Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 39

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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 run by the Dark Guild’s successor.
Episode 39
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Try to remember.”
“I don’t know anything like that.”
Even as I described it in detail, Senil showed no sign of recognition.
The fact that he couldn’t recall it even after I’d explained suggested he genuinely had no idea.
‘Was I the only one who experienced it?’
I masked my unease and saw Senil off as he departed for the Capital.
A day passed.
Having completed my morning routine as usual, I stepped outside the Cottage and stretched my limbs languidly.
“The weather’s lovely today.”
I stood still for a moment, savoring the bright sunlight beating down from above, then made my way to my parents’ grave—a place I visited without fail each day.
At the gravesite, I discovered several yellow wildflowers blooming nearby.
“Flowers growing in a place like this.”
Delighted, I fetched water and sprinkled it around the flowers to keep them from withering under the intense heat.
That was when Armstrong appeared from nowhere and pecked at one of the blooms. I quickly scooped him up.
“Hey! If you’re hungry, eat your feed instead. I gave you plenty.”
Armstrong had grown considerably larger and was now too heavy to hold easily with one hand.
“You’ve… put on weight, haven’t you?”
“Awk, awk!!”
I set Armstrong down in the Garden, away from the grave, as his comb trembled with the violence of his head-shaking.
Two throwing stars shot out from behind a tree at blinding speed. Their target was unmistakably Armstrong.
Already aware of the person hidden behind the tree, I didn’t hesitate—I reached out and caught both stars cleanly.
With that, a masked woman revealed herself, raising both hands before creeping toward Armstrong in a pouncing stance.
“What are you doing, Sophia?”
“You’re not raising him for food? Look at how plump he is—he’d be delicious roasted.”
“That won’t do. You have no idea how delicious his eggs are.”
“Shame. Right now would be the perfect time to roast him.”
Sophia let out a mock shriek, and Armstrong cried out in alarm, his small feet pattering frantically as he bolted toward the Chicken Coop.
Watching him flee, Sophia burst into delighted laughter, pulled off her mask, and rushed toward me.
“How long have you known I was here?”
“From the start. I saw you hiding behind that tree and decided to wait and see what you’d do.”
“Darn. I thought I’d hidden perfectly this time.”
“What brings you suddenly?”
“You’re not happy to see me?”
Sophia’s already round eyes grew even wider as she looked up at me.
“…I am.”
“Good. I came because there’s something I need to ask. Guild business, not personal.”
“Come inside.”
I went into the shop, Sophia dangling stubbornly from my arm the whole way.
“Water?”
“No! Make me something.”
“I don’t have the ingredients.”
“What kind of café is this!”
Despite her complaint, Sophia accepted the cold water I offered and gulped it down. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out something wrapped in cloth.
“Losia, I need you to hold onto this.”
I unwrapped the cloth, and a familiar object came into view. It was the Greatsword Map—the one I’d stolen.
Caught off guard by the unexpected item, I stared at Sophia.
“This thing’s caused enough fighting already. The Aide is desperate to find it. And you’re asking me, someone who hasn’t done any guild work, to keep it?”
“You’re Losia.”
Sophia put on a pair of round spectacles she’d fished from her bag, grinned, and pushed them up on her nose.
“And why aren’t you a guild member? We decided to make this a branch of Raven, didn’t we?”
I gazed down at the map now back in my hands and traced it with my fingers.
“We’ve abandoned any attempt to break the Seal. The map kept causing internal conflict, so Reiley and I decided it was safer to entrust it to someone trustworthy.”
Having just met Senil yesterday, Bittler immediately came to mind.
“The Aide said they know how to break the Seal, didn’t they?”
“Yeah. Though I can’t trust them. Even after their spy plant failed, they’ve been making contact through legitimate means—offering an alliance.”
I grabbed the map on the table and looked Sophia directly in the eyes.
“If I hand this over to the Aide, what would you do?”
The smile faded from Sophia’s face, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
“What are you thinking?”
“Joining forces with the Aide. If our suspicions are correct… with the 2nd Prince.”
“That’s dangerous. The 2nd Prince is rotten wood—the moment the 1st Prince becomes Emperor, he’ll be cut down.”
I nodded, already aware of this, and Sophia exhaled as if something had occurred to her.
“Is it because of your brother?”
