1

Haiza Kingdom, Axal Continent. 1838, Autumn.

I stood mesmerized staring at the shop window, seeing my reflection on a mannequin wearing a brown leather adventurer jacket. It was a bit large on me, but it had plenty of pockets to pack away all the second-hand hunting equipment needed to confront all kinds of beasts. I imagined how incredible it would to be a globetrotter, with total freedom to go where and when I wanted, hunting monsters and mythical beasts, earning a lot of money and becoming famous for all my achievements and feats, worthy of a legendary hero. A dream that no one could take away from me.

Max: 『 Shun! 』

Shun: 『 Huh? 』

Max: 『 Stop dreaming, we have to hurry! 』

As soon as I heard Max's voice, I returned to the real world, I had forgotten that we were in the middle of an assignment and were running out of time. We began to run through the streets of the capital, hurrying towards the castle, evading the pedestrians and peddlers on their way home before it began to get dark.

If we did not arrive on time, we would surely be deprived of leaving the castle again and we would be punished with arduous hours of work in the stable, although come to think of it, that is what we have done for all these years as employees, after all, it is our work area and no one else.

We are two boys who from an early age were put to take care of the horses of the castle, apprentices of an old breeder who before he passed away taught us all his tricks to understand everything about the equine care and the way we relate to them.

We had to be on time to deliver the artifact we were entrusted to buy. It was quite difficult to find it in the town as it was not such an extraordinary place. It was the only large town in the kingdom, barely exceeding the immense total area of the castle and the only thing that stood out about it was the extensive central avenue in shape of a ring, where market and barter stalls abounded along with small buildings, houses and workshops that also promoted their products.

It was simply a place of passage with mostly internal commerce, with no worries about threats from dangerous and uncontrollable beasts. A place avoided by adventurers looking for action. That's why there aren't many places to find artifacts as strange as this one Max carried in a small pouch that covered it.

Shun: 『 By the way, Max, what do you think they want that stone for? 』

Max: 『 How am I supposed to know? Besides, does that matter? We are employees, Shun. We just follow orders. 』

Shun: 『 Oh, yeah, it's true. All I know is why they sent to us. 』

The most probable reason that we were assigned for the job was they see us more as cannon fodder than safe and responsible employees. After all, like in every major town, crime was a daily occurrence. Not everyone chooses to make a fair and honest living, there are even those who reject the idea after having failed several times in trying to do so, when doors were closed to them. Robberies, thefts, looting, murders, all the product of the desperation of some and the abuse of others.

They always used us to run errands for things only available in the slums or strange establishments, and this was no exception. We had to come all the way to the edge of the neighborhood near the church to find a lonely little store selling weapons and wizardry gadgets, the only one in the town that had what we brought: an "aquastone."

These things are a kind of mineral that inside contain energized particles and chemical elements that make it easier for magicians to perform their spells. I'm not really sure how they work, I just know they're called catalysts and that they're really expensive. It's not my area of expertise. Only someone with an affinity for magic and the right education would know about it, not a simple horse breeder like me.

Even so, I was wondering why they wanted a "magic stone" in the castle, they should already have several. Being an aquastone, you would think it must be for watering crops or fires, however we are not in a drought stage, the sun is not strong enough to cause a fire in this season. It's autumn!

Max: 『 Shun, stop thinking and run faster! If the bell rings, we're toast! 』

Shun: 『 Yeah, I know 』

Max has always nagged me about everything: not to cut blackberries from the garden, not to overfeed the horses, to sweep well, not this, not that, et cetera, et cetera. Without a doubt he is a moody, bossy guy... Although... I understand the reason.

We never met our father, in fact we don't even know who he was, what his profession was or what his name is. Mom never wanted to talk about him with us, she only told us that one day he left and never came back. She seems to detest him very much and that is why she avoids mentioning him.

We don't reproach him for anything, well, maybe I do, because of my name; seriously, what kind of name is Shun, I have no idea what it means and I'm sure no one else in the world has it, besides it sounds very strange; but with mom it's another thing. What happened between the two of them in the past? And why did he abandon us?

That's why Max adopted the role of a father figure, or at least he tried, since neither of us know anything about being one. I would never see him as a father. He'll always be my big brother and only that.

Max: 『 Shun, this way. We're going to take a shortcut. 』

Max suddenly decided to take an alternate route to shorten the distance. Although taking the main avenue and the road to the castle might end up delaying us a little more, going through the streets and alleys of the neighborhoods was not very safe to do. Even if I emphasized this, he did not take much concern.

Shun: 『 Are you sure? Maybe that's not a good idea. 』

Max: 『 We have not more time. Besides, it's not like in every alley there's always a thug waiting for−. 』

Impromptu, Max bumped into a big, elastic belly that made him bounce. A huge man with a big body and muscular limbs, along with two shorter, lankier guys, appeared in the middle of the alley we had just taken, stopping us in our way and starting to "talk" to us.

