The Devil's Cage

"Hope we’re not in trouble!"

Schmidt automatically pulled out his gun.

His vigilance was closely related to his ability to deal with mystical incidents without getting himself killed.

"Trouble always follows us!"

Kieran got out of the car. Compared to Schmidt, he was even more vigilant, although this sometimes made him read too much into a situation.

Kieran quietly opened the door to Nikorei’s house. He was surprised when he saw Raul and Cidney sitting in the living room. Then he smiled.

"Hey! Raul, Cidney... It’s been a while!"

Raul was wearing a huge coat and was covered in bandages as usual, Cidney didn’t look much different than two years ago either. He was just wearing a set of spectacles that made him look more polite.

"2567! It’s nice to see you again!"

Two years ago, during the shaman’s assistant test, Kieran had made a lasting impression on Raul and Cidney. The rumors circulating about him for the past two years had only deepened their admiration of him.

Elli, who was standing beside them, saw Kieran casually greet Raul and Cidney. She let out a cold grunt, but Kieran did not pay any attention to her.

He told Raul and Cidney to wait and turned around to open the door.

Instantly, the young lass’ face became even colder.

Schmidt walked in, carrying Boller on his shoulder, and Louver followed him with a dull expression on his face.

Raul and Cidney knew Schmidt. They all greeted each other, but when the duo saw Louver, Raul’s eyes widened in alarm.

"Who are you? Who gave you permission to enter this house?"

Her shout was filled with reverence. Kieran could feel a special energy starting to gather around Raul as she shouted.

The energy was similar to a primordial natural energy, yet also slightly different.

Kieran could easily tell them apart, because he had [Wild Soul] on him.

Of course, what intrigued him the most was that Raul had noticed Louver’s identity as a demon.

"What happened to Raul?" he wondered silently.

Two years ago, she had barely even been a half-mystical individual. All she had been able to to was read some mystical runes. That was it.

Now that she had reappeared before Kieran, the special energy emerging was stronger than Elli’s. Even Kieran’s senses were not as sharp as Raul’s.

After all, if Kieran had not watched Louver fight in his demon form, he could hardly have been able to tell whether he was still a human or a demon.

"This is Louver, the pitiful young man that I mentioned before..." Schmidt explained quickly as he handed Boller over to Simones. He also revealed what had happened in the Sunshine Mary.

Kieran stepped in and filled in the gaps.

"A Hell Fiend Spider? A high demon?"

Everyone in the living room was shocked. They were all taking cold deep breaths helplessly. As mystical individuals, they knew perfectly well what those two terms meant.

A Hell Fiend Spider was a mythical monster that could even devour Gods.

After Nikorei had settled down on the West Coast, no high demon had been sighted for over 30 years, yet the creatures still struck fear in people’s hearts.

Their ability to kill people by using an illusive realm could send chills down any mystical individual’s spine.

"I’d rather face 10 vicious Night Walkers than one high demon!"

This was an expression used among the mystics, although mostly as a joke.

After all, Night Walkers were not easy to deal with.

The vicious Night Walkers were the traitors of the Duwurk, Hedurk and Felwurk tribes.

They liked to devour humans and gain strength from them. One would need at least 30 men fully armed with heavy artillery to deal with a single Night Walker.

All joking aside though, this was enough to prove how terrifying a high demon was.

When everyone heard that Kieran had killed a Hell Fiend Spider and a high demon, their expressions changed.

Simones was the only one who looked at ease.

Raul and Cidney’s opinion of KIeran got even better. Even Elli’s icy expression faded away, getting instantly replaced by admiration. However, when Kieran did not even glance at her, it switched back to icy cold.

"It was not what it sounds like. If it had been a real Hell Fiend Spider, the whole West Coast would have perished under its web!" Kieran explained as everyone looked at him. He did not want to boast about his achievements.

He had never made a habit of it, nor did he want to start now. Still, everyone present was in awe of him.

"Even if it just looked like one, such a Hell Fiend Spider would not be a common monster anyone could have dealt with either! I begin to believe Rei’s prophecy more and more now! I am looking forward to seeing how you will reign this land!" Simones said clearly as he looked at Kieran seriously.

