I am Just an Average Tamer

'But how?!' His eyes widened in disbelief, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His breaths grew ragged.

Just as he thought he had shaken off one problem, a bigger one loomed ahead.

"Hurry up, catch him!" A shout snapped him out of his thoughts.

As he tried to run away, another voice reverberated through the air.

"There! Those are his minions—catch them too!"

'Minions?' Kai glanced back to see what was happening.

His gaze followed the direction of the crowd's attention, and he sighed in relief.

'Oh, so it's you, Jim,' he smirked as some men apprehended Jim and his accomplices, who got caught red-handed, pickpocketing people.

"These brats stole my pouch too!" an elderly man exclaimed whom Kai just pocketed, drawing a dagger from his satchel. "I'll cut off their sinful limbs!"

'Is this old man really going to do it?' Kai shuddered; his mind screamed at the thought of what might happen to them.

'Well, I don't care—they deserve it. Crap! What am I doing standing here? I gotta leave before they catch me too,' he thought and slipped out of the main hall.

He strolled through the alley leading to the market square.

'That old guy isn't actually going to cut off their limbs, right?' Kai shook his head in frustration. 'Wait, why am I empathizing with them? They deserve it.'

'But I'm the one who stole the pouch. What if they'd caught me instead?' A chill ran down his spine at the mere thought of what might have happened.

He quickly dismissed the thought, 'Why am I even thinking about that?'

After walking for a few minutes, he reached the bakery. Kai went inside and exchanged two coins for two slices of bread.

Stepping out, he jogged toward his home. On his way, he noticed people murmuring about the announcement, but he paid no attention. It didn't concern him.

Upon reaching his shack, he slipped inside.

Lira was still sitting there, her head buried in her knees. She glanced at him briefly, raising her head slightly as he entered.

"There you go," Kai said, handing her a slice of bread.

Without saying a word, she grabbed it and began munching as he sat down beside her.

-------------------

"Alright, silence!" A sharp slap of a palm on the round table echoed through the room, cutting through the murmuring voices.

"Ahem, now, Daniel, please tell us what the notice says," the man said with a serious expression.

"We were given time, Mayor. The Ritopia Kingdom's messengers said they will withdraw their forces immediately," Daniel replied, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hmm, I don't know why, but it's good for us. I'm not a coward, but I do love peace. Now we can finally find relief from that matter," the mayor said, clasping his hands on the table, a smile tugging at his lips.

The members around the table began murmuring again.

"Hahaha, so you really think Ritopia has finally let you off the hook?" A mocking chuckle reverberated through the air as everyone began sharing their opinions.

Upon hearing this, they turned to see the speaker. A man in a large, hooded cloak was leaning against the wall beside the meeting table.

"What do you mean, Damile?" a blonde-haired man asked, his lips twitching in irritation at hearing Damile's voice.

"Oh, dear head guard, don't tell me you don't get it? From whom did you get your military training? Some street thugs or..." Damile paused for a moment, a wide grin stretching across his face, "...that nobody father of yours?"

"Wat—" The head guard was about to shout but was immediately interrupted.

"Damile, this is not the way to speak with fellow accomplices," the mayor said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"And what was that you just said?"

"Ah, my dear, if you say so." Damile smirked and winked at the mayor, making him shudder in disgust.

"The Ritopia Kingdom was hell-bent on taking us down for the past few months," Damile explained with his usual mocking and playful demeanor.

"They even took the initiative to attack us first, but..." He paused for a second, his smirk quickly disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.

"Then why are they withdrawing now? Don't you think there could be something we're missing? Maybe we're not seeing the big picture."

"Hmm," the mayor mused after pondering for a few seconds.

"Well, even if they are, it doesn't concern us. I mean, we are just members of the town council; we can't change His Highness's decisions."

A wide smile tugged at the mayor's lips as he turned to Damile, who had returned to his usual mocking and playful demeanor.

"They said they won't attack again, and we don't have to worry about that."

"Hehehe! Yeah, they won't—for now, at least." Damile leaned back, a mocking grin on his lips.

"Old man, I warned you because you're also a member of the High Council of the kingdom. Besides, I'm pretty sure that fool of a king would surrender while pissing his pants if I told him what really will happen. Haha!"

Damile just badmouthed the king, but no one voiced their disagreement to protect the king's image. It was because they all knew their king very well—he was a coward and the most selfish king in the entire history of the kingdom.

He only cared about himself, not his kingdom. Everyone knew what would have happened if Damile had informed the king before the High Council.

The High Council was a powerful governing body that act as a check on the king's authority while also ensuring the kingdom's spiritual and administrative balance.

Being a separate entity, they hold the utmost hierarchy, second only to the ruling king. Though the king's word is final, the High Council possesses the power to countermand royal decrees under specific circumstances.

The High Council consisted of one head, the High Priest, and nine council members.

It was because of the High Council that the kingdom had not fallen yet under the rule of a failed king.

The council couldn't depose the king, but they could temporarily strip away royal privileges under the Edict of Reclamation if the ruler was deemed unfit, due to insanity or corruption.

They could have easily removed the king's royal privileges and taken control of the kingdom until the first princess took the throne. But they didn't do it because of the second prince.

The second prince was very arrogant, prideful, and the most spoiled member of the royal family. They knew he was aware of his father's behavior, but removing the king would have been shameful for the family and would have damaged their pride in the eyes of rival kingdoms.

The High Priest knew that the second prince would hold a grudge against them, and they didn't want that. So, they simply interfered with the king's foolish decisions to maintain control of the kingdom.

"Alright, I'll leave now," Damile said, turning toward the gate. Just as he was about to step out, he stopped abruptly.

"Hah! They're just weaklings. We don't need to worry about them," the head guard said, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

"Not everyone is like..." Damile began, glancing at the head guard, but he stopped mid-sentence as he felt Daniel's cold gaze from behind.

"Sorry, just slipped out of my lips, pfff!" he said with a smirk, stifling a laugh before leaving.

"Tsk, just who does he think he is? He's nothing without his lousy pets," the head guard grunted, relaxing now that Damile had left, but—

"Argh! ...cough...w-wha...cough..." he choked as suddenly some black tendrils gripped his neck, making him suffocate, as he struggled to loosen them with his hands, but they kept tightening.

"Ah, dear, I don't need my lousy pets for the likes of you. I can end you here without even lifting my finger, haha!" Damile laughed at the head guard.

 Damile's voice was venomous as he stood just a few steps away from him, watching guard's futile struggle. 

No one dared to move or speak because their bodies were trembling under the suffocating pressure of the murderous aura emanating from Damile's tendrils.

"Damile!" Daniel's voice, a chillingly cold tone, cut through the silence like a blade. The air grew heavier as Daniel released even more dangerous aura than Damile's tendrils.

"F#ck off."

"Alright, alright, dear brother. You could've just asked nicely," Damile pouted mockingly, releasing the head guard and instantly disappeared from where he stood as the tendrils engulfed him and sank into the void.

Cough! Cough!

The head guard collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

Sigh!

Daniel sighed, sensing that his brother had truly left.

"Everyone, I'm really sorry for this," he said, his voice calmer now.

The council members nodded in unison, their faces pale, none daring to speak a word.

"Let's put this matter to rest," the mayor said, his voice icy as he broke the silence.

"We need to focus on announcing the date for the year festival. Besides," he added, his piercing gaze settling on a blonde-haired woman, sending a chill down her spine. "I've heard rumors about the cause of the festival's delay."

"I thought you had a perfect excuse, Rebecca."

"I-It's just..." She stammered before forcing a nervous laugh. "Haha! What a silly misunderstanding!"