Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 169

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

A café operated by the heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 169
The transition ended, and my feet touched solid ground.
Crunch—leaves crushed beneath me, and I listened carefully to the sounds around us, scanning our surroundings.
The demonic energy was certainly thick, but judging from the city wall alone, there were no signs of external attack.
“We’ve stationed the Allied Forces here.”
“Aide should have arrived by now.”
Biedler and Seniel pointed out positions on an enlarged map of Berdian.
“So we’re here.”
The location Wyatt indicated was close to the Allied Forces’ encampment.
“Considering the time needed to scout the interior, would a general assault in four hours work?”
“That should do.”
“Then I’ll notify the Allied Forces. Seniel, you inform Aide.”
“Yes.”
While Biedler and Seniel made contact, I sent a shell to Raven to relay the timeline.
“Around the back of the city wall, there’s supposedly a small opening that was forced through.”
“Good. Let’s head straight there.”
During those four hours, we planned to enter the interior first and scout the territory.
The inside of the mansion was our best guess for where an entrance to the central zone might be located.
Since the perimeter of the territory itself would be far more heavily guarded, we decided to have forces attack the city wall from outside to draw attention away.
We would wait for that moment, then slip into the mansion during the chaos.
Keeping ourselves silent, we crept toward the city wall and found the small opening that Raiely had mentioned—concealed by overgrown brush.
“Sister, it’s awfully small.”
“If we dig out the earth below, I think it might work.”
“It’s only large enough for Rosia to squeeze through.”
“Hmm….”
It was sufficient for me, but the men would have trouble.
We had gathered at the unexpectedly narrow passage and were deliberating when Wyatt stepped forward.
“I’ll handle it.”
Using magic, he expanded the opening very simply—doubled its size.
“Won’t that raise an alarm?”
“Who do you think I am? Go through—all of you.”
Once everyone had passed, the opening returned to its original state.
“It was only temporarily enlarged. Even if there’s a mage inside, they’ll never notice.”
“You certainly live up to your reputation, elder.”
Thinking we’d made the right choice bringing him, I pressed my hat down more firmly.
We were all dressed in ordinary clothes so we could blend in with the locals.
“Let’s head to the Central Market District.”
To gauge the atmosphere of Berdian, we made our way toward the street where the central shopping district was located.
Just beside the shops, we spotted a house that seemed suitable to use as temporary shelter.
“Should we take it by force?”
Everyone looked startled at my suggestion, but they soon understood and nodded in agreement.
“I’ll put them to sleep quietly.”
“I’ll help.”
Elder Wyatt and High Priest Liphed paired up and knocked on the house door.
Shortly after, the homeowner who answered was unconscious before he knew what had happened.
“Heavenly Lord, forgive me.”
Fortunately it was a single-occupant home, so there was nothing else to do; we laid the unconscious man carefully on his bed.
“He’ll wake up in about a day.”
“So should we split into teams and eat?”
“Having too many people moving around is risky. Split into two teams. Scout the territory, but don’t forget—we need to capture a knight as well.”
“Everyone, please stick to the schedule.”
The best way to move freely inside the mansion is to disguise ourselves as knights.
I could pose as a servant if I were alone, but with a group it’s better to secure knight armor first.
“Let’s go.”
Wyatt chose me and Biedler, while Cayden and Seniel attached themselves to Liphed’s team.
Since the Central Market District was nearby, we arrived quickly—and found people moving about the streets in everyday activity.
“This place feels like a different world entirely.”
“That’s exactly it. It’s so peaceful it’s unsettling.”
“All the shops are still open, and there are plenty of street vendors.”
We moved slowly, taking in the atmosphere—and then I noticed something strange.
“No one’s smiling.”
“There’s no expression on their faces at all. Even when our eyes meet, they look right through us.”
But then Biedler suddenly stopped and turned to us, putting a finger to his lips.
I wondered what was wrong—then I saw it: a demonic beast directly ahead, its long tail swaying as it moved unhurriedly through the crowd.
“No one even notices.”
The people seemed so accustomed to it—or perhaps they couldn’t see it at all—that none of them showed any alarm.
We pretended to examine the vendor stalls so as not to draw attention, when suddenly a wave of powerful demonic energy washed over us.
I held my breath and waited for it to pass.
“Did you see it?”
“Yes. It looked like Juliano.”
A grotesque hybrid, somewhere between beast and human.
Unmistakably human, yet with horns sprouting from its forehead and a tail growing from its spine.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one—I’d seen several of them.
Watching them blend seamlessly into the crowd made me uneasy.
