The Devil’s Cage

“Odecard, what are you trying to do to my precious guest?”

Lagren, the owner of the hotel, stood behind the bar counter as he shouted at the trio when he saw their movements.

“Not trying to do anything! I know your rules! No blood in the hotel and guests’ safety is guaranteed. I know all of that but… he won’t be your guest forever. So, we are just here to say hello,” the tall man known as Odecard said.

As he spoke, he did not slow down or halt his steps. He walked towards Kieran and looked down at him with an imposing manner.

“Boy, I’ve heard that you…”

“Piss off.”

The moment Odecard’s words escaped his mouth, he was interrupted by Kieran, who was eating his dinner.

Odecard jolted, so did the other two that were his followers.

The other guests in the hotel lobby were hoping for a good show the moment Odecard came in, but they were stunned as well. All of them looked at Kieran, who was eating his bread slowly, with a surprised gaze.

“Is this guy out of his mind?”

“He dared to provoke Odecard?”

“Boy, you are really up for a good show.”

…

As the whispers took pleasure in the misfortune, Odecard came back to his senses after being interrupted by Kieran.

Bang!

Odecard slammed the table and moved his face close to Kieran.

“Do you have any idea who I am? I…”

His words stopped abruptly because he couldn’t speak anymore.

Kieran was softly touching Odecard’s forehead with his hand that was equipped with [Wilco’s Redemption]; [Chilling Touch] had been activated upon touch.

A powerful level of frozen air swept across the man’s body and instantly turned him into an ice statue.

Everything went quiet!

Those guests that were hoping for a good show widened their eyes one after another.

Kieran was too fast with his actions, none of them knew what had happened.

Only three people in the lobby saw Kieran raise his hand: Lagren, the hotel owner, and the youngster-elder duo who had been discussing their matters. However, it was only because Kieran had purposely allowed them to see, otherwise, even they wouldn’t be able to understand what had happened.

Kieran slowed down his actions by a little to grant them a clear view of what happened.

The three of them gazed at the scene.

Lagren had been walking over at first but he halted his steps after seeing the scene. He crossed his arms and returned to the bar counter. His rules were to protect the guests, and as for the troublemakers?

Who gives a damn?

All of them should drop dead!

The youngster and elder exchanged gazes. The elder then tilted his head down and drank his beer quietly while the youngster looked at Kieran with a probing gaze.

Then…

The two followers behind Odecard, who Kieran met once before, turned around and ran out of the hotel.

The guests in the lobby also came back to their senses as the two ran out.

They were looking at the two in jest, but just when they thought the two would be turned into ice statues as well, the duo successfully ran out of the hotel lobby.

The scene surprised the guests. They looked at Kieran with astonishment.

Kieran, on the other hand, was slowly eating his dinner.

After the scene, the hotel lobby soon returned to its previous state, people toasting with cups and whispering in banters, but the youngster looked at Kieran with his jaded eyes, showing an interested gaze.

Then, he walked over to Kieran with his cup.

“A drink?”

The youngster kicked away the ice statue in front of Kieran and pulled a chair over. He sat down and leaned backward slightly, revealing a voluptuous figure underneath.

He was a she!

Although her voice was rough, it was charming. It was quite apparent based on the attracted guests in the lobby, but Kieran turned a blind eye to her.

“Not interested,” Kieran said coldly.

“Or… can I buy you a drink?”

She asked again but this time, Kieran lost interest in replying. He lowered his head and ate his grilled fish, as though the fish were more attractive than the young lady.

As a matter of fact, it was indeed so.

Perhaps the young lady had grasped information he didn’t know, but Kieran believed she wasn’t the only source, otherwise, the two of them wouldn’t have discussed it in public.

Quite the opposite, the young lady spoke with him in a probing tone.

Since Kieran hadn’t fully understood the current dungeon world, he knew what he must do in situations like this.

Not only would he avoid conversation with the young lady, if it were possible, he would try to avoid any contact at all.

Kieran was not moved but the young lady didn’t seem too depressed after having spoken to a rock. Her jaded eyes were obviously in deep thought.

While that was happening, two sharp screams sounded outside the hotel.

“Mier!”

The elder shouted before grabbing his walking staff and rushing outside the hotel.

The young lady, too, sprinted out together with the elderly man as she was called.

There were a few other hotel guests who followed them outside but most remained in their seats.

Lagren then came out of the kitchen with another stove-grilled fish and walked towards Kieran.

“Want another? It’s on the house.”

“Thanks.” Since the food was a sign of goodwill, Kieran nodded.

“There are only a few like you, eating seriously and happily. If I didn’t know myself, I really would have thought my cooking has improved. Now then, I’ll leave you alone. Please enjoy your meal.” Lagren laughed boldly.

Then, with that, the hotel owner consciously grabbed the ice statue beside him, walked towards the hotel door and threw it outside.

Pak!

Obviously, the hotel owner did not hold back with that throw.

The guests in the hotel lobby heard the smashing as well but none of them cared too much about a dead man. All of them were staring at the hotel door, waiting quietly.

Untill…

The youngster and elder duo returned.

Neither of them looked any different from the moment they left but anyone with a fine nose could smell the faint blood scent on them.

Both of them returned to their own table shortly after that.

However, the few other guests that had followed them out did not return.

The remaining guests in the hotel lobby chose to leave the place after exchanging gazes. Some directly left the hotel while others chose to open a room and stay the night.

A while later, the whole hotel lobby was left with only the hotel owner that was dozing off, Kieran and the youngster-elder duo.

Kieran was furiously attacking the freshly served fish.

The other two watched Kieran.

The young lady seemed even more interested in Kieran. She wanted to walk over and have a chat, but the moment she stood up, the elder stopped her.

The elder walked over to Kieran instead.

“I’m sorry, can we make an acquaintance?” the elder asked in a soft and warm manner.

“No,” Kieran replied without even looking.