Chapter 547 Thousand Hurdle Monument
“Jayna, how is it?” asked Angus while holding the spoiled Anna in his arm.
“Bored. They couldn’t even reach me. The only notable thing is the magician woman tried to attack using an overcharged third-circle spell before the fight ended. Still, I could easily counter it with my fire attack.” said Jayna.
“Well, at least they get experience fighting against high-grade opponents without dying. We will continue to do this once a day. Keep training your fire control without your sword and get used to fighting barehanded. It will help you in the long term.” said Angus.
“Angus, Big sis, Meat!! Hurry, Meat! Meat!!” urged Anna impatiently.
“Alright.. Alright.. Jayna, let’s explore the city while buying Anna’s food. It is a good opportunity to gather more information.” said Angus.
“Sure.” replied Jayna while taking the spoiled Anna from Angus’ arm.
The Embassy has had enough food for years, but Angus has another plan. He must also observe the capital city situation by blending in to get more accurate information.
His [Mana Echolocation] may be handy for information gathering, but there is something that he couldn’t get without direct contact. Being cooped up inside the Embassy at this time is like fighting blindly in war.
Moreover, Angus and the other strong people are sure that bad things will happen during the summit of the Maroon Eternity festival. If someone wants to create chaos and immense destruction, this will be the right time.
Before they go outside, they visit another training area where Phineas and Eric spar. They also find Aunt Extalia looking at the spar nearby. Currently, Phineas is calmly holding a double-edged sword against Eric and the other two Royal Guards.
Unexpectedly, the fat middle-aged man has a fake business smile without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, Eric and the other two guards are breathing roughly.
Angus could feel their already low on mana. The training area was also riddled with many scorch marks and traces of the heavy attack.
“Huff.. Huff.. H-How?? How could this fat man be so flexible and keep dodging all of our attacks.” said Eric with a rough breath.
“Hmm… All you need is just relax, keep your elbows up, and loosen your shoulder a little bit.” replied Phineas with a smile.
During their spar, Phineas keeps dodging their attack effortlessly. He only uses a little bit of mana to enhance his body. Basically, Phineas is toying with Eric and his Royal Guards.
“Aunt, how is it going?” asked Angus.
“It is quite unexpected. Still, it is certain that Phineas is not a fourth grade like in the report. When I arrived, he didn’t use any big attacks and kept his mana under control. Hence, I didn’t know his true grade level. But, it should not be less than fifth grade.” said Aunt Extalia.
“Well, the stronger he is, the better for our current situation. How about Eric?” asked Angus.
“He.. He still needs to learn a lot of things. Truthfully, he is the weakest fifth grade that I have ever known. The only thing that makes him worthy as a fifth grade combatant is his capability in using high circle spells and mana density.” said Aunt Extalia honestly.
“As for the others, they are utter trash. Even the weakest member in my Flash Squad could kill him without trouble.” added Aunt Extalia.
“Really? Didn’t he hailed as our kingdom prodigy before Jayna showed her talent?” asked Angus.
“It is because he breakthroughs faster than the others. Those weak nobles tend to exaggerate any rumor. But, in terms of combat experience, he is no better than a third-grade knight in our army.” said Aunt Extalia.
“No wonder. He is so weak. He must never experience a life-and-death battle. I bet all he did was spar with some inexperienced young noble. Even if he fights a high-grade combatant, they will not dare to go all out, especially if there is a cold-blood King behind him.” said Angus.
“Yeah. But this is completely normal. Most people only become adequate at combat after reaching their forties or older. Even so, they need to be in constant battle or fighting like your father.” said Aunt Extalia.
“Come to think of it, how did you train Jayna? No matter how I look at it, she seems like someone who has been fighting for decades, even without her destructive fire.”
“No matter how genius she is, it is impossible to reach her current level. Also, she is unlike you, who has monstrous talent and battle insight.” said Aunt Extalia.
