The Devil’s Cage

“Hello?” Kieran answered the phone.

Although the phone call interrupted his thoughts, Kieran wasn’t irritated or angry.

He knew there were only a handful who knew the number and those who could make the call at a certain time slot was even fewer—during the day, Kieran would unplug the wire.

“It’s me, Teddy. I ran into some problems, I am not at Song Shi Hot Spring Hotel…”

Teddy knew Kieran was a straightforward person and the situation at hand was rather urgent, so he did not start with a chat and laid it all out right away.

Kieran didn’t stop Teddy, listening carefully and patiently.

Teddy told Kieran what happened at the hotel and tried his best to maintain all the details.

From entering the hotel to the nightmares to jumping out of the window and the battle with the dead spirit, Teddy spilled everything.

“How are you doing?” Kieran asked after Teddy finished.

“My right hand is slightly hurting,” Teddy answered honestly.

“Will it affect your attacks?”

Teddy threw a few punches. Feeling c the pain ease up a lot, he replied firmly, “I’m good.”

“Okay then, now listen to me very carefully. Put the phone on speaker and get your weapons ready,” Kieran said.

“Then?”

A rather bad feeling rose in Teddy’s heart but he followed instructions and turned on the speaker.

He would rather place his trust in the pros.

“Then? Leave it to me,” Kieran said, his voice somehow sounding cold.

“I don’t know whether you lost your life in the landslide or were originally one of the dead spirits in Song Shi Mountain. I don’t care, I don’t want to know what you wanted to achieve because it makes no difference to me. All I want is to destroy you, burn you to ashes. I am the owner of Leaf Dining, Royan, and also Chief Teddy’s friend…”

Before Kieran finished speaking through the phone, he heard a growl clearly.

He was sure it was the growl of the dead.

Teddy’s voice then came through, “It’s the other couple…”

“Grab your weapon and fight! One more piece of advice, do not simply trust any stranger.”

Kieran then hung up the phone.

After getting the busy tone from the other side of the phone, Teddy saw the remaining couple looked at him with hostility, his face looking very sour.

‘Does he mean “I’ll leave it to you?”‘

Teddy couldn’t hold back his curse in his heart.

He thought Kieran had some better ideas to help him but who knew Kieran would tell him to go fight the dead spirit!

Although Teddy himself preferred to fight those things off directly rather than hide away with doubts, facing two at once was a little too much for him.

The couple, who looked loving and caring, suddenly turned pale and purplish, their eyes turning morbid and a headache struck Teddy.

He could barely handle one dead spirit and now he had to handle two at once?

Teddy turned to the crowd and said loudly, “Go to the kitchen and get me some gas tanks!”

…

“What’s wrong?” Starbeck stuck his head out of the kitchen out of curiosity.

“Nothing, Teddy ran into some trouble. He will be fine if he can handle it calmly,” Kieran answered.

Starbeck lost interest when he heard Teddy’s name, returning to the kitchen to prepare meals for tomorrow.

And Kieran?

Just like what he just said, he believed in Teddy’s position as a police officer and his experience. Give. that he had weapons with him before he went into the fight against two freshly formed dead spirits, he wouldn’t fail.

Not everyone was as cowardly as Starbeck, he didn’t have to worry much.

Still, Kieran called Bain just in case.

“Song Shi Hot Spring Hotel?”

“S-O-N-G, Song; S-H-I, Shi?”

Through the phone, Bain, who had left earlier, sounded a little strange.

“Yes, Song Shi Hot Spring Hotel. Are there any of your Herders in that area?” Kieran asked.

“It’s OUR Herders now,” Bain emphasized.

“…Our Herders.”

Kieran looked at the bag of coins in his hand and didn’t argue with Bain. Since he agreed to participate in the Battle of Winter Night, representing the East Sector, he would not go back on his words.

“Don’t worry, if it’s really that area, nothing serious can happen,” Bain was satisfied with Kieran’s answer, replying with a laugh.

Kieran clearly sensed the pleasure taken of the misfortunate from Bain.

