Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 55

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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 heir to the Dark Guild.
55
“Her condition has worsened.”
The darkened patches on her skin had spread noticeably since he’d seen her on the mountain.
Worse still, he could sense a turbid energy seeping through her—Demonic Energy, unmistakably.
Right after the monster attack, he’d put Rosia to sleep and attempted Healing Magic to treat her, but it hadn’t worked.
That was when Mason understood the Temple Priest had been right: Rosia might be an Immune Ability User.
“Blood doesn’t lie.”
Mason arranged Rosia’s tangled hair across the pillow, his expression etched with sympathy.
His eyes, fixed on her sleeping form, brimmed with tenderness and concern.
Immune Ability Users nullified all magical and Holy Power attacks, but in exchange, they were vulnerable to physical harm.
A grievous wound like this made recovery almost impossible.
“I’ll be your shield. From now on, I won’t let you get hurt ever again.”
Mason steeled his resolve and overturned the pouch of Artifacts he’d brought with him.
Materials tumbled out in a cascade—strange-looking substances, every one of them.
“Where do I start?”
He’d spent days raiding the warehouse for materials to treat Rosia.
These were rare ingredients gathered during his long tenure as master of the Magic Tower—the sort of things that any mage would gladly trade their life to study.
Priceless materials that couldn’t be obtained through any normal means, let alone valued in gold—and yet, to heal Rosia, he begrudged none of them.
“This is the Red Dragon Heart, Unicorn Horn, Deep Sea Fish Lung, God’s Blessing….”
Even draining the Royal Palace treasury couldn’t have gathered materials of this caliber and quantity.
Mason examined the affinities between ingredients, selecting only those with exceptional restorative properties, and began crafting a potion.
“This ought to bring the dead back to life.”
Satisfied with the elite elixir he’d created, he poured it carefully into Rosia’s mouth as she slept.
Rosia, unaware of anything, swallowed down a priceless remedy that could never be replicated.
As her body absorbed the potion, her complexion visibly brightened. The turbid energy that had coalesced around her shoulders vanished.
The wound had healed completely. Whether he could identify which ingredient was most effective hardly mattered—it was an unqualified success.
“Done!”
Mason clenched his fist and cried out to the empty air, exultation flooding through him.
Just then, Rosia’s eyes fluttered, and her eyelids slowly lifted open.
Mason froze in shock. This was the first time he’d met her face-to-face outside her cat form.
He stammered, his lips moving silently as her blue eyes slowly came into focus, still hazy from the potion’s effects.
“Mother?”
The drug’s haze, coupled with their similar features, had led Rosia to mistake Mason for Lily.
“Mother… Mother, I….”
Like a child, Rosia burst into tears, reaching out her hand.
Her trembling fingers were so pitiful that Mason found himself gripping her hand tightly without thinking.
“Mother, have I done well? I tried so hard, but I don’t know if I succeeded. Everything feels so muddled lately.”
As she rambled on, Rosia’s tears fell faster and thicker.
“I haven’t told Seniel yet. What if… what if he resents me later? I’m honestly scared….”
Doped on the potion and half-conscious, Rosia’s carefully guarded feelings began spilling out one by one.
As Mason listened, his heart clenched as if pierced by a blade.
The Rosia he’d observed from the sidelines had always seemed composed, her expressions carefully controlled.
He’d often wondered how she’d grown so unaffected—but now he understood it wasn’t that at all.
Beneath that stolid facade, she harbored such tenderness. The realization crushed him.
How much had she endured alone since childhood, restraining and steeling herself?
“You’ve done wonderfully. Truly, I’m grateful. I’m so proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Thank you for protecting Seniel. You’ve worked so hard.”
He’d never met Lily, but surely she would have said exactly this.
Mason spoke the words with genuine feeling, hoping they would reach her heart.
Hearing them, Rosia’s eyes curved upward in a radiant smile.
“That… I needed to hear that so badly. That I did well….”
That smile of hers seared itself into Mason’s heart and squeezed it tight.
If he could keep seeing that smile, he felt he could do anything.
“My dear. My granddaughter….”
Mason gently traced the corner of Rosia’s eye with his finger as she drifted back to sleep.
In that same moment, a wave of deep regret crashed over him, and he clenched his teeth.
“I’m sorry. If only I’d read that letter sooner… everything might have been different.”
Rosia’s tears had stopped, but now it was Mason who wept openly.
His tears fell upon her hand, which he held firmly, pooling there.
