Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 74

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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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It’s a café run by the heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 74
Bidler’s gaze fixed on me was cold and sharp. In a way, I was grateful—at least there was no hint of recognition in his eyes.
If he’d seen through my identity, he couldn’t possibly be this composed.
“This is only the second time we’ve met face to face. Last time, you snatched the map right in front of me.”
“Were you already hidden inside before I arrived? Masking your presence?”
“Yes.”
“Why? You could have just walked out with it. Or did you need someone to sacrifice for the magic?”
“I have no interest in the artifact. Calm yourself. Who do you think organized this Guild War?”
It was a question unrelated to our immediate situation, but the moment I heard it, something crystallized in my mind.
“Don’t tell me—Aide?”
“Exactly. We hosted it.”
Behind my mask, I bit my lip.
This was a development I’d never anticipated.
“Raven kept refusing our requests for a meeting. We had no choice but to arrange something like this. Of course, if we’d discovered a superior guild, we would have considered forming an alliance with them instead.”
Bidler spoke matter-of-factly as he stepped closer.
“But it really is Raven. You’ve lived up to expectations. I didn’t think you’d find it this quickly, though. How did you break the magic seal on the jewelry box?”
“Don’t come any closer.”
I retreated step by step, putting distance between myself and Bidler.
The exit was behind him.
It was almost identical to the situation when I’d hunted for the Map of the Great Sword before.
I kept my blade raised, watching him carefully, ready to strike at any moment. “What do you want?”
“The Map of the Great Sword. And an alliance.”
Bidler’s eyes flashed menacingly as he lunged at me with startling speed.
I was already braced. I blocked his sword and tried to drive my blade through his exposed ribs.
I had no intention of killing him.
It was purely a threat—but apparently he read that hesitation.
I was the one who paid the price instead.
“—Ah.”
Bidler’s blade grazed my thigh in a shallow cut. A sharp, stinging pain bloomed.
“You…?”
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Bidler’s eyes wavered for an instant.
“What?”
“It’s nothing. The blade’s coated with deadly poison. It’ll spread through your entire body in an hour.”
“This is how you propose an alliance?”
The poison itself wasn’t alarming, but if the deadly poison was genuine, there was no time to waste.
I pressed an attack to secure an escape route.
But he’d already claimed the advantageous position and refused to yield. Instead, he drove me toward the corner.
“Of course I have an antidote. I’ll hand it over once we’ve finished talking.”
“Why are you so fixated on Raven? There are plenty of outstanding dark guilds.”
“Because you’re the only one worth having. The only one in Raven.”
The unexpected answer left me speechless.
“Even if you had the Map of the Great Sword, you could never open it.”
“We know it’s sealed in blood. We also know whose blood.”
Bidler’s eyes lit with surprise. He murmured in admiration.
“Impressive. There aren’t many sorcerers who can decipher such an incantation.”
“Why did you establish Aide? What do you plan to do with the map?”
“Turn the heavens upside down.”
His eyes held the same sincerity they had when he asked me to become his fiancée.
His resolve was unmistakable in the steady, unwavering tone of his voice.
And as I suspected, Bidler appeared to be the Guild Master of Aide.
“Turning the heavens upside down… that’s dangerous talk.”
“I want to form an alliance. Can you arrange a meeting between us, master to master?”
Raven had been avoiding such meetings all this time. He was simply proposing we at least have a conversation.
“I don’t have the authority to decide. I’ll go back and discuss it.”
“I trust you. Here’s the antidote.”
I expected him to drag out the negotiation with the antidote, but he handed it over cleanly instead.
I caught the vial he tossed and pocketed it.
Before leaving, I asked the most crucial question.
“If we form an alliance, the biggest point of contention will be the map. How do you plan to split the Magic Stone once it’s found?”
“Breaking the seal requires blood—which we have. Fifty-fifty.”
“Eighty-twenty.”
In that instant, Bidler shot me a piercing look. His eyes were cursing me silently.
“…We’ll discuss this properly at the negotiation table.”
“Fine.”
Just then, a sound echoed through the wall.
People who’d located the hidden space were knocking from inside.
The door would open soon. I grabbed the jewelry box and tightened my grip on my sword.
“I’ll create an opening for you. Get out of here.”
“You’re going to help?”
“Consider it a gesture of alliance.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, the door burst open.
The assassins waiting outside immediately hurled throwing blades inside.
I thought Bidler alone would struggle to block them all, but his skill exceeded my expectations.
In seconds, he’d deflected every blade and carved out a space at the doorway, securing an escape route.
That gap was more than enough. The moment it opened, I bolted like a madman.
“I’m counting on your answer!”
I heard Bidler’s shout as I sprinted down the corridor, corpses scattered throughout.
Despite the treaty banning unnecessary killing, it seemed the excited assassins had lost their restraint.
