"DING, DONG, DING, DONG, DING, DONG …" We had barely come down from the roofs and taken the road to the castle when the church bells began to ring a resounding sound throughout the capital.
Max: 『 ¡Ah! ¡Crap! ¡Now we are late! 』
We could now say goodbye to our permit to go out to town again. We would end up confined to collecting tons of horse excrement forever. But, if that were the case, I thought that at least I could bother Lidia to not get bored.
As we ran along the long stretch that separates the town from the castle, I could see something that didn't wait for its arrival. A line of horse-drawn carts entered one by one through the gigantic doors of the main entrance. Each one had the same pattern: A single rider, two white horses and a wooden pinion body inked with decorative carvings on its door.
Max thought it was a joke and that I was still fantasizing inside my head as soon as I told him. However, when I pointed out the caravan, he stopped scolding me and remained silent when in doubt about what was happening.
He thought for a while. Just like me, he was curious to know why a group of carriages had suddenly arrived at the castle. I must emphasize that, unlike me, he is not enthusiastic about finding out things he considers trivial or a "waste of time". He only focuses on what is important and crucial, on completing tasks, and not disobeying orders to avoid punishments. Nevertheless, this managed to capture his attention and awaken his dormant curiosity.
Then he spoke again, posing a surprising question, which he probably found annoying to have and was eager to get rid of as soon as possible.
Max: 『 What do you think this is about? 』
Shun: 『 Huh? Are you really asking me? Who would have thought; For once something piqued your curiosity. 』
Max: 『 Ah. Forget it, it was dumb asking you. 』
Shun: 『 Okay, don't get mad. I'll help you. 』
I analyzed the situation a bit more as we continued running. My brain processed all the available data I had up to that point, which included a bunch of identical carts, all pulled by white and dapple-gray horses, and adorned with a strange engraving that wasn't entirely clear due to the distance and movement. Moreover, no one informed us about their arrival, and we were sent to buy a strange artifact at the time of their arrival. Then I realized it, the possible connection the aquastone could have with the situation.
As we got closer, that engraving on the carriages became more clearly visible: undulating lines intersecting several times, framing the figure of a quite defined swordfish. Honestly, I only knew illustrations of this type of animal. Our country is far from the coast, so I have never seen one in person, but one thing I knew was that its crest was not as steep as the one on that wooden plate.
There was only one creature like that in the world, and it couldn't be anything other than one of the so-called "Mabeasts", ancestral beings that, since before the beginnings of human civilization, have inhabited the world and always served as guardians of some emblematic place in nature, from a forest full of rare plant species to a mountain where strange caves with precious minerals are formed.
These creatures are of considerable size, very similar to normal animal species, with some notable differences that give them a distinctive appeal. What's most terrifying about them is they can use mana to attack and defend their domain.
Many places show their respect and admiration for these beings, even forming cults for their worship. And if there's a place where a creature identical to a gigantic and imposing swordfish with a massive crest is worshipped, guarding the Northern seas, it could be none other than...
Shun: 『 ... Tikalt. 』
Max: 『 What? 』
Shun: 『 The Tikalt Kingdom. The Northeasterners. I'm sure they come from there. Maybe that's why they sent us to buy an aquastone. Since they are coastal people, they might have requested it. 』
Max: 『 But couldn't they easily bring as many as they want if they are coastal people? Besides, for what purpose would they need it? 』
Max was right; it didn't make sense why they would need a catalyst that is so abundant in their lands. So, why the urgency to send us to buy one... I felt like I was forgetting something, an important detail. I needed a bit more time to think and piece everything together, but I didn't have it.
The last carriage finally entered, and the soldiers guarding the entrance began turning the cranks that operated the mechanism opening and closing those two enormous doors.
Shun: "『 It looks like they're closing already. 』
Max: "『 Yes... And we're still outside! Damn it! 』
We got so caught up in trying to figure out what was happening that we lost our pace while running. We were less than 20 meters away when those heavy doors began to close. We accelerated as much as we could, and when we reached a few centimeters from the entrance, only a narrow gap remained. Without thinking, we launched ourselves through it, narrowly managing to enter just in time for it to close. We lay on the floor panting from exhaustion. The soldiers looked at us strangely for our disheveled arrival, except for one.
Sergeant Rask: 『 I see you're still the same as always... Late again, aren't you? 』
Sergeant Rask, a middle-aged veteran soldier responsible for guarding the castle entrances and one of the king's squires. His tough and weathered face, as well as the white strands in his beard and hair, displayed the cold and stoic personality of someone with many years of experience, difficult to surprise.
