The Devil's Cage

Kieran had always possessed a decent memory. Therefore, when he saw the things Lander carried in, he could recognize them as accessories of Pierre, Harold, Cohen and Joanna.

Adding to that Herbert’s pale face and Lander’s panicked expression, Kieran could guess what had happened.

Pierre and co. had gotten into big trouble!

Although Kieran and Herbert didn’t mention any of them nor their location in the previous conversation, he could get the general idea.

The group must have split up to minimize the chances of being discovered. However, following Pierre and the others’ personal belongings being sent over, the answer was self-explanatory.

"Where is the one who sent these?" Kieran asked.

"In the living room, he..."

Before Lander could finish, Kieran stepped out and headed towards the living room, while Herbert followed tightly. Lander suffered a delay because of his worries but soon followed as well.

In the living room, an elderly was standing, holding a pitch black crutch in his hand, with a leather mantle over his shoulder.

The mantle wasn’t too big but was quite thick; when it was laid over the elderly person, it almost covered his whole body, preventing others from clearly inspecting his physique.

When the elderly saw Kieran and Herbert, he gave them a unpleasant smile, plus the dry skin and blackish yellow teeth added an unsettling feeling to it.

"Herbert! Sir 2567! Please to meet you for the first time. The pleasure is all mind! You can address me as Barso, or whatever you like. After all, a name is just a code for us!"

"Seems like both of you received my gifts! How was it? Satisfied?"

Barso smiled again, revealing his dry smile that caused one to dislike him.

Though, be it Kieran or Herbert, both were staring straight at his face.

Kieran was pondering upon Barso’s use of the word "us".

Herbert however blasted his question straight.

"Where are Pierre, Becker and my students!?"

His voice was trembling when he spoke, not with fear or terror, but with fury. The sudden surge of emotions almost suffocated the elderly scholar. It was also because Barso admitted his actions without a second thought.

"They are quite well now, though we had a rough start. After some "communications", they’ve learned to get along with us quite nicely. Trust me, I’m a master at interrogation, just like you at Neegor Dynasty!"

"That young man named Harold? I’ve broken one of his arm, and the other, Cohen, suffered a broken leg. Though when I was prepared to castrate both of them, the little lass— Joanna, right?— voiced out to stop me. So I gave a slash to her face and her wagoner bodyguard was so concerned about his master that he started to curse me, so I had to cut his tongue out!"

"As for your butler and the big dumb fella? Don’t worry. Pierre was a little weak after all those brandings and electrocutions. Though that big dumb fella was really something. I had to ask my men to lash him all day long to keep him within a controllable range!"

"Well then. I’ve done my part in talking about the things you wanted to know, so I guess it’s my turn to get my information in return? Where’s the location where his Majesty was sealed? And the incantations to break the seal, please?"

Barso even bowed slightly to shows his manners to Herbert while he spoke, as if he was really a noble, except for the vicious words that came out of his mouth.

"YOU!"

The elderly scholar widened his eyes, displaying a rarely-seen killing impulse.

On the other hand, on hearing what his son had been through, Lander started to feel weak and wanted to faint. However, when he got a hold of himself, he stood up firm and the killing intent that filled his mind far exceeded the range of Herbert.

Barso felt the killing intent from both of them, and yet he revealed that contemptuous smile again, showing more disdain on his dry face.

"Sir Herbert, you don’t have much time left! Before I left my place, I told my men that if I didn’t return after an hour, your butler and students will undergo a new round of torturing. And fret not, compared to the previous ones, this will be the main dish and not just a simple appetizer like before." Barso emphasized each and every word clearly.

Every single word was like a knife stabbing into Herbert’s heart; the ache spread throughout his body.

The elderly scholar stared at Barso before him and slightly opened up his lips, but when the urge reached his mouth, he couldn’t say anything. He wanted to reject because he knew once that king from Neegor Dynasty was broken out of his seal, catastrophe would befall the entire world.

Tens of millions would die when that happen, and compared to that, Pierre and his students were not even worth mentioning.

Though, it was not a problem of numbers but of relationship and feelings!

Pierre was his butler and also his good friend. The three hardworking students and the big fella that he kept around meant a lot to Herbert. He couldn’t even neglect Joanna’s wagoner bodyguard as well, but he also couldn’t neglect the lives of many in the world.

The elderly scholar was forced into a difficult situation.

Especially when Lander aside was staring at him with a begging gaze. The elderly scholar was choking on his own words; he couldn’t even utter a word.

"Is it that hard to decide? Sir Herbert, shall I provide some courage to hasten your decision? A couple of my men were quite fond of your student Joanna, and they are very, very bad men..."

Barso opened his mouth once more, purposely dragging his tone that was filled with malicious intents. He was forcing Herbert once more with his leverage and seemed to be enjoying quite well.

If it wasn’t for the important mission placed before him, Barso wouldn’t mind prolonging the process a lot longer. After all, such a decent target was hard to find.

So, when Barso’s word subsided, his eyes were locked at Herbert; he wanted to enjoy Herbert’s expression when he was forced to the very limit.

However, Barso was destined to be disappointed, not because Herbert provided no response.

In fact, just as the elderly scholar was on the verge of collapsing after being mentally tortured by Barso’s words, all Barso saw was a young and calm face.

A face so calm that it seemed like he wasn’t concerned about anything and never placed any interest in anyone else.

Barso disliked such an expression.

"Sir 2567, do you have anything to add? Or, you are ready to make the decision on behalf of Sir Herbert here?"

Baros squinted his eyes and diverted the pressure to Kieran. Then, Kieran disappeared from his sight all of a sudden.

CRACK!

After a loud cracking noise, Barso felt his knee were in pain; his body then fell for a kneel uncontrollably. Promptly, a powerful hand seized the top of his skull, so powerful that Barso thought his skull was being crushed by the force.

As the hand moved upwards, the kneeling Barso was dragged up in mid-air. He once again saw the young face before his eyes, the face with the calm and cool expression, devoid of any changes.

Just that the hand that was seizing his skull kept on tightening by the second.

"You want me to make the decision on behalf of Herbert?" Kieran asked.

His tone was ice cold. The killing intent was like sharp blades, and it overflowed from Kieran like raging tides, drowning Barso completely.