Episode 8.

While Lidia's birthday party was still going on in the grand dining room, I had to find a way to get into the armory without being seen. Shun was crazy to send me there. We both knew that robbing the royal guard was a serious crime; it was suicide. I can't believe I let him convince me so easily. I must remember to ask for something in return that is worth it; just hitting him wouldn't be enough.

Although he had his own reasons for asking me, the two of us were the only ones able to move around the castle buildings without being discovered. Perhaps the places where we had the least experience were inside the palace and the military school, for obvious reasons.

In itself, we call 'castle' all the buildings inside that great perimeter wall that surrounded the entire land owned by the kings. Of course, the first thing you see at first glance is the palace, inside which are the main rooms, the library, the kitchen, the family arbor (apart from the grand dining room, which is more of a large lobby for parties, there was a second dining room used for daily dinner) and many other rooms that I don't know about. On the other hand, there were the attached buildings that ranged from additional bedrooms, a private wine cellar, the mini amphitheater, and the bathtub.

Just behind it is the enormous central garden, jealously hidden by an internal fence of polished black stone, with several arches that imitate the shape of an aqueduct and give entrance to it. Full of endemic and exotic flora, trees full of abundant fruit, very well-pruned bushes, smooth and soft grass, and even a river of crystal-clear water that overflows into a pond with picturesque fish. It was almost like a second world.

And speaking of worlds apart, once again, another fence of much greater height and thickness separated the garden from the military school, which was more of a boarding school where cadets and some senior army officers learn and train their skills in fields such as fencing, blacksmithing, nursing, swimming, a little about mana management and finally horse riding, which is why the stable was so close to the secondary military zone.

Likewise, that auxiliary area where Shun and I work is divided by another internal wall. Located to the southeast, just a few meters to the right of the palace. This area also has some buildings that serve the same purpose as the military school but dedicated to military training with horses, precisely the horses we care of. Technically, we work for the military and that is why we know people from there.

Finally, there is the workers' residential at the northeast end, divided by thick and high walls that enclose where all the castle employees live, including us. It was to hide the place that completely contrasted with the other important parts of the castle, much less organized and worse preserved.

All these areas make up the castle. And although they are separated, there are internal paths that unite them, except for the workers' residence, of course. It is so big that it is easy to get lost in it.

Returning to my mission, I had to go to the armory before the evening was over, but I was all the way to the North, at the military school. For nothing in the world, would I risk going through a place full of soldiers trained to reprimand and kill criminals.

Fortunately, there was a simpler alternative. In the secondary area, there is another smaller armory, but with almost the same things as the main one and where the riding equipment and armor of the riders are kept. The problem was the constant surveillance of the place, since it's somewhat close to the door, and it was reinforced by the event that was taking place; it would be difficult to pass without being seen. Thus, there was only one way to get there: from above.

The internal walls are wide enough for a person to walk over them. Likewise, that second armory is practically "attached" to the wall, so it would be an easier way to get there.

Those fences are approximately 5 to 6 meters high, so in order to climb, I had to walk a little further. I headed to the edges of the large garden (the kitchen is near an arch that leads to the garden), sneaked through a part where there was not much surveillance, going behind many bushes until I reached the old oak, a colossal tree about 12 meters high, the same height as the lateral perimeter wall, with branches so wide and long that they have come to pierce part of the stones of the thick wall and whose crown peeked outwards. I was in a perfect position to serve as a ladder.

Shun and I loved climbing this tree as children, although I later lost interest. I admit, it was fun to walk through its extensive intertwined branches and get lost among its thousands of leaves. It was the place where we learned to climb and walk on tall, thin structures. On it, we perfected our balance and jumping, which led us to do the same on the other buildings of the castle and the town.

Who knew that, after so many years, I would climb it again. I climbed halfway up, walked along one of the branches, and just a small jump was enough to reach the fence. I walked a few meters along it until I was behind that small room I had as my destination. Now for the hard part: going back down.

If I jumped onto the roof of the armory, it would be a 10-foot drop that would shake me roughly, and there was no other place nearby where I could try something similar. The only thing left for me was to hold on tightly to the wall and descend little by little, the problem was the material. As I said, it was made of polished quarry, with little grip between the rounded gaps between each stone. The trick was to hold on firmly with your fingertips and go down very, very slowly.

Max: 『 That's it..., little by little..., slowly...』

I talked to myself so as not to lose concentration, and I moved almost like a sloth, so slow and shaky, with the fear of falling as soon as I made a wrong move.

Max: 『 Very good..., keep it up..., you're almost there...』

However, that does not completely guarantee that you can achieve it.

Max: 『 Just a little-OOOOAAAAH!! 』

I had less than three meters to go when my right foot slipped, taking all my weight down and losing grip on my toes. It was a painful fall on my back, the grass helped a little to cushion the blow and saved me from breaking my neck. For some reason, it reminded me of that time Lidia also fell. Now I understand why she had cried so much.

