Chương 183: Imperial Race Course
The night fell, and we went to sleep. Curly pretended to sleep as well, but her task was clear. "Arr..Ararara!", Curly's barks and growls woke me up in the middle of the night. She wasn't next to me with Dawn's storage item, but rather in Dawn's hands. She struggled for a while, but then gave up.
"Really? You sent her to steal the portrait from me? First of all, this was obvious to me from the start. Secondly, I'm not frickin crazy!", Dawn complained before releasing Curly. "Why do you insist on me being crazy, huh? Did you lose all trust and memories of your friend?", she added.
"... Then why? Why are you so bent on keeping that portrait? This isn't normal, we are worried… I'm sorry we couldn't trust you, I want to trust you, but this? The change brought by that stupid painting isn't what we'd expect", I replied.
Perhaps Dawn understood me a bit, since she didn't retort right away. She calmed down first, then spoke to me again. "I get it, you are worried. I'm thankful for that… Maybe my actions seemed a bit crazy, but I'm not, really. I'm just saying there's something about this portrait, and I'd like to find out. Just because you can't see it, that doesn't mean there's nothing there. I'm curious, and if there's nothing there, I'll simply give up. Maybe even ask your father about it, once we get a chance. So don't worry, I'm not crazy, I'm not mad because of this portrait. I'm simply curious", she explained.
I had to concede. People were usually curious about the unknown, and her words were truthful too. Just because we couldn't see anything special, that didn't mean there was nothing there. So long she didn't lose herself to that portrait, there shouldn't be any problems. "... You are a bit right, I'll give you that much. Just, don't sit too long on it. Ultimately, we can ask my father for an answer. I get it, you'd like to solve it by yourself. Just make sure this doesn't become an obsession, deal?", I proposed.
"I've no reason to decline. Give me another day or two, if there's nothing, I'll simply keep it and show it to your father. Then we'll know for sure. I hope we reached a conclusion, and you'll be able to trust me a bit more, right?", "Yea, I'm not going to say anything for now. Though remember, if you go overboard, don't blame us", I agreed.
The following day, we left Dawn to her own devices, and explored the city again. Teri wanted to watch some more battles, and he even tried to compete, but the ranks wouldn't allow him to face any worthy opponents. Only people who reached their Inner Limits were able to advance to the silver rank straight away.
Hence Teri would start from the bronze rank, and the opponents there were usually weak. We didn't have the time for him to advance his ranks and have a shot at stronger opponents. Nor wait for the right opponent to appear in the bronze rank.
Fortunately, he was content with watching silver ranked battles, and didn't ask for more. We saw two more silver ranked events that day. Though Tara wasn't poor anymore, I agreed to pay for one of them. I also got us the seats closest to the stage, which were the most expensive ones.
Nonetheless, Teri was really happy with the battles in the arena. We saw some unique strategies, which were always a pleasant bonus. People had to get creative with their use of weapons, since Formations and ranged weapons weren't allowed.
"I can tell you've enjoyed this by the grin on your face. Did you learn something useful?", I asked after the battles. "Hehe, only a few people used shields, and none of them favoured the spear. Seems like my weapon is quite unique around here. They usually use swords, axes or even hammers. Either way, we saw some unique strategies. I'll be sure to incorporate some of these techniques to my future battles in the Arena", he replied.
Of course he meant the Great North Arena, not the one in the Endrosian Empire. "Since we saw the battles, and you don't wish to visit the library again, how about someplace nice?", Tara proposed. "I'm already afraid to ask, but enlighten me. Where should we go?", "Hey! I'm not Dawn, you know. There are nice places we can enjoy without the need to spend loads of money… Ahem, anyway, I'm talking about this", she replied while pointing at a map.
The place she pointed out was a race course, but not for Humans. They used other animals either on their own or with riders. That reminded me of the time my uncle Ulon organised a race, where Turry became my mount after the win. "Actually, that's not such a bad idea. You did well, Tara", I praised. "Hehe, I'd like to hear that more often. You are so cheap with your praises", she gloated a bit.
The area was rather big, and in a more 'secluded' area of the city unlike the Grand Arena. 'We're at the right place?... Yea, the screams of excitement suggests we are', I figured once we approached closer. Though the amount of people outside was incomparable to the Grand Arena, the insides were rather packed.
During the day, the Imperial Race Course featured animals on their own, but the evenings were a bit different. People on all sorts of mounts had the ability to enter races and win. They had to provide their own mounts of course, and the fastest round the course would win some nice prizes.
They didn't have ranks unlike the Grand Arena. Anyone could enter, but we were warned about the heavy competition. The person explaining everything to us, assured we wouldn't stand a chance with some horses. There were loads of mounts who'd leave even Royal Mares in the dust. "Why don't you try with Turry? I'm sure he'd be happy about some competition against faster opponents", Tara proposed. "She's right, that's not a bad idea, and we can bet on you as well. Hehe, I'm pretty sure Tara meant that in a roundabout way", Teri added.
"Hey! I was trying to be nice, you know?", Tara protested. "I don't mind, and your idea isn't bad at all. Turry needs some good exercise once in a while. I wouldn't go as far as to bet on me, but this can be great fun… Excuse me, where do I sign up?", I replied.
The female clerk asked me to fill out a competition form, which required my name, the mount used for the competition and such. Tauruses weren't widely known in the Endrosian Empire, therefore I went with an animal close to Tauruses, a bull. "That's a strange choice of mounts, but we've seen many things, hehe. Would you like to compete in today's race, or perhaps you'd like some preparation time?", she asked.
"I'll be able to race today. How many opponents will we face?", "Oh, there will be a few races altogether. The first stage is called elimination. Out of each race, there will be one winner, who'll advance to the next stage. The second stage will look mostly the same, but your opponents will be tougher. That will go on until four contestants remain. We have about twenty people registered already, therefore you may expect a few races. I'd recommend taking some supplies for your mount, just to keep it fresh and able to continue", she explained.
I got a slip confirming my entry, then we left that place. "I'm gonna bet on you towards the final stage. We'll judge your performance before that", "I thought it's not about betting and money", I said a bit annoyed. "... Ah, hehe. You know, we might as well, right? Besides, we'll be rooting for you. I'm not going to complain in case you lose, so it's a fair game, right? I'll sup[port you nonetheless", she assured me.
Since the races took place in the evening, we returned to the tavern. Besides getting ready, Dawn shouldn't sit alone with that portrait of an ancient archer. "Huh? There was a place like that here? Yea, I'll go. Otherwise you'd take me for a crazy person", Dawn said after we explained everything. "I'm not threatening you, but we came here together. We should enjoy some things together as well. Besides, sitting inside the room all day long will do you no good", I justified myself.
We wouldn't force her, but she was a bit right with that crazy stuff. If she refused to go anywhere and got stuck in her room, we'd probably worry about her again. While my friends chatted away, I slipped out of the room and joined Turry in the stables. "Hey, I have a surprise for you", "Moo?", Turry wasn't sure what to expect.
"Tonight will take part in some races against other animals. If we win, there will be prizes, and I'll be sure to give you something nice as well. What do you think? Are you up for it?", "Moo! Mo, moo!", Turry moo-ed happily and rubbed his head onto my chest. "Great, let's do our best then. I'll pick you up in the evening, so get some rest and eat well before that", I added.
'This will be an experience, since all Tauruses in the North are slower than Turry. Horses aren't a match for him either, and I'd like to witness these fast and strong creatures. I wonder whether there's anything faster than Turry. He broke through his Limits after all', I thought excitedly.
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