Hefty thug: 『 Hey, kids, where are you going in such a hurry? Have anything important in that bag? Mind if we take a look? 』

Lean thug: 『 Don't worry, big guy. Of course they'll sssshow us, right? 』

The big guy was spitting and pointing at the bag Max was holding, while another took a few steps towards us, speaking in a prissy tone with a strange dyslalia and trying to grab the bag. Max pushed the guy away with his shoulder to keep moving forward until his other partner stepped in front of him.

Max: 『 I'm not in the mood for this. Get out of the way. 』

Lean thug: 『 Hey, take it eassssy my friend, we were jusssst curioussss. 』

Bothersome thug: 『 Yeah, you don't have to get upset. 』

At that moment, those two took out of some blades from their pockets of about 30 centimeters, which seemed to be poisoned, a single cut from those daggers and we could be immobilized or intoxicated with some lethal agent that led us to a slow and suffocating death.

Shun: 『 Forget it, Max, these guys aren't going to let us through. All they want is that rock. 』

Bothersome thug: 『 Oh, I see you understand the situation very well. How kind of you to cooperate with us. 』

Shun: 『 What are you talking about? Even if we gave this to you, you won't have enough brain to understand what it is. 』

Bothersome thug: 『 Huh!!? 』

Lean thug: 『 What did you ssssay!? 』

I hurled a hurtful comment at the thugs that triggered their disgust and anger. The huge guy cracked his knuckles and made a face that showed how upset he had got. He approached me slowly, saying: 『 Hey! That was too impolite! 』He pulled back his arm with a closed fist, preparing it to give me a good punch.

Shun: 『 I'll distract the big one, you take those two. 』

Max: 『 ¡Hey, wait! 』

Hefty thug: 『 I'LL BREAK YOU TO PIECES!! 』

I avoided the punch before he could impulse his arm all the way. Because of how high up I was, I propelled myself with my hands from the floor and kicked his face with both feet, knocking quite a bit of his gross saliva and some blood out of his nose.

His partners were distracted as they watched their friend fall after the blow. They lost focus on Max, who took advantage to attack them, grabbing the guy with a strange pronunciation's wrist and charging his weight against him to take him to the ground and hit him in the head. As soon as the third thug noticed, Max had already kicked him in the stomach that ended up slamming him against the wall, knocking him and putting out of action.

Shun: 『 I see you're not so rusty. 』

Max: 『 With so much work we have, not yet... Behind you! 』

Hafty thug: 『 I'm not done with you yet!! 』

The thug I knocked down got up again and, once more, tried to hit me. He continued to insist even when he didn't land a single blow, throwing punches all over the place in desperation, even hitting against the walls, breaking part of them until he gathered a bunch of stones that blocked the way out of the alley.

Max: 『 Perfect! He blocked the way. If you weren't so stubborn, this wouldn't have happened. 』

Shun: 『 I doubt it; I don't think they would have let us go nicely 』

Hefty thug: 『 DON'T IGNORE MEEEE!! 』

The thug kept attacking without discretion, damaging the place and shouting in total anger for not being able to hit us, without any effort we avoided him completely, but because of his large size it was difficult to pass him.

Max: 『 And how do we get out of this now ? 』

Shun: 『 ... Mmm?... Max, follow me! 』

I noticed some crates lying around, big enough for us to climb on them and reach the roofs of the houses in the alley. When a space opened up, we managed to pass the giant, who because of his slowness stayed standing there, watching the fleeting way we climbed onto the roofs and left him in the distance as he shouted in fury: 『 HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! COME BACK HERE, YOU BASTARDS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! 』

And so, we escaped from the situation in a bit of a hurry. We ran and jumped onto the roofs of the different houses in the neighborhood. Thanks to our experience since we were children, it was easy for us to do so without worrying about falling, after a while, it was like a regular habit for us.

Max: 『 Seriously, you are a... I can't believe you're making me climb on the roofs again. 』

Shun: 『 Oh, come on! You have to admit; it feels good to do it again. Doesn't it make you nostalgic? 』

Max: 『 The only thing it reminds me of is that bad memory when we were punished for inciting Lidia to try climbing the Oak. 』

Shun: 『 Oh, yeah, that. Mom gave us a beating that time. 』

Max: 『 Yes, and it wasn't nice. Better stop talking, we have to get down and hurry. 』

Shun: 『 Yeah, yeah. whatever. 』

I remembered it too, that moment of our childhood when we played in our free time, climbing a huge tree on the banks of the large garden of the castle, always followed by a delicate girl with fair skin, indigo eyes, brown hair and always dressed in fine clothes with wide, long skirts. Three children who grew up in the same ambience, but in very distinct conditions, with people who raised them in different ways and with different approaches; two completely different worlds in the same place.

2

Knocking was heard on the door. 『 Come in. 』I responded. A woman with dark, straight hair appeared, tied in a ponytail, wearing a maid's attire, and carrying a well-washed and correctly folded garment in her hands, along with a brush on top of it.

