Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 120

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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 120
The young priests wandering the first floor all wore identical robes, marking them as apprentice priests.
To reach the High Priest, I needed someone who could recognize the Official Seal from the Introduction Letter that Cayden had given me, so I stepped toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
As expected, a Holy Knight blocked my path immediately.
“Do you have a Pass for the second floor?”
“No. I have this instead….”
I showed the Official Seal to the Holy Knight, but he shook his head without so much as examining it.
“That won’t do. You absolutely must obtain a Pass from reception. That way, please.”
At the counter he indicated, I saw a line of believers waiting to make donations. I sighed at the sight of it.
It seemed the system divided access to the Temple’s interior based on the size of one’s donation.
“I wonder if showing the Introduction Letter at the reception desk would help?”
But I suspected they would react much like the Holy Knight, so I decided to choose my approach carefully.
I was lost in thought, leaning against the wall, when it happened.
With a clear bell toll marking the hour, a priest in a blue vestment emerged from within.
Watching not only the believers but the Holy Knights themselves bow their heads deeply in reverence, I could see he held a high position.
I quickly moved to join the line of those seeking his blessing, taking a spot near the end.
The wait was long, but fortunately the line never broke, and I found myself nearly last to approach the priest.
Kneeling before him as the other believers had, I watched as he raised his hand to bestow his blessing upon my head.
I seized that moment, whispering softly and turning the Introduction Letter so the Official Seal was visible.
“I wish to meet the High Priest.”
The priest seemed to recognize the seal at once. I felt his hand tremble slightly where it rested on my head.
Rising after receiving the blessing, I looked up to find our eyes meeting exactly.
There were still people waiting behind me, so I withdrew. Standing aside, I waited—and soon the Holy Knight who had been behind the priest approached me quietly.
“Please follow me.”
Pleased, I couldn’t help but smile and followed the Holy Knight up the stairs to the second floor of the Temple that had been blocked before.
Passing through the silent corridors empty of believers, I arrived at a small hall for distinguished guests.
Scattered among the sparse crowd were outsiders like myself, all dressed with unmistakable distinction. They looked like people of consequence in their own lands.
“I apologize—it seems one of our Holy Knights stopped you earlier. We receive so many visitors that if we heard out everyone’s circumstances, we’d face endless complications.”
“I understand.”
“Please wait here a moment.”
After the Holy Knight left, it wasn’t long before the priest in the blue vestment who had given me the blessing entered.
With a gentle expression, he smiled as he faced me.
“May I see the Official Seal again?”
I handed over the Introduction Letter, and without even reading the contents, he simply nodded at the sight of the seal.
“It seems the person who gave this to you didn’t explain how to use it.”
“There’s a proper way to use it?”
“Normally, an appointment is arranged separately. Even with the seal, the High Priest is extremely busy and is often away from Helitria. You’ve been fortunate.”
It appeared Cayden himself hadn’t known how to use the Introduction Letter—he simply had it. The thought of his bewilderment at hearing this made me laugh softly despite myself.
“I’ll escort you to the Annex where the three High Priests are staying.”
Evidently a senior priest of considerable rank, he commanded such respect that no one blocked our path as we passed through multiple doors and corridors.
We emerged outside and passed through the quarters where the priests lived and the spaces where they trained.
‘This might be even larger than the Imperial Palace.’
The Dark Guild’s influence did not extend this far to Helitria, so everything I witnessed was entirely new to me.
Everything I saw was information, and I observed the interior carefully as I walked.
“This is the Reception Room. All three High Priests are currently occupied with their schedules, so I’m uncertain how long you’ll need to wait.”
“That’s fine.”
He showed me into the Reception Room with great courtesy, then departed.
Left alone, I looked around the space—which was less a reception room than a garden.
“To think such a space exists within the Temple. It’s paradise.”
It was a perfectly serene place where anyone would surely find peace.
The oppressive heat that had plagued me since arriving in Helitria was not felt here at all.
Listening to the soothing songs of birds, I slowly explored the garden before stopping before a mural painted on one wall.
It depicted scenes of war, and in the final scene, five heroes stood triumphant after completing a seal.
Lost in the mural, I didn’t notice time passing until I heard the sound of a door opening.
I turned and saw a middle-aged man with snow-white hair, and I knew with certainty that this was the High Priest.
“So you presented the Official Seal?”
