Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 155

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A café run by the heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 155
Apart from Wayett, whom she’d met several times because of the Magic Circle, the other elders were seeing Meyson for the first time since he’d left the Mage Tower.
“Tsk, tsk. Why do you all look like that? Like you’re at a funeral. Every single one of you has aged even more.”
There was no refuting it—Meyson’s face was positively radiant.
“I’m starting to think the world is terribly unfair.”
“You too? I feel the same way.”
Meyson pulled out his Staff and rapped Jelen on the back of the head as he glared at him defiantly, then settled into the seat of honor.
“Master, I’m so relieved you’ve returned.”
“The Barrier around the Imperial Palace was breached earlier. Does that even make sense, Master?”
“The Demonic Energy detected across the continent is exploding exponentially. If this continues, we might have war with the Demon Realm itself….”
“Quiet!”
Meyson furrowed his brow and cut off the flood of words pouring from the elders like a waterfall.
The moment silence fell, he retrieved the Box, wound tightly with a Necklace, and set it on the round table.
“What is that?”
“The aura is grotesque. I can feel Holy Power from the Necklace… but it’s terribly ominous. What’s inside?”
Klajin, who specialized in darkness attributes, reacted with particular sensitivity to the Box.
“The Avatar of a Demonic Beast that was sealed six hundred years ago.”
“What?”
“If that seal breaks, then we’ll truly be facing war with the Demon Realm.”
The elders knew better than anyone that Meyson was not a man to joke about such matters—the color drained from their faces.
“So there was a reason you’ve returned, Master.”
“What should we do?”
Meyson gazed into the elders’ serious eyes and extended his Staff.
“Overlay your Mana onto the Box. It’ll be better than what I’ve done alone.”
Even combined, the elders’ Mana wouldn’t surpass Meyson’s, but he wanted to increase the odds even slightly.
In particular, the four elders each possessed a different primary attribute—water, fire, wind, and darkness.
The elders began pouring their Mana toward the Box with tense expressions.
Just as the Barrier was nearly complete and being finished, Klajin’s Mana suddenly surged out of control.
“What’s happening? Why?”
“Master… I’m sorry. Suddenly my Mana Control just stopped working. This has never happened before….”
Klajin’s surge disrupted the balance of the Mana Barrier being woven over the Box. Darkness attribute had seeped in most heavily.
“Should we try again?”
“…Hmm.”
The Barrier was already complete, so he couldn’t simply break it now.
A Barrier grew stronger when its attributes achieved balance, but a lack of balance didn’t necessarily mean there was a problem.
Still, Meyson was concerned about whether Klajin might have been influenced by the Map, so he examined him carefully.
Yet neither Klajin nor the Box showed any obvious change.
Meyson grimaced and draped cloth over the Box to conceal it.
“That’ll do. It should hold for a few days. We just need to keep it secure until the High Priest arrives.”
“Have you already spoken with the Temple?”
“That’s been arranged.”
Meyson interlaced his fingers, recalling the conversation he’d had with the High Priest just before parting on Alein Mountain.
“Carrot, show me the Map.”
Carrot, who’d been continuously detecting Demonic Energy in the corner, came before Meyson and brought up the Map.
“The regions with strong Demonic Energy are… here.”
Alein Mountain was obvious, but notably concentrated Demonic Energy was thickening near the Verdian Territory more than anywhere else.
Meyson regarded this suspiciously and looked toward Wayett.
“What of the little one I left here?”
“He’s recovering smoothly Underground.”
“Bring him to me when he wakes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Having finished speaking, Meyson fell into thought, staring at the Map in the air once more.
The elders exchanged glances, gauging his mood.
Frightened of being scolded, they pushed the question among themselves until Wayett finally asked on their behalf.
“Master, you’re staying now, aren’t you? Please take up your post as Tower Master again. It’s been far too much for me.”
“Tsk. Useless lot. You’re actually thinking of working an old man to death.”
Meyson scanned the elders one by one with a harsh gaze and clicked his tongue.
“Once this matter is settled, I’m leaving again. Decide who takes the Tower Master’s seat however you want—draw straws, play a game, whatever!”
With that, he casually withdrew a Photograph from his pocket and placed it on the round table.
Puzzled by his sudden action, the elders’ curiosity turned toward the Photograph.
“Who is this?”
“Look carefully. These people—their faces—who do they resemble?”
Meyson shrugged and slid the Photograph toward the center. The elders rose and gathered to look at it.
“They look just like you, Master.”
“Isn’t this you when you were younger? Wait… those clothes look like Imperial Palace knight uniforms….”
“Huh? Isn’t this woman the café owner we saw on the mountain?”
Wayett’s voice grew louder—he’d met Rosia before.
