Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 119

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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 operated by the heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 119
Biedler kept his mouth pressed shut, staring at the bottle the Emperor had produced.
“Just by reducing how much I drink, my mind stays sharp and clear for longer. But then there’s this unbearable thirst I can’t shake. Will you… investigate this?”
The Emperor held out the bottle to Biedler.
Biedler, who had been doubting the Emperor’s intentions, narrowed his eyes.
“Why entrust it to me, Your Majesty?”
“In this vast palace, there isn’t a single person I can trust. Everyone around me belongs to the Empress. Cough.” The Emperor laughed bitterly, unable to hide the sadness in his gaze. At the same time, the hand holding the bottle trembled.
The Emperor’s hand shook slightly as he spoke.
“After ignoring me all this time, you finally come to me only because you want to survive. How very like you, Your Majesty.”
“It’s not for me. It may be connected to what happened with your mother.”
At the mention of his mother, Biedler’s eyes turned fierce.
“Please do not speak of my mother with that mouth.”
“At that time, I… protecting you was all I could do. I couldn’t afford to lose my throne as well.”
The Emperor spoke slowly, his voice thick with welling emotion.
Biedler gazed at the Emperor’s eyes, brimming with regret, and recited coldly.
“No matter the circumstances, the fact that you sacrificed my mother to preserve your position does not change.”
“Do you hate me so much?”
Biedler, who had responded rationally until now, ground his teeth as he stared coldly at the Emperor, who had turned emotional.
“What meaning is there in such a conversation? I’m taking this with me.”
He snatched the bottle from the Emperor’s hands and tucked it into his robes.
“I’m already poisoned… Cough….”
The Emperor coughed violently and exhaled a shaky breath. The light was fading from his eyes, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Biedler, who had noticed those trembling hands even during the council meeting, now confirmed that they were symptoms of poisoning.
“If even a shred of remorse toward my mother remains in you, then endure it.”
“Biedler….”
“There will come a day when your testimony is needed, Your Majesty.”
“I… to you….”
Biedler stopped as he turned to leave, glancing back over his shoulder. His expression had grown even colder.
“Do not speak such trite words as apology and regret. I have no intention of forgiving you. Not ever.”
Having delivered these words with absolute precision, Biedler left the council chamber.
Clione, who had been standing in the corridor, seized Biedler as he passed.
“Stop. What were you discussing with him?”
“If you’re curious, ask His Majesty directly.”
Biedler met Clione’s eyes and answered without emotion.
“The more you struggle, the more secure Arthur’s position becomes. Even now, if you humble yourself and beg, I won’t let you end as pathetically as your mother did.”
At the mention of his mother, Biedler’s brow twitched, but it quickly settled back into place.
Biedler swallowed the surge of emotion rising from within and answered indifferently.
“I intend to attend the New Year’s Ball with the princess.”
At those words, Clione’s vicious expression softened. A faint smile even played at her lips.
“At last you’re speaking sense. So it’s true you and the princess are intimate?”
“I’m still considering it. Since I’ve stepped back, please wait until the ball for an official announcement.”
“I don’t know what scheme you’re plotting, but don’t entertain any other ideas. The deeper you wade, the more you drown.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Seeing Biedler’s momentum broken, Clione laughed shrilly.
As he passed her and headed outside, Biedler murmured softly.
“She’ll soon learn who’s really drowning.”
And he made his way to his quarters in the palace.
Stepping into the quarters after a long absence, he encountered Seniel lounging lazily on the sofa on the first floor.
“You’re here.”
The sight of those blue eyes, so like Rosia’s, softened Biedler’s expression.
“It happened to be my break time. The palace has been in an uproar since word spread that the Crown Prince will deliver the New Year Festival address, so I rushed over.”
“Not even an hour has passed since the council ended. That’s rich.”
Thinking of the Empress, who no doubt had this spread deliberately, Biedler smiled mockingly.
“Your face looks worn.”
Seeing that Seniel had grown gaunt in the interim, Biedler’s brow furrowed.
“They have me patrol relentlessly, without rest. I’ve never seen anyone work people so hard.”
Seniel, who had been lying on the sofa, yawned and sat up.
“All I have is my face to show for it—that’s not good.”
Biedler paid no attention to Seniel’s words and glanced around.
“Where’s Orbis?”
“He went to relieve someone else. He’ll be back in three hours. What about the mine?”
“I found it. I finished deciphering the map and went to confirm it myself.”
“Is it as large as you thought?”
“Larger than expected.”
“It’s worth having partnered with Raven.”
Seniel clenched his fist and grinned widely.
“Still, they’re the Dark Guild. We must always remain vigilant—we don’t know when they’ll stab us in the back.”
Biedler rolled his tongue silently over a thought—’A major figure in that Dark Guild is your sister’—and crossed his legs as he settled onto the sofa.
