Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 29

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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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The Cafe run by the Dark Guild’s successor.
Chapter 29
I hurriedly locked the Cafe’s door. Shortly after, I heard Kayden, standing in front of the entrance, turning the handle.
Click.
When the door, which was always open as usual, only made a sound without opening, I sensed him growing flustered, twisting the handle several times.
“Rosia? It’s me, Kayden. Is something the matter?”
I cautioned Reilly and Sophia, who were both deeply on guard, to keep quiet before answering.
“A friend has come over, so I can’t have dinner with you. Sorry.”
“That works out well. If you’re Rosia’s friend, then you’re my friend too. Won’t you introduce me?”
“You? Why?”
From beyond the door came a deep sigh and a voice tinged with disappointment.
“Why, you say? That hurts my feelings. We even sleep together sometimes.”
Behind me came the sound of a table being struck hard with a bang, followed by Sophia’s shriek, and I broke into a cold sweat.
“I’ve told you not to speak that way. Just go home for now.”
I clenched my teeth, vowing that no matter what, I would one day correct Kayden’s unfortunate way of speaking.
“Understood.”
I sent off the dejected-sounding Kayden and turned back around, only to be assailed by the uncomfortable stares of Reilly and Sophia.
Reilly in particular seemed displeased, his posture slanted as he glared at the door.
“That fool—is he really the Priest?”
Gone was his friendly manner from when I’d given him premium intelligence; now his tone had shifted to mockery.
“Sleeping together? Now that’s an interesting development! Rosia, have you set up house here? I’m all for it.”
Sophia, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and Reilly, who looked ready to explode with anger, both pressed me for answers.
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it? How do you end up sleeping with the Priest?”
“How long has it been since you left the Guild, and you’re already sleeping with some man? If you’re going to live this recklessly, come back to the Guild at once. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
Reilly’s eyes went blank, as if I had betrayed him.
“Don’t exaggerate. I sleep in my room, and he sleeps in the living area. I’ve only put him up occasionally.”
“Why? I think it’s great that Rosia lives so freely. I’d love to see you get even more wild. Maybe build a whole harem—”
“Sophia!”
Reilly clamped his hand over Sophia’s mouth as she spoke of harems, shooting me a look of anguish.
After that, Reilly buried his face in his palms and let out a silent scream.
Sophia, who had collapsed onto the sofa, found his suffering hilarious and yanked at his hair from beside him, torturing him further with her laughter.
Later, I endured Reilly’s exhausting lecture and discussed with him what Raven would need to focus on going forward.
We agreed to share any information we discovered about Sailing, and after a little while longer, they both returned to the Guild.
***
The next day, a bright morning.
I’d gone out early in the dawn and flipped the sign that read “Open” to face the opposite direction, dusting off my hands.
“Then let’s go.”
As planned, I needed to go to the village to buy tables to set up in the Cafe.
The distance to a village large enough to sell proper tables was considerable. Since it wasn’t within walking distance, I sought out Kayden’s Temple to borrow a horse.
Though it was early, Kayden was already outside working diligently, and when he saw me, he broke into a wide smile.
“Rosia? What brings you out so early?”
“Can I borrow a horse? I need to make a trip to the village.”
When I’d visited the Temple before, I’d seen the horse in the Stable. Its coat had a lustrous sheen, and I could tell at a glance it was a fine steed.
“What perfect timing. I happen to have business in the village myself, so why don’t we go together?”
Kayden set down the broom he’d been sweeping with against the wall and offered to come along.
It seemed so natural that I assumed there were two horses. Yet when we arrived at the Stable, there was only the one horse I had seen before.
“…There’s only one horse?”
“Yes. It’s very sturdy and healthy.”
“That’s not the point right now, is it?”
“Isn’t it?”
Kayden’s smile deepened as he looked at me.
“There’s one horse, but two people.”
“We’ll ride together.”
Two full-grown adults riding the same horse? This wasn’t a situation where I was teaching him to ride.
Faced with Kayden’s unexpected proposal, I instinctively took a step back.
But Kayden simply smiled brightly as he stepped forward to match my retreat.
‘Madness.’
I was beginning to sense a certain madness in those clear eyes of his.
No matter how healthy and large the horse was, if we rode together, our bodies would collide the entire way.
“No. Let’s take turns instead. You go today, I’ll go tomorrow.”
“I don’t like that either. If you’re not coming with me, I won’t lend you the horse.”
Unbelievable.
Kayden had never intended to lend me the horse in the first place. Whether today or tomorrow was irrelevant.
