The Devil's Cage

Luphus lowered his head helplessly after the pressuring figure left.

Yort Fields was very different from Naveya City.

In fact, anyone with a little self-awareness knew why Yort Fields was still under the rule of the lords: the contract from 300 years ago.

If the contract wasn't there, Yort Fields would have become Naveya's colony.

And now, something big had gone down in Naveya, causing some of the lords in Yort Fields to have ulterior thoughts.

Some became careful, some became greedy.

As a wise man once praised by many, Luphus had provided the lords with honest suggestions, but in the end… here he was, in front of Arya Outpost.

Greed blinds the eye of men and blocks them from the truth.

Ignorance fuels the arrogance of man.

Sigh.

A sigh later, Luphus turned around and went over to 'Knight' Eden, trying to help him up.

No, not knight, it should be 'student', as Eden was Luphus' disciple.

...

Kieran chose to have his lunch in the kitchen, sitting at a table made up of a wooden plank and stones.

He wasn't dissatisfied with the crude setup though, because his attention was captivated by the food in the pot.

Roffu helped the cook serve the food into dishes on the table.

Plates of beef, potatoes, and carrots were placed before Kieran.

Atrina then took a basket of bread from the rack beside the table.

Kieran waved his hand at her, telling her to not slice the bread, serving it the way it was.

He then started eating the lunch his own way, soaking the whole bread into the stew for a few seconds before stuffing it into his mouth. As he chewed and swallowed, the bread was quickly devoured.

While the second piece of bread was soaked into the soup of the stew, Kieran took a spoon and scooped big pieces of beef into his mouth, followed by a whole potato and carrot.

The rich, thick soup complemented the potatoes and carrots, making them more vibrant in color; the potatoes were soft and the carrots were still crunchy, mixing well with the beef.

Kieran took a second amidst his busy eating to give Roffu a big thumbs up. He was never stingy with praise for people who deserved it, especially those who prepared food for him.

The buff and square-faced Roffu widened his mouth into a smile, revealing his teeth.

"Thank you for your compliment! It's an honor to be able to serve you!"

What else delights a cook more than praise for his cooking from those eating it?

Probably the eater's unusual identity, and Kieran was one of those eaters with an unusual identity.

The title 'demigod' had been ringing in his ears since he had returned with the west-bound convoy, becoming quite familiar in his knowledge and the titles people addressed Kieran with changed from a normal Sir, Lord, to Majesty.

No one would doubt the authenticity of the titles, though from the point of view of the people of Arya Outpost, what Kieran displayed was already near a God-like level, something only Gods could do.

"Aren't you eating?"

After eating a sufficient amount of food, Kieran finally noticed Atrina, who had Ben beside him since he started eating. He had to invite her—the relationship between them made the invitation necessary, and from a certain aspect, his invitation was a little too late.

"Em. Sure. But rather than eating myself, I prefer to watch you eat. I feel happy every time I see you eat… it's like the food is tastier than it looks. I have to control myself though," Atrina didn't reject and replied with a smile.

Unlike Kieran, Atrina took a small bowl and filled it halfway. Even the bread she took was one third of a full bread.

"You can actually take more you know."

"No! That's enough, I still want to fit into my leather armor!"

Kieran couldn't help but remind her about the portion but Atrina shook her head and rejected the offer.

Kieran shrugged, not caring about Atrina's appetite, which was similar to Starbeck's.

He gave Starbeck a similar reminder when they were having a meal back in his room, and unlike Atrina, Starbeck didn't reject it.

It was just that even if Starbeck could eat, the extra portion was never more than half a bowl.

Anything more than half a bowl was impossible, for Starbeck's appetite had decided how much he could eat.

It was Starbeck's loss, though, if he couldn't eat much.

As for the leftovers?

There wouldn't be leftovers. All the remaining food would be in Kieran's stomach, similar to the table of dishes in front of him now.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the dining table was quite joyful.

The young soldier and robust cook were sensible enough to leave the kitchen after serving lunch. The cook went over to the other soldier camp, there was another kitchen there that required his attention; the young soldier was guarding the kitchen entrance like a personal bodyguard.

10 minutes after Kieran gobbled down all of his food, Atrina, who had been eating very slowly, was finally done with her bowl of stew.

"What is the contract between Neveya City and Yort Fields from 300 years ago?"

Kieran asked when Atrina finally placed her spoon down.

"I'm not sure. I've only read about the contract in books. Something happened 300 years ago, and it made the newly formed Naveya acknowledge Yort Fields. Until now, nothing had changed," said Atrina.

"Hero Algor appeared 300 years ago, right?" Kieran asked after some thought.

"Ryan, are you suspecting Hero Algor is from Yort Fields? Impossible! Although his heroic achievements were purposely toned down, there are clear records of his birth places. Hero Algor came from a small village around Naveya and was the son of a noble. Back then, when Naveya wasn't truly a city yet, just a slightly large town, Hero Algor set foot in Naveya and claimed to be a Naveyan. All of his followers were from Naveya. Some were from the city and some from the rural areas around the city, but not a single one of them came from Yort Fields."

Atrina denied Kieran's speculation but when she mentioned the 'followers', she sounded a bit hesitant.

After all, those followers were Gods in the present, except for five particular ones who didn't ascend to godship.

Kieran didn't argue when he was denied by Atrina. All he had was a guess and he didn't have any solid evidence to support his speculation.

However, he really hoped to find out more about what happened 300 years ago, because it was related to the Gods of Naveya, which he was concerned about.

"Can you bring Luphus the wise man over? I want to ask him some questions," said Kieran.

Atrina instantly knew what Kieran wanted to do.

"Don't worry. He will come soon, very eagerly at that."

Atrina smiled as thoughts came into her mind. Her smile showed a sense of mockery.

She was very familiar with what the lords of Yort Fields were good at.