Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 40

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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 cafe run by the successor of the Dark Guild.
Chapter 40
“You were screaming pretty loudly. Do you usually have nightmares often?”
“It’s the first time. I guess I’ve been unsettled lately.”
I lifted my head slowly and met Kaiden’s gaze.
Kaiden looked down at me with kind eyes and placed his hand over mine, which lay carelessly at my side.
“What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it warm?”
“……Yes.”
Kaiden’s hand was warm each time it touched me, but more than that—it was hot.
Suddenly I recalled Bidler’s hand from before. It was the complete opposite of that numbing cold that had seemed to pierce down to the bone.
That was when it happened.
Kaiden raised his other hand—the one not holding mine—and wove Hand Sealing. A perfect sphere materialized around his fingers.
The sphere poured forth light like a lamp, and the radiance gathered around Kaiden and me, brightening the space.
“My mother remarried when I was three, and that’s when my stepfather began abusing me. I endured it without even knowing it was abuse… until one day, when he was drunk, he killed my mother.”
Though much was left unsaid, the story Kaiden began held quite shocking content.
“That day I finally couldn’t bear it anymore, and I stabbed him. I never once thought of him as my father, but on paper he was, so I killed my father with my own hands.”
“You said you’d tell me once we grew closer?”
Kaiden smiled faintly and continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Somehow I received the Divine Oracle and became a Priest, but deep within me there still dwells profound darkness. Very black indeed.”
Kaiden’s face wavered beneath the shadow of the firelight. It was a gloomy expression I’d never seen before.
“Everyone carries darkness within them. So don’t be so confused about it.”
It seemed as though he were seeing through my innermost thoughts, and I tightened my lips.
“Aren’t you afraid of that darkness?”
“Rosia, have you ever seen light without a shadow?”
“……No.”
“There you have it. Even the most radiant light casts a shadow. There are two sides to everything. After I realized that, I accepted it. What can I do? It’s all me.”
I don’t know if Kaiden brought this up for my sake, but it somehow felt comforting.
After joining the guild with her, I had to endure unwanted training and missions.
Dissatisfied with the person I’d become as the Prince, I kept turning away from it.
The part of me that was Raven, I locked away beneath the name Prince, telling myself it wasn’t the real me.
As if I had two separate identities.
But just now, from Kaiden’s words, a small crack appeared in the bottom of my tightly sealed chest.
“You’re strong.”
“Rosia is strong too.”
Kaiden wrung out a towel he’d dampened in water, then switched it with the one on my forehead.
“If you need a place to lean on, why don’t you come to the Temple starting tomorrow and pray? Ever since I first saw you, I thought your spirit was remarkably pure.”
What was this? Was he trying to recruit more worshippers now of all times?
A chill shot up from my core, and my vision, which had been clouded all along, suddenly cleared.
“That’s enough. Get out.”
“Why? I can stay a little longer—… Understood. I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”
When I threw the towel at him, Kaiden blocked it with his arm and bolted toward the door. Just before it closed, he shouted back.
“The Temple is always open. I’ll pray for you, Rosia!”
I’d momentarily forgotten he was a Priest. I gripped my wavering heart firmly once more.
Despite the unusually long night, dawn broke as it always did.
“I sweat so much. My body feels lighter.”
I rose as though nothing had happened, washed my face, changed clothes, and opened the shop door wide.
I’d planned to go into the forest to gather fruit, but I found a basket brimming with fresh fruits and berries sitting at the doorstep.
A small note was attached to the top.
[Don’t go to the forest for a while.
I’ll procure anything you need.]
It was from Kaiden.
He must have thought my nightmare and poor condition were related to something I’d seen in the forest.
“Did he get these from the Village?”
Unexpected as it was, this kind of protection wasn’t unwelcome, so I smiled slightly and brought the basket inside.
I washed the most eye-catching apple—plump and glossy—then carefully peeled its skin thin with a knife.
I was so focused on the satisfying scraping sensation that when I came to my senses, the apple had vanished and a bird had been carved in its place.
“Mm.”
I quickly bit off its head before anyone could see, then chewed. It was crisp and delicious.
“An apple for breakfast isn’t bad?”
One apple filled me quite well, so I made a note to eat one together with eggs going forward.
