This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 16 - Raid (1) - Part 2

“Yes, Obella, and one more. The Queen of Opera that Zerdan coveted joined them.”

“With so many of my puppets, it wouldn’t be easy for just two to handle. Don’t you regret sending them? It might be better to send some help now.”

“Regret?”

Moa Ablon laughed as if she had heard something amusing.

“By now, they’ve probably sorted out everything and are on their way here.”

She maintained a calm and carefree expression.

* * *

“…I’m sorry for asking repeatedly, but are we going to manage with just the two of us?”

Anise asked as she gripped her hands tightly, looking at the swarm of enemies facing them. It was a question she had asked multiple times, both on the way here and while planning the day before.

It might have seemed annoying, but Obella nodded without a hint of irritation.

The number of enemies that poured out due to Obella’s surprise attack was considerable. While Zerdan and the main force were with Moa Ablon, the rest were all here.

Obella and Anise’s mission was to keep all of these from assisting Zerdan.

It was an expected mission, and Moa Ablon had added with a smile.

“It would be even better if you could incapacitate everyone if possible. Let’s make this operation a barbecue mission. Grill them up nicely and come back.”

Anise was even more horrified by Moa Ablon’s words, but Obella, who had been listening, calmly nodded without any sign of disturbance.

Regardless of what Moa Ablon said, Obella seemed to be in a ‘we’ll do whatever it takes’ mode, so Anise couldn’t help but nod along, unable to voice doubts about how the two of them would manage.

After all, Obella, who was in the direct attack role, had agreed, so what could Anise, in a supportive role, say against it?

Despite her concerns, she kept asking, but Obella seemed unconcerned.

“What, just two of you?”

“No, aren’t there any lurking nearby? I heard there’s also defense or mind control.”

“Mind control? Then they must be hiding somewhere, controlling us secretly! Maybe telling us to kill each other!”

“I don’t know, you crazy fool. Just be quiet and focus on the ones in front of you!”

It was quite chaotic. The ones at the forefront seemed to be Zerdan’s subordinates, while those standing motionless in the back, expressionless like corpses, were probably Zerdan’s puppets.

Obella, surveying the surroundings, maintained a neutral expression. Whether due to the sudden ambush or the absence of a leader, the enemy seemed quite flustered.

If Zerdan had been here, he would have strategically placed his subordinates in hidden positions behind or above.

‘It seems there’s no one with that level of strategic thinking.’

There were no signs of life or movement from the buildings above or behind. Nonetheless, Obella decided not to let his guard down, as he had to protect Anise.

The opponents, observing Obella silently, exchanged glances.

A man with blonde hair and golden eyes, exuding a dangerous aura akin to Zerdan, appeared to have realized that Obella was a formidable opponent.

Some among them might even be familiar with his abilities, knowing his powers firsthand.

Obella decided not to delay. Since his abilities were known, he saw no need to give the enemies time to devise a plan.

As Obella looked at Anise, she understood the silent signal and hurriedly began to use her abilities. Anise’s power began to strongly envelop Obella.

Normally, Obella could either summon a massive lightning bolt or shoot small lightning bolts from a distance.

But with Anise’s support, he wouldn’t need to handle enemies one by one.

Obella’s golden eyes started to shine ominously.

“The leader of the hunter group! He uses lightning powers! He’s strong, but he can’t attack us all at once, so spread out and attack simultaneously! Capture that woman as a priority!”

The man in the middle, who seemed to be the leader, shouted.

Although the puppets followed Zerdan’s orders, they were also set to fight in emergencies, so they began to take attacking stances.

They swiftly spread out and attempted to rush Obella from all directions.

At that moment, there was a massive thunderclap, and a blinding light erupted. Threatening lightning bolts began to strike around Obella and Anise from the clear sky.

With a loud crash, a puppet that had been attacking Anise was instantly reduced to ashes. Startled, Anise stumbled back, and Obella frowned.

“Indeed, the amplification ability is quite strong. Normally, at this level, it would cause burns and fainting.”

Anise almost retorted that it wasn’t her power but Obella’s inherent strength, but she refrained.

The ashes of the burned puppet were scattered by the wind. Although it didn’t matter much since it was already a corpse, Obella decided to exert a bit more force and focused on the enemies ahead.

All the melee-type puppets surrounding Obella had been reduced to ashes. The sight of their devastation made the commanding man break out in a cold sweat.

“…You said he couldn’t attack all at once…? No, is his ability really that powerful to turn things to ashes like this?”

The man beside the leader, who had remained expressionless, asked a question but received no reply.

Lightning bolts began to strike again. Some of the disheartened enemies attempted to flee, but Obella showed no mercy, using her lightning to decapitate them.

The slaughter was unrelenting against the puppets, and those still alive were struck with such force that they lost consciousness. Anise covered her mouth in awe, reflecting on her earlier worries.

She was so worried she couldn’t sleep……. Why was she worried?

It reminded her of when Moa Ablon had reassured her with a pat on the shoulder.

‘With the two of you, Anise and Bella, the team is much stronger than us combined. You’re the two most overpowered members of our force.’

Moa Ablon had spoken with complete confidence, showing no sign of worry.

