Early the next morning, the train stopped at a major station along the way. Dolly and the two youngsters went to buy some food. When they returned to the compartment, they found Mulan still asleep. He was actually awake, but, as usual, he simply did not feel like getting up.
"Hey, we'll reach Digo in another three hours. Aren't you going down to stretch your legs?"
Mulan opened his eyes and glanced at the food on the table. They had clearly bought a portion for him too.
"What's the point of wandering around the platform? I'll take a look around the imperial capital when we get there. It's only three hours away anyway. By the way, has Sir Owen come by?"
"We just ran into him. He asked how we were doing and gave us the money for the food."
Mulan rubbed his eyes and sat up, thinking that surely the imperial capital, Digo, would have a more suitable Holy Temple.
"You don't seem to be sleeping well. Is it because of the train?"
Dolly opened a paper package containing something like a sandwich. She took a bite to try it, then quickly took a second and a third.
"It's an old problem. Nothing much to do with the train. Is that any good?"
"Try it. It tastes pretty good."
Mulan picked up a sandwich and took a bite, immediately frowning. He chewed a few times and swallowed.
"Not really."
Dolly looked at the boy and girl beside her. They were eating the same sandwiches and did not look particularly happy either. Still, everyone, Mulan included, finished their food.
Just then, the train began moving slowly again with a rhythmic clatter. Many people on the platform outside were waving, while others ran after the train.
But Mulan suddenly caught sight of Owen out of the corner of his eye.
"Huh? Sir Owen didn't get on?"
Mulan's puzzled remark made Dolly and the two youngsters look out the window, but the train had already left the platform, and the angle was wrong, so they saw nothing.
"He really didn't get on?"
"I'm pretty sure it was him. He was standing with someone who was in the shade and still holding an umbrella."
Dolly frowned.
"If he didn't get on, what are we supposed to do when we reach Digo? We don't know anyone there. We can't expect Walton to come pick us up, can we?"
"Heh, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to pick you up."
Mulan made the joke, then thought for a moment before adding,
"Maybe Owen has his own arrangements. He wouldn't really abandon us."
Three and a half hours later, at the railway station in the imperial capital, Digo, Mulan, Dolly, and the others encountered Owen when he came to their compartment to fetch them before they disembarked. Mulan froze for a moment, while Dolly also gave Owen a puzzled look, but neither said anything. Someone like Owen certainly could not be judged by ordinary standards. Besides, it was not their place to ask, so they were better off pretending not to know.
Dolly tacitly agreed on this point. The two youngsters might have been young, but they were shrewd enough to keep quiet too.
As though nothing had happened, Owen led them off the train. After they boarded a carriage, he gave them his usual enthusiastic introduction, pointing out where the palace was, which grand theater was the most famous, which districts had the most entertainment venues, and where the universities and libraries were.
The carriage kept rolling until it arrived directly outside a magnificent palace. The complex was roughly the size of several Count's Estates, with watchtowers at all four corners and soldiers patrolling above.
Owen and the others stayed in the carriage. Only Mulan was escorted into the palace after a round of messages had been passed along. He had assumed that even an investiture would wait until he had found somewhere to stay and settled in.
The palace official was very polite, but with all the gilded splendor and checkpoint after checkpoint along the way, Mulan could not help feeling nervous.
At last, they stopped outside a room.
"Sir Jonester, please wait in this lounge. When Her Majesty summons you, I will come and escort you. Hot tea and refreshments have been prepared inside. If you need anything, please ask the attendants."
"All right. Thank you."
"You're welcome!"
The official showed Mulan into the room before turning to leave. The first thing Mulan noticed was the selection of treats on the table, most of them biscuits. After trying a few at random, he concluded that they were inferior to Old Buck's and began clicking his tongue. He pictured Old Buck with one hand behind his back and a rolling pin in the other, shouting, "Who else wants some?"
In another room in the palace, Nisheriel was reading the documents on her desk, assisted by two officials, a man and a woman.
