The Devil’s Cage

Kieran’s position and his exceptional senses allowed him to see clearly what was going on by the convoy.

He was completely shocked when he saw the cooking maid, who was always friendly, pointing a gun at Pierre. He never would’ve thought that it was the cooking maid who had been harboring ill intentions.

It was not just her though. Harold’s wagoner, Bill, had taken a step backwards, as if he wanted to reload his gun. Instead, he had pulled out a dagger and pointed it at Joanna’s bodyguard, Cass.

”The enemies had really penetrated every possible opening!”

Kieran drew in a deep breath and raised his [MI-02] and [Python-W2].

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shots were fired at the horse wagon, followed by a blast of wood chips when the bullets came into contact with it. The smoke of the gunpowder made Pierre shudder, not because he was scared, but because he was excited.

Although Pierre had taken the role of Herbert’s butler, maid, bodyguard and cook, that didn’t mean that he had forgotten who he was inside. He was a warrior!

A warrior that had been through countless wars and battles.

He might have retired from his former duties and have been enjoying a long overdue peaceful time, but his easy, comfortable life had not made him slower.

Quite the contrary, his well-trained body had become even stronger and faster, his senses sharper than ever.

Therefore, when the Night Monsters ambushed the convoy, he retaliated with all his might and made the best arrangements.

Pierre was so focused on the battle in front of him that he did not notice the looming danger behind him.

A small throwing knife had appeared in his left hand. He was ready to throw it, but a bullet beat him to it.

Bang! Bang!

Amidst the heavy crossfire, two shots were inconspicuous. The results were shocking though.

The cooking maid and Bill’s heads had been shot. Even though the dungeon restrictions had reduced the [MI-02] and [Python-W2]’s firepower greatly, their heads had still been penetrated by the bullets.

Green-colored blood gushed out, their bodies dissolving swiftly. Joanna screamed.

Harold, who had been Bill and the cooking maid’s employer, was at a loss about what to do.

As for young Cohen, although he had not been through such an incident before, he had the same response as Harold.

Herbert, as the teacher of the three youngsters, was much calmer.

He looked at the dissolved green-colored goo first, and then turned his head to Pierre.

”Was it 2567?” he asked.

”Yes, my dear sir. Recruiting 2567 was the wisest choice you’ve made in the past 10 years, my friend!” Pierre said while pointing far away.

Kieran, who had shot both the cooking maid and Bill in the head, had come out of his hiding place. He was already dashing like a tiger out of its cage, running right into the Night Monsters’ formation.

Wielding his [Infantry Spear] up and down, he swept at his enemies like a black python.

The Night Monsters were killed by his touch, dying thanks to his spear.

Within three seconds, the Night Monster formation had been thrashed.

Most were dead, and the rest were crying as they drew their last breaths.

Kieran was a little hesitant against 20 enemies that were slightly stronger than normal human targets and possessed modernized weapons, but the Night Monsters were just using flintlock pistols, firing shots one by one.

He was not worried anymore. He activated [Primus Scale] and thrashed them without hesitation.

Of course, he still had a fresh memory of the Night Monsters’ self-destructing abilities, so he didn’t stay long at the same spot after killing them.

Kieran quickly moved away from the area and away from the remaining heavily injured Night Monsters.

As expected, there was an explosion. The green flames wrecked the area without any mercy.

Kieran got away from the blasting range, but stayed close to the burning area.

When the flames were out, he inspected the ground around the monsters carefully.

He did not want to miss out on the chance to obtain any potential items like he had the first time.

However, this time around, there was nothing noteworthy left behind.

Still, Kieran had a small window of time to check out the item he had gotten from their first encounter.

[Name: Pitch Black Ring]

[Type: Accessory]

[Rank: Magical]

[Attack/ Defense: None]

[Attributes: Silent Darkness]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: None]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: This is a replica of a great item!]

...

[Silent Darkness: Create supernatural darkness in a 50-meter radius from you, blocking any light sources and sounds, No Attack, twice per day]

...

Since Kieran had the Transcendence option [Shadow Cloak] from [Undercover], he only glanced through the [Silent Darkness] attribute. His attention was on the remark.

