Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 27

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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 Dark Guild’s successor.
27
Kayden still held my hand, staring at me intently.
I twisted my hand free and answered lightly.
“It’s possible.”
“…Right. I’ll heal them.”
“Wait.”
Kayden moved toward the two collapsed men. Before he could use his Holy Power on them, I searched their clothing first.
“Something’s off about all that talk of identity, and throwing poisoned needles is strange too. We should check before reviving them.”
I patted through each man’s pockets thoroughly but found nothing remarkable. However, outside the door I discovered a bag and pile of luggage they’d hidden.
Inside were several Forged Identifications—commoners, fallen nobility, merchants, stable hands. A diverse collection.
What struck me most was the notebook. It was filled with records of exploring villages around the Alein Mountain Range.
Not simple reconnaissance—these were detailed notes on supply routes, waterways, and infrastructure for war.
“They’re spies from another country, aren’t they, Rosia?”
“Undoubtedly.”
I secured the bag full of evidence and removed the shirt of the man still foaming slightly at the mouth.
“R-Rosia? I can do this.”
Kayden reached out to cover my eyes, but I dodged his hand smoothly and scanned the man’s torso.
Near his ribs, trailing toward his back, I found a tattoo shaped like a sailing ship.
“…Good heavens. Sailing? They’re still active?”
Shock made my voice tremble slightly.
“What’s Sailing?”
I knew because I’d sat through Guild Genealogy lessons from across the continent as a child—my ears practically callused from it. Kayden had no reason to know.
Sailing was the greatest information guild that had operated in Sewundel, a nation now vanished.
Sewundel, which bordered our Empire, had completely disappeared from history ten years ago after endless warfare.
The guilds that had established themselves in Sewundel subsequently dissolved entirely, or so I’d been taught.
Sailing, known to have operated until the very end and collaborated with the Sewundel royal family, had faded from memory.
Yet here I was, stumbling upon Sailing’s tattoo on spies I’d just captured.
“Sailing was an information guild from Sewundel. It’s gone now, though.”
“Sewundel? That’s a kingdom that disappeared long ago.”
“Exactly. What if they didn’t disappear—what if they fooled everyone and absorbed into something else? Who are they gathering this information for?”
“How do you know about Sailing, Rosia?”
Caught off guard by Kayden’s question, I continued searching without pausing.
“I read about it in a book once.”
Kayden’s expression grew wounded.
“I’ve studied everything too. Which book? I’d like to read it.”
“That’s not important right now, is it?”
I brushed off his words and fell into thought.
‘I wish I could take them to Raven.’
Sailing had been an enormous information guild, though I didn’t know the details since it wasn’t during my active period.
If they hadn’t vanished but instead maintained their network elsewhere, that would be extraordinary intelligence.
Especially since what these people were currently gathering was wartime intelligence.
If I’d caught them alone, I would have interrogated them immediately and turned them over to Raven. But I couldn’t, which was frustrating.
“Should we report this to the guards?”
“Forget the guards. I’ll call my brother instead. I need someone trustworthy to hand them over to.”
Handing them to the guards would make it difficult to obtain further information.
Turning them over to Seniel for interrogation was the best option.
Kayden and I worked together to tie the spies firmly to the tree in the yard.
“Then I should notify the Knight Order headquarters.”
“Go ahead.”
“Won’t you be scared alone? If a colleague came…”
Kayden looked at me with lingering concern.
“Seniel will come running soon. If anyone tries any funny business, I’ll make them eat the soup. Plenty left.”
“…That actually sounds reassuring.”
I sent Kayden off with reassurance and whistled myself.
Whistle!
I stroked the beak of Shell as she landed on my forearm and nuzzled against me, then showed her two notes of different colors.
“Like always, this one goes to Reilly, this one to Seniel. Reilly first, okay?”
Shell rubbed her beak against my hand and alternated lifting her feet. Once I tied the note, she flew off powerfully.
“Hmm…”
Just then, one of the men started regaining consciousness and began shouting hoarsely.
“You think I’ll let this stand? Release me right now!”
“And if you don’t stay quiet?”
I scowled and rubbed my ears irritably.
“We’re not ordinary people. We have colleagues waiting for our contact. If you’re not released, they’ll come find you and kill you.”
