Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 79

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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.
79
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The next day.
I opened the shop as usual.
Come afternoon, the regular female customers who never failed to visit streamed in.
“This is homemade jam made with raspberries. I made quite a lot, so I brought some for you, boss.”
A frequent customer presented me with jam in a clear glass jar.
“I brought bread too—would you like to try it right now?”
“That’s not really neces—”
“Could you lend me a spoon?”
Overwhelmed by her momentum, I handed over a spoon without protest.
The customer uncapped the jar and scooped up a generous dollop of the thick jam with her spoon, spreading it lavishly on the bread she’d brought.
“Go on, try it.”
Without much expectation, I took a bite—and my eyes flew wide open as the sweet-tart flavor melded perfectly with the bread’s soft crumb.
“Delicious, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s even better with cheese or butter. When Seniel visits, please be sure to give it to him.”
The gift had been for Seniel from the start, not for me.
But right now, with the jam tasting this good, that detail hardly mattered. Had jam always been this delicious?
“Is it difficult to make?”
“Not at all. As long as you have fruit, it’s simple. Even children can do it. Raspberries, strawberries, apples, blueberries—you name it, it works.”
“Thank you.”
I had fruit to spare.
Though I couldn’t cook to save my life, I felt confident I could pull this off successfully.
‘I should surprise Cayden with this.’
This would be a proper way to repay him for making dinner every evening.
While mulling over what flavor jam to make, I tucked the gift away in the cupboard.
“I’ll have hibiscus tea today.”
“Peppermint for me!”
Since the weather turned cold, orders for hot tea had increased.
Running the shop had taught me that tea orders—which required nothing but pouring hot water over leaves without any prep work—had the highest profit margin.
As I boiled water and steeped the leaves, my customers gathered around a single table.
Huddled together like that, I was curious what they were debating so intently.
When I brought their tea, I overheard them pooling information they’d each gathered about Seniel’s recent activities.
What training he was undergoing, under whose command, which shifts he stood guard—every detail.
I could practically picture his daily life in the Royal Palace.
“Boss, it’s cold.”
“Well, we’re up in the mountains. I’ll add more wood to the fire.”
I couldn’t fathom why customers would venture all the way to this remote mountain café in winter just to complain about the cold.
I was loading more logs into the fireplace to get the flames going when I heard a bell chime.
I turned to see a man in a postal carrier’s hat standing at the door.
“Who’s the proprietor?”
“That would be me.”
“You have a letter. Next time, please make sure the address is written clearly.”
“Ah, yes. I apologize.”
I was astonished both that someone had thought to send me a letter and that the carrier had actually found this place.
The carrier left without lingering, and I flipped the envelope to check the sender’s name.
“Daren? Who’s that?”
I didn’t recognize the name.
I carefully opened the letter and read—it was from a knight who’d trained here in the mountains before.
He’d written a thank-you note saying he’d passed the entrance exam for the Nainhofe Knights.
“So his name was Daren.”
The knight order he’d failed four years straight to get into turned out to be a prestigious private order in Srophan.
I smiled, thinking I might find this useful someday, but then I stopped at the final line.
“He’s spreading rumors? About this place being a haven for passing the exam?”
Now I was worried that not just female customers but aspiring knights would come flooding in.
I groaned and tucked the letter into a drawer.
Settling into a chair for a brief rest, I suddenly fixed a sharp gaze on the door.
‘Strong.’
Three people were approaching the shop, and one of them had considerable power.
I grabbed my sword and waited, holding my breath.
The bell chimed.
The door opened with the sound.
The skilled one hung back as an escort, while a woman in elaborate dress, wearing a hat adorned with peacock feathers, walked in with sharp, deliberate steps.
Her aura was completely different from my other customers, and I instinctively recognized she was no ordinary noblewoman.
The woman smiled at me.
“Good afternoon?”
“You’ve had a lot of visitors this morning.”
After greeting me warmly, she approached the customers I’d been serving and whispered something in their ears.
I couldn’t hear what she said, but the moment she finished, the customers began gathering their things.
“We’ll come back next week.”
“The tea was wonderful, boss. Thank you.”
Then they all hurried out of the shop as though fleeing.
