The Devil's Cage

Panda Novel

Save me?

The two believers who prayed on the ground thought they heard their lord incorrectly.

Then, they used the method their lord taught them to block the illusions.

As the core believer of the God of Mist, they were unlike the other believers. They possessed more than just higher rankings and position, they even possessed the abilities their lord gifted them.

A gray mist spread and shrouded the room.

Their armless and legless figures were hidden in the mist but the sense of safety that they felt in the past did not appear.

What they heard were endless screams and worry, plus swallowing.

“Get off me! Get off me you monster!”

“D-Delicious!”

The screams that belonged to their lord sounded together with another stranger’s voice.

The two of them looked at each other in confusion.

The mist did not block their sight, instead it made them see clearer, they saw the fear and disbelief on each other’s face.

It was real! Their lord was being attacked by some unknown monster!

What should they do?

Panic rose and spread in their heart.

Then…

Bang!

Both of their heads exploded like watermelons, brains splattering everywhere and blood tainting the room red.

The two, who once sacrificed their hands and legs to their lord, had now offered their life and soul together.

Willingly?

Unwillingly?

None of it mattered.

Similar to these kinds of matters, it wasn’t something that two goons could participate in, they didn’t even qualify as observers.

Two blurry, grayish souls flew towards another secretive spot without any guidance.

They fused with a giant gray croissant-shaped monster which had no eyes, only a tiny mouth in front that resembled a maggot.

No, it wasn’t a monster! It was the God of Mist!

This god appeared in Sicar after the Black Cataclysm and it was by no means a rightful god.

This God of Mist liked offerings very much. It was a must to offer it blood and flesh and its worship statue was an abstract cylindrical pillar.

The statue had no eyes and no nose, which represented being ‘unable to look straight into the evil of the realm’, and the tiny mouth was to ‘tell its believer to break free from the roots of suffering’.

After the first few divine miracles, those who were tormented by the Black Cataclysm yet unable to receive protection from War God Temple and Lady Calamity chose to believe this God of Mist.

Although the majority of the believers became insane or went missing after a few months, many more people joined the fray and it didn’t seem to end.

First, the protection from the God of Mist really worked.

Second, among the believers, there were two who claimed to be the ‘agents’ of the God of Mist, advocating and performing many divine miracles for the public.

Kieran originally had no idea about all this but when the two ‘agents’ took the initiative and invited him, Gluttony clung onto that so-called God of Mist, information starting to spill.

He looked around and sized up this underground lair.

Using Gluttony’s eyes to examine and sense the area, Kieran was sure this underground lair was still within Sicar.

The smell of the icy land and the feelings were enough for Kieran to confirm that.

The other thing that he confirmed was that there were two decent items on top of the sacrificial altar further away.

Unwillingly, Kieran moved his gaze and concentrated on the God of Mist.

The croissant-shaped god was still struggling with Gluttony.

More and more gray souls fused into the body. It was obvious that it hoped to break free from Gluttony using its believer’s power, but it seemed like the God of Mist underestimated Gluttony a little too much, or more accurately, Gluttony’s appetite.

The reason why Gluttony did not devour the croissant in a single bite was because he was waiting, it was not that it did not have enough strength or a poor appetite.

He remembered what Kieran told him before: wait and the food would become tastier.

Everything turned out exactly like what Kieran told him because two minutes later, this croissant tasted a few times better. Another two minutes later and Gluttony realized this ‘food’ hadn’t changed, so he slightly released his mouth, allowing the God of Mist to jump forward.

A chance! A chance to escape!

It had no idea why Gluttony released his mouth, it only knew it was given a chance to run. It was now or never, so it flew forward quickly and did not slow down at all.

Then… it flew into the invisible mouth of Gluttony, which he had opened wide and waited for the croissant to fly in.

A few munches later, Gluttony swallowed the whole thing.

Gluttony’s unique power acted as the hub, digesting the God of Mist into pure energy and supplying it back to Kieran steadily as fuel for the Origin Forces.

As the God of Mist slowly melted away, the ‘invitation’ power slowly faded too and Gluttony returned to Kieran’s heart once again.

The energy that he consumed wasn’t much but very pure, much better than earning little by little through accumulation.

Kieran opened his eyes slightly, finding himself in the wagon and opposite him was Borl, waiting to disembark.

