City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

I took deep breaths after deep breaths. If not for it, the emotions I am feeling would have burst out in some form.

I have been taking the breaths since I sat in the carriage.

I have given those little shits so much and helped them when they needed it, but now, when I asked for it. They did not help me.

I do not care about the disrespect. I would have borne ten times more if they had provided me with what I had wanted, but they didn’t.

It took me some time before I finally opened my eyes and saw lush greenery outside the window.

It’s clear now—we’ve left the city behind.

“I guess things didn’t go as you had planned?” asked Miss Wells gently. “No,” I replied.

“Sometimes they don’t,” she said, and it couldn’t help but bring a smile to my face.

The words are truest in the world. Not everything goes the way we want it to. It didn’t work with baronies, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.

Their aid would have been helpful, but now I will have to manage on my own.

We stayed in a comfortable silence. I wish I could practice the method; I only used it three times.

I have to keep it a secret. I can’t risk word getting out—it’s my trump card. When the battle comes, it could make all the difference. So I won’t reveal it… not until the time is right.

I took out the book and began to read it. It will keep me busy and prevent me from dwelling on what happened. I am still angry about it; I am calm because I buried those emotions deep in my heart.

Hun!

I was reading the book when I sensed some disturbance.

“What is happening?” I asked. “The monster is waking up,” replied Jon; I could feel the surprise in his voice.

Even I am surprised. Jon is quite good at these things, but the monster has surprised him.

“Haven’t you fed it enough sedatives to keep it unconscious till tomorrow?” I asked with a smile. I am not worried about it much; those shackles are a cage made of magic-suppressing materials.

It will not be able to escape.

Time passed, and within an hour, the monster was fully awake and struggling, but those shackles kept it in place.

I focused back on the book, but I am constantly hearing the monsters’ struggle, with my people trying to calm it.

There are two rangers with us, but the monster is more powerful than they are. Their skills exacerbated the situation instead of calming it down.

Time passed, and we finally got out of the forest into the vast wasteland.

It felt good. After what happened, I wanted to get out of the forest as soon as possible.

As we did, the carriage increased its speed. We should be able to reach home by evening. That will be good; I can finish some work at the city hall.

Thud!

A few minutes passed, and I heard another loud thud from the monster trying to break free.

“Stop the carriage,” I said.

A moment later, the carriage stopped and I got out. “You do not have to worry about the monster, my lord. It is contained,” informed General Hiren as I walked toward the cage.

“I know, general,” I replied, without stopping.

Soon, I reached the cage, and the monster was struggling hard against it. Seeing me, it neighed angrily and struggled even harder against it.

The shackles suppress its magic, but small sparks of lightning still cover its legs.

“Give me the keys, General,” I said. “Lord Silver, it’s a wild monster. It’s dangerous,” he cautioned, but I was just looking at him till he gave me the keys.

Click!

I put it into the lock of the cage and unlocked the door before pulling the monster out, while everyone watched.

As I did, it began to struggle even harder.

“Calm boy!” I said, activating Calm Touch, but it had no effect. Nor did I expect it, either.

My Rider Class is at only Lv. 14. Calm Touch is a good skill, but it would have worked better if the class had been higher level.

I possess greater attributes, but they can only increase my power to a certain limit.

So, I pushed the aura into it. Taking its power to the breaking point.

Neigh!

It neighed loudly and struggled even harder. I could barely hold it. Even suppressed, it had impressive strength.

Seeing that it is not working. I activated the skill that would work.

Lord Presence.

I activated it and pushed my aura into it, but it made the monster struggle even harder. So, I pushed more aura into it and focused it all on the monster.

This is one powerful monster. If it had levels, it would have been equal to me.

Neigh!

It neighed, but the sound was lower than before. I pushed the aura even more, and slowly, it began to calm down.

It didn’t calm down. It was suppressed because I showed it to have greater strength.

Still, it took nearly a minute before it finally stopped struggling. Seeing that, I moved the keys toward the mana-suppressing shackles.

“My lord,” Jon and General Hiren warned in unison.

Click!

I didn’t reply and unlocked the shackles. They fell on the ground with a thud. Immediately, the powerful lightning blazed across its legs, and it burst out with its full physical strength. 

That pushed me from my place, while it attacked with its bronze, scaled, lightning-covered leg.

Bam!

The leg clashed against Velvet Repel, while I held on to its long mane tightly.

“Calm boy,” I ordered as I struggled against it. It fought hard. Trying to kick me while moving its mouth to chomp my head off.

I defended with Velvet Repel, while my people watched. Ready to act if they sensed my life was in danger.

Minutes passed, and then another, and it continued to struggle, growing harder and harder.

‘This will not do, I will need to try something else,’ I thought. Feeling its powerful struggles, which even skills and aura could not suppress.

A moment later, the aura came out of my body. In the form of a rope, and moved toward the monster.

It tried to avoid it, but it’s not easy. The aura rope moved around it and entered its mouth. I had never done something like this in all my sessions of riding and mounted combat.

I need to stretch and push my control, even harder to do it, but I did, and finally, after a minute’s struggle, I had succeeded.

I had formed a bridle, bit, and reins.

The horse riding gear. If I had Bell’s control, I would have formed the saddle, girth, and stirrup as well, but right now this will do.

It is one of the most essential things.

As it done it, I jumped on it. The monster moved and tried to avoid me. It even tried to open its mouth to bite me, but could only do so a little, as there is an aura rope around it.

I landed on it before sitting down, which is harder than I had thought, and uncomfortable without a saddle.

Just as I did, lightning gathered around its legs and came at me

Bam!

I defended, but nearly fell off the next moment as it wildly moved around, wanting to throw me off its back.

Thankfully, my people moved away. Only General Hiren and Jon remained close, but they, too, would move further if the horse got close.

“Calm down!” I said, pushing more aura, but it is having no effect.

I have dealt with some difficult horse beasts in my training, but they were nothing compared to it. Once, I used my aura, and they would calm down within seconds.

This one did not. Here, the only thing I could do is grab onto my aura leash as tightly as possible, while defending against the lightning bolts that are being released at me.

They are no joke; they had the power of Grade IV spells. If I got hit by it, they might kill me.

Minutes passed as it continued to try to buck me off.

I held on to my place, holding the leash tightly. I feel grateful for the riding lessons I am taking and the balance skills I have.

If not for them, I would have fallen off within a minute.

Soon, over ten minutes passed, but I was still on its back. Pushing the suppressive skill against it.

If it had been a stubborn beast, bred by people. I would have used Trustful Presence, but the monster grew up in the wild.

It only understands strength, and I must suppress it before it trusts me.

That is the standard way of breaking the wild monsters.

So, I kept pushing the Lord’s Presence harder and harder, despite it making the monster madder and madder.

Over twenty minutes passed before a change occurred in it. It is small, but it has brought a smile to my face, and I pushed the Lord’s Presence even harder.

Another minute passed and then another. It got suppressed more and more, calming it down little by little.

Till finally, it stopped trying to throw me off its back. A minute and a half after that, the monster stopped.

“You did it, my lord,” an officer screamed cheerfully. “It is only suppressed, lieutenant, not broken.” “A monster of this level doesn’t break this easily,” I replied to the man.

Though it is a step toward it, and I kept suppressing more, till the horse stilled.

I didn’t dare ease the pressure—I could feel just how thin my control truly was. The monster was suppressed, yes, but the moment it sensed a crack, even the most minor weakness, it would break free and go wild again.

“Now, we ride!” I said to it and activated Command Projection.

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