Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 158

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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.
158
“Send people to Verdian. I want eyes on the situation there.”
“Understood.”
Biedler nodded, recalling the location of Rotas Plain where Rosia was said to be.
“Rotas Plain isn’t far from the Villa, is it?”
“Shall I stop by there, sir?”
“…No. I’m going to the Mage Tower.”
Though Rosia weighed on his mind, for now he had to go to the Mage Tower where the High Priest would visit and keep watch on the situation.
“Assembly in one hour.”
As he turned to leave, Biedler suddenly spun back around and spoke urgently.
“Will you be sending a reply?”
“Is there anything you’d like me to tell her?”
“Tell her to be careful. No, never mind.”
Biedler caught the corners of Orbis and Seniel’s mouths twitching upward and fled the room as if his life depended on it.
The moment he arrived at the Imperial Palace, he went to his quarters and checked the luggage and equipment he’d prepared in advance.
As he was changing clothes to leave, the corridor grew noisy, and then his door burst open.
Frowning, he turned to see Arthur standing there.
“…Brother?”
Biedler straightened his clothes and regarded Arthur with a wary gaze.
“What brings you here?”
“So you really are planning to leave.”
Arthur, taking in the luggage piled in the room, clenched his fists.
“You came to confirm whether I was lying.”
Biedler thought Arthur must be pleased—that he’d hurried over because he was finally getting what he wanted: for Biedler to leave the Imperial Palace.
But Arthur’s next words caught him completely off guard.
“What will happen to the Imperial Palace if you leave? If the Barrier breaks again like it did today… who will take command?”
“Hearing such words from you—it’s strange. It sounds as though you’d rather I stay.”
Biedler let out a short, mocking laugh and continued.
“I’ll leave half of the eight Imperial Knights Orders behind. Enough troops to defend the Palace.”
“What good is that! I hear all the capable knights follow you. The ones left behind are just spineless cowards with no experience….”
Biedler lifted a long box from the shelf and set it on the desk.
Opening the lid revealed an ornate blade—the sword he’d put away and hadn’t used since the war ended.
“What exactly are you asking of me?”
“Stay in the Palace. The commanders of the Imperial Knights Orders and your subordinates will be enough for the gathering point, won’t they?”
“No.”
Biedler refused flatly without hesitation, and Arthur began to seethe.
“Combined with the private troops I’ll raise from the nobles, we’ll have more soldiers than the Imperial Knights Order itself. I can’t bring myself to trust that your blade won’t turn toward the Throne.”
“Then don’t trust me.”
“What?”
When Biedler pressed forward boldly despite a situation that would warrant trying to allay suspicion, Arthur was taken aback.
“If you can’t trust me, why don’t you take command instead and face the Demonic Beasts yourself? Then I’ll stay in the Palace.”
“That’s—”
Watching Arthur struggle for a response, Biedler stroked the scabbard of his blade.
Then he drew the sword and walked toward Arthur slowly.
At the lethal gleam in Biedler’s eyes, Arthur flinched and swallowed hard.
“You asked who would guard the Palace. Watch closely, Brother. The Empress, my sister, and the Crown Princess-to-be. There are many to protect. They all need to be alive when I return… I worry about that.”
“You wretch!! So this is where your treacherous nature finally shows itself!”
Biedler looked down at Arthur with contempt as he shrieked.
“My blade has always pointed toward the Empress. When I return to the Palace as you say, it may well be unsheathed.”
“…We’ll see. I won’t let this go your way! The Palace is mine!”
Arthur gnashed his teeth at the blade, then turned tail and fled.
“Pathetic.”
Biedler shook his head in disappointment.
Roy, who’d seen Arthur out, soon entered the room and spoke.
“Your Highness. If I may be so bold, now is the ideal time for revenge.”
The Empress’s power had weakened; the knights had been brought into the Palace; and he now held command authority over the allied forces.
With the Head of Strophaan bedridden with illness, there could be no better moment to topple the Empress.
Yet Biedler shook his head.
“If I only thought of my own gain, how would I differ from that pathetic brother? Right now, I must prevent another war with the Demon Realm from breaking out.”
“Once you leave, the Empress will surely find a way to ensure you never return.”
Biedler scratched his chin, looking troubled as he regarded Roy.
“Well, if it comes to that, I have no choice. I’ll abandon my revenge and retreat into the mountains.”
He smiled softly, remembering the days he’d spent sheltering in Rosia’s Café.
“You’re smiling now, Your Highness?”
“Strange, isn’t it? I imagined the worst-case scenario and found myself smiling. In fact, I think it might even be better that way. Am I losing my mind?”
“Your Highness!”
As Roy lectured him to come to his senses, Biedler found himself lost in memories of mountain life with Rosia.
A gentle smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
***
The next morning.
My eyes opened early, perhaps because the bedding was unfamiliar.
