Late that night, within the interrogation room of the Holy Church.
The room was small, almost suffocating in its cramped space. In the center, an unremarkable chair sat—its only purpose was to serve as a seat for prisoners. Donald, unconscious, was bound tightly to it, his hands and legs secured. Standing opposite him were Will, Sir Leon, and Eddie. In Sir Leon's hand, a small vial of golden liquid glinted under the dim light; it was the so-called Truth Elixir.
"Should we wake him now, Sir Leon? Time is running out," Will asked, his voice tinged with impatience.
"Yes, everything is prepared. Eddie, wake him up," Sir Leon replied calmly.
"Understood!" Eddie responded, picking up a bucket of cold water, then dousing Donald's face without hesitation.
"Ah!" Donald gasped for breath as the cold water shocked him back to consciousness.
"Where am I? Who are you?" he croaked.
"Mr. Donald, this is the interrogation room of the Holy Church of the Paralar Empire. I am General Leon, commander of the Holy Warriors," Sir Leon explained.
"What do you want from me?" Donald muttered, his voice wavering.
"What do we want? Speak! Tell us everything you know!" Will's voice was sharp with urgency.
"Say what? I don't know what you're talking about," Donald protested.
"Damned fool!" Will's patience snapped. He swiftly grabbed the vial of Truth Elixir from Sir Leon's hand, rushing to Donald and forcing the entire contents into his mouth.
"Cough, cough! What did you make me drink?" Donald spluttered, struggling to breathe.
"Something that will make you speak the truth," Will replied coldly.
"How dare you treat the people of Paralar like this?" Donald's words were thick with contempt.
"Mr. Donald, please do not misunderstand," Sir Leon interjected, pointing politely at Will, "This gentleman is not a Holy Warrior."
"What... What did you give me to drink?" Donald's eyes had begun to glaze over, his head swaying as if he were losing control. The Truth Elixir was taking effect.
"The elixir is working. Mr. Will, it's your turn now. Proceed with the questioning," Sir Leon nodded at Will.
"Understood, Sir Leon."
Will walked forward, his expression resolute as he approached Donald.
"Who are you?" Will asked sternly.
"I'm Donald... a fugitive," Donald slurred, leaning back against the chair, his body limp as if devoid of all energy.
"Are you a citizen of the Paralar Empire? What is your purpose here?" Will demanded, his gaze sharp.
"I'm not from here. I'm just someone hired to run a tavern," Donald muttered, still disoriented.
"Who hired you?"
"A man in black. I was hiding from those damn bounty hunters when he found me and offered me a large sum of money."
"Who was this man in black? What were his intentions?"
"I don't know his name. He said he was a messenger sent by Mr. M. They planned to assassinate the King at his birthday banquet."
"Mr. M? Who is this Mr. M?" Will asked, his suspicion growing.
"All I know is that Mr. M is from the Magical United Nations, and he's a very powerful sorcerer," Donald replied, his words now slurring together.
"The United Nations?" Sir Leon muttered from behind Will, his brow furrowing in concern. "It seems the United Nations and the Arus Empire are preparing to invade us."
"Then why did you try to kill Mr. Roman?" Will pressed.
"Roman was too ambitious, too reckless," Donald sneered.
"What do you mean?"
"Roman was our inside man in the Paralar Empire. We had him poison the soldiers' food. We promised him a position as Duke in the new Empire once the plan succeeded. But he became greedy, wanting to become the King of the new Empire. In the end, we decided to eliminate him."
"How did you do it?" Will asked.
"The man in black told Roman that he had something important to discuss, so Roman locked the door. Then the man in black used teleportation magic to kill him."
"Why did you frame the red-haired girl?" Will asked, his voice tight with suspicion.
"She was meddling in our business. She hurt some of our men, and then she followed the man in black into the portal."
"So, it wasn't the red-haired girl who killed him, but you?" Will's gaze turned cold.
"Yes," Donald confirmed, his voice now almost mechanical.
"Alright, one final question. Why did you harm Mary? Isn't she your relative?" Will suddenly lunged forward, his tone filled with suppressed anger.
"A fugitive like me? How could I have relatives? I found Mary in the wilderness. She was unconscious, wearing fine clothes. I figured she must be from a wealthy family. I planned to blackmail her parents once she woke up. But then she lost her memory, so I told her I was her uncle and brought her here."
"Enough! You've said more than enough. Save your strength for the official trial," Will said, his fist clenched tightly as he fought to control his fury.
"You've heard everything, haven't you?" Will turned to Sir Leon.
"Yes, Mr. Will. Everything is clear," Sir Leon replied.
"Then can my friend be released now?"
"Yes, but we'll need to wait until tomorrow morning."
"Very well. It's a deal," Will said firmly.
"Agreed," Sir Leon affirmed.
...
Soon after, in the recovery room of the Holy Church.
"Ah, you're here, sir!" Mary exclaimed as she saw Will enter, sitting up excitedly from her bed.
"You should lie down," Will said, concern in his voice.
"By the way, I haven't thanked you properly. But I don't think I even know your name."
"My name is Will Gibson. You can just call me Will."
"Mr. Will, thank you for saving me," Mary smiled warmly.
"It was the least I could do."
"But what about Uncle Donald?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"He's been imprisoned. And he's not your uncle. He told us you were found unconscious by the roadside."
"Ah, really? No wonder I don't have any memories of Uncle Donald before."
"Yes. By the way, what are you planning to do now? We're about to go seal off the Warrior's Homeland."
"I don't know," Mary said, her head hanging low in sadness.
"If you're unsure where to go, you can stay at my house for now."
"Really? You would let me?" Mary said, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Of course. My parents will surely welcome you."
...
The next morning.
"Lady Lisa, we've found out that you were wrongly accused. You're free now," the soldier said as he unlocked Lisa's chains.
"Have you caught that sorcerer?"
"Sorcerer? That man named Donald was a sorcerer?"
"Fat man?"
"Yes, a middle-aged fat man."
"Bad news!" Lisa suddenly screamed, rushing out of the cell and towards the exit.