Despite the smile at the corners of his mouth, there was nothing unguarded about him. I found myself involuntarily tense at the solid presence radiating from within.
When his pale green eyes gazed at me intently, I felt as though I’d been laid bare.
I took a deep breath and calmly held out the Introduction Letter.
“Here it is.”
“Sit.”
I seated myself in one of the chairs arranged in the garden. A young priest entered, set down tea and a cup, and left.
Curious about the taste of tea from the Temple, I took a sip and tilted my head.
‘The spring water in front of my house tastes better.’
I set down the cup, once again confirming that my beverages sold well for good reason.
Meanwhile, the High Priest opened the Introduction Letter and confirmed Cayden’s name, then regarded me once more.
“How do you know Cayden?”
“I run a store near the Temple.”
“You mean on Alein Mountain?”
“Yes.”
“…He wouldn’t have handed this over simply because you’re neighbors. You must have come all this way for an important reason?”
I met the High Priest’s gaze and parted my lips.
“I want to know about the Moving Vines, the Blocked Wall, and the being that exists beyond it.”
His expression shifted subtly. Caught off guard, the lines around his eyes tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Where did you hear about this?”
Not because I trusted him, but because he was the only person who could satisfy my curiosity, I spoke honestly.
“I’ve heard a voice since childhood—sometimes. A beautiful voice. Listening to it makes my mind grow distant, as though I might be enchanted.”
The High Priest laced his fingers together, focusing on me with a grave expression.
“The voice seemed to be calling me constantly. Telling me to come to it. Once, I was drawn beyond the wall itself.”
“What?”
At the mention of beyond the wall, the smile vanished from the High Priest’s face and his expression hardened.
“What did you find there?”
“Something beautiful, trapped in an ice wall. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female… but it looked at me. We even spoke.”
“…Is this the truth? Not a single word of lie?”
“Yes. And even now, I sometimes dream of that place. When I wake, it feels as vivid as reality.”
The High Priest unclaped his hands and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet.
“Come with me.”
Following him, I discovered murals I had not seen before. He pointed to one section with his hand.
“Was it something like this?”
My eyes widened.
It was unmistakably similar to the being I had encountered—even the way it stood with eyes closed, trapped within the ice wall.
“Yes. Exactly.”
“How could this be….”
While I was staring at the mural, the door opened and an extraordinarily powerful aura swept in from behind.
“Gregory? Has the Guardian sent word?”
“I left my audience abruptly and came as quickly as I could….”
Two figures regarded me, standing before Gregory, with confusion.
“Who is this person…?”
Gregory looked at me and introduced himself belatedly.
“I am Gregory. Though it shames me to say it, I am called God’s Representative.”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Rosia.”
Following proper protocol, I bowed deeply, and then turned in sequence to bow to each of the other High Priests as well.
“It seems Rosia has encountered the Sealed Being.”
“That’s impossible.”
“The Guardian can barely approach that place—who on earth could get there? And even meet them?”
The High Priests’ voices grew sharp.
After they conferred among themselves for some time, Gregory approached me as their spokesman and extended his weathered hand.
“Will you permit me to use Soul Inspection?”
“What is that?”
“It’s a way of seeing the purity of one’s soul. Among us, we use it to confirm the extent of one’s training or to elevate one’s stage. Or sometimes… to see if one has been tainted by dark energy.”
All three sets of eyes fixed on me at once. Their expressions were tense.
I looked into Gregory’s eyes. Though they were so deep I couldn’t see to their bottom, I felt certain he meant me no harm.
“Yes.”
“Another’s energy will enter your body, so it may be somewhat unpleasant.”
“If it’s Gregory’s Soul Inspection, the other priests would sell their very souls to receive it. This is an honor.”
“When Gregory’s energy enters the body, it heals illness and extends one’s lifespan—isn’t this a wonderful opportunity?”
Apart from Gregory, the other two High Priests were remarkably talkative.
I let their words pass lightly over me, waiting for Gregory’s Soul Inspection to begin.
Moments later, a white aura appeared around Gregory’s hand.
It resembled what I had seen from Cayden, but it was far more powerful and warm.
It rose from my hand, flowing up my wrist in gentle undulations. Yet contrary to his earlier warning, I felt no sensation of energy entering my body.
“…Strange.”
Finally, Gregory withdrew the energy from his hand, his expression bewildered.

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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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