Chapter 47: Lyra’s Gift

"I’m so sorry I couldn’t get one for you. Please forgive me, Young Master Arthur."

The words immediately drew attention.

A young woman with emerald-green hair and equally beautiful green eyes stood before Arthur with her head bowed apologetically.

It was Lyra.

Meanwhile, Arthur remained seated at the table, staring at her with a slightly helpless expression.

The Imperial Academy cafeteria was enormous, one of many on academy grounds, filled with hundreds of cadets enjoying their meals.

Naturally...

A beautiful young woman suddenly bowing her head before an equally handsome young man was bound to attract attention.

Arthur sighed.

"Lyra."

The green-haired young woman slowly raised her head.

"Yes, Young Master?"

"There’s no need to apologize."

Arthur gestured toward the empty seat beside Florian.

"If things were actually going well on your end, you wouldn’t have delayed for this long."

Lyra blinked.

Arthur continued.

"I can already guess that something happened."

Lyra looked slightly surprised.

"You... understand?"

"Of course."

Arthur leaned back slightly.

"Now, please sit down."

Lyra remained standing.

Arthur glanced around the cafeteria.

"...You’re drawing way too much attention."

Only then did Lyra seem to notice the countless eyes directed toward them.

Her face immediately turned slightly red.

And—

The whispers began.

"Are they having an argument?"

"I don’t think so. She looks like she’s apologizing."

"Wait... Is she confessing to him?"

"What?!"

Several young women immediately turned toward Arthur.

"Who is that?"

"You don’t recognize him?!"

A female cadet lowered her voice.

"That’s Arthur von Ashbourne."

Silence.

Then—

"Arthur von Ashbourne?!"

Several heads immediately turned.

"House Ashbourne?"

"THE Ashbourne family from the edge of the Empire?"

"That’s him?"

One of the young women stared at Arthur for several seconds.

Then she quietly muttered—

"...He’s even more handsome in person."

Another girl immediately nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing."

A third cadet leaned closer.

"Wait... Isn’t he supposed to be the most handsome young man in the Empire?"

"I believe they called him one of the seven princes."

"That’s just a title."

The first girl narrowed her eyes.

"...After seeing him, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration."

More whispers spread through the cafeteria.

Arthur’s expression gradually became more helpless.

"...I can hear all of you."

The whispers immediately stopped.

Several cadets awkwardly looked away.

Then—

"Is he single?"

Arthur froze.

A young woman sitting several tables away raised an eyebrow.

"If he isn’t, that’s unfortunate."

Another girl immediately smiled.

"And if he is?"

The first girl crossed her arms.

"Then I’ll make him fall for me."

"What?!"

"Why should you get the first chance?"

Several girls immediately began arguing.

Arthur stared blankly at them.

...What the hell is happening?

Beside him—

Florian suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pfft—!"

She quickly covered her mouth.

But her shoulders continued shaking.

Arthur slowly turned toward her.

"...What’s so funny?"

Florian looked toward Lyra with an amused expression.

"Lyra, you should probably be careful."

Lyra blinked.

"Careful?"

Florian pointed toward the increasingly interested female cadets throughout the cafeteria.

"If you’re not careful, someone might swoop in and steal Arthur right from under your nose."

Lyra froze.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

"Florian—"

"Wh-what?!"

Lyra’s face immediately turned red.

She quickly sat down beside Florian.

"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

Florian’s smile widened.

Arthur rubbed his forehead.

...This woman is enjoying herself way too much.

Lyra quickly looked away.

"A-Anyway!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Lyra cleared her throat.

"As I was saying... I’m sorry there aren’t any more Verdant Twin-Tail Spirit Lynxes owned by my family."

Arthur’s expression softened slightly.

Lyra continued.

"I told my mother that you really liked them."

Arthur blinked.

"You did?"

Lyra nodded.

"Of course I did."

She looked slightly disappointed.

"But unfortunately, every Verdant Twin-Tail Spirit Lynx we had was already sold."

Arthur remained silent.

Lyra lowered her gaze.

"My mother considered acquiring another one for you, but..."

She sighed.

"It wouldn’t be a good idea to capture more from the wild."

Arthur immediately understood.

"Their population?"

Lyra nodded.

"The Verdant Twin-Tail Spirit Lynx population has to remain above a certain number every generation."

She looked down at her hands.

"If too many are captured, their population could eventually decline to dangerous levels."

Arthur nodded slowly.

"And your family doesn’t want to contribute to that."

"Exactly."

Lyra looked toward him apologetically.

"So... I’m sorry, Young Master Arthur."

Arthur immediately raised his hand.

"Lyra."

She blinked.

"I get it."

Arthur smiled slightly.

"I really do."

Lyra stared at him.

Arthur leaned back.

"There’s no reason to apologize for protecting an entire species."

Her expression slowly relaxed.

Arthur continued.

"I wanted one because I thought they were cute."

He shrugged.

"But I’m not going to cause an entire species to go extinct because I wanted a pet."

Lyra stared at him for several seconds.

Then—

A small smile appeared on her face.

"...Thank you."

Arthur nodded.

"Don’t mention it."

Lyra’s expression suddenly brightened.

"But..."

"I didn’t come here empty-handed, though."

Arthur looked slightly confused.

"...You didn’t?"

Lyra nodded.

"You remember what you called Syir when you first saw her, right?"

Arthur frowned slightly.

"...A cat?"

Lyra nodded.

"Exactly. I got you a big cat this time."

Lyra reached into the pocket of her Academy uniform.

Then—

She pulled out a small silver crystal.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The crystal was no larger than her palm, yet faint energy continuously swirled beneath its translucent surface.

Lyra poured a small amount of Chi into it.

The crystal immediately began glowing.

Whooom!

A circular formation suddenly appeared on the floor beside her.

Several cadets immediately turned toward the strange phenomenon.

Then—

A massive figure slowly materialized.

Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.

A large white tiger appeared beside Lyra.

It landed silently on the floor.

Thud.

The creature was enormous.

From head to tail, it measured roughly six feet in length, while its shoulders stood nearly five feet above the ground.

Its snow-white fur seemed almost metallic beneath the cafeteria lights.

Dark silver stripes ran across its massive body.

Its eyes glowed with a faint blue light.

The tiger calmly sat beside Lyra.

Several nearby cadets immediately moved away from their tables.

"...Is that thing supposed to be in the cafeteria?"

"That’s a Spirit Beast!"

"Are they even allowed to summon those inside?!"

"That thing could probably eat someone!"