The Retired Hero is an Extra

Solarnelle Academy.

When considering the epitome of power and ability, a person had to possess some form of education in whatever art or craft they possessed.

As the institute that stood above all others in the Empire, Solarnelle Academy was the dream of anyone who aimed for the top.

And there Jash was, standing before the gates of such a prestigious place, though he didn't seem as excited as those around him, who avoided him.

"It's the Rank1..."

"Shh... What if he hears us? I heard that..."

Such whispers were obviously making their way to his ears, so calling them whispers would be wrong.

Ignoring them, Jash focused on the magnificent, shiny white surface of the large gate leading to the Academy, which resembled a castle on its own.

The towering building seemed to touch the clouds as the white gates stayed before it.

"Have a safe and productive time, Young Master."

Those were the parting words from the staff working in the Ramille Estate as well as Emma.

While his parents were worried about things going wrong over the past two days, nothing of the sort happened and they were relaxed.

After all, the academy was the safest place, or so it should have been had Jash not known about the brewing storm.

He glanced behind, finding no one but students and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

'They sure are strict with all their rules,' he thought in amazement before scoffing, 'And yet it gets attacked, with only one casualty: me.'

Due to the strict rules of the Solarnelle Academy, no one except the student was allowed on the premises.

All the farewells had happened even before the teleportation point for safety precautions.

'The high number of students with important backgrounds was meant to cause some mess,' Jash shrugged, resuming his movement.

He had paused to take in the refreshing scent of the air as well as the purer form of mana while appreciating the beauty of the Academy.

It was a stark contrast to the sprawling, ultra-modern cityscape which Jash had left behind.

The image of Adonia at dusk, with the sky transitioning from deep blue to purple hues still lingered in Jash's mind.

The towering skyscrapers with sleek, curved designs dominating the skyline, their facades made of reflective glass and glowing with soft neon lights in shades of blue, pink, and green. Luxurious hover cars glide smoothly over the roads with some small areas lit up with neon accents around the buildings.

Their speed left nothing but trails of light behind them on the wide and clean streets, populated by autonomous vehicles and hunters clad with equipment.

Elevated walkways connected the buildings, creating separate pathways for hunters, keeping them apart from the unawakened.

However, the only respite among this concrete jungle was greenery—trees and plants—incorporated into the urban landscape with vertical gardens and trees lining the walkways.

Amongst those tall buildings, holographic billboards displayed vibrant advertisements and information, adding to the dynamic energy of the city.

The overall atmosphere was one of technological advancement, energy, and a harmonious blend of nature and innovation.

Of course, this uniqueness belonged solely to the city of Adonia due to the highest population of elves and dwarves in the city.

'All in all, it really looked like the capital of the Empire, having its own distinct identity,' Jash mused, reminded of the city.

It was really strange—he felt nostalgic for a city he just glimpsed around for a few hours of ride.

Yet what about his home city?

He seemed to have no such feeling, but there was a reason.

'This Academy... feels more like home than the city of Adonia,' Jash sighed, knowing how different the Ramille Dukedom was from other regions.

"Just where is the Academy located?"

"You idiot. You don't even know something so basic?"

"Oh, why don't you enlighten this fool, then?"

"Hmph! Then listen..."

Hearing the loud talks about it, Jash couldn't help but leak out a chuckle at the sheer idiocy.

'No one really knows the exact location of the Academy excluding the Principal,' Jash mused, shaking his head as he passed by them.

The Solarnelle Academy seemed to be located on a fairly large yet lush floating island in the sky, its surface dotted with verdant forests and sparkling lakes.

To add to its mystique, it was encircled by mystical cascading waterfalls that never seemed to reach the ground.

All of it being covered by a pulsing transparent dome, as if it were some kind of bubble keeping it afloat.

The dome's surface shimmered with an ever-changing array of colors, signaling its active defenses against intrusions.

'This is really interesting,' Jash thought, looking at the sight first-hand, it was beyond any expectations.

Even he was wide-eyed as he took in the Academy's architecture, a perfect blend of ethereal elements and modern futuristic design.

It exuded enchanting seamless natural beauty, evoking a fantastical sense of euphoria.

This fantasy-like place, the Solarnelle Academy stood as the epitome of excellence, where the majority of excellent Hunters had graduated from.

Even the widely-known SSS-Rank hunters were known to have graduated from the Academy.

Thus, it was a dream of almost every youth present in Aeternis Ājānia to be able to attend it.

Just behind the wide-open gates were huge Teleportation, situated outside the Academy premises for an additional layer of security.

'As if they really need it with this pulsing dome,' Jash rolled his eyes at the theatrics, as he passed by the gleefully chatting freshmen.

Some had become friends during the Entrance Test while some were just exchanging information and gauging each other.

They had no idea that the bubble-like dome had an actual purpose!

It served as an impenetrable fortress of protection, a magical barrier designed to repel any unauthorized teleportation attempts.

It prevented even spatial mages from jumping in by mistake or on purpose, failing their attempts at teleportation.

After all, this seemingly small island on which the academy was situated, was literally a small nation of its own.

However, it had one advantage: every form of status, whether nobility or commoner, was completely cast away.

Or at least that was the motive in creating it to be so isolated from the real world.

In fact, no one even knew if it was on an actual floating island or within some secret realm or some other ancient secret.

Not like it mattered as the only way to infiltrate or attack it was if someone with enough authority inside the Academy betrayed.

But that wasn't realistic.

The number of restrictions cast onto them with mana oaths and contracts were way too numerous.

'Just a single thought of betrayal would put their life in jeopardy,' Jash mused, still unable to believe how the attack even happened.

While being busy in his considerations for his life and wondering if he could prevent the attack itself, Jash missed an important part of the Academy.

The Academy had too much area lying around with nothing and after the students started flooding in, there was a constant need for relaxation.

And to curb any potential meaningless fights, the Academy had created Entertainment districts and many more!

The newly established districts offered a variety of amenities, from serene gardens to bustling social hubs.