Back then, Anise had felt burdened by that trust, but it seemed Moa was simply speaking the truth.

Obella deflected incoming attacks with lightning, countering each one. Despite attacks aimed at the seemingly weak Anise, she did not need to dodge, as Obella took care of everything.

Once again, lightning rained down from the sky. The noise was deafening, causing Anise to cover her ears. When she carefully opened her eyes, she found that everyone around was unconscious and lying on the ground.

Seeing dozens of people sprawled out, Anise clapped quietly.

Obella glanced at her, satisfied that their mission was complete, and prepared to leave immediately.

Panicking, Anise hurried to catch up with Obella and asked.

“Do we need to bind these people?”

“They won’t regain their senses before the other side is wrapped up.”

Obella assured confidently.

Anise, seeing the charred bodies on the ground, couldn’t argue with that. She followed Obella, feeling somewhat dazed by how easily the mission had been accomplished.

The operation, dubbed ‘Roasting Operation,’ had been a resounding success.

* * *

Obella and Anise.

It was understandable why they appeared so confident when a powerful natural elementalist and an amplifier worked together.

Zerdan, with a hand on his bleeding waist, was more intrigued by Moa Ablon’s plan than the pain he was enduring. His injuries were serious, but the excitement over the unfolding scheme occupied his thoughts.

Indeed, if she had the proper abilities as Liffree had mentioned, she might have become a formidable force herself.

It was said that gods were fair. Whether this was fair or not was debatable.

Terisier lifted his large foot and swung it toward Zerdan. The massive foot and claws were quite intimidating. Zerdan grimaced and dodged, feeling the pain from his wounded waist flare up.

“Hmm, it seems like we’re winning more easily than expected.”

Through the twisted space, new figures began to appear.

Phel, rubbing her neck, emerged with a pleased smile on her face as she looked at Zerdan. Her hair was tied up high, and her expression was one of satisfaction.

Seeing her like this, after being persistently provoked, was a bit of sweet revenge.

Next to her, a man resembling a mirage reappeared.

The total number of people who had appeared now was six: Moa Ablon, Terisier, Diswen, Khan, Phel, and Mummy Man. Only Obella and Anise are on the other side, so there are seven of them here, including Lazis, who hasn’t shown up.

Lazis didn’t seem to be involved in direct attacks but appeared to be providing support. How Moa Ablon convinced Lazis was unknown, but it might have been due to Moa’s abilities.

Zerdan glanced over the faces that seemed ready to charge at him and settled his gaze on Diswen.

Diswen’s face was no longer the menacing one she had worn before. Understanding the reason for this change, Zerdan smiled, as if it were a fitting response.

“I hope you liked my gift. It must have been a pleasant surprise to meet your long-lost sibling.”

“Damn you…! Did you do that on purpose, just to toy with me?!”

Diswen’s face contorted with anger.

She had longed for her sibling, mourning and seeking vengeance by cooperating with Obella, only to find that Zerdan had sent her sibling—who didn’t even remember her—mockingly, using abilities to make sure Diswen wouldn’t recognize him.

Diswen clenched her fists tightly.

As a mentalist, being manipulated by Zerdan was humiliating enough, but not recognizing her sibling sooner was even more disgraceful.

Seeing Diswen genuinely furious, Zerdan feigned ignorance.

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. Wasn’t he your longed-for sibling? You should be thankful that I didn’t kill him when I had the chance.”

“You bastard… I’m going to kill you!”

“Diswen! Calm down!”

Phel, who had restrained Diswen from rushing out, called out to her. Seeing Diswen struggling, Zerdan couldn’t help but smile, which prompted Terisier to growl like a beast.

“Is this the time to be so relaxed? Don’t you understand your situation?”

“Of course, it’s a dangerous situation. But having allies doesn’t seem to help much at the moment.”

“Hey… Do you really want to be saying that here?”

Liffree, still struggling to get up, tried to interject with a groan.

Ignoring Liffree’s comments, Zerdan slowly removed his hand from his waist, which he had been using to staunch the bleeding.

The bleeding had stopped, and his wounds were healing. Diswen’s eyes widened in shock.

“This… this can’t be…”

“Even though I sent Sidon away, he’s still fundamentally under my control. Moa Ablon, bringing Sidon with you was a mistake. Even if he’s not here, that still holds true.”

Zerdan’s wounds, along with Liffree’s, were rapidly healing. It wasn’t merely healing; rather, the damaged areas were regenerating and repairing themselves.

Moa Ablon kept silent.

Despite her careful consideration for potential injuries by bringing Sidon, Zerdan’s influence reached even this far, despite the distance. Moa couldn’t help but think of Sidon, who was presumably hiding about three buildings away from Lazis.

Sidon was indeed a living entity capable of autonomous movement, even without Zerdan’s orders. Yet, it seemed he was still under Zerdan’s power. A healer for both allies and enemies—should she be relieved or worried?

Despite the unexpected development, Moa Ablon faced Zerdan without showing any panic.

“Even if Sidon’s abilities have healed you, the situation hasn’t changed. You’re aware that we might still kill you before Sidon can heal you, aren’t you? I doubt Sidon’s abilities could revive someone already dead, so it’s better not to be too confident.”

As Moa spoke, Phel dashed forward.