Even after retreating some distance, Mulan's excitement had yet to subside. Sometimes he wondered whether his body's influence had really left him with some lingering effects from the battlefield, making him relish this sense of danger and exhilaration.
Without slowing, Mulan headed straight for his quarters and found his ammunition box as quickly as he could. He pocketed several boxes of cartridges, then immediately went out again. He intended to keep wearing the monster down. It did not seem capable of doing much to him anyway, and even if it really went to Digo City, he could give chase.
His coat was already soaked through. To move more freely, Mulan simply took it off and hurried forward, lightly equipped, following that feeling of malice.
But just as Mulan eagerly approached the monster again, its presence suddenly began to unravel rapidly. When he returned to the spot where he had fought it, he happened to see a man dressed like a mage from a film or television show putting the lid on a glass bottle. A great mass of mud collapsed beside him, and the downpour stopped at that very moment.
Mulan's arrival clearly caught the wizard's attention. He looked at Mulan, then at the mud on the ground, where bullets could be found in many places.
"Were you the one who kept it occupied?"
Mulan spun the revolver in his hand and slipped it back into the holster behind him.
"Its malice was very strong. I merely did what I could in response. Did something serious happen at the Black Castle tonight?"
Although Mulan asked about the Black Castle, his eyes remained fixed on the little bottle in the wizard's hand. Despite the dim light, he could still make out a shadow trapped inside.
The wizard looked somewhat resigned.
"There