The Devil’s Cage

When Kieran finally got dressed properly, Sister Liz and Sister Grittel in addition to the unnamed father walked in swiftly.

Their faces were smeared with an indescribable nervousness.

Only when they saw Kieran was safe and sound did the nervousness go away.

“What happened just now?” Sister Liz was still worried despite Kieran being alright.

“It’s the Twenty Hounds. I’ve killed one of them before and coincidentally I got away safe, so she came with the invitation. Of course, I didn’t say yes to it.” Kieran didn’t conceal the truth.

In fact, it would be unrealistic for him to hide these matters from them.

With Dandon’s influence in Edland City, it would be easy for them to investigate. Rather than hiding the truth only to be exposed later, might as well be honest with them.

Kieran who knew the importance of trust was not willing to ruin the opportune situation that came with extended effort with a slight mistake.

Sister Liz and the others were relieved spontaneously after Kieran uttered the last word.

“2567, your decision is the right one. The people from the Elder Council are a bunch of lunatics. Being with them will only lead you to a destructive future,” said the younger Sister Grittel.

The unnamed father nodded in agreement as well.

Only Sister Liz realized something and after some deep thought, the elder sister said to the other two, “Grittel, Rayman, can you both leave us for a while, I have something that I wanted to ask 2567.”

“Of course!”

Both of them went out without rejection when the respectful Sister Liz requested them to.

When both of them had left, Sister Liz looked at Kieran again.

“2567, you say you didn’t agree but… you didn’t reject either, right?” The elder sister asked.

“Yes.”

Kieran chose to be honest with Sister Liz as well.

He looked at her merciful and clear eyes and slowly said, “Because, until now I don’t know what kind of person am I. I don’t have my own memories and although you acknowledged me as a knight, I might be someone else despite my performance being similar to one.”

“So, I think I should go out there and find the answer with initiative and not be dragged around by other matters and factions.”

Kieran bowed down to express his apologies before Sister Liz as he spoke.

It wasn’t just to brush her off but a sincere bow because he was apologizing for his previous and future lies and usage to the elder sister.

Likewise, he also mildly rejected in joining the Dandon Church.

“Is that so?” Sister Liz looked at Kieran and couldn’t hold back her long sigh.

The merciful and kind nature made the elder sister hold Kieran up and didn’t utter her invitation anymore.

“Everyone has their own decisions, others can’t force them into something they are unwilling to do, especially when he is filled with light in his heart. If troubles descend on Dandon, may I request your aid then?” The elder sister said.

“Of course, I’d never mind lending a helping hand to the weak and suppressed!” Kieran said with determination.

The clear reply added a sense of smile on the sister’s face.

“Sister Dandon, can I have a look at Harondentte’s belongings?” You know, he did appear at the scene of the explosion at the Winchester House and I lost my memory there. So If you allow me to invite Captain Teresa over, I would be grateful for that.”

“That won’t be a problem, the entire Dandon Church will assist you the best we can.” The smiling sister didn’t reject Kieran’s request.

Soon, Harondentte’s belongings were moved to another clean room with Teresa inside waiting. Plus, there was a set of outfits for youngsters prepared as well.

It wasn’t anything branded but the simple kind, similar to the set that Kieran and Hoskin bought in the shop.

Kieran didn’t complain at all. He understood from the books, the Dandon Church was a church that upheld the ideal of hardworking and plain living. The outfits of the three high clergies were proof that the ideal wasn’t just mere words.

Kieran himself wasn’t too concerned about any of those.

“So, it is really you who created a mess in the street! And these are all your loot? I thought you would be living a retired life in Augen Manor,” Teresa said directly when she saw Kieran come in.

It had been a month since Kieran last met Teresa and her dazzling red hair.

Kieran didn’t dislike her attitude, at least it was better than the ones who smiled at him on the surface but stabbed him in the back.

He knew exactly how to handle the likes of Teresa.

“If I was in Augen Manor all the time, it would be quite impossible for all the loot you see here. Anne Aldrich Augen isn’t a merciful or charitable person, if you want to get something, you have to pay the cost.”

“These are Harondentte’s belongings and the incident that happened is also related to him.” Kieran then briefly explained the fight that happened.

Then, Kieran continued with a ridiculing tone, “I hope that you weren’t just blaming me for the entire month instead of carefully doing some research on information of the stolen collections from the museum.”

“What? No way! I can be considered an archaeologist now after all that research!”

Teresa then headed towards the big pile of books after her words.

Though she didn’t go through the books right away, she went into deep thought for a while before turning back to Kieran.

“Harondentte was the final benefactor of the Winchester explosion case right?” She asked.

“A benefactor ended up without an intact body? I rather not,” Kieran pretended to sigh and picked up the books before Teresa could further her questions.

Teresa shrugged when she saw Kieran reply and joined him in reading.

When Kieran felt Teresa’s attention had moved away from him, he was relieved in his heart.

Leading Teresa to a wrong answer was not an easy feat, not only because their relationship would guilt trip Kieran but Teresa wasn’t an idiot either.

On the contrary, Teresa had a bright mind.

If Kieran didn’t truly understand the current dungeon world’s mystical realm, he would never choose the risky way to mislead Teresa but with her acknowledgment, a lot more people would follow as well and with more acknowledgment of his identity, part of his plan would be considered complete.

The next step in his plan, however, would need him to rely on another person but that was for another time.

Now, he needed to find the answers that he sought in the books and scrolls before him.

Soon, the whole room was left with two book shuffling noises and a while later, one of them paused insignificantly.