Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 104

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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 heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 104
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I woke in a room of the newly built Café and found myself recalling the conversation I’d had with Meyson before falling asleep, staring at the unfamiliar furniture.
“What on earth is all this?”
“I consulted a design book. Since you said it was a room for your daughter, I simply built it to those specifications.”
The furniture Meyson had filled my room with was adorned with a delicate, whimsical design I’d never chosen for myself, not even as a child.
Pink carpet, pink cushions, a pink single-seat chair, and a bed decorated entirely in lace and pink.
I was appalled at the furnishings and colors my own hands would never have selected.
Yet Meyson’s expression as he showed me the room looked so genuinely happy that I decided to bear with it for a while.
“At least I slept well.”
I pushed the pink quilts aside with a rustling sound, stretched, and made my way to the living room.
I glanced outside to check the day’s weather, spotted Armstrong wandering about the yard, and went to fetch his feed.
“You really did build this well.”
I opened the door of the chicken coop that Biedler had built with his own hands and poured in the feed.
The chicks, which had grown considerably, had their feathers gently stroked by my fingertips, and I withdrew a single egg before returning inside.
Meyson appeared to be in the basement, so I left him be and was about to have a simple breakfast alone when I sensed the presence of several people near the Barrier Stone.
I set down the knife I’d been using to slice an apple and rushed outside.
As I’d expected, the townspeople who’d promised to bring furniture were straining to pull a cart up the path.
“You’ve come so quickly?”
“Well, we might as well move things diligently while we’re at it, yes? Come now, young proprietor, help us out.”
“Of course.”
I found myself joining the townspeople and worked hard to pull the cart.
After making several trips up and down the mountain path, the Café was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and counter space.
“Don’t lose heart if customers are scarce at first. They’ll come soon enough.”
“We’ll spread the word diligently.”
We’re leaving the Merchant Guild registration form with you.”
The townspeople offered their reassurances and blessings before quietly placing the guild registration form on the table and departing.
Their consistent warmth made me smile.
I set the form in a drawer and looked around the Café, now truly ready to open again.
“I should write a new sign board.”
Just as before, I took a wooden plank and wrote “Now Open” in large letters with a pen, planting it outside.
I returned to the Café and began washing the newly acquired plates and cups thoroughly, savoring the peace of the moment.
“It’s quiet and pleasant.”
Customers had ceased coming since the fire, but in exchange I’d regained my own time, which I actually welcomed. I began preparing ingredients.
As afternoon approached,
I saw a woman straining as she walked toward the Café through the window.
“Hestanya?”
I recognized her face and let out a small murmur of surprise.
The last time we’d met was at the Crown Prince Appointment Ceremony party, so it had been quite some time.
Hestanya cautiously opened the Café door, spotted me, and broke into a bright smile.
“Sister!”
“Welcome. It’s been a while.”
“Are you alright? I was so shocked when I heard about the fire.”
She rushed over to my side, squeezed my hand firmly, and fussed over me while checking every inch of me to see if I was injured.
“I was fortunate. Did word of it spread all the way out there?”
“Some of the young ladies from the group who regularly visit the Café mentioned it. I was so worried I came running, but… you’ve already finished the repairs?”
Finding no trace of the fire, Hestanya looked puzzled as her eyes swept across the Café.
“I knew a mage and commissioned the work. It didn’t take long at all.”
“That explains it. The exterior of the Café has changed, but it’s so perfectly restored it looked like the original that I doubted my eyes. There’s not even a trace of charring in the forest. But now that you mention a mage, it makes sense.”
“Even seeing it with my own eyes, I found it hard to believe.”
I hummed in agreement and gently slipped my hand free from her grip.
“There aren’t many mages skilled enough to create all this in just a few days… Did the Second Prince introduce you?”
“Well, yes, something like that.”
Since Hestanya and I weren’t close enough to discuss Meyson, I glossed over it vaguely.
“I’d like to be introduced as well. Recently there’s been something at home…”
Hestanya’s mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, then she sighed and pulled a glass jar from her bag.
“Coffee grounds. I brought them just in case. Good thing I did.”
She then sat by the window.
“It’s fortunate. To still have a place to come and rest.”
At first, caught up in the joy of seeing her, I hadn’t noticed, but her usual lightheartedness had dimmed considerably.
Each time her expression grew taut, a deep worry gleamed from her darkened eyes.
‘Is it about Seniel?’
Every time Hestanya had something troubling her in the past, it had been related to Seniel.
Wondering if something had happened to Seniel at the Imperial Palace, I opened the lid of the glass jar.
As I was boiling water to brew the coffee, Hestanya suddenly mentioned she had ice and pulled out a storage pouch.