“They’re both my grandchildren.”
At Meyson’s shocking announcement, the elders froze in place, their mouths hanging open.
Though the two in the Photograph did resemble Meyson greatly, none of them had imagined they could be blood relatives.
“M-Master, how can you have grandchildren? You, who’ve never even been in a relationship.”
Jelen had been muttering to himself, “You’ve probably never even held a woman’s hand,” when Meyson’s Staff caught his shoulder.
“Are you saying you’ve finally reached the stage where you can create people too? You’ve truly transcended, Master. I’m in awe.”
At Wayett’s continued nonsense, Meyson sighed and spoke.
“They’re my real grandchildren. I just found out recently because I learned too late.”
“Then who is the other woman? When did this happen without our knowing? Is she still alive?”
“She passed away long ago from illness.”
Meyson’s expression darkened, and Klajin tried to shift the mood by speaking in a brighter voice.
“They resemble you greatly, Master. How fortunate to suddenly have two such accomplished grandchildren.”
“You think they’re accomplished? It’s not just their faces—their abilities are truly extraordinary.”
The elders had to endure a long stretch of Meyson’s boasting.
Only after his boasting finally ended did Silvia, who’d been standing dazed, exercise her social skills and play along.
“A vacation with your grandchildren must have been delightful.”
“It was. The happiest time of my entire life.”
A soft smile graced Meyson’s lips as he recalled the time spent at the Café.
Watching him look so genuinely happy, the elders were struck with profound shock.
“Master, making such an expression… Is family really that wonderful?”
“When you’re old, your children and grandchildren are everything. That’s why I told you to marry already.”
Silvia, the only one of the four elders with children, teased Wayett, who hadn’t even married.
“You think I didn’t want to? I couldn’t. I’ve been cleaning up after you lot!”
Wayett’s expression turned melancholy.
Only then did Meyson realize, belatedly, that he himself was part of all that cleanup work. Feeling sheepish, he barked out orders.
“Now move, all of you! Check the Barriers everywhere else to see if anything else has been breached, and send word to the Imperial Palace. We have a backlog of work.”
“Yes, Master.”
Under Meyson’s command, the elders—who had been floundering—regained their vigor and scattered in different directions to their respective tasks.
***
I helped Sophia organize documents for about three hours before returning to my room.
“If Sailing and the Strophane Clan are behind this incident… what would the Strophane Clan gain from it?”
I was pondering this during a rest when suddenly there was commotion outside.
“What’s that?”
A bell rang throughout the building, so I jumped up and opened my door. I could hear Guild Members running around on the lower floors.
I retrieved my Mask and put it on, then headed outside. I rushed down the stairs and grabbed a Guild Member I saw ahead.
It was a face I recognized from the Guild War—a rookie who’d seemed green at the time but had apparently become quite dependable since.
What was his name again?
“What’s going on?”
Without recognizing me—I wasn’t taking medicine—he eyed me warily.
“What’s that sound?”
“It’s an Emergency Assembly… Come on….”
Sensing from my bearing that I outranked him, he switched to formal speech and led the way.
When I reached the first floor, many people had already gathered in front of the central entrance.
“Why aren’t you faster? You’re the last one.”
“I’m sorry!”
Andrew was the one commanding the Guild Members at the front.
He must have heard of my arrival—he nodded to me without surprise.
‘Is this a drill?’
I quietly slipped in among the Guild Members. I was curious why they’d sounded the bell to assemble everyone.
Finally, Oberlia appeared and began explaining in a cold voice.
“Demonic Beasts have appeared in the Village. There are significant numbers.”
“They’re attacking anyone they encounter. If you’re frightened, step back.”
None of them could have faced Demonic Beasts before, and they all drew sharp breaths of alarm.
“I need seven people to handle the Demonic Beasts, including myself. First come, first served.”
I raised my hand before Oberlia even finished speaking.
About seven Guild Members raised their hands without hesitation just like me, and the count came to exactly seven. A rookie was among them.
Oberlia called them forward one by one, and finally she looked at me askance and asked.
“You’ve had a long rest. Can you move your body as you wish?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t get in the way.”
Though her tone was dismissive, when the surrounding Guild Members saw that Oberlia was speaking to me with formal politeness, their eyes changed.
So we seven crossed over the Magic Circle that had been set up and emerged into the Village once more.
The moment we stepped outside the building, I heard cries for help from all across the Village. The once-peaceful Village had been turned into a wasteland.
‘It’s not too late. I can save them.’
Recalling the burning Village I’d been forced to watch helplessly, I gripped my sword with renewed strength.
Then I focused my spirit to gauge the number of Demonic Beasts. The Demonic Energy radiating from the Village was considerable.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————