"Your Majesty, please take a break."
"There's still so much to deal with after the war. I can't afford to rest. We fought for so long without winning, and there's a great deal of resentment toward us at home this time."
"This is not your fault, Your Majesty."
The two aides each tried to reassure her. Just then, a courtier knocked and entered.
"Your Majesty, Sir Mulan Jonester has arrived at the palace. You said he was to come as soon as he reached the Royal Capital, and that we must not neglect him. Would you like to see him now?"
A faint smile appeared on Nisheriel's face, as though she had recalled a childhood story.
"What a distant age that was. The Empire's Thirteen Swords... I never imagined any of their legacies had survived unbroken. If Lord Blanclin hadn't sent word, I wouldn't even have known. It's one of the few pieces of good news we've had lately."
As she spoke, Nisheriel stood and looked at the aides beside her.
"Let's go meet him. We'll call it a break."
Meanwhile, Mulan was sampling the refreshments in the lounge, generally eating just one of each kind. After one biscuit, he thought, Pathetic. After another, Pathetic. As for the cakes, he took one bite and left them alone. They were unbearably sweet.
"What a waste. All these plates just for me, and the cakes are so sweet. This queen..."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Sir Jonester, Her Majesty will see you now."
The courtier entered, and Mulan hurriedly put down the biscuit in his hand. Behind the courtier stood an attendant holding a tray.
"Sir Jonester, you are about to meet Her Majesty. If you have any concealed weapons, please hand them over for safekeeping."
"Of course!"
Without another word, Mulan drew the revolver from inside his coat and handed it over along with the cane resting on his seat.
The glorious stories of his knightly family were only good for indulging his own pride. So many years had passed. Mulan was not naive enough to believe that a monarch today would let an unfamiliar person approach with a weapon.
After walking down a long corridor, Mulan arrived outside a hall with double doors and soldiers posted outside.
"Please enter."
Mulan steadied his breathing, then followed the courtier inside.
The hall was not particularly large, or at least not as large as he had imagined. It was more like a small side chamber. Still, Mulan trusted that no one would impersonate the empress. The moment he saw the person seated at the far end, he stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"Mulan Jonester pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
At some point, the tray holding Mulan's weapons had been brought to Nisheriel's side. She looked at the pistol and cane, then picked up the pistol, finding it somewhat heavy in her hand. Noticing the words engraved on it, she read them aloud.
"Radiant Bloom."
"Sir Jonester, is this cane also a weapon?"
Only then did Mulan raise his head and get a clear look at the queen. Perhaps the queen of Daiying in his previous life had left such a formidable impression that he could not shake it, leaving him to assume queens were all rather old. Yet the queen before him was far younger than he had imagined. She looked mature, but at least some of that was due to how she dressed and presented herself. Judging by her face and figure alone, Mulan had to admit that the Dilga imperial family had excellent genes.
As Mulan looked at Nisheriel, she was studying him too, and had been ever since he entered. Blanclin rarely praised anyone so highly, and she also knew what Mulan had faced back then.
"Your Majesty, a gentle twist of the handle will let you draw the sword hidden inside. Please be careful. It's very sharp!"
Even as Mulan spoke, Nisheriel had already drawn the sword. He watched it with a solemn expression. Fortunately, it did nothing strange in the queen's hands, at least for now.
"Fang?"
The queen gave Fang a swing, then rose and approached Mulan, stopping just over a step away from him. Courtiers and guards followed closely on either side.
"I've heard your story. That military trial was utterly absurd, but it also brought you to my attention. Perhaps this was fate, Sir Jonester."
The next moment, the queen laid the sword on Mulan's shoulder.
"As queen of the Dilga Empire, I hereby invest Mulan Jonester as an Imperial Knight!"
With that, the queen personally returned the sword to Mulan.
"I grant you permission to approach me bearing arms!"
Mulan looked at Nisheriel. He had to admit that, as a member of the Jonester Family, he was deeply moved at that moment. But, uh... she hadn't given his gun back.