“Sir Colin?” Borl showed worry on his face.

Kieran suddenly went quiet for a few minutes, so Borl knew something must have happened and the things that could silence the Flaming Devil and capture his attention must be something big.

Though Borl understood his position and identity, he did not dare ask Kieran in the face. Instead he knocked on the wall of the carriage, trying to wake Kieran up.

“It’s nothing. A beautiful afternoon tea indeed, the pastries are nice. It really makes me hungrier.”

Kieran waved at Borl and looked outside the carriage window.

Similar to the situation in the ‘invitation’, Anan Hotel’s rigid style was a memorable scene.

The difference was, Aschenkano already helped Holuff, the owner, move the spoils to the little courtyard beside the main building.

The bodyguard and owner were actually standing beside the wagon after that.

“Afternoon tea?” Borl was confused.

He couldn’t relate Kieran’s reaction to afternoon tea, but he thought he saw a smile from Kieran.

What kind of afternoon tea made the Flaming Devil so happy?

Or…

Was the food really that nice?

Confused and uncertain, Borl kept away his thoughts, pushing open the carriage door and welcoming Kieran down. Borl and Holuff hugged it out again, and similar to what he saw in the illusion, both of them were smacking each other’s backs.

The loud thumps made the two of them clench their teeth hard.

The difference was, when Holuff sized up Kieran, his gaze was unlike the one in the illusion. He was welcoming but there was a lot of caution behind it. Even when Kieran arrived with Borl, the caution did not go away.

Holuff and Borl split after the hug, the bloated owner then walking to Kieran and sizing him up again. He showed a heavy expression but the owner still extended his right hand for a shake. “I’m Holuff.”

“Colin,” Kieran gave his alias, and shook Holuff’s hand.

Both hands split in a moment, Kieran and Holuff both putting their hands away.

Holuff’s left hand was around his waist and the muscles under the layers of fat were tight, proof of utmost caution. His condition did not ease up even after Kieran left.

He saw Kieran into the main floor of the hotel and then raised his hand to his forehead to wipe away the sweat, which drenched him wet without his knowing.

“Is he reliable?” Holuff asked.

“Believe me, no one is more reliable than him,” Borl explained.

However, the explanation did not buy Holuff’s ease of heart. He continued and emphasized, “I wish to live my retired life in peace and safety, I don’t want to get involved in some big mess, got it?”

Holuff looked Borl in the eyes, and under the stern gaze, Borl felt a little guilty.

The reason why he chose Anan Hotel to lodge in was, other than Holuff’s hospitality and remarkable powers, the owner was a kind person and was never stingy in giving help.

In short, Borl hoped to increase his safety level.

He planned to pay Holuff extra when he left as compensation for the trouble, but since Holuff asked, he had to tell the truth.

He knew only with the truth could he continue to stay in the hotel.

“Holuff, I am in trouble. But don’t you worry, I will deal with it myself, I won’t trouble you at all. In fact, with Colin around, I will be safe most of the time but shit happens, so I hope you can spare a helping hand during a critical moment.”

Borl walked closer to Holuff and explained softly.

“Being around him is safe? Damn it, do you know what I feel when I am around him? It’s like sitting on needles! The last time I felt this way was when I am 16 and I have to face the Crazy Dead alone! A piece of advice, if you value your life, stay away from him.”

Holuff advised Borl because of their decent friendship.

Borl replied with a bitter smile.

It’s harder to send off a God than inviting!

If he could, he too wished to be more independent and move around freely, but the situation at hand forbade him.

Aside from the fact that he has to rely on Kieran to survive, Kieran’s personality alone was pressuring enough to make Borl a scaredy cat, he dare not even ask too much of Kieran.

Kieran was a man who sought fairness in all things.

Before he repaid the debt of saving his life, he thought he should keep his thoughts to himself and be honest.

Otherwise, the Flaming Devil who saved his life could very well take it away, and it wouldn’t be too hard.

Holuff understood when he saw the bitter smile on Borl’s face.

He raised his fat palm, tapped Borl on the shoulder and then walked into the courtyard beside the hotel.

“Don’t worry, you will get what you come for before dark. I’ll be wishing you all the best tomorrow at sunrise. I don’t want my hotel to be in ruins,” Holuff said as he walked away.