”A replica of a great item? That item must be at least Legendary Rank!”

Kieran was sure about his guess. An item worthy of being called great, whose replica was already at Magical Rank, had to be Legendary without a doubt.

”That item must also be in the hands of the Night Monsters!” Kieran suddenly thought, his heart burning with eagerness. He was not in over his head though.

He knew perfectly well that, even if the Night Monsters had some Legendary items in their possession, it would be hard for him to get them.

If a Night Monster could possess a Legendary item, they would definitely not be like the useless loonies he had just fought.

Kieran quickly calmed himself down and walked back towards the convoy.

Herbert was comforting his students, and Contly and Lorl were still on guard, but Pierre welcomed him back.

”Even though I’d heard about the Night Monsters from you and Herbert, this was the first time I encountered them. They really scared me! They’re quite the troublesome monsters after all!” Pierre sighed with a bitter smile.

Although he had noticed the danger, it had been only when the Night Monsters had made their move that he had sensed the killing intent behind him.

He had not noticed anything unusual earlier.

Although he was extremely brave, he was not confident that he could beat a monster who was good at disguising itself.

”For the sake of security, we need to run another test. We might not have been able to identify the others, but we can at least check those around us!” Kieran said.

Using the cooking maid and Bill as an example, Kieran stressed that he did not want to be in a similar situation again.

Even though he was confident that the others were not Night Monsters, it would be better to run a real test to confirm his theory.

Pierre understood what Kieran was talking about. He turned to Herbert.

He would also prefer not to have to watch his back while he faced other enemies.

Before the convoy moved out, Herbert led the group through the test by performing it himself first. He made a small cut on one of his fingers.

Then he explained in detail the distinguishing features of the Night Race.

Other than being stronger and faster than normal humans, they were also immune to common sharp weapons. The point was that the Night Monsters could not maintain their disguise while they were in pain and their blood was green.

After Herbert took the initiative to explain, everyone did the test quickly.

As Kieran had expected, no one else in the group was a monster in disguise.

Meanwhile, his Sub Mission [Sifting Through Bodyguards] was completed.

”Did it include Bill as well?”

The Sub Mission description had been tricky, but Bill had indeed been a bodyguard. That was an undeniable fact.

”I was too careless!”

After glancing through the Sub Mission information, Kieran reminded himself to be more careful.

He realized that it was pure luck that he had discovered Bill’s real identity. Bill had blindsided him, because he had been Harold’s wagoner and bodyguard.

Since Kieran had trusted Herbert, that trust had been extended to Harold and by default to Bill.

Plus, Bill had put on a good performance. Kieran hadn’t doubted him or the cooking maid for a second. He had even praised the cooking maid for her cooking skills.

”If I’d noticed the cooking maid, maybe it would have been a different Sub Mission?”

Kieran felt a pang of regret in his heart, but as the convoy continued its journey, that regret was forgotten right away.

Kieran would not allow himself to be affected by regret for the past and compromise his future plans.

He was still walking in front, acting as a lookout, while the convoy followed behind him.

They were safe from any attacks until the first light.

After a week of traveling, they were close to Isogu City. The whole journey there had been safe.

The rest of their journey had made that first night feel like nothing more than an illusion. Everyone still had a serious expression though.

Even Joanna had noticed that something was not right. Kieran’s brow was furrowed most of the time.

The Night Race would not give up just like that. If they had not attacked them on the way, there was only one other possibility…

”They chose to strike at Isogu City!”

Kieran instantly squinted his eyes. He was not the only one who had thought of that possibility. Herbert, Pierre, Contly and Lorl had thought of it too.

Contly even voiced out her concern.

”We can’t go on like this. It will only lead us straight into the enemy’s trap!”

”Do you have a better suggestion?” Kieran asked, his eyes locked on Contly, who had been quiet during the whole journey.

Compared to Lorl, who was more talkative, Contly was a really good example of a person of few words.

She could remain silent for a whole day. Even when she needed to speak, she would just nod or shake her head.

It was the first time Contly had spoken that much since she had joined the group.

Kieran unconsciously raised his guard against her.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

Quickly check your friends or family, they might be one of them