He was trying to threaten me, but it wasn’t frightening in the least—I almost laughed.
“Go ahead. I’d genuinely like to meet those colleagues. Even more grateful if you’d tell me who they are.”
“You think I’ll just kill you? I’ll find your family, your mother and father, cut off their limbs and—”
“They’re already dead.”
“…Oh. I see.”
Leaving the increasingly noisy man, I stepped briefly into the cottage.
Truthfully, interrogating the two men directly and getting them to talk would be simple enough. But if I’m to hand them over to Seniel, leaving traces on them is risky.
‘Unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.’
I retrieved the pot still full of soup and a knife, then returned to the yard.
The man continued shouting for release and hurling curses. I spun the knife in my hand and flicked it at him.
The knife flew lightly past his ear and embedded itself in the tree.
“You insane—!”
Sweat dripped from the man’s forehead.
“Stop your noise and rest quietly. Keep screaming and I’ll assume you want more soup.”
As I ladled soup with a smile, the man’s face went pale again.
The other man, who had stirred awake, immediately squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to sleep.
Satisfied by their silence, I fed each of them just one more spoonful of soup.
They struggled not to swallow, but their resistance was meaningless.
The effect was excellent—they remained quiet through the night without further disturbance.
***
The next morning, dawn broke.
After finishing my morning chores, I was giving the spies tied to the tree water to keep them alive when I sensed Seniel’s presence.
Seniel crossed the Boundary Stone and rushed toward me at tremendous speed, shouting.
“Sister!”
“Over here.”
Hearing my voice, he immediately came around to the back yard. He’d apparently been training nearby and hadn’t gone far, so he arrived faster than expected.
“How shocked I was when I got that note. What happened?”
“Just what I wrote. Some guests ate the food I made and collapsed, so I wanted to contact the guards and checked their identification. Look what I found.”
I showed him the multiple Forged Identifications and the notebook full of classified information. Seniel’s expression darkened.
“There’s also this tattoo on their bodies. Look here. Do you know what it is?”
“No. Never seen it.”
So Seniel didn’t recognize it either. With no choice, I casually leaked the information as if I’d heard it from Kayden.
“Kayden said it’s a tattoo of a guild called Sailing.”
“Sailing? Never heard of it.”
“It was an information guild from the Kingdom of Sewundel. Long gone now, but look into it.”
At the mention of Sewundel, Seniel’s expression changed. His eyes became sharp as blades as he regarded the men.
“Sister, how do you make food that causes this just from eating?”
The man had eaten several more spoonfuls of soup and, though conscious, continued muttering deliriously and vomiting.
Both men looked gaunt and corpse-like after a single night, and Seniel clicked his tongue in dismay.
“Nothing special—I just happened to put poisoned mushrooms in the soup.”
“You…you put poisoned mushrooms. Sister. Sister, I need you to promise me you’ll never cook again.”
Seniel exhaled deeply and extended his pinky finger to me.
“I have a terrible feeling that if you keep cooking, it’ll be no trouble at all for you to kill a few people.”
“Fine.”
I flicked his extended pinky lightly and handed over the evidence and bag I’d found on the men.
“Thanks, Sister. I’ll look into this Sailing thing once I’m back.”
Seniel signaled to the knights who had been waiting at a distance.
The approaching knights shyly introduced themselves, saying they’d drunk my beverage yesterday.
“I’m Henry. Please come visit our Knight Order sometime.”
“I’m Madel! I’d really love to see you again!”
Though they hastily gathered the spies and departed once they caught the terrifying look in Seniel’s eyes.
“They’re sweet.”
“Sweet, nothing. Those bastards have dark hearts, Sister. Don’t remember their names.”
Seniel shook his clenched fist toward the departing knights.
“But are you planning to keep staying here? This kind of thing happening makes me worried. You were lucky this time, but next time…”
“There’s a priest nearby anyway. He’ll protect me. Like yesterday.”
Kayden’s name, conveniently thrown out when in trouble, had proven quite useful. Seniel nodded while still troubled.
“Still, I’ll make sure the nearby guards keep a closer watch on this place.”
“Okay.”
After a final check of the Boundary Stone, Seniel left with the spies, heading back to the Capital.

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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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