Mulan had bought some chilies to add a little heat. Fried eggs, stir-fried beef strips with green chilies, and stir-fried greens-Chinese cooking called for high heat, plenty of oil, and a generous variety of seasonings. Not every seasoning here was suitable, but he had chosen the closest substitutes he could find. This was his first attempt, yet the rich aroma of cooking still drifted far from the chimney of his little house.
"Sssss~~~"
The chilies and beef strips sizzled as he tossed them in the pan. Cooking this dish in butter produced an unexpectedly rich aroma, the spicy fragrance of the chilies blending perfectly with the smell of beef. Mulan had used only butter and salt for seasoning, but he could already tell it would taste wonderful. He kept swallowing as he stir-fried.
Having once worked himself to the bone alone in an unfamiliar city, Mulan counted cooking among his essential skills.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
A knock came from the door, and Mulan smiled.
"How could someone that greedy for good food stay away?"
Mulan put down his spatula and turned toward the entryway, then suddenly glanced at the doorbell. Dolly loved music; she would surely have rung it. Since it had not rung, his visitor might not be Dolly.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
Mulan walked to the entryway and opened the door. Walton stood outside, beaming.
"Oh, Mulan! Surprised to see me? I trust you explained everything properly to the young ladies who adore me?"
The corner of Mulan's mouth twitched.
"Mission accomplished."
"Uh, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Mulan stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
"Please come in. If you haven't had dinner yet, you're welcome to eat here."
"A true gentleman would never refuse your kindness!"
Walton walked straight in, took off his hat, and set it on the nearby coat rack. Completely at ease, he headed for the kitchen a short distance away, even coming over to the stove to see what Mulan was cooking.
When Mulan returned after closing the door, he found Walton fanning the aroma from the pan toward his nose.
"What an inventive way to cook."
Walton turned to Mulan as he spoke.
"Well, have you settled into the Black Castle? I hear Her Majesty thinks very highly of you."
"Thanks to your help, I'm doing quite well here. Please sit down. The food will be ready shortly."
Walton quickly found a seat at the dining table, arranged a set of cutlery, and removed his gloves to wait. As the aroma settled, Mulan finished cooking the dish.
Fried eggs, stir-fried greens, and beef strips with green chilies-all cooked in butter.
Mulan sat down in his own seat, used tongs to put some beef and chilies onto a slice of bread, then topped it with another slice to make an unusual sandwich.
"Help yourself."
Walton rubbed his hands together and copied him. At the first bite, his eyes widened as he looked at Mulan. He had not expected it to taste even better than it smelled. Coming over on a whim after catching the aroma had been absolutely the right decision.
"Mulan, do you know what I went out to do this time?"
"Am I allowed to know?"
Mulan asked the question as he ate. Walton was in good spirits and answered with a smile.
"Nothing much. Have you heard of the Pirate Wars?"
"No."
Mulan shook his head. Walton took a bite of bread, then forked a piece of fried egg into his mouth. Only after chewing and swallowing did he continue.
"There are several powerful pirate factions out on the seas. They roam the dangerous oceans, charting all kinds of routes, plundering passing ships, and fighting sea monsters. They're vicious, but they have their own order. Pirate ships gathered in force even dare to challenge the fleets of great nations head-on. Of course, now that steel warships are becoming the norm, few pirates still attempt that."
"And right now, order among the pirates is at its most chaotic. Not just in the Western Ocean-pirates all over the world may well be fighting and plundering one another."
"Why is that?"
Mulan asked partly out of curiosity and partly to keep the conversation going.
"Aha, there are many reasons, of course. Aside from the immense fortunes hidden by some old pirates attracting covetous eyes, the deaths of certain pirate leaders are another important reason. Oh, right."
Walton stuffed a mouthful of bread wrapped around beef and chilies into his mouth, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and stood. He hurried to the entryway to fetch his hat, held it opening upward, then flicked it with a snap and turned it upside down.
The next instant, a curved saber slid straight out of the hat.
"Gulp~"
Mulan swallowed his food and stared blankly at the scene. Was Walton a magician?
Walton caught the saber with his right hand and held it up. Its red scabbard was covered in gold filigree and set with several rubies and sapphires. The saber had a slight curve, measured about four fingers across with its scabbard, and was roughly a meter long including the hilt.
"Well? A fine blade, isn't it? Mulan, I hear you're very skilled with blades. This saber is called Sea Soul. It belonged to the Skeleton King of the Western Ocean. And now, it's yours!"
As he spoke, Walton tossed the saber straight to Mulan. Mulan hurriedly put down his knife and fork and reached out, catching it with a smack.
It felt distinctly heavy in his hand, its grip icy cool. Moved by a warrior's instincts, Mulan slowly drew the saber. The blade's friction against the scabbard produced a beautiful melody, and a cold gleam gradually appeared along its edge. Sharp, tough, fitted with a fuller...
"Ding~"
Mulan lightly flicked the blade. The entire saber gave a clear ringing note, as though he could hear the roar of ocean waves...
This was an incomparable blade. Mulan even felt certain that it held some mysterious power.
At that very moment, in another little house beside a lake elsewhere in the Black Castle, Dolly jolted awake as she rested in her bathtub and turned to look in one direction.
"Sir, did you kill the Skeleton King?"
With the saber in his hand, Mulan could hardly avoid that conclusion. He had even begun imagining a whole string of conspiracies, but Walton hastily shook his head.
"No, no, no, no. I couldn't kill him, at least not at sea. But obtaining this saber doesn't necessarily require facing the Skeleton King head-on. Oh, and while we're on the subject, the Skeleton King used this blade to cut off the heads of no fewer than ten Sirens. Ten Sirens who had truly entered the realm of the supernatural!"
Walton enunciated every word, an exaggerated smile spreading across his face.
Mulan sheathed the saber, but goosebumps rose over his skin. From the corner of his eye, he could see a hazy outline of light and shadow around Walton's body-a black silhouette wearing a hat. Walton's upturned mouth stretched farther and farther within that shadow, like an exaggerated crescent, eerie and horrifying.
"By the way, newcomers usually have their physical condition assessed after six months, but you won't need that. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for someone to prepare your Awakening potion. We don't bother with all that ritual business here. You can also look through the Black Castle's various paths for reference. That's a privilege I'm granting you. Hmm, I imagine the imperial family will also allow you to choose from their privately held paths. In any case, pick whatever you like, as long as you serve the empire faithfully."
After saying all that, Walton went back to eating with gusto. Soon, he had eaten exactly half the food, no more and no less. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood.
"An absolutely delicious meal. But I don't imagine you want me staying the night."
"Sir, this saber..."
"Afraid to accept it?"
Walton watched Mulan. Only when Mulan set the saber down did he smile. He put on his hat, opened the door, and walked out alone.
"No need to see me off. I still have plenty to do tonight!"
With a bang, the door closed on its own.
Mulan looked at the saber on the table, his gaze flickering, his thoughts unreadable. A crystal-clear eyeball was set into the end of its hilt.
Mulan's breathing grew a little faster. He felt both excitement and intense fear!
As Walton walked along a road through the Black Castle, he suddenly raised his head toward the sky above the main gate. Countless crows took flight.
"Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw..."
The crows wheeled wildly, shrieking.