Alas.
My pockets are empty, so empty.
Shiayar somewhat listlessly filled the vacant name slot on his Skill bar with the words 'Amaterasu'.
His mind stirred slightly, reining in his scattered thoughts.
The next moment, the icy expanse of the Northern Territory Icy Plains that surrounded Shiayar vanished.
In its place was a compartment of a whistling steam train.
Moon Reading, having reached "Perfection" proficiency, could create illusions. Within these, the Beastmaster could freely exercise In Control over the fantasy world according to their own will.
And it was in these illusory worlds that Shiayar had managed to use the days spent on the steam train to shape Silver's Skill prototype for 'Amaterasu'.
As for why the illusory background was the frozen ice plains of the Northern Territory, it was because that snowy expanse of The North was not only Silver's birthplace—it was also Shiayar's homeland in this life.
...
Feeling his consciousness return to reality, Shiayar opened his eyes and looked around.
Even while immersed in the illusion of Moon Reading, Shiayar maintained enough spiritual power in the real world to prevent any mishaps.
The reason he had stopped Moon Reading was because he sensed someone approaching in reality.
He saw a girl in a pristine white dress gently leaning over in the train's aisle beside him, looking at Shiayar with an eager expression.
More precisely, she was looking at the delicate and petite little white ferret on his shoulder.
Noticing Shiayar's gaze, a blush appeared on the girl's pretty face, as if she hadn't expected Shiayar to suddenly wake up.
But she quickly caught herself and adopted a dignified demeanor. "I'm sorry..."
"May I pet it?"
It turns out, fluffy little animals have an irresistible charm for females aged seven to seven hundred.
No wonder they're a race with inherent Bewitchment as a talent Skill.
Shiayar's eyes swept over her innocent visage, then paused at the silver badge worn on her chest.
The hollowed-out silver badge bore the detail of a rapier and three golden laurel leaves.
In Shiayar's Spatial Pocket, there was also a school badge identical to it.
He turned his head towards the little white ferret on his shoulder.
Sensing the overflowing maternal love in the girl's eyes, the little white ferret leaped from Shiayar's left shoulder to the right, further from her, and elegantly expressed its reluctance.
Shiayar spread his hands. "I'm sorry, but it seems my Pet Beast is rather shy."
In reality, given Silver's aloof nature, anyone other than me who wanted to pet it had better be prepared to endure a blast of 'Moon Reading'.
"Is that so... That's such a pity."
The girl in the white dress showed a look of considerable disappointment, her eyes still lingering on the little white ferret with reluctance.
"So—could you tell me its species name?"
"I would like to raise a Pet Beast for show too."
HRUMPH! (You're the one for show, your whole family is for show!)
Silver shook its tail dissatisfiedly on Shiayar's right shoulder.
Its action startled the girl slightly.
A Pet Beast meant for show couldn't possibly possess such intelligence.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Shiayar and the little white ferret, ultimately settling on Shiayar's face.
"Student Shiayar Egutt?"
"Sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else."
Shiayar's heart skipped a beat, and he casually raised the newspaper from the table.
"I'm not mistaken."
"Among all the senior students at St. Roland Academy, only your main Pet Beast is a harmless-looking snowy plains ferret."
The girl's pretty face turned serious in an instant.
"Student Shiayar, as a member of St. Roland Academy, you should show some understanding for the difficulties faced by the student council."
"You have already missed two term exams in a row."
"Not only that. You are one of the few intermediate Beastmasters in the academy. Yet, every time the school represents the Empire in exchanges with young Beastmasters from the theocratic kingdom and the Princes' Alliance, you are nowhere to be found."
Shiayar lifted the newspaper in his hand even higher. "I'm just saying, you've got the wrong person. My name is Amuro, Amuro Reye."
"What does finding Shiayar have to do with me, Amuro?"
However, the other party clearly had no intention of letting Shiayar get away so easily.
"I'll let go of all the things I mentioned just now."
"But not long ago, during the academy's centennial celebration, you were nowhere to be seen."
"Our student council even reported you as a model student of excellence."
"Do you know how much effort we in the student council had to put in? We had to clean up your mess in front of all those Great Nobles who came to witness the event!"
Shiayar picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "Actually, I have my reasons. President Dyres, listen to my excuses first."
"Over the past six months, I've actually been in Resa City acting as a partner of justice. I've been helping the local Jurisdiction Bureau punish evil and promote good. I even refused the Outstanding Citizen Medal offered by the local authorities."
"So now you admit you're Shiayar, not Amuro?"
"And you're finally willing to recognize me as the student council president?"
Dyres massaged her temples, clearly pained. "I know that for students like us, without family background support, gathering materials for a Pet Beast's advancement isn't easy."
"One often needs to take on bounty missions at the Jurisdiction Bureau and the Military Department to exchange them for enough money and contributions."
"But that doesn't mean you can just ignore the academy."
"And no matter what, it's good to socialize more with fellow students. Many students at St. Roland Academy come from noble families with rich connections in the background."
"Forming good relationships with them will be useful after you graduate from the academy."
Having said that, she reached out and walked towards Shiayar without further ado.
"In any case, you need to come with me to the student council first to make up for the two missed term assessments."
"There's a networking dinner at the academy in a few days. Many High Order mentors and noble family members will be attending. As student council president, I'll take you there and introduce you around..."
BUZZ—
Just as Shiayar was contemplating an excuse to escape in his mind, a long whistle interrupted Dyres's words.
The speed of the train began to slow down until it came to a complete stop.
[Dear passengers, the train is about to arrive.]
[Welcome to the Capital of All Kingdoms—Camelot.]
As the gentle voice of the transmission Array announced, the train's doors slowly opened.
As soon as the announcement sounded, the aisle inside the train car filled with a bustling crowd in an instant, blocking Dyres's view.
When Dyres finally managed to regain her footing amidst the chaotic flow of people, she found that Shiayar had vanished without a trace, making her stamp her foot in frustration.
This guy.