I am Just an Average Tamer

"Hehehe!" Kai chuckled, looking at the little girl who still had an indifferent expression on her face.

He stood up and walked outside his shack.

"Hmm, I think I should find something to keep me warm. Winter's starting now," he said, as a cold breeze cut through his thin clothes.

He pulled his arms tight against his body and headed toward the market square.

He came across many stalls and shops selling clothes and blankets.

"They all look expensive," he muttered, glancing at each stall he passed.

After walking for a few minutes, he reached a stall outside the market square that looked quite old and worn.

"How much for these blankets, sir?" Kai asked the owner while examining them closely.

The owner's face slightly twitched in disgust as he opened his mouth and said, "Just go away, I don't give anything for free."

"But I-"

"15 coppers per piece, and if you can't afford it, don't waste my time," the owner interjected before turning around to continue his work. "What luck! First the main hall, and now I've just opened my shop and already have a beggar," he cursed under his breath.

Kai's eyes narrowed as the shop owner wounded his pride. As he was reaching into his pocket to fling 15 copper coins in the man's face, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Well, well, look who we have here," a voice came from behind him.

Kai shuddered, completely familiar with whose voice it was. Reluctantly, he turned to face the speaker and found himself looking at a boy slightly taller than him.

The boy had messy black hair and piercing black eyes. His ragged clothes mirrored Kai's, and dirt smudged his face and arms, giving him a scrappy, streetwise appearance.

"Isn't it our big brother Kai?" said two boys in unison, cracking their knuckles, they were a little smaller than Kai and had same eye color as the boy but had brown hair.

"What do you want, Jim?" Kai asked, glaring at the boy with black hair and eyes, who stood before him with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, you buying something fancy? That must mean you've got some money," Jim said with a smirk, placing both hands firmly on Kai's shoulders.

"N-No, I don't," Kai stammered, trembling under Jim's grip.

"Oh, is that so, huh?" Jim sneered, grabbing Kai's collar and giving him a rough shake.

Clink! Clink!

The jingling of coins echoed as Jim shook Kai violently.

"Hehehe, then what's this sound just now?" Jim chuckled darkly, signaling to the two boys standing behind him. "Go on, take his money," he ordered, grabbing Kai from behind as his accomplices advanced.

"Hey, stop it! It's my money!" Kai growled, kicking around to fend off the boys who were about to rob him.

"No, you don't." Jim slammed his knee into Kai's back and pinned him to the ground, grabbing his arms and legs.

"This isn't your money anyway—you just stole it," Jim grinned as the boys rifled through Kai's pockets, pulling out the coins. He stepped off Kai and grabbed the coins from the boys, and started counting them slowly.

Kai stood up glaring at them with narrowed eyes, his face twisted in anger.

"Give my money back!" Without warning, Kai dashed at Jim, his fists clenched and raised in the air, ready to strike.

"Hahaha!" Jim's laughter rang out, cruel and mocking, as he watched Kai's desperate charge.

The sound echoed, drawing curious glances that quickly turned away. He effortlessly punched Kai in the face, sending him stumbling backward.

Before Kai could recover, Jim punched him in the gut, causing him to cough violently. With a kick, Jim sent him crashing to the ground.

Jim stepped closer, sneering as he began kicking Kai's face.

"You like that? Want more? Take it." He continued kicking Kai relentlessly in the face and gut, his smirk never fading.

Many people saw them but ignored it, since they were from the slums and nobody cared, even if they killed each other.

Of course, the law would take action against the killer if witnesses reported them—people wouldn't allow someone to freely live after killing in broad daylight in front of everyone. 

"Haa... Haa..." Jim breathed heavily, a look of satisfaction on his face as he started walking away with his two minions.

"Argh," Kai grunted and slowly tried to sit up, wiping away the tears that were streaming down his swollen face with the back of his hand.

Blood dripped from his mouth and nose, evidence of the brutal beating he'd taken.

He staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from his face, his legs shaking from the pain.

"Haa...Haaa!" Clutching his chest and gasping for breath, he started to walk away with unsteady, ragged steps, having been beaten to a pulp.

