The Devil’s Cage

Sister Liz Dandon didn’t reject nor did she give an immediate reply.

Yet Kieran knew she had silently accepted the suggestion because she was ultimately a sister from Dandon.

The decision was unrelated to her merciful and emphatic nature, all that mattered was her beliefs.

Beliefs were larger than most!

Seeing the sister off as she took the association executive’s body away, Kieran quietly picked up his loot before turning back to the dining table.

The milk, egg, and ham in addition to the toasted bread were still warm.

He picked up the soy sauce, poured a drop of it on the fried egg, he used the fork to pick up the piece of ham, breaking the egg yolk skillfully with it, and dipped the ham in yolk before putting it in his mouth.

The fresh and soft egg yolk added a unique tenderness to the ham right off the grill.

Together with the wheaty aroma of the bread and the richness of the milk, Kieran swept the food on the table clean.

“Looking at your eating habits, I only noticed you and those resentful knights are exactly the same!” A cold voice sounded behind Kieran.

“It has nothing to do with knights, I am just not used to wasting food!”

Kieran wasn’t surprised at all at the sudden voice. He replied as he picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth.

“Nothing to do with knights? Then… What is the meaning of you allying with the Dandon Church?”

Melanie of the Twenty Hounds went around the table and stood opposite Kieran, she pressed her palms on the table and looked down on Kieran with a commanding manner.

“Well, it’s just like what you’ve heard. I wished to ally with the Dandon Church to get what I deserve.” Kieran lifted his head up, staring back at Melanie without stepping away.

“You must be out of your mind! Why would the other members of the association disperse their full strength at hand, especially when the members had tasted the benefits of being in power.”

Melanie said coldly.

“They won’t before but it’s different now. The appearance of the fruit has changed the picture. Those people never really stand together, even when they are facing the council. They would rather start an internal conflict to get rid of dissidents, let alone now. If it wasn’t for the fact that they couldn’t verify the validity of the fruit, I’m afraid they might have already started a war amongst themselves!”

Kieran didn’t try to conceal the disdain he had for the Saint Relic Association and his disdainful comments slowed down the coldness on Melanie’s face.

“So, you wanted to work with us?” She asked.

“I don’t mind working together… but how would you divide the fruit? Legend has it, anyone who eats the fruit will become a God but it didn’t say anything about eating half of it. Perhaps there might some benefits to it as well.”

Kieran nodded at first before looking at Melanie with an unusual seriousness.

He knew there wasn’t a real Yggdrasil fruit but he couldn’t show his generosity in his attitude to the point that he would give up on it.

Giving up on the chance of becoming a God, anyone would be doubtful of that.

“You really believe the fruit exists?” Melanie replied with her question.

“Please, stop pretending. I am not blind or deaf. Your handy work last night has spread all over the city. If it wasn’t for the real fruit, why would you do it? Besides, at first I was baffled by the fact that Damien would be interested in Sister Reid’s statue but after the fruit revealed itself last night, I finally understand!”

“No one would’ve thought that the Marulyn Church which was annihilated by you guys could get their hands on such precious item! Or, was it because the Marulyn possessed such a precious item, thus resulting in your aggression?” Kieran smiled at her.

Of course, his words had obvious means of misleading and mixing up the concepts but no one could deny the facts within his words.

At least Damien of the Twenty Hound’s interest in [Sister Reid’s Statue] was authentic.

Even though he was only looking for the legacy of Marulyn, it didn’t stop Kieran from giving his excuses.

“That is war! If everyone knew the fruit really existed, why would the war simply end like that? Besides, if Marulyn really got their hands on the Yggdrasil fruit, why would that chose to reserve it and not choose someone to take it?” Melanie said as if she was questioning Kieran.

“Because there’s only one fruit in existence! Marulyn had a decent reputation but the temptations of being a God, who could give it up honestly? Let’s switch sides. If it was the Hounds who had gotten the fruit, what would you do?”

“I suppose you would keep it a secret among those who knew and hide the fruit in a hidden place and discuss further what to do with it. Unfortunately, the discussion results couldn’t see the day of light and everyone who knew about it died. But perhaps someone left behind rumors and they were discovered by someone else today, a hundred years later, thus starting their new scheme and plot.” Kieran said slowly.

“Someone else?” Melanie asked seriously.

“Yup, someone else! Don’t you think it’s interesting if you look at Winchester House’s explosion now? A bunch of victims with different identities, different ideals, yet gathered in an old family hotel, especially Symende Augen. He shouldn’t be interested in the collections of the Edland Museum yet he was there and welcomed his death. Other than Professor Harondentte, everyone involved is dead, what do you think it was?” Kieran asked purposely.

“Because there’s only one fruit of Yggdrasil!” Melanie said after a deep breath.

“Yes, there is only one fruit so it would be hard for them to divide it if the numbers were large!” Kieran nodded again.

“Then… what about you? What role do you play in all these with your memory loss? You’ve said it yourself, the Winchester House’s explosion wasn’t as simple as it seemed, so why were you there in the first place?” Melanie questioned Kieran with shining eyes, emphasizing each and every word.

“The fruit of course!” Kieran answered with certainty.

Then, he lifted his head again, staring into Melanie’s platinum eyes which shared the same color with her hair.

He continued, “I suppose I am also one of the “someone else”, maybe even an important part of that benefactor’s plan. If I wasn’t there to draw all the attention and mix up everything with my memory loss, how would he get the fruit that easily? And from the looks of it, I am certain my memory loss is that guy’s handy work and wasn’t because of the explosion.”

“Judging from the previous events, that guy’s calculations were on point, I’ve completed his plans decently and messed up the entire city along the way. Everything is as his expectation, except…”

“I, one of the pawns in his plan, came in contact with the other pawn in his plan, Harondentte! The battle between us and some of my discovery made that guy hasten his pace, he didn’t even mind exposing part of the information, because he knew the Dandon Church would surely deliver the incident that night to the Saint Relic Association and the association wasn’t a force that he could compete with, so he needed more help, like you Hounds and more mystics out there.”

Kieran’s tone sounded a little upset, perfectly displayed the looks of someone being used.

“Who is that guy?” Melanie instinctively pressed the subject.

But the moment the words escaped her mouth, she realized her mistake.

If Kieran knew who he was, would he be sitting here chatting with her for so long?

“If you get more news, you can find me here.”

Melanie left an address for Kieran before leaving in a hurry.

After making sure that Melanie had left, Kieran stood up from the dining table.

He didn’t really rejoice in successfully deceiving the Saint Relic Association and the Elder Council, nor would he be delighted.

Kieran was clear that he only used the imbalance in information to temporary fool both sides.

If he wanted to root the lies into their beliefs, he would need to pay extra efforts.