Will reached the kitchen of the inn, where it appeared there was no basement to speak of. 'Could he be lying to me?' Will mused as he fumbled around, searching for clues. As Will moved carefully through the kitchen, the floor suddenly emitted a sharp, clear "clink." "Is this hollow?" Will moved his foot and glanced at the floor, crouching down to tap it. He noticed the floorboards sounded different from the surrounding ones. "Ah, here it is." With a determined fist, Will struck the floor. A loud crash echoed, and a large hole appeared in the hollow section of the floor. "A staircase," he muttered, clearing the remaining boards and descending slowly. ... "At last, I've found you." After descending the staircase, Will discovered Donald, hiding in the basement. "Who are you?" Donald asked, staring at Will. Since Will wore a black eye mask, Donald hadn't yet recognized him. "You don't need to know who I am. I have one question for you—where is Mary?" Will asked sternly. "Mary? Ah, so it's really you. You're the fool from this afternoon," Donald suddenly realized. "Hmph, so you know. It doesn't matter. I won't let you leave here alive today." "Oh? Is that so? But don't you want to know where Mary is?" "Tell me now!" "Hmph!" Donald sneered as he opened a nearby cupboard, revealing Mary, bound and gagged, unable to speak. "Mary!" Will shouted. "Do you want to save her?" Donald grabbed a handful of Mary's hair, pulling her out of the cupboard and holding a small knife to her neck. "You!" Will, enraged, prepared to charge. "Ah! Ah! Don't move! If you don't want her to die, listen to me!" "Damn you," Will muttered under his breath, fighting the urge to act rashly. "Good. Now, throw your sword over here." Without hesitation, Will removed his short sword from his waist and threw it toward Donald. "Good. Now, remove your eye mask." Will obeyed without a word, taking off his eye mask with decisive motion. "Ah, so it is you." Donald smirked triumphantly, while Mary, kneeling on the floor, looked up in surprise upon recognizing Will. "Now, raise your hands and put them on your head, then kneel down." Donald pressed the knife harder against Mary's neck, his tone growing impatient. This time, Will didn't immediately obey, remaining frozen where he stood. "I said, raise your hands, put them on your head, and kneel down." Donald's patience was wearing thin, and he pressed the blade into Mary's neck, increasing the pressure. "Fine, fine," Will reluctantly muttered, kneeling to save Mary. "Ha ha ha! What chance do you have against me now?" "Enough! Let her go!" "Don't rush me," Donald chuckled maliciously, while Mary frantically shook her head in silent protest. "Now, turn around slowly." Once again, Will made no movement, remaining kneeling in place. "Don't you hear me?" Donald's voice grew cruel as he pressed the knife harder, a thin line of blood appearing on Mary's neck. "Stop!" At that moment, Eddie's voice rang out, causing Donald to look toward him in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Will surged forward, his legs propelling him toward Donald, who was momentarily distracted. "Die, Donald!" Will shouted, his fury boiling over. "Ah!" Donald screamed in terror, his eyes wide with panic. With a resounding crash, Will's fist struck Donald's face with terrifying force. Thanks to the strength coursing through him, Donald was sent crashing into the wall. "Hmph, that was easy." Will smiled smugly. "Wi... Will, that... that was amazing," Eddie said, his eyes wide with shock. He had never imagined Will possessed such strength. In that moment, a feeling of distance began to grow between them, as if Will's power had placed him far beyond Eddie's reach. "All done!" Will gave a thumbs-up, turning to Eddie. "Will, that... " Eddie pointed toward Mary. Will turned to look, and his heart sank. Mary was collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from her neck, her face pale, her body wracked with spasms. "Donald!" Will shouted in a fury, charging toward the wall where Donald lay. "Will! Will, calm down!" Eddie rushed forward, grabbing Will from behind to stop him. "Will, you'll kill him! Have you forgotten Mr. Lyon's words? Once we catch him, we can clear your friend's name." Eddie held Will's waist, trying to pull him back. "I don't care! I want him dead!" "Will, look at her! She's still alive! If we get her to the Holy Church, there's still a chance to save her." "What? Really?" Will paused, looking back at Eddie. "Yes! You go with her now. I'll take Donald to the Holy Church." "Okay, thank you, Eddie." Will nodded, grabbing Mary and running. "Sigh, so impulsive," Eddie muttered, walking over to where Donald lay, pulling him out of the wall with effort. "When did Will become so strong?" Eddie marveled, feeling the indents in the shattered wall. ... "We're almost there, almost there! Mary, hold on!" Will said, as he ran, his voice filled with urgency. Mary, barely conscious, pressed her hand to her neck, trying desperately to stem the flow of blood. "Stop! You can't go in!" Two guards outside the Holy Church raised their weapons as they saw Will charging toward them. "Get out of my way!" Will shouted, leaping to kick open the heavy iron doors of the Church. He dashed through, disregarding the guards entirely. With the memory of his previous visit to the Holy Church, Will rushed through the halls to the chamber where he had once undergone the Paladin Baptism. "Lyon! Lyon! Matthew! Matthew! Get out here now!" Will's voice echoed through the hall, filled with desperation.