“Nothing serious can happen, meaning…” Kieran continued his question just to make sure.

“Literal meaning. Nothing serious will happen to your friend, he will live but I can’t guarantee him from bruises and stuff,” Bain said with a laugh.

“You are saying?” Kieran squinted his eyes, wondering what Bain was referring to.

“I didn’t say anything, I don’t want to be marked by that lord. Remember Royan, you know nothing, all you did is help your friend, understand?” Bain warned Kieran.

“I understand,” Kieran agreed verbally but the questions in his gaze remained.

‘So… there is someone higher in the ranks?’

While he recalled the information about Battle of the Winter Night from Bain, Kieran hung up the phone and chose to absorb the power from the silver coins in the bag.

20 Crossing Silver Coins weren’t a small number, even for Kieran in his current state.

Based on the ratio 1 Crossing Silver Coin being equal to 30 Crossing Copper Coin, 20 silver would be equal to 600 copper. Back then, when Spirit broke through the seal and rose from B- to B rank, it only consumed around 60 copper coins.

Based on rough calculations, exorcising a dead spirit equalled 1 copper coin.

Now, with approximately 600 copper coins in his hand, it was a lot more energy than what Kieran had reaped last night from the sudden assault on the school.

Things turned out as expected.

[Spirit broke through a layer of seal, increasing from B+ → A-]

[Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intuition broke through 3 layers of seal, increased from C+ → B+]

…

Spirit cost almost 200 copper coins just to break through a single seal.

The rest of the stats broke through 3 layers and each layer only cost around 100 coins.

On top of that, the other stats had reached rank B, hence the requirement of copper coins had increased, otherwise the total cost would be lesser than that.

Savouring the change to his body, Kieran again used Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art’s breathing method to adapt himself to the new body swiftly.

Of course, he wasn’t just sitting there breathing air, he continued his preparation, doing it all very slowly.

Adapting, adjusting, reading, recording. It wasn’t an easy task to do all of them at once, even for Kieran.

He was working on his body until Starbeck brought breakfast out of the kitchen, only then did he put down the newspaper.

“Mutton soup?”

Kieran smiled when he smelled the unique aroma of mutton.

What was better for breakfast than a bowl of mutton soup on a cold morning?

It would be the mutton soup from Starbeck.

Brilliant green scallions and coriander were sprinkled on top of the milky white soup.

Slices of crescent-shaped mutton were laid on top of the bed of white noodles, floating on top of the soup. Beside the bowl of soup was a little plate with two pieces of golden Fried Dough Twist. The white plate set off the golden goodness and the looks of the crispy edge was alluring.

Crunch!

Kieran took a mouthful of soup and then a mouth of the Fried Dough Twist, eagerly.

The crispy, sesame-filled bite made Kieran chew more before he shoved another spoon of soup into his mouth.

The savoury flavour of the soup bloomed on his tongue.

The soup and Fried Dough Twist combined into the perfect taste.

Kieran put the spoon aside, picking up the bowl and drinking it in big gulps. His hand wielded the chopsticks and grabbed the mutton pieces and noodles.

Slurp!

As if he was slurping a big bowl of noodles, the mutton and the noodles themselves were swiftly gobbled down. The soup was drained to its last drop with a few big gulps.

“Another bowl!” Kieran passed the bowl to Starbeck.

Smiling, Starbeck brought the bowl back into the kitchen.

Bowl after bowl, Kieran’s appetite returned as his body recovered a little.

The good thing was Starbeck would increase the portion size with each meal.

When the mutton soup in the pot reached the bottom, Kieran squinted his eyes in utmost pleasure, heaving a long breath and resting for a few minutes before going into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Starbeck walked to the door and turned the blackboard.

‘Closed’.

The sun rose again.

Starbeck stretched in front of the sun, skillfully cleaning up the front and closing the door.

A normal day for the common started, yet it was time for the night owls to go to bed.

Those who woke up early were energized; those who slept late fell asleep soundly.

Different lives, different choices.

