SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

“Yes, who is it? Ah, Grandpa!”

I opened the door and was surprised to see that the person standing in front of the door was none other than the Grandpa, the leader of the Demon Cult <Twilight>.

“Hohoho … Long time no see. How are you?”

“Yes, I’m fine, as usual.”

After returning from the quest, I went to visit the Demon Cult of Twilight. To tell them that Ash would not be returning. I couldn’t bear to look at the old man. He treated him like a grandson, but I took him to the Gate on my own accord. I took him to the Gate and …. it happened.

But Grandpa comforted me with these words, “Don’t be too sad. Time is fleeting. Once we make the Demon King’s world a better place, we will meet him again.”

As if to put those words into practice, the Demon Cult of Twilight has continued to carry out various volunteer activities. Recently, I heard that they are planning to build a new orphanage. They were truly remarkable.

“What brings you here today? No, we shouldn’t be talking while standing here … please come inside.”

“Before that, can you take a look at this?”

“Yes?”

I looked at where he pointed and gasped. I hadn’t noticed before, but there was another person beside Grandpa.

And that person was…….

“….Ash?”

I doubted my eyes for a moment. Short in height, black hair, round cheeks … Ash was standing there.

But…….

“Ugh, what is it? This feeling….?!” The boy, presumably Ash, suddenly exclaimed, frowning.

“Ash, what’s wrong? You’re Ash, are you?”

“Hash….?! How is it that a human I’ve never seen before knows my name? No way! Hmph, I see, the powers of the Abyss have led me here.”

“….What?”

“Eugh……! It’s going on a rampage again. The dormant magical power in this left hand…..!” The boy, who I assumed to be Ash, covered the back of his left hand with his other hand. He glanced at me and gasped, “This memory that flashes in my head is……! A past life?! Yes, a past life. Was I ……. Was I ever in this place?”

“……..”

“KKkkke, kkkke … I see now, I wasn’t an ordinary human after all. I was the reincarnation of the Demon King……!”

“……..”

“Aha, the causality of my previous life has led me here. I’m …… Now, wait?!”

Hug! I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his neck. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

He’s a little strange, no, quite strange, but it’s him. This couldn’t be anyone but him. Finally, Ash came back.

“Get-get off me, human! This body is not for humans to touch!”

“Heuk, I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you …. sniff…..”

“Ugh ……. I don’t know, why do I feel so nostalgic?” Ash was puzzled, but he didn’t shake my hand away. He just looked at me and muttered in confusion, “Strange memories keep flashing through my mind. Ugh ……. what the hell is this memory?”

Ash didn’t seem to remember me. What’s more, it seemed that his almost-cured 8th-grader syndrome had returned, or even worsened.

Still, it didn’t matter. Ash was Ash.

“Hoo, this place is looking for a part-timer. I can’t stay indebted to the old man forever. Human, so what do I need to do to get a part-time job here?” Ash asked, finding a part-time job recruitment notice that I’d pinned up and forgotten about. Of course, you’d be more than welcome to work here, Ash……

But he owed a debt to the Demon Cult of Twilight? Wait, what happened to him during this time?

“Uh … Grandpa, what happened?” I asked, wiping the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand.

“I’ll explain that, waeooong!” Mieum walked closer with slow steps and began to speak, “It’s a fact that the former existence of the old Ash has been eradicated, waeoong!”

“….Yeah.”

“Ash is an incomplete incarnation that separated from the Primordial Chaos, whose name is Demon King Asmodeus!”

“Hehe … as expected, I’m the incarnation of the Demon King. Hmph, I knew it.” Ash crossed his arms and nodded, looking very pleased with himself.

“He faded when he made contact with an incarnation purer to the source, the Demon God. It was the law and order of the world. Even Her intervention couldn’t possibly undo it, waeoong!”

“……..”

“But you made him drink your coffee constantly.”

“Huh, coffee? You mean, the cafe mocha?” My eyes widened at the somewhat out-of-nowhere statement.

Mieum continued to explain, “That’s right, waeong! The fruit of the World Tree is a fragment of the Causality. I must have already told you that the power gained from drinking it belongs to this world.”

“Uh … yeah…..”

Did you?

Pow! Mieum jumped up and gave me a swift body slam. I was so happy to see her return that I decided to just take the punch, but it hurt. It really hurt.

“Don’t skip the worldview explanation time, waeolgh!”

“Ouch! It hurts!”