Looking out the window, the sky was still overcast and dim, tinged with a reddish hue that resembled dusk.
“This has been going on for days now.”
I sighed and drew the curtains back to their proper place.
After washing up and heading down to the Dining Hall, I found lunch boxes prepared for anyone to take.
I grabbed one and was about to return to my room when I thought of the Demonic Beast and changed direction instead.
“Nothing happened during the night, I hope?”
Though I’d checked before bed, I went downstairs to confirm the Beast’s condition.
But there was someone standing against the iron bars, peering inside at the caged Demonic Beast.
“Sophia?”
I came to a stop, astonished, and joined her by the bars.
“Did you really spend the whole night here?”
“Yeah. Watching it was so fun… hehe.”
The Observation Log in her hand was crammed full. She showed no sign of fatigue, her eyes still bright with fascination as she watched the Beast.
“Shriek!!”
“See? It doesn’t seem very aggressive, but when I poke it with a stick, it reacts. The more I watch, the more it seems kind of cute.”
For something lacking aggression, the moment she poked it with the wooden stick, it turned toward us and bared its teeth.
“…Don’t get too close.”
I gently pulled Sophia away from the bars, where she’d been standing nearly pressed against them.
“It’s not intelligent enough to speak. I don’t even think it understands my words.”
“Maybe it’s because it uses a different language?”
“No. This one’s called a Gagorma. They’re characterized by being stupid—they just follow orders and travel in packs.”
“How do you know all that?”
Surprised at how readily Sophia spoke about the Beast, I was startled when she suddenly thrust a book in front of my face.
“It’s all written here. Oh, wasn’t the Demonic Beast that threw fire in the village yesterday a different type?”
On the page Sophia opened, there was indeed a drawing of a creature that resembled the Beast I’d seen yesterday.
“…Yes, it was.”
“These are mid-tier Demonic Beasts, somewhere between lower and middle ranks. Given how easily they can be summoned, someone really might be controlling them like you guessed.”
“Where did this book come from?”
“It was in the Resource Library.”
Raven’s Resource Library had always held a variety of books, but a tome on Demonic Beasts?
It’s a rare text I’ve never even seen in the Imperial Palace Library.
“This book is at least hundreds of years old. How could something like this be in Raven’s Resource Library?”
“I don’t know either. I found it by accident while organizing. But look at this—I can’t even read half the content.”
Sophia flipped to the back, and the pages were blank.
“Magic was cast on it to prevent anyone from viewing the contents. Can I take this with me?”
“That’s not fair! I found it.”
“Aren’t you curious about the contents? I’ll ask Grandfather to decrypt it.”
I coaxed Sophia, who refused to hand it over, with a soft touch.
“I’ll give it back. I promise. Don’t you trust me?”
“…Fine.”
All the way until the moment she surrendered the book, her grip never relaxed, and I practically had to pry it from her hands.
“Right—don’t get attached to that Beast. I’m taking it with us.”
“There’s no way I’d get attached to something that attacked people. Catch another Demonic Beast for me instead!”
I carefully secured the book and gently hugged Sophia before leaving.
“She’d be perfect for the Imperial Research Institute. I should introduce her to Kayan someday.”
The thought suddenly struck me that Sophia, with her love of inquiry, would suit the Research Institute far better than Raven.
“But who wrote it?”
The author’s name read ‘Nadia.’ But it was a name I’d never seen before.
As I examined the book, I went to find Raiely. After knocking and opening the door, I found her moving about busily.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s morning. I was warming up. Good to see you right after waking up.”
I glanced at Raiely, who was in the middle of kicking exercises, then sat on the sofa.
“The Demonic Beast we captured keeps staring in one direction. I want to take it out, release it, and investigate how it moves. Is that all right?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“What?”
Raiely suddenly brightened and sat down across from me.
“I’ve been cooped up in the office lately and it’s been suffocating. Take me with you, okay?”
“I don’t mind, but… won’t Obellia disapprove?”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
“Suit yourself.”
After arranging a time with Raiely, I returned to my room and ate.
Since I didn’t know how long the outing would take, I packed some light luggage along with several lunch boxes.
At the appointed time, I led the Demonic Beast to the front Entrance Hall.
Raiely was just coming down the stairs when Obellia appeared behind her.
Obellia looked at me sharply and gently held Raiely’s arm.
“Master, more Demonic Beasts might appear in the village. There are also many instructions to give. Come back soon.”
“Call me if something urgent comes up. Of course, I trust you’ll handle most things well, Obellia.”
Raiely smiled gently and took the hand Obellia was holding.
“Yes? Ah, y-yes…! Please be careful, Master.”
Obellia’s face flushed deeply, and a bashful expression flickered across it.
‘…She really knows how to handle people, doesn’t she?’
After a long time, I was reminded that Raiely didn’t become Master without reason.

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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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