The Retired Hero is an Extra

His easy manner seemed to cut through the formalities of the occasion, adding a touch of familiarity to the high-stakes atmosphere.

"Finally, you two have arrived!" Amael said, stopping right in front of Jash and Caera before turning to the guide.

"You may leave," he ordered with the proper politeness expected of him, and she hesitated for less than a second before leaving.

Acknowledging her bow with a nod, Jash said blankly, "Thank you for being our guide until now."

"I was starting to think you might miss all the fun," Amael chimed in, his gaze returning to the twins as the maid walked away.

Jash, trying to hide his inner emotions, forced a smile in response and Caera interrupted before he could say anything.

"You know how it is," she said, glaring at Jash, "He just dislikes all such things and threw a tantrum of not wanting to come."

Amael\'s lips twitched as he stifled a laugh, or so it appeared on the surface.

Jash\'s gaze narrowed, noticing Amael\'s fleeting smile and the subtle twitch in his eyes. \'Something\'s off about him,\' Jash thought.

Unaware of the seed of suspicions being planted in Jash\'s head, Amael chuckled lightly, "No surprise there, I see."

"It\'s not like we\'re early birds or something," Jash grumbled slightly, but quickly hid the irritation that got carried away in his voice.

Caera just rolled her eyes at his words and instead chose to focus on Amael.

"It\'s good to see you, Amael. How\'s everything going at your end? How\'s Ames?" Caera asked curiously.

"Amael\'s eyes sparkled with mischief before he replied, "Oh, you know, just the usual stuff."

"Hm? Did you engross yourself in training again?" Jash asked in genuine dissatisfaction.

It was strange how the three were acting very un-noble-like.

This behavior, however, was due to the area they were in.

After the maid left, Amael continued taking them around the Imperial Palace, giving them a thorough tour as well as get some alone time.

It seemed Amael\'s plan to observe Jash would really work well as Jash\'s facial expressions eased and became more natural.

\'I really hate crowds,\' Jash noted the change in his mood and how quickly his surging emotions calmed down after getting alone.

"Uhm, no. Not really!" Amael denied Jash\'s claims, saying, "Unlike you, I am also busy with training as the next heir!"

"Whatever. Tell about Ames," Caera cut the arguing duo off, asking in a stern tone.

\'Thankfully, I am not the target of her stern glare and anger,\' Jash paid his gratitude inwardly, finding Amael\'s situation amusing.

But he had no plans on helping the guy.

He might\'ve helped if it weren\'t for the suspicious vibes he gave off.

It wasn\'t right to call Amael different, but he wasn\'t the same either.

"Uh, right! Ames!" Amael exclaimed slightly, trying to draw their attention with his exaggerated expressions.

"Ames is fine. Just a tad bit too excited about her awakening in a year and 3 months," Amael shrugged his shoulders as he said so.

"Right, it\'s already the Year 2450, and our academy will start in the Year 2451," Caera muttered in a low voice.

She was one of the few who was actually eager to know about Amelia Blake the most despite being only half-cousins, if that was even a term.

While Caera and Amael were chatting casually, Jash continued to observe the shift in Amael as the conversation steered to their ranks.

"...and that\'s how I finally reached Mid E-Rank," Caera concluded with a smug smile.

"Oh, that\'s really good," Amael responded with a subtle smile, as if he were happy for her.

Unfortunately, the twins knew him, and easily figured he didn\'t mean it in the slightest.

"Hah! You say that but you don\'t even mean it," Caera rebutted, not giving a chance for Jash to butt in.

"No, No! I am only at Late E-Rank," Amael refuted before his smile faltered as he guiltily said, "Oops."

\'Crazy,\' Jash thought while Caera blurted out, "Crazy, crazy, you\'re a freak!"

Amael\'s smile faltered briefly, revealing a flash of irritation before he regained his composure.

"You\'ll probably be Rank 1, no?" Jash said, talking about the academy ranks, finally getting a chance to speak.

His eyes narrowed as he observed Amael\'s expression and reactions very closely, the uncanny suspicion bugging him.

\'His eyes dilated, eyebrows moving, smile became forced for a split second before he...\'

"Yeah. I think I have no competition," Amael agreed, interrupting Jash\'s observation.

Yet it seemed he already got what he wanted.

\'He has been acting a bit different and his words and expressions seem off, as if he doesn\'t mean them.\'

Jash compiled all his observations as the three of them continued further into the palace.

The grandeur of the Royal Palace was on full display, with golden chandeliers casting a warm, inviting glow over the marbled floors and exquisitely decorated walls.

The hum of conversation seemed to be a backdrop to the back and forth between Amael and Caera.

While Jash continued scrutinizing Amael, hoping to confirm his doubt, or worse, confirm that his conjecture was just a fallacy.

\'If Amael changed and I met him before I got these memories, then what\'s the guarantee nothing else will change?\'

Jash\'s troublesome guess was reasonable as he would end up losing the know-how of the world if that were truly the case.

In essence, he was going to change his death, so the chances of the world following the novel were next to none.

If by some miracle, it got steered back into its destined path, then someone else will have to die.

\'Anyone but me,\' he thought grimly.

"You didn\'t ask about my Rank, huh?" Jash asked playfully.

He had thought of various ways to confirm his conjecture when he recalled that he wasn\'t mentioned to have awakened earlier in the novel.

"Forgive me, I just thought you\'d be F-Rank at most since you didn\'t want to awaken," Amael responded with a polite smile.

\'Caught you!\' Jash smirked inwardly, feeling triumphant as he pieced together the clues.

"Huh? Didn\'t Aunt and Uncle tell you about him awakening a year after not wanting to?" Caera asked in confusion.

However, it was natural for her to think so.

The twins were already aware of Amael\'s absurd talent yet for some reason, he was unaware of Jash\'s?

It didn\'t make sense.

And that worked as the final nail in the coffin, serving as enough proof for Jash to believe that the world had already started to change.

\'Either that, or it was never the same one, to begin with. But just a world similar to the novel,\' Jash mused, leaning towards the former.

The latter made no sense as then, the novel in his mind would lose its purpose.

Unaware of the seed of suspicion sprouting inside Jash, Amael came with an excuse on the spot.

"You know how it is at home. Mom and Dad don\'t even sit at the dinner table together, let alone talk," Amael said with a helpless expression.

Although it was the truth because of Amelia, who was born out of marriage, it didn\'t mean they\'d not share news with him.

Of course, it could only work as a cover as Jash couldn\'t help but smile to himself. \'Your disbelief-filled expression says otherwise.\'

"Anyways, he\'s hovering around early E-Rank," Caera jeered, catching a stray Jash, who didn\'t expect her to mention it.

\'This girl... she\'s so much trouble,\' Jash thought in annoyance yet a smile was plastered on face, observing the dumbfounded expression of Amael.