Entrance To The Castle

In the back streets and the back alleys, we made our way to the castle with our heads covered in black cloaks. When we entered the city, we released the horses we had into the forest to avoid attracting attention. The place was filled with soldiers of the First Epic. We couldn't keep using the roads to get to the castle, so we decided to go up to the roofs of the houses as Lezlie suggested.

When we got to the roof, Hiroshi made a sign with his hand and said, "Here is the gate of the castle. But it looks like there are more than one soldier in front of the entrance. We may have to find another way in."

Babu pointed at the top of the castle and said, "There is a balcony in the upper left corner of the castle. If we jump high enough, we can get through there."

"Forget it," Hiroshi replied. "We can't all jump up there, and even if we get on the balcony, there seems to be a locked door in front of it. If we break it, we'll be caught very quickly."

I started thinking and put my hand on my chin but didn't have an idea. After observing the surroundings for a while, we retreated to an abandoned house to avoid being too conspicuous and kept thinking.

Hiroshi lit his cigar and stood in front of the window looking at the castle while we all thought about what to do next.

When I looked around, I saw a long bamboo and a short rope on the floor. These brought an idea to my mind.

"If we use this rope with this bamboo, maybe we can make a seesaw and I can throw you all onto the balcony," I said.

"Even if you do, we can't get through the door, kid," Hiroshi replied.

Lezlie put a book on the table and said, "Here I found it! Lock-breaking Magic! If I use this, I can easily open that door. And we won't make any noise."

Hiroshi took the cigar out of his mouth and said, "It might work. After an hour, when it gets dark, we'll implement the plan. That way we'll be out of sight. But this time, we have to be very quiet. We can't afford to get caught."

Everyone scattered to one side of the house and did something. We waited in silence for the time to come. I looked at the moon and I felt more peaceful than I had ever felt before, because what we were doing made me happy. This heroism was much more tiring than I thought it would be, but it was also wonderful.

Lezlie approached me and asked, "Ryuu, how are you feeling?"

"I feel good for now. What about you?" I asked.

"To tell you the truth, I'm a little worried. I'm worried that someone might get hurt, or we might get caught," she said.

As we talked, Hiroshi approached us and said, "Time to go, get ready."

Our conversation was interrupted, but we should have left it for later because it was time to put the plan into action. I strapped the equipment onto my back and went back up to the roof. Hiroshi instructed me, "We'll set the seesaw up here."

"Are you sure about this, Hiroshi? We seem pretty far from the castle," I questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's easier to aim from here," he replied.

Babu and I proceeded to build the seesaw as Hiroshi had instructed. After we finished, he put out his cigar and approached us.

"Babu, you're coming with us. The three of us will go up to that balcony, and Ryuu will be our launcher," Hiroshi said.

Babu interjected, "But Hiroshi, I'm heavier than Ryuu."

Hiroshi replied, "It's not about flying, it's about distraction. Ryuu is the fastest of us, so he can handle it, and we'll take the king."

"So how do I throw the three of you?" I asked.

"Babu will throw you as high as possible. And when you're in the air, you're going to come down as fast as you can and hit the seesaw with all your power," he explained.

"But it might even destroy this old house!" I exclaimed.

"As I said, our goal is not just to fly but also to distract. If we destroy the house, a lot of soldiers, maybe even all of them, will gather here. That way, we won't be noticed," Hiroshi reassured us.

Hiroshi was right about one thing, we were not sure if we could trust the king. We didn't know if the king was in cahoots with the epic, so it was better to be careful.

Babu said, "Good plan, but how will Ryuu catch up to us?"

"We won't wait for him. If the soldiers don't find anyone here when the house collapses, they'll let the others know. That would be a nuisance to us," He added. 

"So, the Plan is, after Ryuu demolishes the house, he will fight the soldiers who hear the sound and come here and attract as many soldiers as possible. That'll make our job easier. Understood?"

"What if they catch Ryuu?" Lezlie asked.

"I don't think they'll catch Ryuu because he's fast and I haven't seen any elite soldiers here, but if they catch him, they won't do anything to him."

"How do you know?"

"Unlike us, he wrote on the first saga search poster that he wanted Ryuu alive. I saw it on the poster at the entrance of the city."

"Whoever's looking for Ryuu must be a strong guy. Because not many people can give that authority. And I'm sure even the epic took orders from someone not to kill him," Lezlie said.

Then Hiroshi looked at us with a very serious expression and said what was on his mind.

"Let's focus on this moment for the moment, okay? if Ryuu is caught, they will put him in the dungeon. Since we will be in the castle, we can easily save him. If they lock him up in there."

I wanted to go with them too, but it was our only chance. And Hiroshi was right once again So I said, "You guys have to go, I'll catch up with you there."

Even though everyone didn't want to approve, they had to because they had no other idea. Babu hugged me and said, "Ryuu, are you ready?"

I turned to Babu and with a smile on my face, "Yep, I was born ready."

Hiroshi made a stop sign with his hand, and spoke to me for the last time: "Be careful, Ryuu."

"All right, you be careful too."

I gave Babu a signal with my head and told him to throw me. Babu grabbed my hands and threw me into the air with all his might. Then they all climbed on the seesaw and waited for me to fall. I took a somersault in the air and joined both my legs to the ground as if they were whole. Then I made a quick landing on the ground.

As soon as my feet touched the seesaw, all three of them suddenly flew to the balcony. I was afraid the bamboo would break, but it didn't. I hit the other side of the seesaw and threw them onto a balcony of the castle. With my kick, I managed to tear down the old house along with the seesaw.