“What in ruins?” Aschenkano scratched his head.

“Nothing. It’s just an ardent blessing. Aschen, go fee the horses and then check the wagon. We will have a good meal after that—I’ll pay for the meal today, so just eat all you can.”

Borl diverted the topic and made a promise to his bodyguard.

While his bodyguard cheered happily, Borl looked up to the afternoon sky, which was suddenly filled with dark clouds.

‘It should be alright…right?

I did nothing!

Right, I did nothing!

It’s quite impossible for those who want my life to drag Sicar into this.

Unless they have a death wish!

Everything will be fine!

I’ll leave Sicar tomorrow and once I am out of Sicar Land, those people can no longer touch me! Then I’ll quickly enter Edatine to complete my main mission.

After that… I’ll go back to the big city, find Lawless in Harvest Inn, and buy him a drink.

I have to thank him for the help he gave me and the luck he blessed me.’

With those thoughts clear in his mind, Borl pushed open the main gate of the hotel. A heatwave gushed into his face and expelled the coldness from his body.

However, the crowded and merry hotel main floor was silent, everyone staring at the table in the middle.

Aschenkano was sitting there and Kieran was opposite him. The bodyguard’s eyes were wide open and his jaw dropped on the table as he looked at Kieran in disbelief.

More precisely, the three stacks of plates that reached the ceiling of the hotel!

The plates were loaded with honey roasted meat around 10 minutes ago, and now… they were empty!

The plates were clean, as if they were washed!

Gulp!

Aschenkano gulped out of fright as he watched Kieran, who gobbled down 20 servings and his stomach didn’t even expand, the bodyguard starting to doubt his existence.

“C-Colin, you really ate a lot! I can’t even finish a single plate, and you just finished 20 times mine, it’s…it’s…right, no wonder you are so strong, Mona’s words make sense now, those who can eat are strong.”

Aschenkano was already blabbering at the stunning scene..

He then turned to the waiter beside the table, “I want a plate of honey roasted meat… No, give me two! One honey roasted and one salt roasted! I also want to become stronger quicker!”

“I am sorry, mister, we are out of food.”

Aschenkano was stunned by what the waiter said. Getting angry, he stood up to the waiter, looking down at him like a hungry tiger and said, “Why are you lying? How can Anan Hotel be out of food?”

“We did have food a while ago but it was cleared out by your friend here!” The waiter said in a scared tone.

“Bullshit, Colin only ate 20 plates! How the hell is there no food left?”

Aschenkano grabbed the waiter by the collar and pushed his forehead at the waiter’s, his eyes as big as an ox and not exactly friendly. The waiter was trembling in fear, almost breaking down in tears and said, “He ate a hundred servings, not just 20 plates!”

Aschenkano was once again stunned, releasing the waiter and the waiter slipped away.

He finally remembered what his kind foster father told him when he left Mozaar, “When you are out there, order 5 servings, not 1.”

1 serving equaled 5, so how many were 20 servings?

Aschenkano stood there and counted with his fingers, but before he could get a clear number, he unconsciously wanted to take off his shoes and include his toes in the calculation.

Borl quickly came over and stopped his bodyguard. He didn’t want Holuff to think his hotel was under a poison attack.

“Please prepare another 6 servings for me,” said Borl as he took 2 Copper Krak and paid the waiter. He then looked at Kieran.

“70% full is just nice. I’ll go take a walk,” Kieran tried to look normal as he stood up under Borl’s gaze.

He didn’t want to admit that he ate too much and went out of control because he heard someone was buying a meal.

It must be the sweet honey on the roasted mean, the sweetness increased his appetite.

After the immense sweetness, he wanted something savoury, so he added more salt roasted meat but it tipped the scale the other way. So in order to balance out his palette, he unconsciously ate too much.

That’s right, that must be it!

Kieran wiped his mouth in satisfaction and then headed out of the hotel. When he opened the door and walked out, a clap of thunder came from the dark sky.

Kakrooom!

Thunder on a winter day made the people of Sicar look up to the sky.

Amid the quick flashes in the sky, they thought they saw War God Temple lit up, but after a closer look, nothing had happened.

Kieran stood in front of the hotel, his eyes showing a heavy sense of ridicule.

Trying to compete for loot?

Too naive!

He was not alone on this trip!