he went ahead to greet the trio.

His actions drew the attention of other nobles, who noticed the three important guests he was approaching.

One was the heir of a Duke and the other two were the children of another Duke, their hierarchy was still better than most nobles here.

Naturally, they lamented their lack of insight as they couldn't just go and greet the three of them before Keger.

It would be unwise to cut him off unless...

"Jash... hicc... Caera... hicc..."

The drunken calling of their names brought their attention to the caller, but their eyes lit up in recognition.

"Uncle Serron!" The twins said in unison.

The scene baffled Lord Keger as he grumbled inaudibly, "Damn this drunkard!"

Unfortunately, he had no other choice to lose the chance to greet them as he wasn't anywhere near Serron's hierarchy.

The only difference would be Serron's disregard for such a hierarchy since he didn't like the human's nobility system altogether.

He was brought up by his elven mother, after all. The Elven customs came more naturally to him.

However, it seemed their meeting too wasn't going to be conducive.

"His Imperial Highness, The Second Prince of the Solarnelle Empire, Avon von Solarnelle!"

"Her Imperial Highness, The Second Princess of the Solarnelle Empire, Ava von Solarnelle!"

"Have arrived!"

As soon as the announcements were made, the banquet hall which was abuzz by the lively chatter came to a screeching halt.

All conversations ceased as everyone's head bobbed, their eyes focusing at the entrance.

The siblings, with distinct features, entered and many nobles' children could only gasp in awe, jealousy and desire.

Yet the adults' focus shifted, behind the Prince and Princess.

The doors closed behind them with a resonant thud, seeming to signal the beginning of a night full of revelations and surprises.

'So it has begun,' Jash thought to himself, noticing the fully closed doors.