Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 144

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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.
144
“Is it serious?”
“It’s unstable for now, but if it keeps warping like this… it could become dangerous.”
I examined the spot where the Holy Sword had appeared, standing alongside Cayden.
“What’s the cause?”
“I won’t know until I investigate. It could simply be weakened from time passing, or there could be external interference involved.”
The thought of that mysterious group collecting sacred relics tied to sealing made my head spin.
“The timing fits too perfectly. It’s unsettling.”
“I agree. I’ll need to reach out to Helitreia again and request they form an investigation team.”
“All right.”
Cayden walked over and picked up the Monster Cores left behind by the beasts he’d defeated.
That’s when it happened. The air rippled, and a portal opened.
Grandfather suddenly burst through and blocked my path.
“Step back.”
I tilted my head, wondering how long he’d been watching, but I wasn’t startled. Instead, bracing for the possibility that demonic beasts might pour out like when Obelia had appeared, I gripped my sword with tension coiling through me.
But it turned out to be nothing more than a Teleportation Stone. A figure in priestly robes stepped onto the ground.
Seeing us on guard, he looked startled himself and raised both hands.
“Cayden. It’s me. Baget.”
Cayden’s eyes widened.
“The Scale’s Weight, Priest Baget?”
“That’s right. It’s been since you were young. You’ve grown so well.”
The priest called Baget smiled warmly and approached Cayden, but Cayden seemed distinctly uncomfortable.
“Inspector, what brings you here? Is there some problem with me?”
“It’s nothing to do with you, so relax. The High Priest intended to visit personally, but diplomatic issues arose, so she sent me first. She ordered me to investigate the Barrier.”
As Baget finished speaking, he frowned at the Monster Core in Cayden’s hand.
“What happened?”
“Demonic beasts appeared here. And the Holy Sword as well.”
Cayden explained what had just occurred to Baget.
“I need to begin the investigation at once.”
Baget’s expression hardened. He drew out a tool shaped like a scale, wreathed in white light.
But as he moved to use it, he hesitated and glanced back and forth between Grandfather and me.
“These people are…?”
“Mages.”
Grandfather stepped forward as if he’d been waiting and extended his hand to Baget. I thought it strange for him to approach first like that, but when he shook hands with Baget, something he did with his hand made the priest’s eyes widen in shock.
“Are you… the Grand Mage Meyson? Your face seemed familiar, but… why are you in a place like this?”
Cayden and I exchanged a glance before I grabbed Grandfather’s arm and pulled him backward.
“Cayden, we should go.”
“Travel safely.”
“Wait. I still have things to discuss with the priest…!”
Surprisingly, Grandfather showed considerable interest in Baget.
He was reluctant to leave, so I had to forcibly push him away.
Once we made it back to the shop, I crossed my arms and confronted him.
“What was that about with the priest?”
“I’ve always been curious which is stronger—Holy Power or Magical Power.”
Grandfather clicked his tongue, looking regretful.
I was grateful I’d managed to drag him away before things escalated.
“He was sent by the High Priest. If you’d fought him, it could create political problems.”
“I’m just a retired old man in the back room now. What difference does it make?”
“You know that’s not true. And of course you’d win. Wouldn’t the High Priest herself need to come to be a worthy opponent?”
“If I didn’t use my full strength from before, I could have taken some hits. He was a priest with considerable discipline. It’s not often you meet a priest of that caliber.”
Grandfather’s assessment was higher than I’d expected. I hadn’t sensed that level of skill from Baget myself.
“Absolutely not. What if sparks fly onto Cayden?”
I decided to take special measures to prevent Grandfather from seeking him out again.
“Stay with me in the shop as a cat for the rest of today.”
“Mrow.”
He seemed reluctant, but the moment I put my hands on my hips, he transformed into a cat in an instant.
The cat’s fur had grown fluffier over the winter.
I lifted the cat-form Grandfather and set him on the sofa, then sighed.
“About that priest from earlier. He and Cayden seemed uncomfortable with each other… He’ll just investigate the Barrier and leave quickly, right?”
I was worried he might assign Cayden some dangerous task under the guise of investigating the Barrier.
Cayden was the type to do anything the Temple asked of him.
“His body’s only just recovering.”
I regretted not staying to hear the entire conversation. But then I sensed someone approaching fast, so I turned toward the door.
“Arno?”
As I’d suspected, Arno burst through the shop’s door.
