Chapter Thirty-Seven: Commendation

The two of them lay down and rested for a while. Irwin was the first to sense the change in their surroundings and let out a long sigh of relief.

"The Earl's manor is returning to normal," he said.

Mulan, already forcing herself to sit up, began reloading her revolver. "It's not completely back yet," she replied.

In the distant corridor, a few nobles were moving in bizarre ways. But now, facing them posed little threat to Mulan and Irwin.

The sound of gunfire echoed intermittently throughout the earl’s manor for a while. Afterward, Mulan and Irwin found several other surviving nobles and attendants—numbering in the dozens. Though at first glance it seemed like a considerable group, compared to the lively ball from earlier, it was clear that many were missing.

After about half an hour, the survivors followed Irwin and Mulan to the chapel under Irwin’s care. Seeing Mulan, both Hathaway and Lily felt a great sense of relief.

Mulan certainly no longer had her previous air of ease. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes torn in several places, and she was covered in bloodstains. Yet, she exuded an overwhelming, destructive aura that gave the survivors a profound sense of security.

...

"Ding ding ding..." "Bang bang bang..."

"Inspector, Inspector—"

At dawn, Inspector Valentin was woken from his sleep at home by the urgent ringing of the doorbell and loud knocking at the door.

Annoyed, wearing only his pajamas, the Inspector went to open the door, only to find several detectives standing outside, their faces tense. His irritation and fatigue dissipated almost instantly.

"What happened?" he asked.

One of the detectives swallowed hard. "Something terrible has happened at Earl Franklin’s manor..."

The Inspector’s eyes widened. He immediately turned back inside to grab his coat and boots, barely bothering with the rest of his clothes before rushing out.

"Come on, come on, take me there now!"

The Valentin Police Department quickly mobilized a large force, all heading toward the earl’s manor. When they arrived, the Inspector was so shocked he could hardly stand.

The entire manor was deathly silent, corpses scattered inside and out. Some of the bodies were even people the Inspector recognized—nobles of high standing. Officers and detectives searched everywhere, while the Inspector’s face grew ashen.

"It’s over... It’s all over..."

So many nobles had suffered, with Earl Franklin, his family, and many others missing. Regardless of what pressure the police would now face, the Inspector felt his own career was as good as finished.

As daylight grew, finally some good news arrived. First, the earl’s family was safe. Second, most of the nobles had survived, having taken refuge in a chapel. Yet, when questioned about what had happened, most were too frightened to speak, and those who did were incoherent, muttering about "monsters" and "corpses," their emotions clearly unstable.

By comparison, the old Earl was much calmer. As a grand noble and acting mayor of the territory, he reassured Inspector Valentin not to worry too much. The incident had happened suddenly; though the police would bear some responsibility, they would not be heavily blamed. The Earl promised to report to the imperial authorities himself.

The first three days after the incident were the hardest. Matters at the manor needed handling, many nobles were afraid to leave the chapel, and families of the affected nobles came to the police station demanding answers. The newspapers also splashed the tragedy at the earl’s manor across their front pages.

But after the third day, the pressure on the police suddenly eased. Few noble families came to make trouble, and even the newspapers changed their tone.

On the fifth morning after the incident, Mulan was lazing in bed, indulging herself with a rare sleep-in. Leo, now able to move around a little, carefully climbed the stairs to his younger brother’s room.

"Knock knock knock—"

"Mulan, I’m coming in."

Leo opened the door and, sure enough, found his brother still dozing. He walked over to the window and yanked open the curtains.

"Hey, Leo, what are you doing? I’ve barely slept—"

"The sun’s high already! How long do you plan to sleep? And I have good news for you—look!"

Leo tossed a newspaper onto Mulan’s bedside table. Mulan rubbed his eyes, picked up the paper, and glanced at the front-page headline, printed in bold as if to wake the world: "The Hero of Valentin!"

"The tragedy at the Earl's residence was the work of a murderous cultist. Lord Mulan Jonest turned the tide and crushed them once more..."

"Mulan, when did you do all this? Why didn’t you tell me?" Leo was even more excited than Mulan himself. Mulan stared, dumbfounded, at the newspaper, lying in bed with his mouth open, unable to say a word.

"Ding ding ding—"

The doorbell rang again. From the direction of the stairs came Old Buck’s voice as he went to answer. Opening the door, he found two people waiting outside—a man in a coat and top hat, and a woman with long hair dressed identically.

"And you are...?" he asked.

The man spoke first. "Please inform Lord Mulan Jonest that I have come to collect the item left in his care by Sir Walton, and to extend an invitation, as well."

"Certainly, please wait here. I’ll fetch Master Mulan at once!"

Though Old Buck was curious, he maintained a polite smile and quickly went upstairs.

Master Mulan was growing more mysterious by the day!

The name "Walton" worked better than any alarm clock. Still in bed, Mulan leaped up the moment he heard it, threw off his covers, and hurriedly dressed. In just a few minutes, he was downstairs.

After the recent dangers, Mulan yearned for strength more than ever before. He rushed outside and immediately recognized one of the visitors.

"Dolly?"

The woman frowned. "It’s Do-lly!"

"Yes, I’ll remember. And you are?"

The man removed his hat and bowed slightly, a bright smile on his face.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Jonest. You are a great man—even as a mortal, you possess extraordinary strength. Please, allow me to offer you my highest respect."

The man looked Mulan in the eyes earnestly. "If you agree, I would be honored to invite you to the capital to study. Believe me: you will shine there!"

Mulan quickly ran through his thoughts. First, he fetched the pouch he had guarded so carefully—the one containing the doll Walton had entrusted to him. The man took the bag but did not look inside, waiting for Mulan’s answer.

"For the honor of my family and my own duty, I, Mulan Jonest, cannot refuse!"

Of course he would go. Beyond his own curiosity about the world of mysteries, he now had a powerful ancient fiend holding a deadly grudge against him. He had to be on guard, and at the very least, learn more.

"This is the best news I’ve heard today. Welcome, Lord Jonest!"

Dolly watched the man beside her. He was actually addressing Mulan with such respect—he must truly admire him.

"Please prepare yourself. We will return in a day at this same time. Pack some clothes and personal items."

"How long will I be away?"

"There will be holidays; you’ll be able to visit home often. Think of it as advanced studies. We won't disturb you further. See you tomorrow. All tickets and travel arrangements will be taken care of. You needn’t worry."

With that, the man left with Dolly. Mulan watched them disappear at the end of the street before closing the door behind him.

Though they had revealed nothing of real substance, Mulan’s mind was already racing with speculation.

On the road, Dolly couldn’t help but ask her companion, "Why do you use such formal language with him, but not with us? I was also recruited by Walton."

The man glanced at her, then looked back at the street. "Because he is braver than any of you."

"Oh? And how can you tell?"

"Don’t be offended, Miss Dolly. I’d wager that if you were in his place, you’d have done nowhere near as well. Courage comes in many forms. But to face an ancient fiend as a mere mortal, that, I could never do!"

"Come, let’s go to the chapel and discuss. Now that this sacred relic is involved, we also have a stake in it."

Back in the house, Mulan’s excitement mingled with anxiety over how to break the news to his family. But before he could say anything, someone else knocked at the door.

This time it was the Earl’s servants, accompanied by an imperial courier who had traveled overnight from the capital with an official commendation.

Queen Nisheriel herself was to honor and ennoble Mulan.