Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 109

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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.
109
“Good timing. I figured we’d beat Aide to it.”
“There’s no comparison. That place is still practically brand new, right? I was going to contact Aide soon to let him know anyway… would it be alright to use your shop as a meeting point?”
“Go ahead.”
“Yep. Once we nail down the exact date and time, I’ll let you know! But seriously—who would’ve written Demonic Language on a map? I’m dying to know who made it.”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Either some fanatic obsessed with the Demon Realm, or someone who actually has a connection to it.”
I muttered the thought aloud, then it occurred to me that it might not even be a person.
“Either way, it’s unsettling. The Demon Realm. I thought that was just old folklore—ghost stories told to kids.”
“I used to think that too, but the Demon Realm is real, not mythology.”
I recalled the horned Demonic Beast I’d encountered in the mountains, and thinking of the crystal it had left behind, I opened my Artifact Pouch.
“Even if the Demon Realm exists, it has nothing to do with us. Anyway, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see you. Is the Archmage still at the shop?”
While rummaging through the pouch, Sophia’s words made me let out a quiet laugh.
“You’re excited to see me, right? Not Meyson?”
“Hehe. A little of both, actually. What’s it like living with the Archmage? Does he have things flying around all day, solving everything with Magic?”
“No. He doesn’t use Magic at all in front of me—he’s just like a cat.”
I shook my head, picturing Meyson lounging lazily by the window in feline form, soaking in the sunlight.
“Calling the Archmage a cat! How rude!”
“But he really is one. Oh, has Hesta stopped by?”
“Not yet. But while I was looking into the Sacred Relic she said she’d lost, I found a record saying that five heroes from the Sealed War each took one Sacred Relic as spoils after the war ended.”
“If those five heroes became the Five Great Houses… then the relic she lost might be one of those spoils from back then?”
“It’s just speculation, but that’s what I think.”
“Is there any record of what each of those relics was?”
“No. I couldn’t find that anywhere.”
I was listening with a serious expression when I finally found the crystal in the pouch.
I pulled it out and was turning it over in my hands when I suddenly bolted upright, muttering.
“…Sophia, I have to go.”
“Already?”
Her voice carried disappointment, but I quickly ended the call and held the crystal up to the light.
“It looks like a Mana Stone.”
Black, brimming with Demonic Energy—the crystal from the Demonic Beast.
It had a different form than the mined Mana Stones, so I hadn’t realized it at the time, but the crystal left behind when the Beast died was unmistakably similar to a Mana Stone.
So far, Mana Stones were said to be minerals formed when Demonic Energy from the war with the Demon Realm long ago seeped into the earth and hardened into stone over countless years.
“Can I use the crystal from the Demonic Beast the same way as a Mana Stone? What’s the difference between them?”
Thinking I should ask Meyson about it, I gripped the crystal tightly, then placed it back in the Artifact Pouch.
Then I reached for the cup on the side table to get some water, but stopped short.
“It’s empty.”
I grabbed the empty cup and headed out to the living room.
Walking toward the kitchen area with the counter, I noticed Biedler staring absently out the window.
“What are you doing?”
When Biedler turned to me, his crimson eyes glinted in the darkness.
“Just had something on my mind… Looks like you came for water. Here.”
He turned and set a water bottle on the counter beside me.
I nodded and stood next to Biedler, pouring water into the cup.
But I must have gripped the bottle too hard, because water came gushing out and splashed all over Biedler standing beside me.
“Oh, I’m sorry… Should I—?”
I hastily grabbed a napkin and reached to wipe the wet spot, but beneath the thin napkin I felt bare skin directly against my palm.
I slowly withdrew my hand from the muscles I’d touched without thinking, and stiffly looked up at Biedler.
Only then did I realize that all the buttons of his shirt were undone, leaving his upper half completely exposed.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
“It’s nightwear. Is something wrong?”
While in Raven, I’d seen countless shirtless men.
I’d even seen bodies far more toned and impressive than Biedler’s.
Yet for some reason my face burned hot, and I quickly clenched my hand and finished pouring the water.
“Are you flustered?”
“No. Not at all.”
I must have gripped the water bottle wrong, because this time it spilled over the side of the cup.
So Biedler placed his hand over mine holding the bottle and guided it precisely back above the cup.
“I thought everything would get soaked otherwise.”
