Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 145

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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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It’s a café run by the heir to the Dark Guild.
145
I decided to wait since it seemed like it would be more advantageous for Grandfather to move alone right now rather than for us to move together.
Grandfather’s form, cloaked in magic, vanished. Even his presence was completely erased, leaving no trace behind.
I caught myself in a moment of admiration, thinking aloud.
“Is there any way I could learn that?”
As someone who’d been part of the Dark Guild, it was the magic I coveted most.
While waiting for Grandfather to return, I studied the faces of the knights carefully.
But the knights who’d come to the shop before weren’t among them, and I didn’t see Darren either.
About thirty minutes passed like that.
Grandfather returned. It was faster than I expected, so I tilted my head in confusion.
“It’s done already?”
“I couldn’t go down into the basement myself. Multiple layers of magic were set up, so disabling them would alert them immediately.”
“So you didn’t find out anythi—”
“What kind of grandfather do you take me for?”
Grandfather wrinkled his nose and settled back into the seat beside me.
“I examined it using Spirit Vision. It’s not a storage facility—it’s more accurate to call it a prison.”
“A prison?”
Startled, I looked back at the building’s exterior, which still appeared entirely ordinary.
“There are already dozens of people locked in the basement. And—”
Grandfather’s expression darkened as he recalled what he’d seen.
“Most of them were lying there as if dead, either drugged or intoxicated. When someone woke up and cried out for help, the knights simply administered another dose.”
“…What kind of people were they? Did they seem like they’d committed crimes?”
“Hard to say. You know appearance doesn’t tell you everything. But they all looked ordinary. I didn’t sense any presence of magic or sword training among them.”
“What about their ages or genders?”
“Those varied greatly too. There were… children.”
There was no consistency to think of them simply as people who’d wronged the Strophane Clan.
The fact that even children were imprisoned left both Grandfather and me feeling somber.
“If they were brought in as soon as the building was finished, it seems this was the plan from the start.”
“That must be it. I overheard the guards talking—they said more would come.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, a cart rolled into the village once more.
This time several men in ordinary clothes had brought it, and inside were multiple people in deep sleep.
“This is troublesome. Legally, imprisoning people without permission is a serious matter, but we’re not the constabulary, so—”
“Unless you’re pursuing justice, it’s best to turn a blind eye.”
Grandfather fixed me with a gaze that had turned cold.
“What do you want to do?”
“It bothers me that they’re doing this in a village close to the shop. Since I was the one who introduced them… I need to confirm what they’re planning.”
“Understood. Let’s return to the shop before dawn.”
We made our way back to the café.
As soon as we arrived, Grandfather went into his room and emerged with his travelling cloak.
“Where are you going?”
“If Juliano is the instigator, then examining him will suffice. I’ll find out what he’s thinking.”
“You don’t need to go because of me. It’s my responsibility. I should be the one investigating—”
“Child, in moments like this you simply say thank you. What’s yours is also mine.”
“…Thank you.”
Grandfather grinned broadly and ruffled my hair affectionately.
“While I’m at it, I’ll visit the Mage Tower too. The shop will be closed for a few days—you can manage alone, yes?”
“Of course.”
The way Grandfather treated me like a child, which I’d never received from anyone else, was occasionally strange to me, but I didn’t dislike it.
I saw Grandfather off and checked the clock.
“I’ll need at least three hours of sleep before we open.”
The people locked away kept weighing on my mind, but since there was nothing I could do about it immediately, I pushed the thought aside and went to my room.
***
Empress Clione had not recovered her former standing even after clearing herself of suspicion in the Emperor’s poisoning case.
Without concrete evidence, she’d cut her losses and escaped, but everyone in the Imperial Palace was certain Clione had been guilty.
“What are you staring at?”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t looking, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t block the path—get out of the way!”
Clione shoved a maidservant who’d been cleaning the corridor.
The maid stumbled, overturning her bucket, and water spilled across the floor.
“Tsk, disgusting.”
“I’m so sorry. Truly sorry.”
Clione wiped the water from her shoes on the maid’s garment, clicked her tongue, and walked past her.
Robin, a personal guard who’d stayed at the lately unstable Clione’s side, offered her counsel.
“It would be wise to exercise more caution in your actions within the Imperial Palace. Your reputation hasn’t been good since the poisoning incident.”
“Is that so? I’m still thriving! My son is the Crown Prince—why do they look at me like that? The contempt in their eyes is utterly unbearable.”
“It’s not like that at all. Everyone still holds you in high regard.”