I stood painfully from the floor and looked up at the rear window of the armory. Someone was too careless not to notice that it was left open. I didn't think twice and took the opportunity to enter.

Once inside, I began to remember where what I was looking for was.

Max: 『 Very well, where was that thing? 』

I went to a pile of junk and stacked boxes, began to rummage through them and took one of the small ones, marked with a spot of blue paint to recognize it; I uncovered it, and there it was: rope.

Max: 『 Here it is... I still don't understand why they only have this in the armory. It's too much of a hassle to come here for it. 』

Once I got the rope, I rearranged the things again. I inspected the place to see if I hadn't moved anything else. Everything seemed to be the same, except for something that seemed familiar, nestled on the shelf next to the gunpowder kegs.

Max: 『 But..., what is this doing here? 』

It was the aquastone. I didn't understand what it was doing there. Shun had told me he was sure they were going to use it at the party. I thought then he had made a mistake.

However, I heard the nearby footsteps of two people approaching the door. I reacted as fast as I could and hid behind the barrels. I heard the door creak and footsteps on the wooden floor. I looked between the space of both containers and realized who they were.

Veronica: 『 I'm serious, Shun! Why do you always have to get involved in what doesn't concern you? Every time you get into these sort of things, everything gets complicated, and you get me or your brother in trouble. And you know what, I've had enough of this and of answering for your actions so many times! Can't you be more responsible?! 』

I wondered what my mother and Shun were doing in the armory and why right at that moment. If mom caught me, it would be the end of the operation, and we would receive her infernal fury. Then, I realized that my brother's deduction had been correct. It was quite obvious that such an important artifact would be hidden, but what surprises me is the little care they gave it by keeping it here and without any surveillance; a thief could have easily broken in like I did.

But seriously, I was so unlucky that mom and Shun were the ones called to bring the stone to the party and that they arrived at the precise moment when I was still inside.

Shun: 『 Mom, I already told you. They asked me to help serve the food, and I couldn't refuse. That's all. 』

Veronica: 『 That's not what I mean!... You have me on edge all the time. You do very dangerous things, you get into trouble easily, and the worst thing is that you come home with bumps and bruises, and you don't tell me anything about that. 』

Shun: 『 ... 』

Veronica: 『 Look, I'm just saying you need to think about things a little more, not only for your own sake, but for ours, for that of this family, including Lidia... I wouldn't want something to happen to the three of you..., something like... 』

Shun: 『 ... It's alright... I promise I'll be more careful from now on, mom. 』

Veronica: 『 ... *Sigh* Okay. But please don't make me angry anymore, alright? 』

Shun: 『 Okay... If you want, wait outside while I bring the stone. 』

Veronica: 『 Alright, but don't be long. 』

I wasn't sure how true those words were. Shun is very good at pretending and knows how to choose the right words to convince anyone. His cold and fleeting mind allows him to come up with all kinds of solutions in seconds, like the plan he outlined in a short time to enter the palace. However, he's not someone who would say something like that lightly, and I know he would never want to hurt mom. Although he is a gifted boy and very ahead of us, he also has a heart and cares for others..., perhaps too much.

Shun: 『 Max? 』

Max: 『 ... Oh. 』

Shun: 『 But what-? 』

Max: 『 Shhh! 』

I thought so much about it that I got lost again. I had forgotten that I was near the ledge where the aquastone they had come to collect was. Shun realized that I was behind the barrels, likely he thought I had already picked up the rope and was already under the balcony waiting for him, although he did not seem very confused or surprised.

Shun: 『 *Mutter* What are you doing here? 』

Max: 『 *Mutter* Oh, you know, lying here to stink of gunpowder. What do you think?! 』

Shun: 『 *Mutter* Okay, I get it. It was a useless question. 』

Veronica: 『 Shun?! 』

Everything was going from bad to worse. It didn't take long for Mom to ask why Shun was taking so long, she came back in and started approaching him. Immediately, Shun turned around quickly, and I crouched again behind the barrels while he covered me. She said she heard some murmuring, to which he responded that he was just talking to himself while he checked the place.

I was too nervous thinking about what our mother would do if she caught us. My slim chances of escaping unseen completely vanished. We were in a big bind, and I thought about what I could do. So, I decided to leave the rest to Shun. I put the rope between his pants and shirt as quickly as possible to not be seen. Shun groaned when he felt the fibrous rope on his suit, which made mom suspicious.

Veronica: 『 What's wrong? 』

Shun: 『 I−It's nothing, just an itch. I think something bit me. 』

Veronica: 『 Really? Let me see. 』

Shun: 『 No, no, no! Don't worry, I'm fine. Besides, we must hurry up with this, don't we? 』

Shun tried to adjust the rope better while he constantly rubbed his nails. I may have done it to him for putting me in such a bind, but he owed me; it was my right to get even.

The distraction so that mom wouldn't check what was happening really worked. The two hurried out to deliver the stone. Thus, I was finally able to escape and saved myself the trouble of waiting under the balcony to give him the rope. I had already done my part. Now it was his turn to do the hard part.