Veronica: 『 Good morning, my lady. Did you wake up well today? 』

Lidia: 『 Yes, thank you. By the way, I've seen those two go out. 』

Veronica: 『 Ah, yes, those boys. They were asked to go to town on an errand. They'll be back in a while. 』

I sat at the dressing table while Mrs. Aarden brushed my hair with the fine fibers of the brush. I looked at my face in the mirror as if I were looking at a stranger, another girl just like me, with a serious and unmotivated look, trapped inside that reflective surface, condemned only to be able to look at the outside to which she could never aspire.

I felt pity seeing that girl and it made me sad, then I turned my gaze to the bedroom window. You could see the entire panorama of the capital: the houses, the temples, the school, the central avenue full of street stalls, everything and beyond the cultivated fields and grasslands surrounded by trees on the roads to the south, where the people and coaches moved from one side to the other.

The silence was a little uncomfortable, but it hardly impressed a girl immersed in her thoughts and a servant as patient and tolerant in enduring that kind of situation as Mrs. Aarden was.

Shortly before I was born, she had already started working at the castle, being the subordinate of the kings' personal servant, and was given the task of being the princess's caretaker. Practically, she was the one who took care of me when I was a baby, which was difficult since she also had to care for her own children. A young single mother who had to take care of three children of the same age at the same time and do the cleaning chores in the palace all at once.

However, the high society close to the kings was very critical of this decision of having allowed the princess to be raised by a woman with two lower-class children, which they considered a total aberration that could stain the reputation of the kingdom and the future of the royal family.

However, instead of distancing myself from them, I ended up getting even closer, even though we grew apart. I never wanted to be separated from them; I liked following them wherever they went, in the castle, the corridors, the patios, the large garden, the stables, and even in the servants' quarters where they lived; I was always following behind. This is how I learned about their environment, about the place where they grew up along with other children of different ages, children of castle employees, who played hide and seek, tag, jacks, and marbles, all in an earthy landscape full of run-down houses, located as far away as possible from the palace and separated by a huge internal wall, identical to the large perimeter walls of the castle.

Following them and entering this area led to a stricter education being imposed on me to prevent me from continuing to approach them. As we grew older, my lessons became harder and harder, and I had little free time to spare; it was almost impossible for me to spend time with them; I didn't even have time to clear my mind a little.

Luckily, Mrs. Aarden was still the link for us to meet. During her first years as an employee, she would bring her children with her to help her with tasks in the palace so that they would begin to get used to the way of working around the castle and prepare them to know how to make a living.

As the years passed, Mrs. Aarden became the personal servant of the royal family, becoming the head of the palace maids, developing a mature and serene attitude that she used to lead her group of workers with leadership, earning the admiration of all and the respect of the employees who resided within the castle; her children became the caretakers of the stable from a very young age, sending them to care for the castle's horses. As for me, nothing changed.

I was still the princess secluded in the castle of Haiza, who never coexisted with her parents, condemned to a life of luxury and wealth, locked within these walls that confine me to a monotonous life. I have never walked the streets of the town alone, not even once, except for the times when I was escorted by soldiers and that other time when I got help.

I spent my entire life receiving visits from politicians and bourgeois from the kingdom and other nations who introduced me to their descendants, believing that we could get along well among children belonging to high society, trying to gain my friendship and especially that of my parents. Seen as a simple doll, coveted by all those who look to me for the opportunity to obtain a better position in nobility.

I wished more than anything to be able to get out, to live my own life, free of so much decorum, to walk through the streets of the capital, visit the market, explore the town or go beyond it, dare to surpass the limits of the kingdom and wander among the nature that surrounds the paths that would take me to other lands, far from here, from this confinement.

Then I thought about the two of them; if they would be the ones who would follow me in my dream of being free this time. If they would support me in making it come true. I wondered what they were doing at that moment.

Veronica: 『 My lady, could it be that … you are worried about Shun and Max? 』

Lidia: 『 H-huh? 』

Veronica: 『 Don't worry about them. They may still be clumsy, but nothing will happen to them as long as they are together. 』

Lidia: 『 N-No, I wasn't thinking about them. I was just looking at the scenery. 』

The way Mrs. Aarden read my thoughts was surprising; although she denied it, she knew what I was thinking. Surely my pathetic, fallen face and constant gaze towards the window gave me away.

Veronica: 『 Incidentally, my lady, are you still studying that book over there? I thought you would be ready for tonight. 』

Lidia: 『 Aaah! I didn't want to remember it. 』

Mrs. Aarden looked at the book on the dresser, an old, wrinkled grimoire that I had been studying for quite some time as part of my tutoring, which I was still reviewing for some lessons that I would put into practice as a demonstration, which made me anxious and dizzy with nervousness, although I avoided thinking about it. I just wanted to forget about it completely.

Veronica: 『 Come now, my lady, you don't have to worry. I've seen how well you do it, and I can assure you that you are marvelous. Surely, everyone will be amazed when they see what you can do. 』

Those words only increased my desire to get out, escape from the castle, walk through the lively streets of the town, and feel the fresh air while walking through that forest, far beyond my room, to be free from the pressure of this cage.

Lidia: 『 (Ah, I wish I was with those two.) 』

3

“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? 』