He's known us for a long time, and we've known him. Being the guardian of the main and secondary entrance, through which the supply carriages and workers from the marginalized residential area enter, he also has to patrol the path that connects both entrances, passing by the secondary facilities of the military school and the stables where we work, although it's not like he comes by to greet us warmly.
In keeping with his assigned position, he also keeps an eye on us due to the numerous pranks we've played since childhood. Moreover, he's somehow known our mother for a long time, so it could be said that he is quite close to us, almost like family. However, for me, he is more of a mentor than an indirect relative. He has taught both me and Max a lot: hand-to-hand combat, sword handling, and a few sayings about the path of life.
Finally, we took a breather as we watched several women descend from the carriages dressed in elegant wide-skirted dresses made of silk, adorned with long white gloves covering their hands and forearms, pearl and gem necklaces, and gold earrings. Alongside them were men wearing a very dark blue military gala uniform that looked almost black, with red details on the epaulettes, sleeves, and collar, displaying their distinctive medals on their chests and donning an unmistakable flat cap depicting the same figure of that mythical beast on the carriages.
On the staircase leading to the palace, a double row formed by several maids created an aisle to welcome them. More than 50 people entered the main building of the grand Haiza castle, all well-dressed and with faces full of amusement and joy.
Shun: 『 Hey, Master Rask. What's happening here? 』
Sergeant Rask: 『 I told you not to call me that. It's a matter of royalty, nothing that concerns you or me. 』
Shun: 『 But aren't you also one of the king's squires? 』
Sergeant Rask: 『 My only order is to guard the entrance and the courtyard, nothing more. In fact, you two also have plenty of work to do. 』
Shun: 『 Huh? 』
Sergeant Rask pointed to all the carriages parked on the concrete courtyard in front of the palace. Twenty tired and thirsty horses that needed attention, all in front of us, the only people in the castle who know how to handle these animals. We were left dumbfounded and speechless as we understood our new task.
Sergeant Rask: 『 Deal with it for the duration of the soiree. 』
Max: 『 Soiree? 』
As soon as I heard that word, I thought again about this whole affair and its purpose. It was more of a party than a mere political meeting between two nations. However, it's not like both kingdoms always come together for tea parties. In fact, Haiza and Tikalt don't get along very well.
The tension between them is significant, especially due to the disdain that the populations of the two countries have for each other. We've always been looked down upon for being the smallest nation on the continent, with a large part of our population dedicated solely to agriculture and the countryside, while other large countries have modernized with huge industries and machines that can perform work more quickly and efficiently.
As the third-largest and most powerful country on the continent, Tikalt has started to industrialize. More and more aristocrats from that nation decide to invest their fortunes in building factories for clothing and footwear, metalworking, carriage construction, among other expanding possibilities. This also led many people to decide to move to the visionary country and start working in the industries, with the desire to generate more money than they could in the countryside.
Consequently, a new term of disdain for the working class emerged: Proletariat. A proletarian is nothing more than an employee, a simple worker within the factories. Unlike a peasant or a livestock farmer, they don't produce something for themselves; they only serve as pawns responsible for checking that the machines work and fine-tuning a few details of a product made mostly by machines rather than human hands.
Even though a proletarian and a peasant are very different, high society has mistakenly confused the two terms, believing they can correspond to just one: all those people who work to earn money through their own efforts, whether in the countryside or the new industrial cities.
Because of this, we disdain each other, considering ourselves "the factory of proletarians" working in their industries. I could imagine that many of those entering the palace thought that way and enjoyed demeaning us in our own country. However, my thoughts were likely irrelevant, and it didn't matter. I had to think clearly again and return to reality.
Sergeant Rask: 『 You have a lot of work to do, so don't waste time. 』
Max: 『 Hey! But we still have another task to fulfill, and if we don't deliver it to Mr. Ruffus, he'll surely impose a punishment on us to take revenge! 』
Max showed him the bag containing the aquastone to indicate that we were still busy and couldn't just start attending to the horses. Moreover, the one who entrusted us with this task was none other than Mr. Ruffus, the king's secretary, a man so arrogant and vain that he has always looked down on anyone not belonging to the upper class. I never would have thought he would directly order us to do a task he considered of vital importance; he must have been very desperate to do so.
Sergeant Rask took the bag without permission, snatching it from Max's hand. He looked inside, recognized what it was, and stored it in the back pocket of his belt.
Sergeant Rask: 『 So this is what it's about. I'll take care of delivering it myself. You start with the horses. 』
Max: 『 What?! Hey, wait! 』
And just like that, he left and entered the palace, leaving us completely alone without understanding why he would want to complete that task. Anyway, I thought it would be better this way; we would avoid the need to see that horrible face of the conceited secretary. But we had another problem.
Shun: 『 And now... what do we do with so many horses? 』