This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 16 - Raid (1) - Part 1

16. Raid (1)

Revenge.

Yes, come to think of it, he had killed that woman in front of him. He had briefly forgotten, seeing her so well and alive.

With the extent of the injuries and blood loss, it should have been hard to survive, but how did she manage? He heard that more ability users had joined Obella’s side, so perhaps there was a healing-type ability user among them.

In front of him were three figures, including Khan.

But he also heard loud noises coming from the stairs below. It seemed they were planning to surround them from both sides.

Whether it was thanks to the help of an ability user he didn’t know about or a miracle, it was clear that the situation was orchestrated by Moa Ablon.

He didn’t know how they had lured Khan, but by drawing him to their side, it had become difficult for Zerdan to summon the puppets here.

It wasn’t just that. There were also flying abilities and teleporting-type puppets like Khan, although it was challenging to manage multiple ones. If they called them here, they could easily join the fight.

But even that was difficult now. The other side was also being attacked by someone else.

Despite being in an unfavorable situation with enemies, Zerdan sincerely admired the situation. Even though it was somewhat overwhelming, she was indeed the woman who should have been drawn to their side. She had blocked all unfavorable situations in advance and minimized Zerdan’s power.

Indeed, Zerdan’s abilities were threatening, but not suitable for direct combat. The same was true for Liffree.

So that’s why she’s smiling so confidently.

Liffree had also tried to contact his subordinates who were under attack but seemed to have failed.

He hurriedly tried to open the door to escape but was startled into a silent scream by the sight of a man wrapped in bandages, standing firmly at the door like a mummy.

“…We’re surrounded, aren’t we?”

Liffree muttered, half giving up.

Zerdan, not even glancing at Liffree, was solely focused on Moa Ablon.

“I didn’t expect you to be alive… Did you have immortality as an ability?”

Moa Ablon did not answer. She just smiled quietly and then spoke.

“If returning alive is immortality, then I suppose that’s what it is.”

“Oh dear. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Did you miss me?”

Zerdan was silent in response to Moa Ablon’s words.

Missed her? How could she say such things after such a long time?

Of course, it was probably just a meaningless comment. But still, it was hard to easily agree or disagree. Although he didn’t miss her, some aspects still bothered him.

Liffree, frustrated by Zerdan’s silence, glanced at the man guarding the door like a mummy, who didn’t seem ready to attack immediately. Liffree then cautiously approached Zerdan.

“What are you thinking, Zerdan? This isn’t the time for casual conversation. The situation is more serious than expected. We can’t even contact the others, and it seems Khan has betrayed us, the only means of escape is gone. We have no way out.”

“I didn’t expect Khan to be involved… He’s quite a strategist.”

“This isn’t the time for casual praise! No, more importantly, Khan! Shouldn’t you be on our side if you care about Ding? Or does Ding not matter to you anymore?”

At Liffree’s outburst, Khan’s expression hardened. But then he spoke firmly.

“Sidon, who is responsible for Ding’s safety, chose to be on this side. As long as Sidon is here, Ding is safe, so there’s no need to listen to your side. I simply judged that this situation is safer for both me and Ding.”

“…I told you not to send Sidon.”

Unable to argue against Khan’s words, Liffree turned to Zerdan with a serious expression.

The reason Khan had been able to be detained was because of Ding, but since Ding’s safety was secured, Khan no longer needed to help them. Khan’s judgment was wise.

If Ding had been here, she might have been used as a hostage for threats…

“If I had known the lady was alive, I wouldn’t have sent him in the first place. That was my mistake in judgment.”

“You’re admitting it surprisingly coolly…”

Liffree’s gaze shifted to Moa Ablon.

While he vaguely understood why Zerdan held her in high regard, he hadn’t expected her to have such a knack for turning the situation in their favor.

Liffree, who had been anxious, felt Zerdan’s gaze become a straight line toward Moa Ablon.

Liffree, who was about to get angry, soon realized that Zerdan’s gaze was focused on one thing and followed it.

At the end of that gaze was a necklace Moa Ablon was wearing. It was the necklace into which Zerdan had once infused a curse.

At that time, Liffree hadn’t understood Zerdan, but now, in this situation, his judgment seemed almost touching.

Realizing Zerdan’s intention, Liffree immediately activated his ability. As the bright orange flower necklace began to glow, Moa Ablon’s eyes widened in surprise.

Small black spots began to spread across her body in an instant. Khan, who was beside her, was seen reaching out to Moa Ablon in a panic. But even faster, her eyes started to turn white.

She was losing her vision.

“That gem has a stronger effect on my ability than expected. In no time, she’ll lose all sensory functions and her body will start to deteriorate.”

Liffree grinned with excitement. He then warned the man standing behind him and the beast in front of them, showing its large teeth threateningly.

“If you want to save her, it would be best not to attack us. Only I can stop this ability. Or, you can let her die as she is. Soon, her respiratory functions will also be paralyzed, making it hard for her to breathe.”

“Ugh…”

Moa Ablon clutched her throat in agony.

Seeing her suffering, Liffree felt pure joy in the hope of escaping this situation. But Zerdan simply watched Moa Ablon quietly.

