Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 77

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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.
Chapter 77
“I came up the mountain to gather firewood, and I thought I’d rest here for a moment.”
“Please, come in.”
“I prefer to stay outside.”
As she said this, she set down a backpack laden with kindling.
“I’d like a hot cup of tea.”
“Of course.”
Winter was approaching, so I’d prepared several varieties of tea. I happened to have dried jujube tea on hand, so I boiled some hot water.
“You met my son the other day, didn’t you?”
Ah, the one who’d been stripping off his coat earlier.
I nodded while pouring hot water into the teacup.
“My boy has quite a physique, hasn’t he?”
“Yes. Though he’s not quite my type.”
“Is that so? That would explain it. He came home that day absolutely in tears. I figured someone must have given him quite the thrashing.”
What on earth had Cayden discussed with him that day to reduce such a large man to tears?
I found it hard to believe Cayden had reduced him to tears with mere words.
The woman chuckled and pulled a black envelope from her bag.
“I packed this for my lunch, but let’s share it.”
Dumplings again.
I didn’t dislike them, so I handed her the teacup through the window and picked up one of the dumplings.
“Mm, lovely aroma. Between you and me, if you have ability, why bother with marriage? Living well alone is the best. Oh, my name is Mathen.”
After introducing herself, Mathen paused mid-sip of tea and heaved a heavy sigh.
“I’m worried about the village atmosphere lately. My son got hurt and is just lying in bed…….”
Mathen’s face had grown dark, lined with worry.
“What’s wrong with the village?”
“A gang of thugs came in and have been causing trouble for days now. They say they have some terrifying backing behind them…….”
The word “backing” piqued my curiosity, and I perked up my ears.
“The village has guards keeping watch, doesn’t it? And the Village Chief too.”
“Guards? Those bastards took money and pretend not to see anything. When trouble breaks out, they just side with the thugs. It’s infuriating.”
Her voice trembled slightly with anger as the memory rekindled her fury.
“The Village Chief tried to drive them out and broke his leg for it.”
With people getting hurt, it seemed more serious than I’d first thought.
“He used to boast about his old martial glory, and now look at him—knocked flat with a single blow. Sigh, every time I look at this village lately, I just want to weep.”
I leaned my arm against the windowsill and gave Mathen my full attention.
“How long has this been going on?”
“A little over four days? The first day they smashed up shops and caused a ruckus. Now they’re demanding protection money and shoving documents at people.”
“On what authority are they collecting this?”
“None at all, obviously. But what can you do when they keep forcing the matter with violence?”
Mathen sighed deeply, saying she was on the verge of signing the documents they’d presented.
“So things are still that way now?”
“My husband went to file a petition with a few others, but who’s going to pay attention to that? It’s such a small village. Still, I’m grateful the Merchant Association hasn’t gotten involved.”
Mathen sniffled, her voice steady until that moment.
She then passed all the dumplings she’d brought over to me through the window.
“My goodness, I’ve taken up far too much of your time, haven’t I? Thank you for listening to me complain. I’ll come visit again soon.”
Mathen hurried off with her backpack, insisting I shouldn’t worry.
“I feel sick. Why?”
My mood sank as I watched her figure disappear into the distance.
It was like having my possessions stolen by someone whose face I didn’t even know—it left me deeply unsettled.
I picked up the cleaver that sat on the cutting board and spun it slowly between my fingers while thinking.
‘Which guild could they be?’
A guild with no sense of ethics, coming all the way out to this remote territory to extort money.
It wasn’t likely to be a high-ranking guild. The bigger the operation, the cleaner the work.
The way they were stirring up trouble suggested they were either a small-time guild or operatives with some other agenda entirely.
I planted the cleaver into the cutting board with a soft thunk and muttered to myself.
“…I’ll settle this with dumplings.”
I’d already received my share from the village before, and now I’d gotten a whole bundle from Mathen today.
This was why there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
***
Evening had fallen, the moon just beginning to rise.
I changed into comfortable clothes and grabbed my mask before heading out.
Since I wasn’t going to be active as Prince tonight, I didn’t take the usual potion.
I rode horseback to the edges of the village, then tied my horse to a distant tree.
“Wait here for me.”
I slipped quietly into the village under cover of darkness. Despite the early hour, the streets were empty and utterly silent.
‘Just like she said.’
People apparently avoided going out for fear of running into the thugs.
But there were still a few figures moving about, so I made my way onto the rooftops.
“They said the Town Hall was occupied?”
I headed straight for the Town Hall, where the thugs had driven out the Village Chief and taken over.
As I passed through the Merchant District, I saw signs everywhere of destruction—collapsed structures and walls scarred by damage.
The village that had been so lively when I last visited now looked like ruins, and irritation welled up inside me again.