“You think I don’t know? They’re all just waiting to see when I’ll be cast out.”
Clione smiled bitterly, her lips twisting.
“Just wait. It won’t be me leaving this palace—it’ll be the Emperor.”
“Your Majesty…. there are listening ears. It would be better to watch your words when you’re not alone—”
“Enough, Robin. If you’re just going to nag, then go back to your family.”
Despite her harsh words, Clione had been rapidly regaining her composure since keeping Robin at her side.
A guard blocked Clione as she reached the conference room entrance.
“I’m sorry, but you cannot enter right now. The council is in session.”
“I know.”
Unable to attend regular meetings since the poisoning incident, Clione waited for the conference to end.
Soon the doors opened, and officials streamed out, flinching at the sight of her before offering their greetings.
Clione received their salutations with an upright bearing and entered the conference chamber.
The Emperor, being helped to his feet by a guard, spotted Clione and frowned.
“Your Majesty.”
Regardless, Clione walked toward the Emperor with a brilliant smile.
Biedler quickly stepped forward to block the anxious Emperor, who was turning his face away.
“Your Majesty is still troubled by the Empress.”
“You—step aside! There are things I need to discuss with His Majesty.”
Clione glared at Biedler and tried to push him aside. But Biedler didn’t budge.
She then raised her voice at the Emperor, speaking with sharp accusation:
“How much longer do you intend to avoid me? It wasn’t me. The truth has already been revealed, hasn’t it? I know I should have been more careful. That’s why I’ve endured so much. Please accept me back now.”
“Empress, I have yet to fully recover.”
“Then at least remove your personal guard. The sight of those wretches still roaming the palace is unbearable.”
Biedler’s Knights Order, brought in during the investigation, still remained in the Imperial Palace.
Though the case was already closed, the Emperor kept Biedler and his men nearby, citing his health and emotional frailty as reasons.
“Your Majesty has your eldest, Arthur. Order him to do anything. Arthur will protect you.”
“Give me… just a bit more time.”
“Your Majesty!!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Clione let out a sharp cry, and Arthur grabbed the Empress’s arm.
“Mother, come with me.”
“Who do you think got you that seat in the first place!”
The Empress, raging, was dragged out by Arthur and his guards, struggling and fuming.
The Emperor finally sank back into his chair and his entire body began to tremble.
He’d barely managed to maintain composure during the meeting, but his condition was still far from good.
A poisoned body doesn’t recover easily; he could function normally for only a few hours each day, and whenever external stimuli arose like now, he grew exhausted quickly.
“Biedler.”
The Emperor called to Biedler in a weakened voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“As you know, I don’t have much time. I don’t know what you’re planning, but… you need to prepare quickly.”
Biedler met the Emperor’s gaze with troubled eyes, then lowered his head.
After entrusting the Emperor to his guards and leaving the building, Biedler spotted Leonard.
‘He’s grown.’
Leonard, whom Biedler hadn’t been able to see due to the Empress’s control, noticed Biedler, jumped up excitedly, and waved his hand.
“Brother!”
But the Empress slapped his back, grabbed his arm, and dragged him away.
As Biedler watched this unfold dispassionately, something suddenly caught his eye and his eyes widened in shock.
The personal guard standing beside Clione bore an uncanny resemblance to Leonard—their hair color, profile, even their eyes were eerily similar.
“What am I even thinking right now…”
He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head at such an absurd misunderstanding, but as the afterimages of the two figures lingered in his mind, he looked at them seriously once more.
***
Since arriving at the Temple, Baget had spent most of his time outside.
He was investigating the surrounding area based on ancient texts written about Barriers.
After two days of inquiry, ending as the sun set, Baget entered the Temple with a weary expression.
“Phew.”
“What did you find?”
Cayden, who’d been sitting on the prayer stone in the darkened Temple, jumped to his feet and approached him.
“There’s definitely a problem. I can feel Demonic Energy seeping in all the strategically important locations.”
“But we’ve never missed a Purification date—”
“It’s reached a point where that’s no longer sufficient.”
The two approached the statue of the Deity and gazed up at it seriously.
“You said one of the Barrier’s focal points—the Holy Sword—appeared directly, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any other unusual circumstances? Environmental or personnel-related?”
“Nothing like—”
As Cayden was about to say there wasn’t, something flashed in his mind.
“Every time the Holy Sword appeared, there was another person present besides me.”
“That woman you saw before?”
Baget asked without surprise, apparently already having considered this.
Cayden couldn’t hide his confusion and nodded slowly.

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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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