In contrast to Khan’s apparent confusion, Terisier and the man with him seemed unimpressed. They looked somewhat surprised but were waiting for something, not attacking recklessly.

Is there something more?

As Zerdan frowned, a familiar voice reached his ear.

“Indeed, it’s best to be cautious with items imbued with selfish intentions. It’s been a good lesson.”

It was Moa Ablon’s voice.

Zerdan turned his head, but no one was there.

Now that he thought about it, Sidon had said that Lazis had joined their side.

While Zerdan couldn’t pinpoint Lazis’ exact ability, it was likely related to space.

Was voice transmission possible as well?

Moa Ablon’s calm voice. Yet, the Moa Ablon in front of him was in torment.

Hearing Moa Ablon’s voice, Liffree was visibly confused. The agonizing Moa Ablon’s suffering began to spread like a wave.

Only then did Zerdan realize the situation and muttered a curse under his breath. It was an unusually intense reaction for him.

“A mind control ability user, then.”

“Correct.”

With a tone that seemed to be praising, the suffering Moa Ablon disappeared, replaced by a stranger who was clutching his throat in agony with black spots spreading across him. He was one of the members of the criminal organization; although Zerdan didn’t know his name, his face was familiar.

Liffree, too, seemed to have come out of the mind control effect, staring blankly as he recognized the situation instantly.

Next to the man was a beautiful woman with wavy black hair, her face tense. It was Diswen, who was on top of the white tiger.

The Moa Ablon they had been seeing was an illusion created by Diswen.

To think they would mock him this way.

Although Zerdan was deeply displeased by being caught in such a way, what troubled him more was that someone had easily controlled him with mind control.

Perhaps he should have killed the mental-type ability user when she was no longer needed.

The regret of sending Sidon was now overshadowed by a greater one. But it was too late to regret now. It seemed that the plan had been theirs all along, judging by Khan’s surprise.

That’s why Terisier and the Mummy Man had been passive. Their reactions had seemed dull.

Mind control is troublesome.

Realizing that they wouldn’t be able to escape easily if left like this, Zerdan decided to use his ability more forcefully. All the distant puppets would quickly converge on this location.

If it’s not incapacitated or restrained, it would blindly rush towards this place even if its body is broken.

Zerdan had let his guard down.

The smile on Zerdan’s face was slowly fading.

At the moment when he was stepping back to avoid another mental-type attack, he couldn’t help but freeze at the presence he felt behind him.

“Be careful. Your back is exposed, Zerdan.”

Mummy Man who had been at the door had vanished, and Moa Ablon was now smiling behind Zerdan.

A blunt sensation jabbed at his waist. It was an egg. Diswen had seemingly cast another mind-control spell. To think even the Mummy Man’s appearance was perceived as Moa Ablon’s…

A part of the space is distorted. The space where the Mummy Man had been with Zerdan began to warp as he started to disappear.

The egg he dropped at Zerdan’s feet exploded into a large blast as soon as it touched his shoe.

Though he quickly tried to dodge, the damage was significant. Zerdan grimaced as he felt pain in his waist and legs.

Liffree, too, seemed to be similarly affected, sitting on the floor and groaning in pain.

“Oh dear, Zerdan. You look like you’re in a lot of pain. Are you alright?”

Once again, Moa Ablon appeared in front of them.

Seeing her cheerful demeanor, Zerdan furrowed his brow. Noticing his reaction, Moa Ablon smiled.

“This time, it’s me, not someone else. It seems Zerdan wanted to see me in person.”

“…You mentioned revenge, and it seems you’re quite angry that you nearly died at my hands.”

At Zerdan’s words, Moa Ablon leaned against Terisier’s body and laughed. She stroked the fur of Terisier, who had transformed into a large beast.

“I had some affection for Zerdan, but I was deeply hurt. So I wanted to return that disappointment to you. How do you feel about it now? Did you feel my disappointment in your chest?”

Moa Ablon’s green eyes sparkled.

To speak of disappointment with such a smiling face. But that was just like her. Despite the pain, Zerdan managed a small smile.

“It’s quite impactful.”

“That’s good to hear. But my disappointment hasn’t been fully satisfied yet. It seems I’ll need to play with you a bit more. Is that alright? Your companions don’t seem to be much help, and the necklace you had counted on is now quite useless.”

“When did you figure out about the necklace?”

“After hearing about Liffree’s ability, I vaguely realized. It didn’t seem like Zerdan gave it as a mere gift; there was something else behind it.”

There must have been some ulterior motive for giving it. Though she had her doubts, it turned out to be wise to be cautious.

It was fortunate that Zerdan’s and her ways of thinking were similar. The actions she had anticipated were aligned with what happened.

“Just so you know, stalling won’t help. Zerdan’s puppets won’t be able to arrive no matter how long you wait.”

“…Since we can’t see Obella, it seems he’s the one who attacked them.”

Zerdan remarked as he looked around. He noticed that besides Obella, there was no sign of the defensive-type abilities either.

Were they planning to attack with Phel at the forefront like last time? But no matter how strong Obella was, there were limits to his abilities.

He didn’t have a wide-area ability to attack dozens of puppets all at once, so even if they couldn’t win, a few should be able to escape and join the fray here.

But Moa Ablon seemed to mock such thoughts.