I watched coldly as the woman surveyed the suddenly empty shop like an appraiser.
“What exactly did you say to my customers?”
“Oh, just made a small request.”
With that, she walked toward me, smiled sweetly, and extended a gloved hand.
“I’m Madame Aireen. Lately there’s been a delicate rumor circulating in high society, so I thought I’d come see for myself. It’s remarkable that a place like this exists in such a remote location.”
So it was that cursed rumor after all.
After a light handshake, she picked up a menu and asked arrogantly.
“What do you make best?”
“Everything’s just mediocre.”
She seemed momentarily taken aback by my answer but quickly smiled with ease again.
“Even so, bring me something you’re confident in.”
What could I possibly take pride in serving? The water, perhaps?
I stared at the bucket of water I’d brought up before dawn, hesitating.
I resented that she’d sent my customers away, but I couldn’t exactly serve cold water to someone who’d come so far.
As I prepared the tea, Aireen sat down and elegantly removed her gloves.
Since the tea required nothing more than pouring hot water over the leaves, I set down her cup without delay.
“Herbal tea? Hmm, it doesn’t look particularly special.”
She pursed her lips and brought the rim to her mouth tentatively.
Taking a sip with no real expectation, her eyes suddenly widened.
“This is delicious! No wonder the shop does well. I feel like my mind’s becoming clearer…”
She looked at me again.
“Could I try some of your other drinks?”
The fact that she was already looking for something else after just one sip told me she hadn’t come to drink beverages.
Anticipating this would become tiresome, I put on a regretful expression.
“I’m afraid we have a policy: one drink per customer.”
“Excuse me?”
“We don’t sell more than that.”
At my firm refusal, Aireen’s eyes widened.
“How unusual. Is that why you’re so popular?”
She set down her cup with a clink and gazed at me steadily.
“Actually, I came because I have a proposal. Would you sit for a moment?”
I reasoned that if she’d sent away paying customers, her proposal must be substantial. I sat across from her.
“I’m here as a representative of someone quite extraordinary. I’d like to propose a business venture.”
At the word “business,” my brow furrowed.
Unfazed by my reaction, Aireen continued.
“We’d like to use this place as the main branch and open identical shops in the Capital and several other territories. What do you think?”
Regardless of rumors, who would think to open branches of this unremarkable café?
Even amid my bewilderment, I found myself curious about whoever had conceived this idea.
“Who is this extraordinary person behind you?”
“Heh heh. You’ll be absolutely stunned when you hear. Come closer a moment…”
Curious just how stunned I’d be, I leaned forward toward Aireen without much hope.
Then she whispered to me in a voice brimming with pride.
‘It’s Juliano Srophan. The Empress’s only brother.’
Caught off guard by this unexpected name, I parted my lips slightly.
“The Empress’s…?”
“Yes. Surprised?”
Seeing my eyes widen, Aireen laughed delightedly, clearly pleased with herself.
Of course, my surprise had nothing to do with what she imagined.
‘Again?’
I’d heard the name Srophan less than a day ago in the village.
When coincidence repeats more than twice, it ceases to be coincidence.
At this point, I had a reasonable suspicion: the Srophan family was after something hidden in this vicinity.
“How did someone as distinguished as that come to know of our little shop?”
“I happened to hear the rumors and recommended it to him. It’s not often you find a shop deep in treacherous mountains with so many customers, is it? I believe there must be a special secret to your success.”
If she’d heard the rumors, she would have heard about Seniel too.
But since she didn’t ask about him at all, I decided not to bring it up either.
“How were you thinking of conducting this business?”
“Nothing complicated. We’d just need you to share the recipes from your menu and provide us with materials.”
“The materials too?”
“Yes. We plan to supply each location with the exact same materials you use here.”
“We purchase our materials from nearby villages.”
“Ah… You don’t grow them yourselves?”
“No. Even the tea you just drank was brewed from leaves we bought in the village.”
This time she was genuinely taken aback—she drained her teacup in a gulp.
“…Still, there must be something different. I tasted and felt it just now. We’re planning to replicate the interior design exactly as well.”
Then she gently took my hand that rested on the table.
“Why hesitate? When will an opportunity like this come again? I’ll make sure the royalty payment is more than fair.”

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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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