The Devil’s Cage

The car shuttled through street after street, driving towards the most secluded corner of Eiders.

Although the place was secluded, the people there were many.

Through the window, Kieran clearly saw military police officers with loaded guns and also Special Affairs Division members with bare fists but fierce, sharp auras.

“Please help me locate Syro Derl. The lord said that only you can find him.”

Wier, who had been silent since the start of the journey, suddenly spoke.

Kieran, who was admiring the scenery outside, turned to Wier.

He didn’t say anything, neither did he intend to simply voice out his speculations.

All he did was nod.

It wasn’t a promise or a guarantee, because he had yet to locate the mayor himself.

But Wier obviously misunderstood the meaning of the nod, as he added, “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I will remember it in my heart.”

The veteran consultant spoke as though he were making a vow. The car then stopped and

Kieran stepped out.

He saw a building at the destination, which wasn’t tall by any means but still had six storeys.

The outer wall of the building was slightly mottled, the lower building structures built around this particular building as well. And if it weren’t for the people around, this place would have looked like a broken, abandoned city block.

“Please follow me,” Wier led Kieran inside after Kieran had finished sizing up the new surroundings.

The way into the building was smooth.

Although there were curious gazes on him, Kieran, who had learned to ignore them, didn’t care and continued to walk into the six story building.

Wier opened the glass door for Kieran, but as he stepped through the glass door, Kieran raised a puzzled brow.

The sounds outside were completely isolated, and the air inside the building was much fresher; it was as if an invisible barrier divided the outside world and the building.

However, Kieran’s [Mythical Knowledge] was certain that it wasn’t a barrier—it should be something similar but entirely different from the roots.

“Is this the place?” Kieran guessed quietly.

He followed Wier through the long corridor leading deeper into the building.

From the outside, the building didn’t look that big, similar to some common civilian houses, but when Kieran walked inside, he saw that the place was much bigger than he had imagined, and…

It wasn’t entirely a modern structure.

About 300 meters ahead, the floor that Kieran was walking on suddenly turned to mud, the walls on his flank becoming bushes and woods.

Many little animals were moving around.

Birds were resting on the tall trees further away.

Fish leapt out from the lake’s surface, creating crystal clear splashes of water as they fell.

Under the special lighting that felt just like the real sun, everything inside the building felt the same as the real countryside.

Kieran took a glance at the light above his head as he walked.

“The lord fancies all of these. She doesn’t like the cold and lifeless modern structures,” Wier explained, but didn’t elaborate any further.

Or perhaps Wier didn’t know that much either.

According to Wier, he hadn’t even met the ‘lord’ in person before.

“Not bad,” Kieran frankly commented.

He didn’t dislike the scenery before his eyes, just like he didn’t dislike the modern environment either.

Both scenery had their own pros and cons.

The modern environment provided better convenience in eating: all one had to do was order food, without even getting out of the house.

As for the natural environment before his eyes?

Even though one would have to do everything on one’s own, it would taste a lot better.

Just looking at the fish leaping in the lake, Kieran was sure the fish would be very tasty and juicy when cooked.

The thought flashed over Kieran’s mind, but before Gluttony could go on a rampage, Kieran stopped it. However, the little animals around the bushes were still scared, and all of them scattered away.

The birds flew higher, the fish swam deeper, and even the insects went quiet.

Wier should have noticed the abnormal reaction of the environment, but he was very anxious at that moment, to the point that he didn’t take any notice of the change in their surroundings.

Furthermore, the natural environment didn’t have any surveillance or patrols either.

Therefore, for a moment, only the little animals and insects felt the terror from Kieran.

It was a gaze from the top of the food chain, scary and lethal.

Even when Kieran walked further away, the environment did not return to normal.

“We are here. This is the place. But I am not permitted to enter,” Wier said, pointing at a wooden cottage 10 meters ahead.

“En.” Kieran nodded and strode towards the cottage.

“Hold on, Lord D, please…” Wier suddenly called out to Kieran. He wanted to say something, but quickly remembered how arrogant and untamed the Monster Hunter was. If he said it, it would only produce a backlash!

With the thought in his mind, Wier swallowed everything back and changed the way he said things. “Never mind. I hope that you can understand the lord’s difficulties.”

Wier then knew that he had picked the right choice because from the start till the end, Kieran didn’t even stop, turning a deaf ear to Wier’s words.

“Hope… everything goes well,” Wier muttered to himself.

He then gave a bitter smile.

If he had a god that he believed in, he would have prayed right away, but he didn’t have one.

Even if he had one, who could change Kieran’s mind?

The answer: no one.

Kieran was not known for being arrogant or having an untamed character, but at times, he’d behave as such even more so than other Monster Hunters, and he loved to ignore the rules.

Inside the wooden cottage, a thick carpet blanketed the floor. Even with boots on, one could feel the softness; the fireplace was giving out sparks.

The pot hanging over the fire held some sort of concoction, and it had such a pungent odor that Kieran had to cover his nose.

His eyes didn’t stop sizing up the interior. He saw a wooden rack with all sorts of books, an intact bear rug hanging on the wall, and a three layer wooden shelf with many bottles on it.

Further inside was a single bed. There was also a piece of animal pelt on top of the bed, not a bear’s, but something of a mix between a rabbit and a wolf.

At last, Kieran laid his eyes on the owner of the wooden cottage.

A young lady in a black robe with the hood down.

With everything inside the cottage and the lady’s look, if there was a crystal ball, she would look exactly like a witch in the forest!

“Nice to meet you, D.” The young lady spoke slowly and clearly.

Her tone granted her an indescribable presence.

Kieran looked at her, clearly feeling the presence but not caring.

He was more concerned about other things.

“Nice to meet me?” Kieran asked.

Kieran’s question didn’t seem to be what she had anticipated, causing her to jolt.

While the young lady was dazed and reformed her words, Kieran raised his hand and swung down.

Pak!

A firm slap landed on the lady’s face, causing her to fall on the floor.

“Are you still feeling happy now?” Kieran said softly.