“Getting old… weakens the resolve. Now all I do is cry.”
Mason, who’d been told his emotions were so withered he’d never shed a tear, had been strange lately.
Just days ago, he’d wept from pride watching Seniel take his entrance examination at the Royal Palace.
“Could it be a disease?”
He wondered if he’d caught some affliction that made emotions burst forth as tears, and wiped his nose.
That way, Mason kept watch over Rosia until dawn broke, never taking his eyes from her.
***
I remember bidding farewell and falling asleep again, but when I woke, it felt like days had passed.
“Why does my body feel so light?”
The difference from how I’d felt before sleeping was stark.
Getting out of bed and moving around, I found myself in the best condition I could remember.
Energy surged through me, and I felt the urge to run outside immediately, confident I could defeat anyone.
I tilted my head curiously and got up to walk to the mirror.
Looking at my shoulder, I saw the wound had vanished completely—clean as if it had never been. No more soreness, no more heat like a burn.
“How is this possible?”
To think I’d overcome the Demonic Energy in just one night of suffering. I stretched, marveling at my exceptional physical recovery.
“Though it does feel like someone was watching over me.”
It seemed as though someone had kept vigil beside me the whole time I slept.
It might have been Mother, but that couldn’t be right.
I laughed softly to myself as I changed clothes. Then I found a letter on the windowsill.
It was from Seniel.
His adoptive parents had dragged him away, and he wouldn’t be able to visit for several days due to a family gathering.
I scribbled back a quick reply saying I was returning to the mountain and sent Shell off with it.
Then I packed quickly.
Opening the door to leave, I found myself face-to-face with Bidler’s secretary, who’d been waiting outside.
“What is it?”
Looking at them with mild irritation, the secretary held out a lunch box.
“I’ve brought this for you. The Royal Palace chef made it with things that are good for your health.”
It turned out to be a lunch box made with generous quantities of medicinal herbs.
And a five-tiered one at that.
My stomach growled at precisely that moment. Thinking it was convenient, I accepted the lunch box.
“May I come in?”
“Why?”
“I’ve been asked to observe you while you eat.”
“…Fine.”
Why attach conditions if you’re going to give it anyway? Silently cursing Bidler for being petty, I spread the lunch box on the table.
Every dish was elaborate, crafted from expensive ingredients.
“I’ll dig in.”
My eyes gleaming, I devoured the food cleanly.
The secretary’s eyes went wide as I finished the five-tiered lunch box in no time.
“That was delicious.”
“You certainly ate with gusto.”
I returned the empty lunch box.
“Can I go now?”
“His Highness said he would stop by this afternoon.”
“Tell him I’ve left. Oh, and that I’m fully recovered now.”
“Pardon?”
The secretary tried to stop me, but I had no time to wait around for Bidler until afternoon.
I headed straight to the stables where the guild purchased horses.
After looking over the animals, I selected a sturdy brown horse and paid for it.
I passed back through the checkpoint I’d gone through when entering with the horse.
Deliberately taking a side path that ordinary folk rarely used, I mounted up.
“Hiyah!”
With my body in such excellent condition, the ride was exhilarating.
I grinned and tightened the reins.
At this pace, I’d arrive far sooner than usual.
Riding, resting, and riding again in that cycle, I finally reached Alein Mountain.
“Whew, I’m finally here.”
I took a deep breath of the familiar air and dismounted. The path ahead was no longer suitable for horses.
“Easy, boy. Come here. It’s alright.”
Calming the nervous horse, I made my way through the forest path until I reached the cabin.
Since there wasn’t a stable yet, I tied the horse to a tree beside the chicken coop for now.
“Was I gone too long?”
Having been away from the cabin longer than expected, Cayden suddenly came to mind as I arrived on the mountain.
“This should do.”
I fiddled with the disposable dessert transport Artifact I’d bought on purpose and opened the cabin door.
In that instant, something crashed into my face.
“Oof!”
I grabbed it instinctively—something heavy with soft fur. A cat.
The cat glared at me with triangular eyes, meowing sharply.
Sensing I should apologize, I carefully set the cat down on the floor, avoiding its gaze.
“Sorry. The job took longer than expected. Cayden took good care of you, right?”
“Mrrrow!”
At the sharp cry, I covered my ears, but I felt a cold stare pierce through from the side.
I stiffly turned my head and spotted a black mass in the corner beside the sofa, nearly merged with the wall.
“What are you doing over there?”

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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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