Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 68

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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.
Episode 68
“Hassan at last?”
“Yes. It’s thanks to you, boss. This time, I’m certain to pass. I’ll bring you good news.”
“I wish you luck.”
Even at a glance, his frame had grown twice as robust since we’d first met, and the aura about him had transformed entirely—this time he really did seem destined to pass.
I saw the knight off and returned to the shop.
The porters still hadn’t left; they sat about making a racket.
A soft chime.
As the door opened and I turned to look, a woman in neat attire stepped in shyly.
“Hello, boss.”
“I’m afraid we’re full at the moment.”
Between the customer who’d arrived earlier in the day and the porters now occupying the tables, there simply wasn’t any seating left.
“Oh… I’ll wait outside then.”
“Pardon?”
“Just let me know when a seat opens up.”
For the first time, I had a customer willing to wait.
I was processing this peculiar situation when the door opened again and Cayden walked in.
“There’s a customer waiting outside, you know.”
“The place hardly warrants that.”
“Heh heh. Why not order more tables?”
“…Right. I suppose I should.”
“Come to the village with me tomorrow. It’s about time I made a supply run anyway.”
As he spoke, Cayden held out a basket overflowing with fresh fruit.
I plucked a few pieces and examined them, genuinely impressed.
“Always top quality. Why does the Temple take such good care of you?”
The Temple in the village sent Cayden an abundance of expensive vegetables and food supplies nearly every day.
It seemed far excessive merely to look after a lone priest.
‘Is Cayden guarding a seal?’
I’d found it suspicious for some time, but if my theory from a few days ago was correct, this made sense now.
When I fixed him with a skeptical gaze, Cayden looked away and spoke.
“If you’re going to keep someone cooped up on a mountain like this, shouldn’t you at least feed them well? Better to eat properly, no? Ha ha.”
Well, since I was benefiting from it too, I nodded in agreement.
***
The next day.
I shut the shop early and headed out for the village.
Leading my horse down the path, I found Cayden already waiting.
“You could ride with me, you know.”
“We have two horses. Why should we?”
I swung onto my mount, and Cayden followed suit, muttering as he climbed into his saddle.
“There’s no real point going separately.”
I ignored him and pulled the reins taut.
Even though I deliberately raced ahead, Cayden kept pace without difficulty.
What started as mere hurrying turned into a full gallop all the way to the village, yet Cayden never managed to overtake me.
“Huff… huff… Rosia, how are you so good with horses?”
“Maybe you’re just bad at it.”
I chuckled and dismounted, giving his shoulder a playful tap.
Leading the horses by their reins, I entered the village.
When I brought my horse to the Inn to be stabled, the proprietor’s response was entirely different from before.
“My goodness! That’s you, isn’t it? The young lady running the shop up in the mountains!”
The innkeeper recognized me and came running over with a broad smile.
“Y-yes, that’s me.”
“You should come down more often. It’s been ages, and I’m so happy to see you!”
“Why?”
“Does one need a reason to be glad to see someone? I’ll take good care of the horses, so go about your business. Be sure to meet with the village chief too.”
As I left the Inn, I blinked in bewilderment at this enthusiastic welcome.
“What was that about?”
“That’s strange. She’s usually quite taciturn with me.”
Cayden, who visited the village monthly for the Temple, found this reaction equally puzzling.
In any case, we made our way toward the town center to accomplish our purpose.
As we walked through the marketplace toward the Carpentry Shop where I’d previously ordered tables, people kept staring.
Not just staring—they actually approached us, and with excessive enthusiasm at that.
“Miss. Have you eaten? If not, let me treat you to a meal.”
“Today’s fruit is exceptionally fresh. Please, take some—it’s on me!”
“We just got in the finest cuts of meat. Try some, grilled fresh.”
“Don’t you need this?”
Everyone seemed anxious, as though desperate to give me something.
As this relentless kindness continued, I grew wary.
“Isn’t this strange?”
“More than strange—it’s very strange.”
Cayden too sensed the oddness, glancing about nervously and lowering his voice.
But finding no clear explanation, we eventually parted ways—Cayden toward the Temple, I toward the Carpentry Shop.
Upon opening the workshop door, I spotted the proprietor carving wood.
“Hello.”
He turned indifferently at first, then jumped to his feet when he saw me.
“Oh my, who’s this? The young lady from the mountain shop!”
“…Yes. I’d like to order more tables.”