“Let’s slip into an alley.”
“Yes.”
But as we passed, the beast apparently caught our scent; it stopped mid-stride, turned its body, and sniffed the air.
“Elder Wyatt!”
“It’s fine. Don’t stop—keep walking.”
My hand moved to the hilt of my concealed blade, bracing for trouble.
That’s when Biedler crossed his arms.
I glanced over in surprise and saw him gesture toward the demonic beast that had drawn nearly alongside us.
‘A feint, perhaps.’
I followed his lead, pressing closer to Biedler.
The beast drew up right beside us, sniffing.
Tense with fear that things would fall apart, I felt Biedler pull reassuringly at my arm.
And a moment later.
The beast sniffed around in confusion, then turned and walked away.
I glanced back and saw Wyatt flash me a slight smile.
He’d used magic to mask our presence just before the beast approached.
Knowing this situation could arise again, we made our escape into the alley.
Biedler and I uncrossed our arms the moment we entered the alley.
“That village isn’t normal.”
“From what I can tell, the entire town is under Mental Control.”
“Mental Control?”
“To control that many people at once would require tremendous power. But if it’s Desikan, it’s possible.”
“Then this is likely the true stronghold.”
“That’s my assessment as well. Be careful. If the territory itself is affected, you’re in danger too.”
Wyatt fixed us with a serious gaze.
“If anything feels even slightly off, we’ll speak up.”
“Good. At least we found the right place.”
“With the townspeople in that state, we don’t need to investigate the streets further. We should wait for the knights.”
We targeted the patrol guards who rotated through at set intervals.
Soon enough, I spotted three knights—the perfect number—entering the alley, and I drew my sword.
“Minimize noise. Prince Cayden and you—conserve your strength.”
Again, Wyatt stepped forward alone.
Or rather, there was no stepping forward needed; the moment he cast his magic, the knights collapsed sideways without even drawing their blades once.
“I’m grateful he’s on our side.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Biedler and I exchanged a look, then gathered the knights.
“We can duplicate the armor, so one set is enough. What do we do with the other two?”
“Let’s take them with us. We might avoid needless commotion that way.”
We collected all three knights and returned to where we’d originally started.
After stripping the armor from them and waiting a moment, Liphed’s team arrived as well.
“We didn’t encounter any knights.”
“Is that so? Since we’ve captured three, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Wyatt laughed with good humor, clearly pleased with his victory.
“Why do you look like that?”
I moved beside Seniel, whose expression had darkened, and nudged his arm.
“…We saw the warehouse.”
“The warehouse?”
Seniel didn’t answer, so I turned to Cayden instead.
His expression was no better, but he explained nonetheless.
“Did you notice the demonic beasts roaming the territory?”
“Yes.”
“We thought it was strange, so we followed one of them. There was an encampment on the outskirts where the beasts gather.”
“And that’s why you’re shaken?”
“Inside that encampment, there was a warehouse—humans locked inside. From what we observed… they’re being used as food for the beasts.”
……
I recalled the warehouse I’d seen near Alein, and my face hardened.
“The blood reek carried from a distance. How could anyone do such a thing?”
Seniel clenched his fists against the wall, clearly traumatized by the sight. It was his first time witnessing something like this.
“Now there’s no doubt—the Strophane Clan is behind all of this.”
“What does it matter who started it now? We need to stop it.”
“You’re right.”
I glanced at Biedler, who bore a similar shock, and approached the captured knights.
“Let’s wake one of them up.”
We found the highest-ranking knight among our three captives and roused him.
The knight’s eyes fluttered open, staring blankly into empty space.
He wasn’t processing that he’d been captured.
“Elder Wyatt—can you break the Mental Control?”
“The High Priest is better at that than I am.”
“Then I’ll try.”
Liphed knelt before the knight, chanting a prayer with his palm pressed to the knight’s forehead; the knight’s eyes cleared almost immediately.
A moment passed.
Then, awareness crashing over him like a wave, he gasped and thrashed wildly.
“W-who are you?! What is this?! I am a knight of the Strophane Clan!”
“From now on, you’ll answer only my questions. Who was controlling your mind?”
“Me? I… I….”
As the knight tried to recall something, pain seized his head and he writhed in agony.
“Uughh… please, help me. My comrades keep disappearing… no one can escape from here…….”
Then suddenly he broke into tears, his voice growing desperate.
“Compose yourself. This isn’t the time for tears. What happened to the Head of Family?”
“I haven’t seen the Head in a long time. There are rumors he’s passed… I’ve also heard stories from the Main Residence of seeing his corpse. Real authority has already shifted to Lord Juliano.”
I flinched, exchanging a glance with Biedler. The thought flashed through my mind—could there have been an internal power struggle?

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