There was nothing he could do. He was outnumbered and too weak to fight back.

Even in a one-on-one, he stood no chance. He couldn't even complain since he was an orphan with no friends or guardian to help him.

Kai kept walking toward a deserted alley where no one usually came and sat in a corner, resting his head on his knees and wrapping his arms around them. His eyes grew teary as he recalled what happened moments ago.

"Bastards," he said through gritted teeth, "Why is it always like this? Why can't I stand up for myself? I hate this—I hate them, and I hate being so weak."

He sat there for hours without moving, grieving about losing almost all of his money at once.

Being picked on was normal since he was weak, but he'd never lost all his earnings like this before. Noon turned to evening, but he didn't move a muscle.

Garr!

His stomach growled, pulling him out of his thoughts. He stood up and dragged his sore body through the streets toward his home.

It was evening, so stalls were closing now. As he passed a food vendor closing shop, he noticed the man carrying leftover food toward his cart.

Kai hesitated at first but then slowly approached. When the vendor entered a slightly crowded area, Kai mustered all his strength and tackled him, sending the man sprawling to the ground. 

The bread and other items scattered across the dirt. Kai snatched a few pieces and ran away.

"Hey! You thief! Come back here!" the vendor shouted after him but couldn't chase him, since he had to quickly gather his scattered food before more was lost.

Kai didn't look back and sprinted toward the town square, weaving into a narrow alley where he finally stopped. He dropped to the ground, leaning his back against a building as his chest heaved.

"Argh," he grunted, his breath ragged. His whole body was aching—the pain from his earlier beating had returned after tackling the vendor.

After a few minutes, Kai forced himself to his feet, wincing as he moved. His steps were shaky, but he was ready to leave the alley.

Kai slowly walked out of the alley; his movements were still sluggish from the pain. The humming of townspeople reached his ears, he stopped and leaned against the wall of a house to eavesdrop on the conversation happening in the town square.

A group of three middle-aged men stood chatting animatedly.

--

"Hey, did you read the notice?" a man said as he played with his brown beard.

"Yeah, it's strange. Delaying the year festival—that's something that's never happened before." second man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And you know what happened to those bastards who tried to mess with the festival four years ago..." a chill ran down their spines remembering the event.

Even though it had been four years, the memories were still fresh in their minds.

The Year Festival wasn't just popular in Ashenford Town; it was the day when tamers from across the kingdom gathered to demonstrate their skills and pay tribute to Elijah Ashenford's legacy.

The festival had become a symbol of the kingdom's strength and unity, transforming from a local celebration into a grand event that even the royal family attended.

Elijah Ashenford was a legendary tamer who had earned the admiration of countless people, many considering him an idol.

He had helped not only the town but the entire kingdom. Their kingdom was once small, but due to Elijah's influence, many of their enemies had surrendered, making the kingdom grow in both power and size.

"But why are they delaying it?" third man said.

"I don't know—they didn't mention much about the reason," first man replied with a shrug.

"Hey, could it really be that the mayor's daughter ran away, and he was too ashamed, so he even tried to cancel the festival?" second said with a serious expression.

"Ah, come on, they're just rumors, and you know what would happen if the mayor did that," first man said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm saying he tried but didn't do it," second replied.

Due to the lack of a specific reason, townspeople had started creating rumors about it.

--

"Aachoo!"

"Father, did you catch a cold?" asked a beautiful young woman, who seemed to be in her 20's, with concerned voice.

"No, no, I'm fine, dear," the man replied, waving a dismissive hand, who was sitting at his desk, surrounded by papers.

"You're the town's mayor; you should take better care of your health," she said with a gentle smile. "I'll go fetch your medicine." Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, the mayor sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair.

"I wonder what excuse they made regarding this matter," the mayor said, turning his head to look out the window, unaware of the rumors spreading behind his back. He would have spat blood in rage if he had known what his council members had cooked up for him.

--

"What? Delaying the festival?" Kai muttered. After a moment, he shook his head and began walking away, "Not like it matters to me."