Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A café run by the Dark Guild’s Heir.
102
***
After finishing dinner, Cayden vanished from sight.
Ever since we’d spoken about the illness, he seemed to be avoiding me.
Worried I’d made things uncomfortable, I didn’t search for him further and quietly returned to the guest room.
I’d planned to rest today, but my mind was too restless to lie still without suffering.
“…This won’t do.”
I grabbed my coat to move my body around and stepped outside, then made my way along the mountain path to the shop.
I activated the Magic Circle on the floor and opened the door—a cluster of light flew toward me, illuminating the path downward.
When I descended into the basement and opened the connecting door, I found Meyson sitting on the floor, surrounded by documents.
“May I come in?”
“Of course. Come here.”
He greeted me warmly, having already sensed my arrival.
I crouched down beside him, careful not to step on the documents.
“How much longer will you stay down here? You haven’t eaten.”
“Food holds little meaning for me. I can go days without it without issue.”
As he spoke, Meyson lifted his head and swept his gaze across the basement’s interior.
“It seems Lilith spent considerable time here. I can feel her presence throughout—it’s comforting.”
I caught sight of his profile and saw genuine joy in the fact that he could feel my mother this way.
And in that expression, I saw my mother’s face overlaid, and my chest tightened.
“How far back do these records go?”
“When did you say Lilith had her accident?”
“I was nine at the time, so… it’s been ten years now.”
“I don’t have everything, but I do have records from around that period.”
He showed me a document dated eleven years prior.
“These are all contents that must never be leaked. The Strophane Clan doesn’t even know such records exist.”
“What was Mother trying to do with these?”
“Either she was gathering leverage, or she had some other purpose. It doesn’t look like she was loyal to the Strophane Clan.”
If the Strophane Clan ever learned of these materials, they’d stop at nothing to destroy them.
I nodded in agreement and set the documents down.
“Mother must have been going to the mine even while raising us.”
“I suspect this place was a hidden sanctuary she kept secret.”
“Do you think Father knew about it?”
“Likely. Or perhaps your father was doing similar work himself.”
Without anyone to ask, it was merely speculation.
As I felt frustrated by information I couldn’t verify, thoughts of my parents who’d raised us in secret left me unsettled.
“The Strophane Clan lost a map that we found for them. Did they stop mining Mana Stones after losing it?”
“It’s impossible to know which happened first. But it does seem certain that Lilith’s death was connected to them.”
His voice carried more conviction after spending all this time here.
“…It was so sudden. I always thought it was odd, but I never imagined she’d be entangled in something like this.”
“I’ll investigate Lilith’s matter going forward. Don’t involve yourself.”
The worry in his eyes—afraid I’d be drawn into the Strophane Clan and face danger again—made it impossible to refuse.
Besides, Meyson, as an Archmage, would be able to investigate far more than I could.
He could likely infiltrate the Strophane Clan’s main estate without much difficulty.
“Understood. But please, if you learn anything, tell me too.”
“Of course.”
With that, Meyson placed his hand lightly on my head. Seeming surprised at himself, he quickly rolled his eyes to the side.
“Being here makes me miss Lilith even more. Do you feel the same?”
“Yes. I… miss her too.”
Whether Mother was good or bad didn’t matter.
Even if she’d helped the Strophane Clan with their work, it was likely unavoidable.
Simply encountering this fragment of Mother’s past like this filled me with longing.
“I’m worried about the shock Seniel will face. He doesn’t know anything. He follows the Second Prince so closely that he dislikes the Strophane Clan too.”
“The Seniel I’ve seen seems stronger than you think. Don’t worry. Your younger brother has grown up well, just like you. He’ll accept it.”
“You think so?”
Despite being skilled at fighting, he still looked young and fragile to me.
As I exhaled softly, Meyson slowly stroked my hair in place of words.
We were still awkward with each other, but it felt good to finally have someone with whom to share family matters.
I cleared my throat to break the increasingly warm atmosphere and stared at the wall.
“When do you think that will be fixed?”
“I’ve already repaired it.”
“Already?”
Startled, my voice rose without thinking, and Meyson chuckled softly.
“Have you forgotten who I am? Another pair of Magic Circles was damaged, so it took a bit longer, but they’re usable now.”
“Where does it lead?”
“If you’re curious, let’s go see right now.”
“Right now?”
Meyson extended his hand to me. After a brief moment of consideration, I took it.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and chanted something softly.