My stomach satisfied, I next pulled out the Map of the Great Sword that Sophia had given me from my Artifact Pouch.
The map was curled tight and sealed so it would never open on its own. I tried pulling at it forcefully, but if it could be opened this way, Raven would have opened it long ago.
I tapped on the stubborn map and carried it over to the fireplace.
“What if I just burn it?”
The method for unsealing varies depending on the mage who cast it, so without finding that mage, breaking a seal is essentially impossible.
Moreover, items sealed by powerful magic often have their contents erased if someone tries to force them open.
On the off chance, I was holding the map close to the fire and raising the temperature when something suddenly leapt through the window.
“Mew-ow.”
It was the cat that had appeared and disappeared the day I was grilling meat in the yard.
Was it because it was a cat?
What surprised me was that I hadn’t detected any presence until it was already inside the shop.
The cat elegantly settled itself on the kitchen table, adopting a position as comfortable as if it owned the place.
“Who are you? I’m not keeping you.”
Armstrong, I could forgive for at least giving me eggs daily. But a cat—it only eats food and leaves scratches. A useless animal.
Yet the cat ignored my words entirely and began grooming itself.
“No! The map!”
While I was distracted by the cat, the map I’d been holding slipped from my hand and tumbled into the fireplace. Fortunately, the fire wasn’t strong, so I pulled the map out barehanded.
It was hot, so I blew on it as I examined it, but there wasn’t a single scratch. Of course, the seal remained intact.
I put the map back into the Artifact Pouch and watched the cat enjoy the sunlight.
Its fur was mostly silver with streaks of deep black scattered throughout. Mesmerized by how soft it looked—the kind where your hand would sink in—I reached out.
“Mew.”
The cat stretched and rolled away, evading my hand. Then it snatched one of the eggs I’d boiled and darted off with it clamped in its mouth.
“That’s mine! Give it back!”
I chased the cat around the shop, but no matter how quick I was, I was no match for it.
Just as my irritation was starting to peak, I heard the whinny of a horse.
Looking out the window, I saw Hestanya being helped down from her horse by an attendant.
Last time she’d shown some care by leaving her carriage hidden at a distance. Today, she made no such effort—a brazenly open visit.
Hestanya waved at me from outside the window and entered the shop. As always, she wore an elaborate dress and high heels.
“Rosia, I’ve come to see you.”
While I should have been pleased to see an old acquaintance, somehow I wasn’t.
The fundamental issue was whether Hestanya, who had come with intention, could even be called a customer.
“The table has increased? New things are always good. I’ll sit here today.”
Hestanya removed her wide-brimmed hat and placed it on the table, then held out a box she’d brought.
“I bought these from a famous bakery so we could eat together. Could I have a rich coffee, please?”
“I don’t have coffee.”
I answered half-heartedly, having been asked for something not on the menu.
“I thought as much, so I brought some. Use the rest here.”
Coffee grounds are an expensive luxury—they must be painstakingly imported from across the sea.
Watching her pull a bottle full of it from her bag, I felt my heart lighten.
I smiled genuinely and accepted the bottle.
“I’ll prepare it right away.”
“Ah, just two spoonfuls for me, please. You have sugar cubes, yes? Just half of one.”
What would normally have been an annoying personal request, I fulfilled without complaint, selecting a pretty cup and mixing the grounds.
Moments later, a fragrant, rich coffee aroma filled the shop.
I poured hot water over it, and as the coffee steeped dark, Hestanya looked satisfied and patted the seat beside her.
“Come sit with me, Rosia. This cake is really delicious.”
It was a rectangular cake with honey and nuts layered between stacked sheets.
Having never tried such a dessert, I pierced a piece with my fork without much expectation—and my eyes widened.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“How is there such a taste in the world… There is. With something like this, I could eat ten in one sitting.”
“Oh my, Rosia, you’re really amusing. Saying it’s delicious with such a cold expression. Ha ha. I’m glad you liked it. I’ll bring more next time.”
It was completely different from the wholesome taste that Kaiden made. The stimulating, sweet flavor of the cake was moving.
‘So desserts really are something special.’
As I ate slowly so as not to waste it, Hestanya pushed the cake plate toward me entirely.

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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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