“Hmm.. Isn’t it clear? It’s because I am her teacher. Also, most of the time, I train her to fight rather than make her stronger. Anyway, we will go out. Will you follow us?” asked Angus.
“Train to fight, huh? It seems that dimension really benefits you two a lot. Hmm… It’s rare for you to ask for my permission first. Is there something wrong?” replied Aunt Extalia.
“It’s better to keep you informed during these uncertain times.” said Angus.
“Angus, what’s wrong?” asked Aunt Extalia again.
“Huff.. I don’t know if you also feel it. But the bad feeling gets stronger the longer we stay here. Each passing moment makes me more restless. It is like a horrible disaster will strike us soon.” said Angus.
‘Angus… His instinct is really off-chart. I could only feel the slight danger when arriving at the capital city. If he could feel all of this clearly, he must have experienced something similar that I had never experienced before. Still, that’s impossible.’ thought Aunt Extalia in worry.
“Calm down, Angus. We need to keep our heads clear when facing the unknown. Why don’t you use this opportunity to relax a little bit.” said Aunt Extalia.
“Sure. Alright, let’s go now, ” replied Angus as Anna nagged him again.
After buying all the meat-based food near the Embassy, Angus and the two girls begin exploring the capital city. Redmore capital city has very complex streets. It looks like a labyrinth, and some roads even pass through a ziggurat-like building.
They may get lost many times if it is not because of Angus’ Mana Echolocation. Unless someone is flying in the air, people could easily get lost in this place. Angus even finds that many of the native people themself is often get lost.
Still, they didn’t panic since the Altras race easily shared their house with another Altras. Angus finds the Altras has a little privacy to almost none. As long as you are of the Altras race, they are willing to share their property except for money.
Therefore, the Altras didn’t worry about getting lost in this labyrinth city and just needed to go towards a nearby house to stay.
However, they are pretty rude and aggressive towards outsiders. Angus had already lost count of how many times he got mocked or got a rude response from others.
Since Redmore city is far from the Ancient Vault and the kingdom’s entrance, outsider discrimination is more apparent. Still, Angus and the others didn’t care about it too much since this was a normal social phenomenon.
Even in the Heart Kingdom, most of their residents discriminate against other races with strange features like orcs, demons, beastman, or even elves.
In summary, it is unsurprising that they get this kind of reaction from the residents. As long as they didn’t harm Angus and the girls, he didn’t care about all the surrounding Altras.
“It is a truly messy city. Hm… Let’s visit that big building before returning.” said Angus in a low voice.
After walking for a while, they finally arrive at the biggest Pyramid in the city. It is massive and tall that can be seen from the horizon. During the cloudy days, they couldn’t see the top as some clouds covered its top.
Despite only being made of stone slabs, the Pyramid is really a piece of art with an enormous number of carvings on it. Every stone slab has a unique carving picture with a red-colored accent on it.
They could also see some people wearing red armor nearby. Angus notices that all these people are at least high-grade combatants based on the aura they leak.
‘Judging by how everyone treats this building, it definitely became the top list of hitting targets.’ thought Angus as many people kept coming and going into the Pyramid.
While Angus and the girls enjoy the magnificent building, “Aren’t it amazing?” said someone nearby.
They find a red-skinned woman with a smile and speak to them. Seeing the woman wearing the same dress as the employee at the Pyramid, Angus feels it is an opportunity to get more information and replies casually.
“Sure. It is the first time we have seen this kind of building. What is it called?” asked Angus.
“Ohh… You must be new here. It is called the Thousand Hurdle Monument. It is one of the most important buildings in Nirvas.” explained the Altras woman excitedly.
“Thousand Hurdle Monument? Not to disrespect, but it certainly has a weird name.” replied Angus.
“I know, right? I also had the same reaction when I heard it the first time. But, it is actually a befitting name.” replied the woman.
“How so?” asked Angus back.
“The Thousand Hurdle Monument is not just for a monumental building. It is also a mystical building for training and trial.” revealed the woman.
“Training and trial?” asked Angus back.