“Any unusual activity at the Imperial Palace?”
“Nothing. Since the last visit, the princess has been confined to her chambers. She doesn’t appear to be meeting the Crown Prince separately.”
Seniel, who had methodically relayed the news from Biedler’s absence, grinned.
“I finally filed for my first vacation. I’ll be taking a week off.”
“Going to see Rosia?”
“Of course. I’ll stop by home first, then head straight to see her. How much do you think she’s been missing me? I know from the young lord that she’s doing well, but I’m still worried.”
Biedler thought of Meyson, who was always at Rosia’s side, and shook his head vigorously.
“Try not to be too shocked when you get there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Anything.”
Unable to imagine what Biedler meant, Seniel took it as a joke.
“Well, now that I’ve seen your face, I’d best be going. It’s almost time for my shift.”
“When you pass the princess, give her this.”
Biedler handed over a Message Card he had prepared the day before.
It was an invitation asking her to attend the New Year’s Ball with him.
***
“This is the farthest I’ve ever traveled.”
Before packing my things and setting out, I unfolded a map and located Helitria, which lay to the east and west of the empire.
Even after crossing the empire’s border, we would need to cross a desert as vast as the empire’s own length.
“I went there once, several decades ago. I remember it being terribly hot.”
Not knowing just how hot it would be, I packed some lighter clothes separately just in case.
“Grandfather, if you cross the border, won’t that be an issue? Will it be all right?”
Given his status, it might reach both the Mage Tower and the Imperial Palace.
“I’m the one maintaining the Barrier that shields this empire. I know the border better than anyone.”
“But—?”
“We can cross without passing through any checkpoints.”
I narrowed my brow and looked up at Grandfather.
“Is that allowed?”
“It isn’t.”
Despite saying it wasn’t allowed, Grandfather’s eyes gleamed with delight.
“Shall we try anyway?”
I grasped Grandfather’s extended hand and nodded, and a Portal opened immediately, whisking us away.
We crossed the border without any formalities whatsoever. Thanks to that, we arrived near Helitria’s border in an instant.
“We could cross this one too, but there’s no need to cause unnecessary strife. Let’s meet on the other side.”
Grandfather transformed into a cat at the checkpoint, slipping past without revealing his identity.
Using a Teleportation Mana Stone for the greater distances and walking for the moderate ones, we reached the entrance near Helitria in half a day.
From a hilltop, I gazed down at the queue of people lined up before the Checkpoint and marveled genuinely.
“Magic makes such distances so effortless. Mages really do have it easy.”
“There’s another way too.”
When I looked up with curious eyes, Meyson muttered words I couldn’t understand.
Suddenly a fierce wind swirled around us and passed. Then a Wyvern appeared before my eyes, flapping its wings powerfully.
“……?!”
“Would you like to ride it on the way back?”
“You summoned it?”
“Yes. It’s a Wyvern I’ve raised since it was young.”
The Wyvern nuzzled Grandfather’s face, and the display of such affection was astounding.
Once Grandfather released the Summoning, the Wyvern vanished, but I felt viscerally just how formidable a Grand Mage my grandfather truly was.
“I’ll head down. You’ll be coming separately, won’t you, Grandfather?”
“Yes. I’ll move about in hiding in Helitria. Though you won’t see me, I’ll always be at your side.”
Leaving Grandfather behind, I descended the hilltop alone and joined the queue at the Checkpoint.
There were no special procedures—the Holy Knights simply checked my purpose and Identity Badge.
The moment I entered the town, a towering Grand Temple came into view.
Using its sharp spire as a guide, which was visible even from a distance, I walked toward the center.
“Phew, it’s hot.”
Even after changing into the lighter clothes I’d brought, sweat rolled down the back of my neck in the humid, suffocating heat.
Back in the empire, it had been full winter. The fact that such different seasons existed at the same moment was striking.
Every street I passed thrummed with vitality. People of varied dress and appearance mingled together without it seeming strange.
I found the town’s free-spirited atmosphere appealing. I wanted to explore more, but remembering my purpose, I headed straight for the Grand Temple.
After about forty minutes of walking, I arrived at the Grand Temple, which stood open and welcoming to all who wished to enter.
After waiting in line, the moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t help but draw in a breath at the grandeur of the interior.
“If I stayed here much longer, I’d develop a faith I didn’t have before.”
Everything my eyes fell upon was a work of art. Murals covered the walls up to the dizzying height of the ceiling, and statues filled every corner.
Staircases stood at both ends of the interior, allowing access to upper levels, with the topmost appearing to be the fourth floor.
However, the fact that two or three Holy Knights guarded each staircase suggested that not everyone could ascend.
‘I need to go up.’
Scanning the interior, I quickly reached my conclusion and looked for someone to present my letter of introduction to.

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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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