As for the good and bad?

No one can decide good and bad for others.

Some things are very subjective, like water tastes different in different mouths.

Beyond that?

Answers forced out were nothing but excuses under the common mask, there was nothing true to it.

It would be astonishing to find even 1% truth in those excuses, so Kieran never forced secrets from others, but this others did not include his enemies.

Therefore, Kieran wished others would respect his way of living.

Around noon, before the clock ticked sharp at 12…

Bang Bang bang!

The restaurant door was banged on, not a common knock but a fierce one.

Starbeck opened his blurry eyes but Kieran pressed him back to bed.

“You sleep, I’ll go have a look,” he then grabbed the sword downstairs.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

The fierce knocks continued, it was Li Jiajia and she was leaning on the door, her knocking hand red but she did not give up.

She knew only this place could save her and she would not give up on the last thread of hope.

Again, Li Jiajia raised her hand to knock but before she could land, the door opened.

Li Jiajia missed the knock and staggered into the restaurant, before she truly fell, she saw Kieran with the corner of her eyes.

She quickly reached out and tried to grab Kieran’s shirt but Kieran stepped back without any expression.

Li Jiajia missed a second time.

“Ah!”

A surprised scream later, Li Jiajia fell on the newly furnished wooden floor.

She was moaning in pain, seeing Kieran and wanting to speak her heart but before she could, she saw that glaring [Sharp Standard-Issued Blade].

The words that she wanted to say changed when they escaped her mouth.

“I’m sorry to interrupt! But I don’t have any choices left, that’s why I am here!”

As she spoke, Li Jiajia climbed up from the floor, showing a pitiful look and standing on the other side of Kieran so she could be away from the sharp sword. She continued, “I am cursed! Please help me!”

Kieran didn’t care about what she said.

He walked to the counter, plugged in the phone, and called Bain.

Kieran had turned the incident in the high school of Sector 11 to Bain and Bain assured him no following troubles would knock on his door.

In short, Li Jiajia should not remember what happened that night, yet she came.

Kieran thought Bain should be responsible for this, including disturbing his and Starbeck’s sleep.

A while later, Bain arrived at the restaurant.

Bain was rather shocked when he saw Li Jiajia standing in front of his eyes.

He cleaned Li Jiajia’s memory himself and he made sure nothing was left behind, but now?

The girl came to Leaf Dining, and when she saw him, she averted his gaze.

Bain knew something was wrong.

“You were faking it back then?” Bain said.

His words made Kieran look at Li Jiajia in doubt.

The ways of evading [Memory Wiper]’s effect were not too many, yet not too few. The easiest and most direct way was when Spirit attribute reached E+ or above.

E+ was the peak for a common man, but very few could reach this level.

Kieran did not expect a rather inconspicuous high schooler achieved it.

Compared to Kieran, who knew everything with a single glance, Bain wasn’t slow either.

“You are an Eckertist?” Bain asked.

Li Jiajia was very cautious when Bain asked the question, quickly hiding behind Kieran.

“So you people are the urban myth, hunters that eat people’s memory?” Li Jiajia asked.

“Urban myths? Bullshit! If we are the hunters that eat people’s memory, what about him? He is one of us!”

Bain frowned, he thought of the less pleasant rumours and pointed at Kieran, speaking angrily.

“He? He is different! He is my Guardian of the Dark Night, Crow!” Li Jiajia said righteously.

Crow?

Kieran raised a brow.

Bain grunted in disdain.

“Another little girl bewitched by urban myths. What guardian? The Guardian of the Dark Night is nothing but us, the powerful Herders! And… what the hell is that Crow?”

Bain’s words made Li Jiajia flushed, not because of embarrassment, but anger.

“Don’t you insult Crow!”

She wanted to go up and slap Bain but she dare not step out from Kieran’s back, shouting and trying to prove that she wasn’t lying.

Li Jiajia then took out a book from her bag.

The book was as thick as a brick, she had to hold it with two hands.

The book was thoroughly red and on the top a black icon was branded… a crow.