"Upon completing the 2nd Order warrant arrest, you flawlessly secured the evidence, and no innocent bystanders were harmed."
"Including this occasion, your cumulative merits at the Jurisdiction Bureau are sufficient to earn you the qualifications for a noble title or, following your graduation from St. Roland Academy, to directly become an officer of the Jurisdiction Bureau, holding a military rank equal to mine."
In Resa's Branch Jurisdictional Bureau, a middle-aged military officer clad in a black cloak scrutinized the dossier in his hands and regarded Shiayar with some surprise.
In this world, extraordinary creatures and Beastmasters possess supernormal powers, with the latter being a profession that greatly demands soul aptitude. Thus, the Holy See, the various noble families, the Empire's Jurisdiction Bureau, and its military departments all had a tremendous demand for young Beastmasters as fresh blood.
Of course, as an official organization directly subordinate to the Empire itself, the Jurisdiction Bureau's threshold for talent was naturally beyond what those young people Anlina had previously trafficked could meet. The sort that gets sold and still helps count the money wouldn't even qualify to serve tea or run errands in a branch office.
The Jurisdiction Bureau grants bounty task permissions to senior students from certain Extraordinary Academies. A need for assistance due to understaffing is merely a secondary reason. The primary motive is to use this method to identify and recruit prospective members and build a talent reserve for the Jurisdiction Bureau.
Without a doubt, the youth before him named Shiayar was an indubitably superior talent. Having arrived in Resa from the Empire Capital less than a year ago, he had completed nearly all the high-level bounties at the branch with a pace that could only be described as terrifying. Even some old cases that had gathered dust for years had been swept clean. This had given him, the executive officer of this Branch Jurisdictional Bureau, a much easier time recently.
However, the middle-aged officer's covert recruitment did not receive the response he had anticipated. The noble title, which usually shone so brightly for the average commoner student, had now lost its once-unfailing attraction.
"There's no need for nobility or a military rank."
"I'd like to use my accumulated merits from this period to exchange for purchasing permission for a 4th Order Extraordinary resource in the Jurisdiction Bureau's warehouse."
Shiayar's voice was calm.
An Imperial military rank or noble title was indeed valuable, but he had long since charted his own course.
And at this moment, the final part of his plan was also ready.
「Gray White Hills.」
This area was hundreds of miles away from Resa, very close to the Fresta Empire's border. With its surrounding barrenness, lack of inhabitants, and proximity to the Golden Plains—home to an Emperor Rank Beast King and teeming with beast hordes—this place was truly no-man's-land.
Based on such reasons, after providing enough political contributions to the officials in Resa, Shiayar easily obtained the archaeological excavation rights for the Gray White Hills. Exchanging a godforsaken, unwanted territory for a pile of actual, glittering Rhine gold coins—wasn't that a sweet deal?
Of course, had it not been for the guidance of the system task, clearly indicating that this was the location for Shiayar's beginner task, he might have agreed with their point of view. But at this moment, perhaps he was the only person in the world who knew that these barren Gray White Hills had been the capital of the Azure Garden Dukedom over five hundred years prior.
Shiayar maneuvered through the dense underbrush, while Silver sat obediently on his shoulder, its left eye, clear as crystal, with the pattern of a silver moon and scarlet tomoe spiraling slowly in an intertwining dance. Mundane-ranked common beasts occasionally passed by Shiayar. However, under the influence of Silver's illusion, they remained oblivious, brushing past him without detecting anything amiss.
[Skill successfully used. Skill proficiency +3.]
["Silver's" Illusion Technique skill, Moon Reading, has achieved a proficiency breakthrough, advancing from Expert to "Perfection".]
["Silver's" Combat Level has increased. Current Combat Level: 28 (Extraordinary Order).]
As the light in the little white ferret's eyes flickered once more, a blue light screen suddenly materialized in Shiayar's mind.
"Has it finally broken through?" Shiayar muttered to himself. "It seems the battle with the Nightmare Butterfly, which also excels in illusion techniques, has greatly improved Silver's skill proficiency."
His consciousness stirred slightly, and the next moment, the light screen in his mind underwent a new change.
[Name: Silver]
[Species Name: Snowy Plains Ferret]
[Soul Pact Status: 1st Soul Pact (Master-Servant Pact: Shiayar Egutt)]
[Combat Level: 28 (2nd Order)]
[Species Rank: High-Level Commander (3rd Order)]
[Pet Beast Skills: Hunting Rhythms (Expert), Ripping Claws (Beginner), Ice Blade (Proficient), Bewitchment (Superb Achievement), Moon Reading ("Perfection")]
Snowy plains ferret—Silver.
This was the main Pet Beast with which Shiayar had formed his 1st Soul Pact when it was just a newly born cub.
Logically speaking, for a snowy plains ferret of High-Level Commander Species Rank, there were several powerful development paths. It could have focused on honing its innate physical skills, like Hunting Rhythms and Ripping Claws, to become a ghostly, agile assassin. Alternatively, it could have strengthened its elemental skill, Ice Blade—leveraging its naturally high ice element affinity—to become an ice-based elemental cannon. Both were considered strong options.
The Illusion Technique, Bewitchment, which could disarm an opponent's vigilance and hostility by means of adorable charms, was supposed to be just an auxiliary tool for support and buffs.
However, as a transmigrator in possession of a system—although this system was not very reliable—Shiayar naturally did not want Silver to follow an old path whose potential could be seen at a glance. Developing the High Order Illusion Technique, Moon Reading—built upon its extremely high proficiency in Bewitchment—was the evolutionary path Shiayar had planned for Silver.
After all, a white ferret was still a mustelid, so knowing Moon Reading made perfect sense.
As for the final effectiveness of this unconventional development path—
Besides, among his classmates at St. Roland Academy, even the scions of Great Nobles whose Pet Beasts were of Low-Level Sovereign Species Rank often found themselves defeated by Silver.
Shiayar's footsteps suddenly paused slightly, halting that rambling train of thought.
He pushed aside the shrubbery, and suddenly the world opened up before him.
The previously dim forest vanished, replaced by a vast open plain. The once-dense forest in this area had been deliberately cleared. Beneath the plain, cavities had been excavated from the earth and stone.
Within these cavities lay desiccated, gray-white architectural ruins. The bricks forming the main structure of the buildings had long since weathered and decayed. Yet, from the remaining outlines, Shiayar could still imagine the majestic and magnificent vista the entire complex must have presented when intact.
Almost at the same time, the cold prompt of the system, along with the changes in the light screen in Shiayar's mind, arrived.
[Host has reached the target location. Task Progression Panel is now open.]
[Beginner Task: Cause the naive and innocent Duchess Silvia to experience betrayal by a loved one, leading to her transformation and rebirth through anguish and despair.]
[Current Task Progress:
1. Arrive at the Azure Garden Dukedom's location (Completed).
2. Become a member of the Azure Garden Dukedom's ducal family (Completed).
3. Increase Duchess Silvia's Favorability to 30+ (Not Completed).]