When I pressed my forehead, Kayden offered his hand and said to take it.
“Don’t even think about walking. You’d only arrive in the evening.”
I genuinely considered walking. If I ran at a fast enough pace, it wouldn’t really take that long.
But a normal adult woman wouldn’t be capable of that. It might raise unwanted suspicion.
“Do we really have to go together?”
“This horse is particular about its rider. It’s dangerous otherwise.”
This argument held weight.
Training a horse to accept only one rider in a short time wasn’t easy. If I fell off, I could be seriously injured.
“Fine.”
I surrendered, gave up any further protest, and reached for the reins to mount.
The saddle had no stirrup, as it was fitted to Kayden’s height.
“Step here and climb up.”
Suspecting that the saddle was too high for me to mount properly, Kayden dropped to one knee and patted his thigh.
“Not necessary.”
I glanced down at it briefly, then jumped and swung myself onto the horse in one smooth motion.
“That was uncalled for worry. Rosia never ceases to amaze me, after all.”
Kayden let out a soft laugh, and with a light roll of his body, he mounted behind me in one fluid motion. His movements felt far lighter than I’d expected.
He naturally settled behind me, and when I glanced back at him sharply, he protested that he had no choice.
“I need to see where we’re going. If you were behind, I’d be practically lying down.”
“…Fine.”
I’d never thought of his shoulders as particularly broad, but once Kayden settled behind me, my body fit snugly against the inside of his arms.
I flinched slightly at the unexpected breadth of Kayden’s frame.
“Hold the reins too, for safety.”
The sound of Kayden’s voice, felt against my ear, came lower than usual.
Once I took hold of the reins, Kayden’s hands overlapped mine.
With my upper body completely enclosed within his arms, I felt trapped and almost cradled.
“This is already uncomfortable.”
“Just bear with it for a moment. You’ll adapt soon. Now, let’s depart.”
Kayden proved to be a far better rider than I’d expected. The motion was so smooth and stable that I was surprised, and yet the speed was faster than I’d anticipated.
“You ride well.”
“It was my only hobby since childhood.”
Despite his skilled riding, the horse’s motion caused my body to sway, and my back kept colliding with Kayden’s torso.
I tried to keep my back as straight as possible, but it was useless. I continued to feel his firm chest against my back.
‘He’s quite muscular.’
As I felt the contours of Kayden’s body behind me, I became convinced that he was far more than just a simple Priest.
After riding for about forty minutes, we arrived at Traveler’s Village, which lay nearby.
Though not large in scale, the village was packed with travelers passing through.
We left the horse at an Inn and immediately set out to find the Carpentry Workshop.
“I know a good place.”
We found the Carpentry Workshop where Kayden had often left items from the Temple, and the proprietor—a man with a cross-shaped scar near his eyes—stopped carving wood to give me a once-over.
“A young lady I haven’t seen before. Priest, did you get married recently and abandon that remote Temple in the mountains?”
“Apparently we make quite the pair. Even spies said so last time.”
Kayden chuckled deeply and whispered to me. I responded with a stern expression.
“Is that something to be happy about? That’s heresy. What kind of Priest are you?”
“I fulfill all my duties to the Divine, so I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Look, I came to buy some tables. May I have a look?”
“Of course. Feel free to browse.”
Though the shop wasn’t large, the craftsmanship was excellent, just as Kayden had said. All the finished furniture had clean finishes and was flawless.
Even without ornate decoration, every piece was sturdy and well-proportioned, neither excessive nor lacking.
“I’ll take two four-person table and chair sets. You do deliver?”
“Of course. Where should we bring them?”
“To the Temple where this Priest is stationed.”
“Is that so? In the mountains? Ha. Seeing you add household furnishings, it does look like you’ve gotten married after all.”
I started to correct him but decided to let it go.
Since the misunderstanding was already made, it would actually help to avoid suspicion and use the Cafe as a branch operation.
After paying, we stepped outside and visited several more shops.
After purchasing the necessary items for the Cafe, I inquired about a Gravestone, but unfortunately, since this was primarily a place frequented by travelers, they didn’t carry such things.
“I’ll need to look for a Gravestone in the Capital.”
“Let’s go together next time.”
Ride the horse together all the way to the Capital?
I stared at Kayden, silently convinced that would absolutely not happen.
“You said you had business here anyway, didn’t you?”
Even now, he was just trailing after me. It was clear he’d simply come along with nothing else to do.
As I was strengthening my suspicion.
“Priest Kayden! There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
From behind, someone called out to Kayden with a resonant voice, warmly greeting him.

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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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