Raul and Cidney nodded in agreement, but Elli pretended to be angry. She turned her face away as her breath quickened.

The young lass had obviously thought of something that excited her.

"Please don’t mention Rei’s prophecy... You know it only embarrasses me! Plus...I think I need a doctor and a skilled craftsman!" Kieran quickly changed the topic to avoid any more embarrassment. He took off [Crow’s Black Feather], revealing the damaged [Paul’s Camouflage] and the wound on his chest.

Although he had applied [Hemostasis Balm] to the wound and blood had stopped gushing out, the depth of the wound was enough to reach his heart. Everyone drew in a cold breath.

"You got injured seriously, yet you are acting like you are fine? Simones, bring some potions and medicine! He needs some first aid!" Schmidt, who had been with Kieran all along, yelled at him. He had not noticed the wounds either.

Schmidt couldn’t bear to see his partner or comrades hurt. It only dag up the unpleasant past he had buried long ago.

"Got it! Leave it to me!" Simones ran to his room and came out with a first aid kit.

"You did a good job stopping the bleeding, but that’s it!"

Simonnes checked the wound on Kieran’s chest, commenting on the [Hemostasis Balm]’s effect.

He took out a [Medium Healing Potion] and told him to drink it.

"This is wasteful!" Kieran said.

Thanks to the system notification, Kieran knew how badly wounded he was. His HP had told him everything he needed to know.

The wound might look terrifying, but it had not harmed Kieran’s organs. All he needed to do was slowly nurse himself back to health. There was no need to waste a [Medium Healing Potion] on him.

Simones insisted though and Elli’s eyes were red and filled with tears, so he had no other choice.

Kieran plucked open the cork and swallowed the potion in one gulp.

As he drank it, the ache made him unconsciously cover his heart with his hand. He still thought that this was wasteful.

"How do you feel?"

Elli was staring at Kieran, her icy cold expression and disdain gone. There was only a nervous, worried expression on her face. The young lass rushed over to Kieran’s side, asking about his well-being.

"There’s nothing to worry about! Is there any way to fix my armor?" Kieran asked Simones as he wiggled away from Elli. He was not used to being this close to a girl.

Simones noticed and sighed. He knew Elli had carried a heavy burden and travelled a long way.

"I don’t have such a skill, but I know someone who can fix it! He has remarkable repairing skills. He is even skilled at Alchemy. I think you’ll want to meet him!"

Simones knew that Kieran had been eager to learn about [Alchemy] right from the start.

"Great! I can’t wait to meet this friend of yours!" Kieran said with a smile.

"Okay, let me contact him now. Oh, before I do that, I think you need to hear what news Raul and Cidney brought us today!" Simones said with a nod.

"News? Is it about Rei?" Kieran was stunned at first, but he quickly came back to his senses.

It was not hard to guess what this was about.

Simones and Elli would not have sat back while Nikorei was missing, but considering that the two of them were unable to leave the West Coast, getting help from someone else would have been the best solution.

Kieran was unsure whether Raul and Cidney were the best candidates for the job, but if the two of them had offered to help, this was enough to prove their loyalty.

Kieran unconsciously felt more fond of them.

"Yes! After Rei went missing, I asked a friend of mine and Rei’s to find her. Then Raul and Cidney, who had gotten married and lived in the isolation of the countryside, volunteered to join the search. As a matter of fact, Raul and Cidney went to almost every place on the West Coast that Rei could possibly be. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Rei."

Simones’ words confirmed Kieran’s thoughts.

"Madam Nikorei has done so much for us. Without her help, Cidney and I would not have been able to live in peace. Now that Madam Nikorei is missing, it’s time we lend a hand as well! We just did the right thing," Raul and Cidney replied with a smile.

The couple, who had been through hell, showed an extremely generous attitude.

"You did what you could, which is great by itself!" Schmidt added.

As the Chief Officer, he knew how hard it was to do the right thing.

"We didn’t come back with great news this time though..."

Raul and Cidney laughed bitterly. Then Cidney started to look odd all of a sudden.

"What happened? Did you find something?" Kieran asked.

Everyone waited anxiously for an answer.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

KNIGHT OF DAWN BODY TEMPERING ART!