The Devil's Cage

"A lethal blow?"

This was what Kieran saw when he looked at the mummies after he removed the books.

One of the mummies had a dagger on its back and it was pointing at the other one, whose chest had collapsed.

Obviously the victim had managed to kill its killer before dying, and the lethal blow had been very powerful.

Not only had the killer had no place to dodge, but the killing blow had been so strong that it had caused the books to drop down on them, causing both the killer and the victim to be buried under them.

The two of them had not turned into mummies because of the books though.

"Did a magic circle cause this?"

Kieran had noticed a magic circle beneath one side of the bookshelf.

It was formed by two circles, and its effect seemed to have preserved the books well over time, repelling any vermin that could have destroyed them.

The person who had set up the magic circle could not have thought that it would preserve corpses as well, yet they had saved Kieran lots of trouble.

At least he could make out that the victim was a woman. Judging by her embellished dress, which had been fully preserved, she must have been quite wealthy.

The killer had been a man in common clothes. His body was still big, even after he had been mummified.

Kieran imagined that he would have been really tall if he had still been alive.

He inspected both mummies carefully, and eventually noticed the dagger the woman had been stabbed with.

Kieran was disappointed. The system told him it was just a common weapon.

After that small letdown, he turned his attention back to the desk.

It was a wide, messy desk, as all the books had fallen down from the shelf. However, a particular detail caught Kieran’s eye.

It was an open book with a quill beside it. The book had a deep depression on it on the place where the quill had been used to write.

Ink had been spilled all over the desk, tainting not just the desk itself, but a big portion of the book as well.

"What had the victim been writing right before she was killed? The sudden ambush must have made her lose her grip on the quill and drag it across the book, spilling the ink as she fell down."

Kieran picked up the book after a minor speculation.

"Is it a diary?"

He noticed that the date on it was written using [Mystical Knowledge] symbols and runes. His heart skipped a beat. The date was a very old one.

Er627.10.22.

Compared to the current date in the dungeon, the most recent date in that diary was 370 years ago.

"This is like reading a history book."

Kieran looked at the ancient diary in awe before he started reading it.

His expression turned sour after he flipped over a couple pages.

The date might have exceeded Kieran’s expectations, but the contents of the diary did even more than that.

...

Er527.3.22

There has been no progress to the search outside to this day. In order to uncover the ancient secret, I have to marry that coward who inherited the duke title, but dares not do anything about it.

Er527.5.22

What an idiot! That coward told me everything I wanted to know after a mere engagement ceremony.

Er527.12.22

The wedding is going forward as planned. Every time I picture that coward’s repulsive smile, it makes me want to vomit! He won’t be smiling for long though.

Er527.12.23

Everything went as planned. That coward really does have the right lineage. His face makes me shiver. Luckily, I have prepared the perfect place for him.

Er549.2.1.

Things are not going well! I need more experiment materials to find the best way to extract lineage blood!

Er527.1.15

Blood! Lineage blood! Even though all the experiments have failed, the defective product was powerful enough! This powerful lineage shall be mine!

Er592.10.15

As I predicted, in order to acquire the power, I will need a stronger body. One that is closer and more suitable to a lineage bloodline. Fortunately, he’s still alive and well and he seems to have fallen in love with me. Is this love? No, but love is not necessary to get pregnant.

Er593.12.22

I am on the brink of success, I am going to give birth soon. I will acquire the power of the lineage!

Er601.1.1

That traitor! How could lineage blood transfer memories? That bastard has gotten away! All my efforts have gone to waste!

Er625.9.30

A heart transplant! I have finally found a solution.

How did I not think of this simple solution in the first place?

The monster has a tremendous life energy though. It can survive even without a heart!

Er625.10.2

No, the monster’s heart is too powerful for a common body. I will need a stronger body to plant that heart! No, no, no... I just need some other supportive potion, and the problem will be solved!

Er627.10.22

The potion is almost ready! I will be immortal for all eternity, just like Go…

....

Kieran could not read any further because of the tainted ink, but the part he had read sent chills down his spine.

Kieran instinctively recalled the legend Captain Ralph had told him about in [Prison on the Island].

After some comparison, he was sure that the diary had been written by the Duke’s new wife.

According to Captain Ralph’s story, the Duke and his wife had met a tragic end, but the diary told Kieran that only the Duke had gone through unimaginable horrors. Not his wife. She had been the one behind everything.

Kieran could sense her insanity through everything she had written.

In order to acquire the lineage power the Duke possessed, she had conceived unimaginable horrors. She had not just experimented on real people, but also on her own child.

It was that experiment that had cost the lives of hundreds on Alcatraz, and it had been the reason no one had dared set foot on the island for almost a hundred years.

If it was not for the woman’s sudden assassination, the experiments might have carried on for a longer time.

The diary also confirmed Kieran’s theory about the cave he was in. It was actually a dungeon.

The one thing Kieran had not expected was that the monster in the story had actually been the Duke.

Kieran turned his eyes towards the male mummy, which had to be the Duke’s child.

If the killer had not grown up on the island and been familiar with everything there, he could not have approached the Duke’s wife silently and killed her.

The abnormal size of his body also proved his identity from every possible perspective.

Kieran did not know why the child had chosen to return to this vicious woman, who had not been worthy of being his mother, after escaping for so many years.

One thing was for sure. He had been very powerful. He had been able to bypass the defensive abilities of a special individual and kill her with just a normal dagger. This was no ordinary feat anyone could have pulled of, not even Kieran.

The Duke’s wife had been a special individual with malicious intent towards the Duke’s lineage.

Kieran would have been an idiot not to realize the hidden identity of the Duke’s wife after reading the experiment log and the potion recipes inside the diary.

"The lineage power?" Kieran mumbled to himself as he looked at the mummy on the floor.

It was the first time he had come across such a term, but he could feel the power of the lineage blood just by reading the diary.

Not only had special individuals deliberately planned to acquire that power a few hundred years ago, but the special individuals around now were still trying to uncover that secret.

Gilfren Hatch had to be a descendant of the Duke’s child.

According to the diary, the Duke’s child had left Alcatraz Island for over 20 years. It would not have been a surprise if he’d gotten married and had a couple of children.

The diary also stated that, along with the Duke’s lineage, his child had also inherited his memories through his blood.

Therefore, Gilfren Hatch must also have inherited his ancestor's’ memories. This had to be why he had returned to Alcatraz Island seeking power.

It seemed that the memories were not complete though, as he had only known that the dungeon was extremely dangerous. He had not known about the secret study chamber through the dungeon and the final missing piece to the puzzle, the potion that could enable him to inherit the lineage power.

Otherwise, Gilfren Hatch would have entered the chamber by using any means necessary. He was dying to gain the lineage power.

"If the memories are incomplete, Gilfren Hatch and Frostrill must have been misinformed too! No, that can’t be. Gilfren Hatch would not have told Frostrill everything. He must have left out the most important parts and used the rest to lure Frostrill, thus forming a temporary alliance with him! This must have been the best option! Thanks to the heart and Gilfren Hatch’s information, Frostrill must have been confident enough to ignore everyone!"

Kieran finally realized what leverage Frostrill had to betray Serdenk and ignore Nikorei’s presence.

Kieran wanted to find out what would happen to Frostrill if he transplanted the heart into himself without the potion.

If it was possible, he would not mind getting the heart transplant himself, as he knew what the procedure needed in order to be successful.

Kieran turned his attention to the left side of the chamber, where the experiments took place.

Translator's Thoughts

Dess Dess

And people say every mother loves their child. Tsk Tsk Tsk