Chapter Thirty-Three: The Knight

Mulan’s exceptional horsemanship allowed her to control the horse with ease, even without a saddle. She quickly burst beyond the bounds of the count’s estate, breaking free from the chill that had clung to her, and with that, she let out a sigh of relief deep in her heart.

With a sharp crack, she used her walking stick as a whip, striking the horse’s haunch once more. The animal leapt forward in pain, accelerating toward the heart of Valentine, its pounding hooves and shrill neighs shattering the night’s tranquility.

The only comfort for Mulan at this late hour was the nearly deserted streets, giving her room to gallop unfettered.

Lately, she had visited several of Valentine’s sanctuaries, but the one closest and most imbued with true mystical power was that of her friend, Ivan. She had no idea how powerful Ivan truly was, but she trusted that her friend was far from weak.

As for the official supernatural forces of Dilga in Valentine, neither Mulan nor Ivan could say for certain. In an age when mysterious forces were on the rise, even the presence of a standing unit was uncertain.

At that moment, Ivan was soaking his feet in his room—a habit Mulan had taught him, assuring him of its health benefits and, more importantly, that nothing was more comforting than a hot footbath before bed on a bitterly cold night. He poured freshly boiled water into a wooden basin, mixed in cold water, tested the temperature, and then, after removing his shoes, gingerly lowered his feet. While his hands found the water just right, his feet felt the heat keenly, but Mulan had insisted, so after wetting his toes a few times, he plunged his feet in.

He gasped, “Oh, blessed light above, ah…” Bliss! Ivan’s face was rapturous, soon relaxing into utter comfort. In winter, with bathing a rare opportunity, this footbath was pure luxury. Mulan, ever the seasoned officer, clearly knew how to unwind.

Just then, the sound of approaching hoofbeats grew louder outside the sanctuary—racing, then suddenly halting. With a piercing neigh, Mulan’s horse reared at the door. Mulan gripped the horse’s flanks tightly with her legs, calmed the beast, then swiftly dismounted.

A frantic pounding resounded at the doors. “Ivan, Ivan—!”

Ivan, who had barely begun to savor his comfort, heard Mulan’s urgent voice. Realizing disaster had struck, he didn’t even dry his feet but hurriedly donned his shoes and dashed to the sanctuary entrance.

When he opened the door, he found Mulan outside, breathless.

“Mulan, weren’t you at the ball? What happened?”

“It’s bad—at the count’s estate, the boundary between the otherworld and reality is collapsing fast. It’s urgent—I managed to escape and come for you. Do you have any way to resolve this? Any allies?”

Ivan glanced at the sky above the estate, sensing a heavy, oppressive air. On any other day, he might have blamed the weather, but now he was sure something was wrong.

“Come quickly! Help me!” Ivan shouted, running back into the sanctuary. Mulan, stunned, hurried after him.

“What are we doing? Not calling for backup?”

“Forget about backup—help me carry the holy water!”

Ivan’s shout echoed down the corridor as he sprinted to his quarters. Mulan, after glancing at Ivan’s abandoned footbath, was summoned over to help.

Together, they dragged several metal cases from beneath Ivan’s bed. Opening one, Mulan saw ten slender glass bottles, each filled with clear, water-like liquid.

“Take two each! To the count’s estate—tell me what happened on the way!”

Cursing inwardly, Mulan hefted two surprisingly heavy boxes and, with Ivan, dashed back outside. She hadn’t expected Ivan to be her only reinforcement—what a sorry excuse for a sanctuary!

Outside, her horse still awaited. Mulan handed the boxes temporarily to Ivan, mounted, and looked back at the hesitant priest.

“Get on! Or do you plan to hail a carriage?”

At her bark, Ivan snapped to attention, gathered the four boxes in his robe, and grasped Mulan’s outstretched hand, swinging onto the horse behind her.

“Hold on tight, or you’ll fall!”

With that, Mulan lashed the horse’s flank with her stick. The beast whinnied and surged forward, Ivan clinging desperately to Mulan’s coat, screaming in terror.

The horse struggled under their combined weight, but their destination was close—no arduous journey, just a dash through the relatively simple streets of Valentine. The animal’s strength sufficed.

Mulan and Ivan rode as one, the former guiding the horse through alleys at breakneck speed, taking the shortest path back to the estate. All the while, she recounted to Ivan how she had discovered and tried to disrupt the unfolding crisis, only to fail and come seeking help.

Ivan, hearing this, shouted in agitation, “The Fourth or Fifth Element! There might even be a relic present!”

“What’s that? How much can we handle it?” Mulan shouted back.

“It’s dangerous—may the holy light protect us!”

Damn. From Ivan’s response, it was clear their chances were slim—everything depended on fortune.

But Mulan’s unshakable spirit banished all useless fear and cowardice. Gritting her teeth, she lashed the horse again, and its pace, which had just slackened, surged anew.

By the time they reached the estate, the gloom was as thick as mist…

“Be careful—the otherworld is almost touching reality. Anything could happen inside!” Ivan warned nervously, as Mulan slowed the horse.

“What do you suggest, based on your experience?” Mulan asked.

Ivan gave an awkward smile. “Uh…I have no experience. But I do know the sooner we control the source, the better. If all goes well, the holy water and these cases should do it!”

Mulan was already losing faith in Ivan. She took a deep breath, holstered her stick at her waist, and drew her revolver.

“Then we do it my way—hyaah!”

With a squeeze of her legs, the horse shot forward, charging straight into the darkness, carrying Mulan and Ivan into the heart of the estate.

As they galloped in, the swirling black mist seemed to clear somewhat—their vision sharpened. Mulan and Ivan could see the scene at the estate’s edge.

Several carriages lay wrecked, the ground slick with blood. They saw corpses of horses and people—some dismembered, some reduced to bare bones…

Both felt their scalps prickle with terror, but neither slowed as they raced toward the manor at the estate’s center—the most likely heart of the disturbance.

…

Inside, Lily and her sister Hathaway were pale and struggling to breathe. The old count, already unconscious, lay beside them. The sisters hid beneath a table laden with food, their faces pressed to the floor, able to watch the room only through the gap in the tablecloth.

The gas lamps were all extinguished. Shadows slithered through the hall, monstrous and fleeting. A few nobles still danced in the center—yes, danced, though their bodies jerked with unnatural spasms. Beneath their skin, it was as if countless worms crawled, twisting their faces into grotesque masks. Black smoke seeped from their features, linking them to the darkness outside, as if dragging them deeper in. From their mouths came ghastly, rasping wails.

“Ah…huh, ah…”

“No…please…ah…”

The other nobles and servants had long since scattered, fleeing into corners of the house and estate, where horrors unfolded at every turn. Screams and shrieks echoed constantly…

Hathaway was drowning in despair, one hand clamped over her sister’s mouth, the other over her own, while Lily sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her sister’s hand.

Suddenly, the main doors were kicked open with a crash. Mulan’s horse reared in the moonlight, darkness pressing in behind. The rider raised her gun and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In that moment, light blazed at the doorway—the knight of salvation had arrived!