“Dying in a place like this.”
I tsk’d and signaled to Andrew.
Then I leaped out a window, avoiding the other guild members hidden on the stairs.
As I moved covertly across the ceiling, I spotted one of our members surrounded by three assassins in a dire situation.
They were wearing Raven colors, so I didn’t hesitate. I smashed through the window and pulled them to safety.
“How troublesome.”
I struck the vitals of two in quick succession, then kicked the last one’s head.
“You’re Chen, right? If you’re going to tremble like that, quit. You’re a disgrace to Raven’s name.”
“P-Prince, how do you know my name?”
Chen’s eyes went wide. His hands, which had been shaking, trembled even more.
“Get your head on straight. One second later and you’d have ended up like that.”
I pointed to another guild member who was bleeding heavily against the wall, gasping for breath.
Then I grabbed Chen by the nape of his neck and dragged him outside.
“That’s the checkpoint. I’ll draw their attention. You run with this.”
“But this is what you found, Prince…”
“The guild comes first. The guild’s victory matters more than mine.”
“…Yes! I’ll remember that!”
The guild mattered more than the individual.
That was what set us apart from other dark guilds.
As Chen and I leaped down to the first floor simultaneously, most of the assassins’ focus shifted to me with a barrage of attacks.
They naturally assumed I was the one carrying the artifact.
Fortunately, Chen had warmed up considerably since earlier. He defended himself well against the rushing assassins and kept pace with me.
When Andrew joined in and the scattered guild members regrouped, the battle became even more intense.
In the chaos, Chen quietly slipped out of formation and stood at the checkpoint, waving Raven’s flag.
“Victory belongs to Raven!”
Everyone froze at the ringing cry.
The moment the artifact pulled from the hidden chamber was revealed, a signal flare exploded, announcing the end of the Guild War.
“Hooray!!”
Raven erupted in cheers while the other guilds groaned—the joy and disappointment starkly divided.
I finally let the tension drain from my shoulders, raising my clenched fist in triumph.
It was satisfying to avenge the mockery I’d suffered for not participating in the last Guild War.
“Again? I’m sick of this.”
Eugene of Silverwolf, the previous Guild War’s champions, passed by me and threw down a challenge.
“Long time no see.”
“What have you been up to? I thought you were dead, I hadn’t seen you in so long.”
“Why? Missing me? I thought you asked me never to show my face.”
“Ha. As if. I was going to throw a funeral celebration if you were dead.”
“Did you finally prove Silverwolf’s last win was only because Raven wasn’t there?”
“Damn it. One-on-one would’ve been a tie! We’ll settle this next time!”
Eugene cursed roughly and left with his guild members.
Despite the harsh words, running into each other everywhere for ten years had made him feel more like a comrade than some of Raven’s own members.
“Prince, are you hurt anywhere? You were amazing as always. We couldn’t even figure out where the item was hidden.”
I gave Andrew’s shoulder a light pat and asked.
“Is Railly at Headquarters right now?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going there first. Do you have a Teleportation Magic Stone?”
I extended my palm, and Andrew flinched, his eyes growing moist.
“I do have one, but I’ve been saving it carefully.”
“Bill Railly for it later.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Leaving the guild members gazing at me with admiration, I activated the Teleportation Magic Stone.
I stepped through the portal and arrived at the foot of the mountain where Raven’s Headquarters was located.
Finally, I could calm my mind.
I took slow, measured breaths and replayed my conversation with Bidler.
“Bidler is definitely the Guild Master of Aide.”
I’d suspected it, but confirmation was another matter entirely.
“At least he didn’t recognize me.”
The fact that I’d kept my identity completely hidden from Bidler was the most satisfying part.
“For now, I should relay Aide’s alliance proposal. Railly will make the final decision.”
As I walked toward Headquarters, I crushed and swallowed the antidote Bidler had given me.
***
After the Guild War concluded successfully and most guilds had departed, there remained one place to clean up.
Aide, the host of this Guild War, stayed behind at the Estate to sort through the aftermath.
“How do you feel about the results?”
“I obtained a satisfactory outcome.”
“It was Raven, then?”
“Yes. My eye doesn’t deceive me.”
The reason he’d hosted the Guild War with a hefty prize and accepted significant losses was to observe all the dark guilds in one place.
There were many guilds worth watching, but only Raven had demonstrated the deductive reasoning, quick reflexes, and unity that satisfied him.
“But why do you look so distant? What happened in the room?”
“…Leave this to me. I need to be alone for a moment.”
After issuing cleanup orders, Bidler walked out to the lawn by himself and collapsed beneath a tree with a short moan.
Once he confirmed he was alone, he muttered in disbelief.
“The Prince… was Rosia. I can’t believe it. How long has it been?”

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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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