The Mana flowing from him poured into the Magic Circle, and every line drawn on the wall began to glow luminously.
In that instant, warm light enveloped us and drew us into the Magic Circle.
It was similar to how a portal opened when using a Teleportation Mana Stone.
We emerged in an instant at the location of the other pair of Magic Circles.
“Hmm… it’s blocked.”
As soon as I stepped out of the Magic Circle, I withdrew my hand from Meyson’s and looked around.
“We’re inside a tree. This way.”
It appeared the Magic Circle had been hidden within the tree to prevent discovery by others.
When I emerged from the narrow passage, dense brush blocked my view.
Pushing through the vegetation and stepping fully outside, a deeply carved Gorge came into view.
“Meyson, this is… the right place, isn’t it?”
“Yes. A mine. The entire area around the Gorge is covered in Mana Stones.”
I stared down at the Gorge, larger than I’d expected, and ran my hand over my head in amazement.
“A mine of this scale that’s gone unreported is strange. The amount extracted here must rival what’s mined across the entire continent.”
Meyson’s eyes widened as he noted it was the largest mine of Mana Stones he’d ever seen.
“Can you tell where we are?”
“Alein Mountain for certain, but… I’m uncertain. I’m projecting Mana outward, but it won’t pass beyond the Barrier that covers this place.”
“There must be an entrance people use to come and go… Ah, have they sealed it off?”
If they’d closed the Gorge and blocked all entrances while casting a Barrier over it, it made sense that no one could find it.
But Meyson narrowed his brow and shook his head.
“If this is a Barrier I cannot penetrate, it must exceed my power. Creating a Barrier of that caliber is no easy feat.”
He gazed seriously down at the Gorge before offering a different theory.
“The language written on that map you all had—I’ve looked into it and it resembles the Demon Realm Language. We should interpret that first and find the entrance again.”
“The Demon Realm Language? Not Ancient Language?”
“Similar but different. The records of the war that ended six hundred years ago contain similar characters.”
“…I’ll tell Raven.”
As I conversed with Meyson, I carefully descended into the Gorge.
With no proper path, I had to pick my way down the steep slope by stepping on rocks, and everywhere I saw abandoned Pickaxes.
“They must have left in a terrible hurry. Everything is just left behind.”
“Yes. Something significant must have happened here too.”
Without even cleaning up their traces of departure, the Gorge remained frozen in a single moment of the past.
As I looked around the Gorge, I picked up a black stone lying on the ground.
The instant I touched it, light flashed.
“Oh…….”
I recalled processing Mana Stones when I’d visited the Imperial Palace before, and quickly set it back down.
Meyson turned to me in surprise and offered a warning.
“That ability of yours—it’s best kept hidden.”
“Can you do it too, Meyson?”
“I can process them using Magic, but…”
He picked up another Mana Stone from the ground and touched it, yet it didn’t produce the same light as when I’d touched one.
“You can change them simply by touching them—I cannot. That’s an ability only you and Lilith possess. Especially before anyone connected to the Strophane Clan, don’t let it slip.”
I took his words to heart as we explored the Gorge together.
Beyond the abundance of Mana Stones, there was nothing remarkable to find here.
We decided to return later and made our way back to the basement using the Magic Circle.
“Let’s head back to the Temple now. You need sleep.”
“I can’t stay at the Temple forever, can I? Once you’re ready, I’ll return the shop to you.”
As I reached for the Ladder, Meyson’s words made my eyes light up and I swallowed hard.
“I’ve been ready since I woke up. Please—I’m asking you.”
“How should I restore it?”
“Make it sturdy above all else. So it never collapses again.”
“You don’t need it to be exactly like before?”
Meyson tilted his head slightly, seemingly surprised by my answer.
“At first, I wanted it to be the same because I missed the burnt shop so much… but now it’s fine. No matter how identical the appearance, that shop where I lived with my parents won’t truly return. I realized what matters isn’t the place but the memories.”
“A good spirit. Then this old man will build it very sturdy. Oh, and I was thinking of adding a few more rooms—would that be alright?”
Meyson deliberately murmured loud enough for me to hear: “…I’ll need a room to stay in myself, after all.”
I smiled brightly and nodded vigorously.
When we emerged outside, Meyson took his stance and began casting a silent spell.
With just a few gestures of his hand, all the ash around the shop vanished and the area was swept clean.
Once Meyson finished tidying the shop’s surroundings in an instant, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes completely, and began earnestly constructing the shop.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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