Sophia, who’d grown up with me since childhood, knew me better than anyone.
I didn’t confirm or deny it, simply meeting her gaze.
“Do it. It’s your map—use it however you see fit.”
“I’m not acting for Raven’s sake. Only for my own. Are you still with me?”
“Yes. No matter what you choose, Reiley and I will stand by your side. And if we’re with you, that means all of Raven will be.”
Sophia’s words were more reassuring than anything else could be. I was genuinely grateful for her unwavering devotion.
“I won’t act immediately. I’m going to watch the 2nd Prince and use this as leverage when the moment comes.”
“Let me know when that time arrives. I’m interested in the 2nd Prince.”
“Interested?”
Sophia leaned closer to me, her eyes gleaming.
“You know the 1st Prince is worthless, right?”
I silently nodded.
“He doesn’t spend time at the Imperial Palace—he’s famous for haunting the Capital’s high-end drinking establishments. And he uses drugs too, I hear. Having such a person become Emperor doesn’t sound great.”
The 1st Prince’s reputation had always been abysmal. I’d hoped he might have straightened out by now, but apparently he’d only gotten worse.
“If not for the Empress Clione, the 1st Prince would have been cast out long ago. I think the 2nd Prince would be far better suited as Emperor.”
Sophia paused for a moment before lowering her voice.
“So if the 2nd Prince is planning a rebellion, I’ll convince Raven to lend its strength. That would help you far more than going it alone, no?”
“Raven has never taken a political stance since its founding.”
Most of the Dark Guild are neutral organizations. The moment they favor one side politically, their enemies multiply.
“That was when the Queen was Master. Maybe now’s the time we make a big bet. It could be fun, right?”
Sophia, who loved intrigue, grinned with relish at the very thought of it.
“…It’s too soon. Let’s talk about it later. Pass this conversation on to Reiley today.”
With that, Sophia left the map and departed. I gazed at it lying on the table, lost in thought.
‘Should I draw Raven into this?’
Until now, nothing in my life had taken precedence over Senil. Not even myself.
I’d wanted his happiness above all else, and I would have sacrificed myself for him without hesitation.
But Raven was different.
Just as the Knights and Bittler were precious to Senil, my comrades in Raven were precious to me. I was afraid of drawing them into this.
“Ugh, my head.”
Suddenly, a headache began to close in, just as it had when I’d encountered Thornbush Cliff days ago.
I stumbled into my room and rummaged through a drawer.
Among several medicines I kept for emergencies, I found the one for headaches and swallowed it hastily.
After a moment, the pain began to subside.
But perhaps I’d taken the wrong medicine—my mind grew hazy and my eyes closed.
Through the gap in my consciousness, memories I’d clenched my teeth through in childhood, near-death experiences I’d survived after countless trials, flashed past like a panorama.
‘It’s all false. Don’t remember.’
Even knowing they were illusions, I couldn’t easily wake.
And so, as I sifted through those painful recollections, a cliff covered entirely in massive thornbushes appeared in the dream.
Young me had dropped a ball I’d been playing with, and it rolled into the thorns. After hesitating, I reached out to follow it.
“Don’t go! You can’t!”
Crying out would have been pointless.
Already chasing the ball, I drew near the cliff’s edge, and the thornbushes swallowed me whole.
In the next instant, my vision crossed over the edge. Someone stood there, holding the ball I’d lost.
As I forced my eyes open to see who it was, a red light flashed, and I jerked awake.
“Gasp.”
I gasped for breath and looked around. Something cold touched my forehead, which was drenched in cold sweat.
As my eyes shifted to the side, I recognized the silhouette.
“…Caiden?”
“You’re finally awake.”
From the darkness beyond the window behind Caiden, I could tell it was already deep into the night.
Startled at how long I’d slept, I began to sit up, but Caiden gently pressed down on my shoulder, stopping me.
“Rest a bit longer. You’ve had a fever the whole time.”
Caiden soaked a cloth in the water basin he’d placed beneath the bed, then wrung it out.
He replaced the lukewarm cloth on my forehead with the cooler one.
Though Caiden had stayed over at the house before, he’d always slept in the living room while I remained in my room.
The sight of Caiden now sitting on my bed—somewhere he’d never been before—felt strangely unfamiliar.

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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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