Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 9

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A cafe run by the Dark Guild’s successor.
Episode 9
Seniel’s mouth opened and closed uselessly before he stumbled through his words to ask me.
“Sister, you don’t actually think I modeled for this picture, do you? This is really supposed to be me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m losing it. No, sister. They just drew whatever they imagined.”
“It looks exactly like you.”
“They probably sketched my face from a distance. The body is…… anyway, I absolutely did not do anything strange like you’re thinking.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then what are all these debts from?”
I narrowed my eyes, unwilling to let the suspicion go.
“Sister, you really…… have no prejudices at all. Believing that so readily. I can’t hide it anymore. I’ll tell you everything.”
Seniel realized that I would never accept his evasion, so he straightened up and prepared for a serious conversation.
“The truth is, I nearly died several times on the battlefield. Each time, that person you saw saved me. That’s what I’m talking about—that debt.”
“You nearly died? You never said anything like that! Weren’t you saying the Second Prince’s direct knight order always stayed in the rear, only moving at crucial moments?!”
When Seniel first went to war six years ago, I only learned of it later, and I can’t even say how much I worried.
I thought he would live comfortably after being adopted into a noble house, but sending him to war would make that comfort meaningless.
Fortunately, when Seniel returned safely, I pressed him for answers, but he assured me then that his participation was merely a pretext to claim credit—that it was entirely without danger.
I reasoned that the prince’s direct knights would never be stationed in the dangerous front lines, and the rumors I heard matched that, so naturally I believed it.
Seniel rubbed my shoulders and arms, stiff with shock, and hastily offered explanations.
“I only kept it quiet so you wouldn’t worry. Look—I’m alive and well, aren’t I? It’s all in the past now.”
No matter how much time had passed, the fact that I had nearly lost Seniel made my chest feel hollow.
“I couldn’t speak of it because of his position…… but he’s actually the Second Prince, Bidler Deghloa, Your Highness.”
Now I understood why Orbis and Seniel had been reluctant to mention the man to me.
I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I was hearing.
‘So the prince came to get the great sword’s map?’
A prince appearing so suddenly—I needed to find out what was really going on. For now, I listened to Seniel’s story.
“Why would the prince come looking for you? There are plenty of knights.”
“Because I’m not a regular knight. I unofficially hold the rank of vice-captain. I’m closest with the prince.”
The reports always listed him as a regular knight, and I’d been trusting reports that had turned out to be completely inaccurate.
Another shock washed over me.
The Seniel I thought was a regular knight was actually a vice-captain—and worse, the prince’s closest confidant. The back of my head throbbed.
“Right now the Black Eagle Knight Order I’m in has shifted to imperial jurisdiction, so things are a bit murky. That’s why I’m preparing to join the Imperial Knight Order. I have to take an exam to officially transfer.”
“…… Is there anything left that I don’t know?”
“That’s really it. Ah, what a relief.”
Seniel sat there looking satisfied with himself, and I seriously considered smacking the back of his head as I pointed to the postcard.
“Then what about that?”
“You wouldn’t know, but I’m actually pretty popular. That’s why things like this get circulated. It’s embarrassing, but there you have it.”
After that, Seniel, wanting to clear up the misunderstanding he’d inadvertently caused, told me in exhaustive detail about the wars he’d experienced.
Though I sensed there were quite a few parts he was deliberately glossing over or omitting.
Watching Seniel open up about his experiences, I briefly considered sharing my own story.
But it was a secret I still couldn’t reveal, and one I hoped Seniel would never learn, so I swallowed it down.
The next morning.
A knock woke me from sleep, and I forced open my heavy eyelids.
Seniel came through the door and perched on the edge of my bed, speaking in a gentle voice.
“Sorry for waking you, sister.”
“It’s fine. Are you heading out now?”
“Yes. I’m going to the Imperial Palace to meet His Highness. If things take longer, it could be several days.”
“This isn’t dangerous work, is it?”
Perhaps sensing my worry, Seniel pulled my blanket up to my shoulders and patted me gently.
“No. We’re just looking for someone.”
“…… Please be careful.”
“I’m leaving this with you. It’s a brooch that symbolizes the knight order. In the Capital, we use it instead of money to buy things.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“So you can buy whatever you want while I’m gone. I’ve never bought you anything, after all.”
The way Seniel emphasized “whatever” made me want to tease him, so I laughed softly and sat up.
“Really, anything?”