There was a teasing lilt to his voice, tinged with amusement.
“That’s enough.”
Not wanting to admit I’d been flustered, I set my expression firmly and lowered the water bottle.
When I picked up the cup, it was filled nearly to the brim—dangerously full.
Biedler smirked and bent his head down to the cup, pressing his lips to the rim and drinking the water down.
From the side, I could see his Adam’s apple move prominently as he swallowed. When he raised his head, his lips glistened wet from the water.
“Now it won’t spill.”
……
I tore my gaze from his lips and spun around with the cup in hand.
“Your clothes. What will Meyson say if he sees you like that? Button up properly, even if it’s just sleepwear.”
“Understood.”
The cheerfulness in Biedler’s voice as he answered didn’t sit well with me at all.
***
After the shop was repaired and a few days had passed, customers began to increase.
“Boss! We’re here!”
They were Seniel’s devoted fans who held regular meetings at the shop every week.
I smiled brightly at the sight of them.
“Welcome.”
“A fire in the shop! Can you imagine how shocked we were? Thank goodness you weren’t hurt.”
“When Miss Hesta mentioned the shop had been repaired, we rushed right over.”
“We’ve missed the drinks you make and sipping tea while looking out the window.”
With that, they held out a thick pouch to me.
“We even pooled money together. We’d like to contribute toward the shop repairs. We’re a bit late, but please use this to help restore the shop.”
“You don’t have to do this…”
“Please take it. We just want this place to still be here.”
Then they ordered in turn and scurried over to their table.
I placed the surprisingly heavy pouch behind the counter and tilted my head.
It was strange—I’d started this shop not to make money, yet money was coming in this way too.
In any case, I prepared the drinks and brought them over, casually asking about Hesta.
“How has Miss Hesta been lately?”
“She seems busy—she hasn’t been coming to the meetings much. She disappeared for a while, then stopped by briefly just to give us the news about this place.”
“I wonder if something’s wrong… Her expression was so dark…”
“Mm, yes, this taste is it. No other shop gets it quite like this. That refreshing clarity, like your whole body is being detoxified. It’s the best.”
Just as I thought they were worried about Hesta, they took a sip and immediately started chattering away excitedly.
One of them, a woman named Latine, followed Meyson around as he moved in his cat form.
Even when an annoyed Meyson extended his claws and bolted, it didn’t stop her.
Finally watching him leap out the window I’d slightly opened, I had to bite back a laugh that was threatening to burst out.
‘Maybe it’s because they have a similar vibe despite being different species.’
Perhaps Latine’s curiosity had been sparked by silver fur that resembled Seniel’s.
Just then, I sensed multiple people approaching the shop and glanced out the window beside the counter.
Three men in training clothes were hesitantly making their way toward the shop.
Whether they’d gotten lost on the way or the training had been rough, their clothes were torn in places and their faces looked disheveled.
“Is this… that shop that’s supposed to be good for passing exams?”
“I’m sorry?”
“We heard the water here is so delicious. They say if you drink water from this shop, you’re sure to pass. We had a hard time finding it.”
“Who told you that?”
“We’ve all failed the exam four times each.”
“I’m asking where you heard it from.”
“From someone named Daren…”
Sure enough, it was Daren, who had joined the Knights Order in Sloropan.
‘Looks like he’s doing well.’
I thought he probably didn’t know about the fire that happened after his last visit, and gave the knights a sidelong glance.
“I’ll get you each a glass of water.”
“Thank you!”
“But no matter how good something tastes or feels, it won’t help. Daren passed because he worked incredibly hard.”
“But we’ve already failed several times… will hard work really do it?”
“Instead of worrying, train.”
I handed the three men cups filled with spring water.
They seemed to think some great secret was hidden in the water—they closed their eyes tightly, prayed, and left carefully cradling their cups.
“Relying on luck alone won’t be enough.”
Thinking they’d have a hard time passing with that attitude, I watched their receding figures, then spotted Leek Seedlings placed in the yard.
I’d asked Cayden to bring them a few days ago, and he must have set them down while I was busy with customers.
I glanced at the regulars engrossed in conversation, decided it was fine to step away, and grabbed a shovel to head outside.
I dug holes in the ground I’d prepared earlier, spacing them appropriately.
As I planted the seedlings one by one, baby chicks came waddling over to my side.

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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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