"What a stroke of fortune—like finding a treasure after a long and fruitless search," Will said with a triumphant grin. "Sir? Sir?" came Mary's gentle voice from beside him. "Huh? What is it?" Will replied, coming back to his senses. "Do you need anything else, sir? If not, I'll return to my other tasks," Mary said with a soft smile. "Oh, no, that'll be all. Thank you," Will answered. With that, Mary turned and walked away. Meanwhile, after a brief exchange, the man in black and Donald ascended to the attic on the second floor. Realizing this was a rare and precious opportunity, Will decided to take a risk. He rose from his seat and hurried to the back of the inn. Looking up, he spotted a small, slightly ajar window on the second floor. "They must be in there," he whispered to himself. Surveying the area, he noticed the storeroom roof wasn't far from the window. Will quickly ran to the storeroom's entrance, propped up a battered ladder leaning nearby, and swiftly climbed onto the roof. Crouching low, he crept toward the window. "Have all our people arrived?" "Almost. Just a few more tonight," came a familiar voice—Donald, who had been shouting downstairs earlier. "Good. We should still be on schedule." "Yes. The birthday banquet for the King of Paralar is in three days. He'll be delivering a speech at the Holy Church then. That moment will be our perfect chance," said Donald. "Hmph. Excellent. Had Roman not betrayed us, it would have been even easier—we could have laced the food supplies meant for them with a slow-acting poison. Then, their entire army would have fallen, and conquering Paralar would've been child's play." "What? They're plotting to assassinate the king? Was Roman murdered by that man in black?" Will pondered, pressing his face to the outer wall to listen more closely. "Yah!" Suddenly, Will let out a startled cry. He had slipped and tumbled from the rooftop. "Who's there?" Donald, alarmed by the noise, flung open the window and scanned the area. But no one was in sight. Without hesitation, he stormed down from the attic and burst into the kitchen, flinging open the back door to search further—but still, he found nothing. "Mary, did you hear anything just now?" Donald demanded, turning to Mary, who was calmly washing dishes. "Yes, I heard someone cry out—'Yah!'" she replied. "Did anyone come through here afterward?" he pressed. "No, sir. And the back door can only be opened from the inside," Mary answered. "If you notice anyone acting suspiciously, you'd better let me know," Donald said gruffly, jabbing a finger toward her. "Understood." Grumbling in frustration, Donald stomped back up to the attic. "It's clear now. You can come out," Mary said quickly, opening a large storage chest in the corner of the kitchen. Inside, Will was crouched, concealed. "Mary… why did you help me?" he asked, climbing out. "Because I believe you're a good man," she answered with a gentle smile. "Thank you," Will said, smiling in return. "Now go—quickly. Be careful not to be seen." She opened the back door once more. "Oh, wait—there's one thing I forgot." Will paused, already halfway out the door. "What is it?" Mary asked, puzzled. Without another word, Will rushed to her side and kissed her deeply. Mary's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away. "Thank you, my beautiful lady," he said with a smile, then darted out the back door. "Hmph! Mary!" Donald snarled. Unbeknownst to them, he had witnessed everything from the attic window. — That afternoon, at the gates of the Paralar Empire— "Ugh, this is so boring. There's absolutely nothing going on here," Eddie complained as he stood atop the gate tower, speaking to an older cleric beside him. "Mr. Eddie, isn't peace something to be grateful for? No war, no plague—people live in tranquility," the older cleric replied kindly. "I guess you're right… but I joined the Order to fight evil creatures. Instead, I'm stuck here standing guard," Eddie said with a sigh, gazing into the distance. "Eddie! Eddie!" Will's voice rang out from below. "Will? What's he doing here?" Eddie muttered in confusion. "Oh, isn't that the lad who refused to become a cleric this year?" asked the elder cleric. "Yes, that's Will Gibson," Eddie replied. "A fine boy, though his path now lies forever outside the Order." "Hah! He'll become someone even greater than a cleric, mark my words," Eddie declared with pride, as if boasting about himself. "I'm coming down!" he shouted to Will. "I'll be right back!" "I, too, hope to witness someone rise beyond even the clerics," the elder murmured thoughtfully. — "Will, what brings you here?" Eddie asked. "I… I've uncovered a plot to assassinate the king," Will whispered urgently. "What? That's impossible—the king is heavily guarded," Eddie replied in a hushed tone. "I overheard them. They're planning to strike during the king's birthday banquet—when he's giving his speech at the Holy Church." "Damn it! Are you sure about what you heard?" "Yes, I was at the Hero's Rest Inn when I found out," Will said. "Hero's Rest? That newly opened inn?" Eddie asked. "What? Newly opened?" "Yes… And now that you mention it—Roman's death happened not long after that place opened…" Eddie's eyes widened as realization dawned. "You're right. It's strange how well that inn is doing—always packed," Eddie added. "I also heard that more of their people will be arriving tonight. They must be accomplices," Will said. "You don't expect me to arrest them, do you? We have no proof," Eddie said in surprise. "No. Not yet. I'll wait until they openly admit to killing Roman—only then can we act. Otherwise, we'll never be able to save Lisa," Will replied. "Then what do you want me to do?" "I'm going to spy on them tonight. Will you come with me?" "…Alright. I'm in," Eddie said.