“Of course. I have the means. I work under the prince, after all.”
“Then I’m claiming all those postcards of yours…….”
“Sister!”
Seniel protested, and I reached out to smooth the crease between his brows, which were furrowed like crumpled paper.
A short while later.
After seeing off Seniel and Orbis, I sat in a living room chair and held the brooch up to the light.
True to its order’s name, the brooch was shaped like an eagle with only one wing spread.
I turned the brooch over and found an “S” engraved on the inside—what appeared to be Seniel’s initial—and I ran my finger over it.
“I should buy some new clothes.”
From walking around yesterday, I’d noticed that my worn garments stood out quite noticeably among the Capital’s people.
For someone like me, who made it a principle never to draw unnecessary attention, it didn’t fit.
After making simple preparations, I headed straight for the heart of the Capital.
When I turned down the left alley, different from where I’d gone yesterday, I found myself in a street lined with dress shops.
There were so many stores that I hesitated on which to enter, until I stopped in front of a window of a shop with heavy foot traffic.
Armand Shop
A navy one-piece dress in the corner caught my eye—it looked practical for moving around—so I opened the shop door without delay.
“Welcome.”
The shop attendant gave me a sideways glance, her eyes showing uncertainty about whether to serve me.
Then her gaze swept over my worn clothes, and she quickly turned away. She’d decided I wasn’t a paying customer.
I actually preferred browsing alone, so that suited me fine.
The racks on the first floor held an abundance of modest, reasonably priced clothes anyone could afford.
After quickly making a circuit of the shop, I decided on the simple, unremarkable navy one-piece dress I’d spotted first.
“Over here.”
The attendant came trotting over at my call.
“Yes. How will you be paying?”
I produced the brooch Seniel had given me, and the attendant’s face—which had remained formal until then—suddenly drained of color.
“Oh my! I’m terribly sorry, but would you mind waiting just a moment? I’ll call the proprietress.”
The attendant fidgeted and ran upstairs, returning with the shop’s proprietress, who had been attending to other customers.
The proprietress came down looking reluctant, but when she saw the eagle brooch, she reacted much like the attendant had.
“My goodness! However did you…… Where did you get this?”
She might have been asking purely out of curiosity, but I caught a hint of suspicion in the way her eyes swept over me.
I said nothing and fixed her with an expression of displeasure.
The proprietress faltered and added a lengthy explanation.
“You see, we’re familiar with the faces of everyone who uses the eagle brooch. So we were startled to see a young lady we’d never met before bringing one in.”
The proprietress smiled at me with a flashy, clearly commercial warmth.
“We’re thrilled to have a lady as lovely as yourself visit our shop. If I may be so bold, might I inquire your name?”
I could tell she intended to discern my family and status through my name.
I was about to ignore her and ask to pay, when the proprietress flipped the brooch over and her eyes widened.
“Could this be…… the brooch of Sir Seniel? This ‘S’?”
The moment Seniel’s name was spoken.
I experienced the remarkable phenomenon of every person in the dress shop turning their gaze toward me simultaneously.
In fact, people were looking down at me not only from the first floor but from the second and third floors, and even from the highest royal level.
‘What is this attention?’
As I blinked in surprise at the sudden interest, the proprietress asked again.
“This is Sir Seniel’s brooch from the Black Eagle Knight Order, isn’t it? It must be, right?”
I had a premonition that answering yes would land me in something very troublesome, so I assessed my surroundings.
Even as I stood there, everyone in the shop was watching me and gradually moving closer.
It was the moment I truly felt that Seniel’s popularity—noted in the reports and mentioned by Eribell—was no exaggeration.
“Young lady, why won’t you say anything? Where did you get this? Answer me!”
I decided it was time to leave and quickly hung the dress back on its rack.
Then I swiftly snatched the brooch from the proprietress’s grasp.
“I’ll come back next time.”
“Wait! We need to talk……!”
I felt the proprietress’s hand reaching for me from behind, but I shook it off and bolted out of the shop.
The attendant and proprietress came after me, but there was no way they could match my pace.
I ran for a good distance before stopping, well clear of the shop. My heart was still pounding with alarm.
“I shouldn’t have shown that brooch.”
Regretting it belatedly, as I walked along, my stomach made a gurgling sound.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten breakfast.
As I looked around, I spotted a restaurant that looked decent.
People packed even the outdoor seating were slurping broth, and an irresistibly delicious smell wafted from the place.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————