From the pouch tumbled a brick-shaped, perfectly rectangular block of ice.
“Do you have something sturdy enough to break this?”
“Would this work?”
I rummaged through the cooking utensils and handed her a ladle.
“I’ll give it a try.”
I watched to see what she was attempting, and Hestanya brought the ladle down on the ice without mercy.
“Wait, Hestanya?!”
I tried to stop her in alarm, but the ice had already shattered into tiny fragments.
Hestanya gazed at the ice chips with satisfaction and filled a teacup with them.
“Just dissolve the grounds slightly in boiled water, then slowly pour it over the ice here.”
“Coffee over ice?”
“It’s been the fashion among the upper classes lately. Iced sweets, iced sorbet, and iced coffee.”
The taste seemed questionable, but Hestanya would certainly know better than I would, so I decided to trust her. I dissolved the grounds in hot water and slowly poured it over the ice.
“Mm, the amount seems too little.”
“Have you water? Pour more of that in.”
I brought the completed beverage—or what I hoped was completed—to Hestanya’s table.
Hestanya lifted the cup and took a sip; her face brightened immediately.
“Ahh. These days I need to drink this just to feel fully awake. You should try it too, sister.”
Curious, I barely touched my lips to the rim and tasted it.
“What exactly is this flavor?”
The bitterness turned cold, creating a peculiar, bland taste I couldn’t quite describe. I frowned.
Seeing my reaction, Hestanya laughed and took the cup back.
“I felt the same way at first, but once you develop a taste for it, you can only drink it this way.”
“Well… as long as it suits your palate. Enjoy it.”
I was certain I would never develop such a taste and returned to the counter.
Even as Hestanya sipped her coffee, she continued gazing out the window, sighing without pause.
Truly, something must be troubling Seniel. Unable to bear my own anxiety any longer, I sat across from her.
“Is something the matter? Your sighs run deep.”
“Well… I’m not sure I should even speak of this. I’m so frustrated I could scream.”
Hestanya fixed me with a steady gaze, her lips opening and closing again.
“I’m not one for loose talk. I promise you that.”
“I trust you. You’re Seniel’s sister, after all.”
With resolve finally settling over her, Hestanya spoke in a trembling voice.
“The truth is… a few months ago, our family was robbed of a family heirloom.”
“A family heirloom, you say? What sort of…?”
This was entirely unexpected, and I felt both startled and keenly interested.
“It’s a sacred object that’s belonged to our family for a very long time—a statue.”
“My, that must be a terrible blow.”
“Yes. We can’t publicly announce the theft, so we’ve been searching in secret… but we haven’t made any progress. Because of this, my parents have been on edge lately, and the atmosphere at home is dreadful.”
This was likely why she hadn’t visited the Café until now.
If it was a family heirloom of one of the Five Great Houses and a sacred object at that, its value would be immense.
It was shocking that a thief bold enough to penetrate the security of one of the Five Great Houses and steal it existed, but that the matter hadn’t become common knowledge was even more astonishing.
“How have you been searching for it?”
“From what I understand, my parents commissioned a Guild through various inquiries. They even hired mages and mercenaries, but nothing has worked. I know they’re trying hard, but since it hasn’t been resolved, I’m thinking I should act myself now.”
I was intensely curious which Guild had taken the commission, but such information would emerge quickly enough if I looked into it separately. For now, I pulled out paper.
I then briefly wrote down how to contact William, who manages our Raven’s information division.
“If you need it, try this place.”
“What is this place?”
“It’s a contact point for commissioning information from the Dark Guild. I’ve used it myself when I needed something investigated for my parents’ sake, and it’s both large-scale and trustworthy.”
“Given our family’s status and my position… security has to be airtight. The reason we haven’t resolved this until now is to avoid spreading word further. Are you really certain it’s a safe place?”
Hestanya looked uncertain.
Whatever Guild her parents had commissioned, it was unlikely to be safer than Raven, where I had connections. To ease her mind, I met her eyes directly.
“Absolute confidentiality. You can have that written into the contract. Of course, the more people who learn of it, the more dangerous it becomes. But if there’s no other option…”
“Thank you. If you vouch for it, I think I can trust it. Sitting idle has been driving me mad, so I’ll take action myself.”
Her expression brightened noticeably. Hestanya retrieved the hat she’d set aside and rose to her feet.
“I’ll come back with news soon.”
“I hope you find it.”
I watched Hestanya’s retreating form as she left the Café, folding my arms deeply.
“A family heirloom stolen from one of the Five Great Houses. It seems like quite a significant incident.”
Finding the lost heirloom was naturally the priority, but the fact that they’d been searching in secret and hushing it up for months now struck me as odd.

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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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