“Sis!”
“What’s wrong? We agreed you wouldn’t come to the shop.”
“I… I need to tell you something… *pant pant*”
I quickly brought Arno some water as he breathed heavily.
Looking anxious, he gulped it down and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
“This. It’s a new order.”
I unfolded the paper and read it, my brow furrowing.
[Spend all the money sent within a week on the villagers. For women, luxury goods are recommended. For men, alcohol or gambling funds.]
“Is this really an order?”
“Yes.”
“How much money?”
“One hundred million jeri. I hid it for now.”
The amount was far too large to distribute in a rural village in such a short time. I was speechless.
“What’s the intention behind this?”
“I’m wondering the same. Is he trying to take over the village?”
Between starting construction on a warehouse and now trying to spend this mysterious money, Juliano’s fixation on this small village near Alein Mountain made no sense.
If he truly meant to buy the village, it would be faster to meet with the Village Chief directly and negotiate.
But conducting this kind of behind-the-scenes work under cover of anonymity was suspicious no matter how I looked at it.
“What should we do?”
“Since it’s money he told you to spend, we should spend it so he doesn’t get suspicious. But we should definitely tell the Village Chief about this.”
Arno nodded.
I looked at Arno anew.
With such a large sum suddenly in hand, it would be understandable if he ran away with it to find his siblings. But seeing him still worried about the village, it was clear he’d genuinely come to care for this place.
“What about the warehouse? Has anything strange happened there?”
“They hired a Mage, and it was built completely in a single day.”
“Anything unusual about it?”
“Well…”
As Arno hesitated, the cat slipped under Arno’s hand.
While petting the cat’s fur, Arno opened up about what he’d seen.
“Yesterday, while delivering food ingredients, I noticed they just left the shipment lying around carelessly. They renovated that old village entrance next to the building and keep going in and out, but… they never take any ingredients out.”
“Maybe because it’s only been a few days?”
“Probably. But it felt off.”
Arno laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
“You should go now. And don’t loiter around the warehouse. I’ll look into it.”
“Yes, sis!”
After Arno left, Grandfather changed back into human form and caught my eye, nodding.
He’d reached the same conclusion while listening.
“We need to visit the warehouse tonight.”
***
Early that dawn.
I changed into dark clothes to avoid notice and headed toward the village with Grandfather.
Suppressing our presence completely, we climbed over the village wall instead of using the entrance.
We could have gone straight to the warehouse’s location, but since Arno had mentioned guards, we took the long way around.
“This tree looks good.”
“Let’s climb.”
With no buildings to hide behind near the warehouse, we climbed the largest nearby tree for at least a distant vantage point.
The completed warehouse’s exterior was unremarkable. It looked less like a warehouse and more like a mansion—a three-story building.
Because it was early dawn, the lights on the second and third floors were off.
On the first floor, I sensed multiple presences, likely sleeping guards.
What was strange was the number of guards stationed front and back despite the early hour.
Four guards standing watch just to protect some food ingredients in a small village like this. It made no sense.
“It’s definitely suspicious.”
“And that warehouse—it has a hidden basement.”
Grandfather’s pupils lost focus, becoming hazy as he seemed to peer at something distant using magic.
“It’s been concealed with magic. Breaking the Barrier wouldn’t be difficult, but the Mage who cast it would notice immediately.”
“It’s definitely not just a simple storage for food.”
I met Grandfather’s blue eyes as his focus returned and nodded.
We decided to keep watch on the warehouse until daylight.
Hours passed. Deep into the early morning, when even the owl calls had ceased, at a time when night pressed heaviest—a large cart entered through the newly renovated side entrance.
Four guards struggled and strained as they hauled it inside, the weight considerable.
“Grandfather, that…”
“Yes. People.”
Though covered in cloth, the cargo’s barely-detectable life signatures—faint as the almost-dead—were unmistakable.
“At least seven of them.”
Grandfather, reading the energy signatures more keenly than I could, spoke in a grave voice.
The guards pulled the cart past the sentries stationed at the front without incident and carried it straight inside.
I’d thought the large doors existed to accommodate ingredient-laden carts.
Now I understood the true purpose. Or perhaps this had been the warehouse’s intended use all along.
“They’re still alive. We need to find out what’s happening.”
As I moved to jump down from the tree, Grandfather stopped me, his eyes gleaming.
“I’ll go.”

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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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