Mulan's superb horsemanship let him control the horse with ease even without a saddle. Soon, he charged clear of the Count's Estate and escaped that chilling sensation, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
Smack!
Using his cane as a riding crop, Mulan struck the horse's rump hard again. The pain sent it surging forward, accelerating toward Valentine's city center. Hoofbeats and neighs shattered the stillness of the night.
One piece of good news for Mulan was that the streets were almost deserted at night, leaving him free to gallop.
Mulan had visited several Holy Temples in Valentine recently. The nearest one with genuine supernatural power was, naturally, Good Head Evan's temple. He had no idea how powerful Evan was, but he believed his friend was certainly no weakling.
As for Dierjia's official supernatural forces in Valentine, not only did Mulan know nothing about them, even Evan was in the dark. In this age when supernatural elements were gradually growing stronger, it was uncertain whether any standing units even existed.
At that moment, Evan was soaking his feet in his room. Mulan had taught him to do this, saying it was good for his health. More importantly, soaking his feet before bed on a freezing night felt wonderful.
Evan poured freshly boiled water into a wooden basin, added cold water, and tested the temperature with his hand. Then he took off his shoes and gently lowered his feet into the basin. What felt right to his hand was a little too hot for his feet, but he followed Mulan's advice, dipping them a few times before putting them all the way in.
"Hiss... oh, Holy Light above, hhh..."
Bliss!
Evan's face was a picture of ecstasy, soon settling into a look of comfort. With frequent baths out of the question in winter, soaking his feet like this felt heavenly. Mulan truly was an experienced military officer, knowing such a fine way to relax.
Just then, hoofbeats drew closer to the temple, slowing from a full gallop into an abrupt stop. With a long neigh, Mulan's horse reared right outside the entrance. Using the strength of his waist and legs, Mulan clamped tightly around its belly, soothed it back down, and immediately dismounted.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
"Cleric Evan! Evan!"
In the back, Evan had barely begun enjoying himself when he heard Mulan's urgent voice. Realizing immediately that something had happened, he hurriedly put on his shoes without even drying his feet, rushed out of his room, and ran toward the temple doors.
When Evan opened the doors, he found Mulan outside, panting slightly.
"Mulan, weren't you attending the ball? What happened?"
"Something terrible's happening at the Count's Estate. The distance between the Otherworld and reality is shrinking fast. It's urgent. I managed to get out and find you. Do you have any way to deal with it, or anyone who can help?"
Evan immediately looked toward the sky above the Count's Estate. It felt dark and oppressive. Normally, he might have dismissed it as the weather, but now it seemed wrong.
"Come with me, quickly! Help me!"
Evan ran straight back into the temple. Mulan hesitated for a moment, then hurried after him.
"What are we doing? Aren't we calling for backup?"
"Forget backup! Hurry and help me carry the holy water!"
Evan shouted at the top of his lungs, sprinting all the way to his quarters at the rear. Mulan followed close behind, glancing at Evan's foot-soaking water before Evan called him over.
"Come help!"
Together, they pulled several sheet-metal cases from beneath Evan's bed. When they opened one, Mulan saw ten slender glass bottles neatly arranged inside, filled with a clear liquid that looked like water.
"Two each. We're going to the Count's Estate. Tell me the details on the way!"
Damn it! Mulan cursed inwardly. He picked up two unexpectedly heavy cases and ran outside with Evan. He had never imagined Evan would be the only reinforcement he could find. Was the Holy Temple really this pathetic?
They rushed through the doors. The horse was still waiting there for Mulan. He handed his two small cases to Evan for the moment, vaulted onto its back, and looked at Evan, who was still standing motionless.
"Get on! Were you planning to find a hired carriage?"
Mulan's shout snapped Evan out of his daze. Wrapping the hem of his clerical robe around the four cases, he caught Mulan's outstretched hand and hauled himself onto the horse.
"Careful! Don't fall off!"
With that, Mulan struck the horse's rump hard with his cane. It gave a long neigh and took off, frightening Evan into a shriek as he clutched Mulan's coat with both hands.
Carrying two people clearly strained the horse. Fortunately, they did not have far to go, and there was no difficult terrain within Valentine. It still had plenty of strength left.
Sharing a single horse with Evan, Mulan used his exceptional riding skills to race through Valentine's streets and alleys, taking the shortest route back to the Count's Estate at the greatest possible speed. At the same time, he described everything he had discovered that evening, his attempts to break the deadlock, and how he had finally realized his mistake and left to fetch help.
After hearing him out, Evan shouted excitedly.
"The fourth or fifth element! There might even be a sacred relic there!"
"What's that? How confident are you?"
Mulan shouted his questions back.
"Something very dangerous. The Holy Light will protect us!"
Fuck!
Evan was essentially telling Mulan that he had little confidence. They would have to leave it to fate!
But Mulan's mental fortitude let him cast aside useless fear and any cowardly impulse to retreat. Gritting his teeth, he struck his mount hard again. Amid its neighing, the horse picked up speed once more after having just begun to slow.
By the time the two men and their horse reached the Count's Estate, the gloom had become as tangible as fog...
"Be careful. The Otherworld has almost come into contact with reality. Anything could happen in there!"
Evan warned Mulan nervously, while Mulan had already slowed the horse.
"Based on your experience, what would you suggest?"
Evan gave an awkward smile.
"Uh, I don't have any experience... but I do know we need to get the source point under control as quickly as possible. If everything goes smoothly, the holy water and this case should do it!"
Mulan had lost all hope in Evan. Taking a deep breath, he tucked his cane back at his waist and drew the Ring of Light.
"Then we'll do it my way! Hyah!"
Mulan squeezed the horse's belly with both legs. It had already slowed outside the Count's Estate, but the pain made it accelerate again in an instant, carrying Mulan and Evan straight into the gloom.
The moment the horse galloped into the estate, their vision cleared considerably, though black mist still seemed to swirl around them. What had looked indistinct from outside now came into focus, revealing the scene along the estate's outskirts.
Many carriages had been wrecked. Blood covered the ground around them, and they even saw several horses and people whose bodies had been dismembered or reduced to bare bones...
Both Mulan and Evan felt their scalps prickle, but they rode on without stopping, charging toward the mansion at the center of the estate. That was where the source point was most likely to be.
Lily and Hathaway were pale and struggling to breathe. The old count lay unconscious beside them. The sisters hid beneath a food display table, their faces pressed to the floor, watching what happened outside through gaps in the tablecloth.
All the gas lamps had gone out. Horrifying shadows drifted through the hall, where several nobles were still dancing. Yes, dancing-but their bodies kept convulsing, and beneath the skin of their faces, what looked like countless tiny insects scurried about. It was a terrifying sight. Black smoke connected their features and outlines to something outside, seeming to burrow ever deeper as miserable, horrifying, hoarse cries escaped their mouths.
"Ugh... hh, ah..."
"No... don't... aaagh..."
The nobles and servants in the mansion had long since scattered, fleeing to every corner of the house and estate. Terrible things were happening everywhere, with screams and cries of agony ringing out from time to time...
Despair filled Hathaway's heart. She covered her sister's mouth with one hand and her own with the other. Lily could not stop crying, clutching her sister's hand in both of hers.
Crash!
The tightly shut front doors were suddenly kicked open by powerful hooves. Outside, Mulan's mount reared with a neigh. Moonlight behind him, darkness before him, the rider raised his gun and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that moment, brilliant light blazed beyond the doors. The knight who would save them had arrived!