“Of course, of course. Same design as last time? How many do you need?”
“Two. How long will it take?”
“Since it’s for you, I’ll prioritize it. Fresh wood just arrived, so about three days?”
The order was quickly arranged since I was simply replicating the previous design.
“It’s nearly lunchtime. Have you eaten yet? If not, there’s a dumpling shop just across the way.”
“Dumplings? What are those?”
“You make a wrapper from flour and wrap vegetables inside… but really, you have to taste them to understand.”
My ears perked up at the mention that the recipe came from across the continent.
“Cayden will still be at the Temple.”
Since my stomach was starting to rumble, I decided to slip across and have a look.
In front of the shop the carpenter had mentioned, a stall was laid out.
Steam rose from a round pot inside, and the aroma was absolutely enticing.
“Dear me! Miss! You must try these. Just made them, warm and delicious!”
I’d only meant to peek, but the woman detained me, and I couldn’t escape.
“These are dumplings?”
“You know the name? Indeed. Here, try one.”
She cut one with scissors and offered it; I reluctantly took a bite. My eyes went wide.
“How is it? Delicious, isn’t it?”
“…It really is.”
“Come inside. I’ll make you a proper bowl with broth.”
As though enchanted, I followed her into the shop and sat down.
While waiting for the food, a man at the next table eating his meal laughed heartily and spoke to me.
“Say, you’re the young lady running that mountain shop, right? I hear it’s doing wonderfully. I should’ve stopped by sooner.”
A man at the table across from him chimed in.
“I heard the mountain path is blocked? If it were opened up, wouldn’t you get even more customers?”
“You should go and clear it. It’s hardly difficult, is it?”
“True enough. If needed, we could expand the building too.”
“Just a single floor now, you say? We could rebuild it as a proper three-story structure.”
The actual owner—me—hadn’t said a word, yet here they were discussing my shop among themselves.
‘What is this?’
It seemed connected to the strangeness I’d felt since entering the village.
“Here you go, miss. Your dumpling soup is ready. Be careful—blow on it to cool it first.”
The woman placed a large bowl before me, the dumplings swimming in steaming broth.
I set aside the men’s chatter and lifted my spoon for a generous first taste.
‘…Delicious!’
Even the dumplings alone had been tasty, but combined with the hot broth, they were something else entirely.
As I ate rapidly without pause, clearing the bowl quickly, the woman sat beside me with a satisfied smile.
“Come down to the village whenever you can. I’ll make you a fresh bowl each time. Seeing a young, lovely girl like you brings back memories of my own youth—it puts me in such a good mood.”
Then the carpenter called out loudly from behind.
“When were you ever like that…”
“Oh hush. Don’t you want to eat?”
“You were beautiful. Exactly like that. I fell for that face of yours, you know. I’m hungry—serve me food.”
I glanced between the two of them in confusion.
When had the carpenter left the workshop and come here?
Were they… a married couple?
The carpenter naturally took the seat across from me.
There was a look of quiet pride in his eyes—he seemed pleased that I was enjoying the food he’d recommended—but his excessive attention made me eat faster out of discomfort.
“Whew.”
Once I’d finished eating, my thoughts turned to Cayden.
‘I wonder if Cayden has tried these.’
I had a feeling I’d be thinking about this taste often. Setting down my spoon, I resolved to ask if I could make them back at the shop.
“That was delicious. Thank you.”
I stood to pay and leave, but the woman waved her hand.
“What do you eat properly up there on that mountain? Take these with you.”
She packed something into a cloth bundle. When I checked, it was filled with dumplings from the stall.
“Please, let me pay you.”
“Oh dear, you needn’t pay a thing, miss. I’m giving them because I want to. Travel safely, and do come again.”
I accepted the bundle of dumplings and stepped out of the shop, blinking dazedly.
“What is this feeling?”
My mind felt scattered, yet my belly was full, and my heart was warm despite the inconvenience—a contradiction wrapped in emotion.
“What a nuisance.”
This was a feeling I’d never known before, so I attributed it to annoyance and began walking again when—
“Wait! You there, stop a moment!”
A middle-aged man came rushing toward me from a distance, wearing an armband that read “Village Chief.”
“You’re the owner of that mountain shop, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“I am Gillaken, the village chief and chairman of the Merchant Guild.”
He thrust a piece of paper he’d been clutching directly into my hands.
“Would you consider joining?”

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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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