The Town Hall’s chimney was smoking by the time I arrived.
“I guess it is cold tonight.”
I sat on the roof of a nearby building and gauged how many were inside.
Three inside the Town Hall, one outside.
“This should be manageable.”
I’d planned to just scout if there were many skilled fighters, but this number seemed easily handled alone.
I dropped down to ground level as soundlessly as possible.
Then I slipped into the shadows cast on the street and crept slowly toward the Town Hall.
The guard outside wasn’t even patrolling—he was nodding off in a chair.
‘Pathetic.’
The way he showed no awareness of any potential threat drew a sigh from me, even though he wasn’t one of my subordinates.
In a real fight, someone asleep like that could easily end up dead.
I spun the sword that fit snugly in my grip and deliberated for a moment.
“If I kill him, things could escalate.”
Ever since Quin’s death, I’d sworn to myself not to take lives.
I decided that troublesome or not, I wouldn’t kill him—just knock him unconscious—and moved forward.
“……!”
I drove my fist into his stomach first, then brought the flat of my blade down hard against his neck, and he collapsed without even opening his eyes.
I caught his body, lowering it slowly to the ground without a sound, then frisked his clothes.
An Identity Badge turned up, though it was surely forged. I pocketed it anyway.
I raised myself slightly and peered through the window into the Town Hall.
The men inside were completely oblivious to what was happening outside, merrily engaged in a drinking party.
Two of them were focused on their drinks, while the third sat touching the pile of money heaped on the table.
‘The merchants’ money.’
My expression hardened coldly, and I rapped sharply on the door.
“What is it? I’ll go check.”
One of the two who’d been drinking quickly grabbed a sword leaning against the wall and approached the door where I stood.
It would have been more satisfying if they’d all rushed me at once.
I waited, and the moment the door opened, I kicked him hard.
“Ahhhhh!!”
As he tumbled across the floor, I stepped down hard on him and struck a vital point. He collapsed in severe pain.
“Damn, an intruder? Arno, don’t just stand there—take them down now!”
Finally grasping the seriousness of the situation, the remaining two rushed at me simultaneously.
But only one of them had drawn a sword. The other extended his hand toward me from a distance.
“Not again?”
I was surprised because I’d seen users of Ability in guild conflicts before, but I hadn’t expected to encounter one here.
They were not ordinary people, so I found it intriguing. For now, I dodged the sword and threw my body out of the way.
His movements showed proper training, and the sword he wielded was heavy.
The merchants would have struggled against him, and on top of that, the Ability user behind him hurled Flame at me.
“So that’s where their confidence came from.”
Even for a small village, the number seemed too few for a takeover, which is why I’d found it strange.
A skilled thug paired with an Ability user would certainly explain it.
“What do you think you’re doing, barging in here alone? I’ll roast you alive!”
The Ability user called Arno sneered at me while continuously hurling fist-sized Flame attacks.
In the old days, I would have dodged and held back, but now magic doesn’t frighten me.
The Flame that struck my body simply dissipated. I didn’t even feel heat.
Instead, his companion, who’d been attacking me, took the Flame and screamed in pain from the burns.
“How is this……?!”
“Kyaaah! It’s burning! Aim properly, will you?!”
I struck the man whose body was already burning across the ribs with the flat of my blade, dropping him.
Now only the Ability user remained.
“A, a, a magician?”
The smug expression vanished from the man’s face.
I savored the sight of color draining from his complexion as I closed the distance in an instant.
It seemed he’d never bothered to train his body because he had his Ability—his movements were dreadfully slow.
Unable to flee and unable to fight back, he hesitated, and when I stepped forward, he covered his face with his hands.
“Ahhhhh! Please, spare me…….”
Before he could finish speaking, I struck his entire body with the flat of my blade and knocked him unconscious.
“Dull.”
Even after facing four opponents, I hadn’t worked up a single drop of sweat.
I rolled my neck side to side in a wide circle, unsatisfied that my body hadn’t even gotten properly warmed up.
“What guild are they from?”
With this level of skill, they were definitely not people trained rigorously from a young age.
I was certain they weren’t from a major Dark Guild. I tied all four of them up with rope and searched their bodies.
When nothing of note turned up, I was disappointed—until I discovered a Tattoo on the body of the Ability user called Arno.
“…Sailing?”
I recalled the remnants of Sailing, who’d once come to the café.
Since the café and this village weren’t extremely far apart, these could be remnants of that same organization.
Pleased that I’d discovered this alone this time and wouldn’t let it slip by, I smiled.
I checked again in case I’d missed anything, but the other three had no Tattoos on their bodies.
“Hired mercenaries?”
The best way to confirm my suspicions was to ask the person directly.
Before waking him, I grabbed Arno’s jaw and checked first to see if he had any poison hidden in his mouth.

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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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