This time I was really feeling wronged. I knew all she had said was that drinking lots of coffee would be good for everyone. However, I was more curious about Ash’s condition, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Waeong … In other words, the magic power he recovered by drinking coffee did not return to the Abyss, but remained in this world. The Great One gathered that magic power and moulded it into a human body.

“Moulded a body? Is that Ash’s body?”

“Yes, waeoong! She asked me to tell you that she apologised for everything.”

My heart pounded with emotions, “Then, Ash……”

“He became a real human, not a Demon King. He can still use magic, but his body is human. Waeolgh!”

I stared at Ash. I was dumbfounded by what had suddenly happened. But one thing was clear: Ash was Ash. Human or otherwise, it didn’t matter as long as it’s him.

As if to confirm my thoughts, Mieum said, “Meoww … he’s the Kim Ash you know.”

“Why he’s a bit strange?”

“He’s always been strange … kyakyaogk!”

Ash tugged on Mieum’s tail. Mieum’s fur stood up and she swung her front paws at him.

“Don’t touch me, waeolgh!”

“Ugh … weird. This feels so familiar … this cat, are you a subordinate of mine in the previous life?”

“Kyakyakyaogh! Don’t be mistaken! You’re the one who served me!”

“Kkyuuuuu! Kkyuu!”

Lime also joined them, bouncing up and down in welcome. I was momentarily distracted by the trio’s bickering as they circled around me. It was the kind of noise I missed.

Mieum, barely separated from Ash, added, “Nyaaaa … huff, huff … It’s just memory confusion manifesting itself as a eight grader syndrome. If you leave him alone, he’ll gradually regain his memory and return to normal.”

“Kkyuuu!”

“You should be proud of yourself. You saved his life. The power of your coffee is the reason he’s back here, waeooong!”

“Yes….”

My heart soared. At this moment, I was genuinely proud to be a Cafe Owner.

“But it’s strange. I had thought it was time for him to awaken, but ……. I don’t know why this old man is bringing him to here, waeolgh!”

“Ah, that’s right.” The Grandpa of the Church, who had been looking at us with a gentle expression, opened his mouth, “Not long ago, he was brought to me by that man.”

“That man?”

“He said Ash might still be alive somewhere, and he’d been looking for him for some time.”

To my surprise, the man this Grandpa was referring to was … Ki Yoohyun. According to Grandpa, as soon as he returned from defeating the demon, he gathered a group of Hunters to search the dungeon. The purpose, apparently, was to find Ash.

However, the red gate we entered through was already closed and inaccessible. There was no sign that Ash was still alive. Still, Ki Yoohyun didn’t stop searching. He persisted, investigating several dungeons until, a few days ago, he found a boy.

That boy was the one in front of me right now.

When he was found, Ash was unconscious. He’d opened his eyes briefly, but he’d completely lost his memory and didn’t even know who he was. He had nothing in his possession. He was in no condition to be investigated to check if he was the real Ash or what had happened to him, so Ki Yoohyun left him in the care of the leader of the Demon Cult <Twilight>, this Grandpa.

It was only this afternoon that Ash opened his eyes. Grandpa first called a healer to treat him. He was about to do some research when Ash suddenly ran out of the room, saying he had to go somewhere. Despite his incomplete memory, he headed towards our store as if drawn by something.

“….Rieul-ssi!”

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice behind me. Even a tiger appears when spoken of. It was Ki Yoohyun.

When he saw us standing in front of the cafe entrance, he quickly walked over to us. His clear eyes were filled with concern. He lightly brushed his finger across the corner of my damp eyes and said, “Rieul-ssi, today, you kept looking down and I was worried, so I came here … I’m glad I did.”

“Yoohyun-ssi, why…..” I hugged his waist and buried my head in his shoulder. Then I asked him outright, “Why didn’t you tell me all this time? That you’ve been looking for Ash.”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you in case I didn’t find him.” Ki Yoohyun pulled me into a hug. He added as he slowly patted my back with one hand, “I was going to tell you when Ash wakes up ……. I guess I’m a little late.”

Ash, who was looking at Ki Yoohyun and me with Lime in his arms, frowned, “Ugh … why? Seeing that sight in front of me makes me feel bad.”

“Kkyuuu?”

“It’s a natural human emotion, waeolgh! In other words, it’s an eyesore.”

“Hmph, I know something like that.”

“Kyakyakyaogh! Now, you’re a returning newbie!”

I was about to make an excuse, but then I just kept my mouth shut. Instead, I smiled broadly.

Now I finally felt like I’ve truly returned.

We’ve truly returned.

All of us.