The Retired Hero is an Extra

"May the blessing of Light befall you."

The voice of so many members of the Church of Light resounded in the area as they lowered their heads fervently.

For a moment only silence followed before the entourage from the Church moved away, leaving space for the next arrivals.

However, a few reporters were curious about the participants from the Church this year.

'Surely, there'd be some talented ones rivaling the nobles of the three races.' That's what most believed and were quite curious about.

Unfortunately, having curiosity didn't mean they'd get an answer.

A golden-white sphere appeared around the entire group, isolating them from the onlookers.

The cameras could no longer record anything except their appearance as they walked away.

"Looks like the Holy Church has some capable candidates this year!" The reporters tried their level best to keep up the hype.

Despite their personal dissatisfaction, no one would dare to go against the only Church in the Solarnelle Empire.

However, it seemed that the participating candidates did want to show themselves.

A girl with long, radiant golden hair and green eyes asked innocently, "Why did we separate ourselves?"

"That's what His Holiness ordained us to do," a female with a veil on her face replied with a smile, though invisible.

"Hmm. But why?" the golden-haired girl asked again, wanting to show off the Church's might.

Before anyone could reply, another young voice chimed in.

"Vivia, we shouldn't go against the words of His Holiness."

The stern voice made the pouting girl, Vivia, turn as she looked at the silver-haired teen, his orange eyes shimmering with golden hues.

He wore a calm and polite smile on his face as he addressed her, wanting to make her understand their position.

Vivia's expression fell at his sight, a flicker of frustration crossing her eyes, but she controlled it before anyone could notice. "Right, Caeron," she nodded.

Of course, Caeron caught sight of her expression but didn't address it, knowing the reason for her dislike.

'Phew... Now we won't have to show ourselves before the Entrance Test,' Caeron thought, heaving a sigh of relief secretly.

Just then, another boy around their age appeared, "Alright! Now, you both should just focus on the Entrance Test ahead."

'Damn it! Where did he come from all of a sudden,' Caeron cursed inwardly, feeling uneasy.

"You're right," he agreed and moved aside, feeling a sense of strangeness from the golden-haired boy and his golden eyes.

Meanwhile, Vivia's smile brightened at his presence and the two began to chat, leaving Caeron aside.

However, he didn't mind it, choosing to get along with the not-so-talented participants from the Church.

Of course, it was just in comparison to the trio who could easily rival most children of nobles.

Speaking of nobles, the teleportation gate flickered once more, announcing another arrival.

The arrival of the next group was met with a mix of curiosity and anticipation

This group wore blue suits, and was surrounded by tons of security teams belonging to them.

After a few seconds passed, the interested reporters got a glimpse at the identity of the group.

As the security scattered a bit, between them, a beautiful young girl next to a couple with a majestic aura could be seen.

Both the girl and the man had striking blue hair and black eyes while the woman had black eyes and green hair.

However, her presence was in no way any lesser than the man's and the young girl's facial features resembled hers.

"As you can see, the Archduke has also arrived!" the reporter shouted as the couple along with the girl eloquently went past the reporters.

They didn't wait a second as they sat in their luxurious cars and left the premises, with their security team following alongside.

"Both the Archduke and the Archduchess themselves came with their daughter! For more such news, stay tuned," many reporters announced.

They were presenting the same news with different words, trying to appeal to more audiences than other channels.

After all, most of the media channels across the world had their reporters set eyes on this batch of students in the Solarnelle Academy.

Since the general populace wanted it, they displayed it.

That's how they earned money after all.

Naturally, the increased attention on the special candidates only heightened the nervousness of the normal participants.

On the other side of the spectrum, some were excited at the aspect that they were going to meet people they could never meet normally.

The nobles, however, had different moods

***

Inside the Imperial Palace in Adonia,

"Don't let down the name of the Imperial Family," said an older man to Avon.

Avon could only swallow his feelings and say, "Yes, I will never let someone tarnish the name of the Imperial Family."

The man just smiled, placing his hand on Avon's shoulder. "That you must, Avon, that you must," he said.

Avon shifted uncomfortably, his brother's grip tightening painfully on his shoulder, causing him to suppress a flinch.

Just as Avon was about to yelp, he withdrew his hand, still smiling.

Despite the discomfort and pain, Avon hung his head low, not daring to show his feelings to his older brother.

He was the First Prince, someone who had graduated as an A-Rank from the academy, a feat considered rare.

There might not be even one of them every graduating year yet he was the top of the year, by a huge margin at that.

'I wouldn't suffer if not for that Amael,' Avon thought, directing his hatred to Amael for stealing his spotlight.

Unfortunately, he failed to see that it was his own shortcomings that led him to failure, not someone else.

Despite his outward composure, a storm of frustration brewed inside him, fueled by his recent failure.

"I wonder what would happen if Ava outranks you?" the First Prince muttered as he left.

His mocking voice was loud enough for Avon to hear clearly, making him grit his teeth in denial.

"I will definitely rank first," he vowed to himself, already pushing his limits since his defeat at the banquet.

Meanwhile, Ava was catering to her sick mother in an isolated room.

No one was anywhere near that room when suddenly the First Prince showed up with a gentle smile.

--Knock Knock

Perplexed by the sudden knocks, Ava stood up to open the door and exclaimed in recognition, "First Brother!"

"Hello, how are you doing Ava?" he asked with genuinity, lacing his voice.

"I am doing fine, First Brother. But how come...?" she asked, not completing her question to prevent it from being rude.

"Nothing much. I just came to inform you that your mother will be well taken care of during your Academy term."

"Really?" Ava blurted out, unable to believe the notion, but she soon calmed down as the First Prince nodded.

Although smart, she couldn't see through the facade of kindness displayed by the First Prince, or was that a facade to begin with?

No one knew for sure as the First Prince was just too strange to be evaluated in a few words.

However, it worked out well for Ava as she could fully focus on the Entrance Test and her years at the Academy with peace of mind.

"I am sure you will rank first among the Females in the Entrance Test," the First Prince said with a proud smile.

Ava nodded in determination, feeling the weight of the Imperial Family on her shoulders.

"I will surely try my best to rank in the top 3 overall, First Brother," she declared, fierce resolve in her eyes.

As it turns out, the Entrance Test has two rankings, one based on the gender, that is, male or female.

The other one is a cumulative ranking.

Of course, it wasn't to discriminate against the students, but to ensure that both genders had a Representative in their year.

***

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