This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 17 - Raid (2) - Part 2

“Brother, come play with me. Are you listening?”

While the middle-aged woman was away, I was deep in thought about how to use my ability when I heard a young boy’s voice. He wasn’t talking to me.

I turned my head and saw Terisier speaking to the boy with black hair and golden eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m bored and my brother won’t play with me.”

It was clear that being trapped like that would make anyone feel down, and playing wasn’t likely something on their mind. But I couldn’t say that to Terisier, who was looking up at me with innocent eyes. Instead, I glanced at the boy with black hair and asked, pointing at him, who hadn’t even glanced in our direction.

“Is he someone you usually play with?”

“Not really, but I want to play with him. The others are weird. Some cry all the time, and others are bleeding.”

“…Do you not know why that is?”

“I don’t know. Mom said they’re all pitiful kids, but none of them can talk. At least Zerdan can talk to me.”

“They can’t talk?”

Now that I thought about it, I’d heard groans and sobs but never screams. Despite the pain those kids must have felt, there hadn’t been a single scream. The strange dissonance became clear to me, and I frowned. It wasn’t just that they didn’t talk—they might be unable to.

“Is his name Zerdan?”

“Yeah, I heard Mom call him that.”

“Hey.”

It was then that the boy with black hair, who had never once looked our way, called out to me.

Zerdan, as he was called, spoke to me with a blank expression.

“I don’t know what your ability is, but if it’s something useful, you’d better escape as soon as you can. If you don’t want to end up like them. You seem smart enough to be hiding your ability… But once that woman finds out, you’ll be restrained. Just like those kids, your tongue will be cut out so you can’t scream.”

So they had been silenced to keep them from screaming. This place was truly horrific.

“…You don’t seem to have any ability, so why are you here?”

I asked Zerdan, who was telling me to run while holding his aching head.

The middle-aged woman had said he was left here to see if ordinary people could be given abilities through experimentation.

But why hadn’t they cut out his tongue or subjected him to any special experiments like the other kids? Curious, I asked, and Zerdan smiled. It was a dark smile, far too somber for a child.

“I’m the only one in my family without any ability. They’re probably hoping that these experiments might trigger something in me.”

“Family…? With that woman? So is this kid your brother?”

I pointed at Terisier, who was standing idly by. Zerdan shook his head firmly.

“That’s the woman’s most cherished experiment. You could say he’s responsible for all of this.”

“I haven’t seen any special abilities from him so far…”

“You will soon.”

Zerdan’s words proved true.

As usual, when the middle-aged woman asked me how I was doing, I shook my head, pretending not to know anything about my ability. But that day, something was different.

“Terisier.”

She called out to Terisier, who was playing in the distance, with a frown. She gently pushed him right in front of me, speaking in a soft voice.

“It seems like he’s lying to Mom right now. Can you check it out for me?”

“Sure, I got it!”

Terisier’s small body hugged me tightly.

I frowned. I wondered if he had some kind of aggressive ability and was trying to torture me, but after a moment of stillness, Terisier looked at the middle-aged woman with a smiling face.

“It’s an ability where if you pray to the gem for something you want, it comes true. It’s usually weak, but if he finds a gem that matches him well, it could be quite strong. And Mom, it’s true that my brother lied. I read his mind and he already knew about it before.”

“Really? As expected, our Terisier is amazing. Thank you.”

Terisier blushed at the middle-aged woman’s praise, while my face started to turn pale.

The middle-aged woman, who had looked at me with relatively kind eyes, now turned to me. Her gaze was frighteningly cold, unlike before.

“Lying is a bad thing. Bad children must be punished.”

I should have heeded Zerdan’s advice.

As I was being dragged away with a strong grip on my wrist, I looked at Terisier, who still seemed clueless.

Is he a psychic? What kind of power does that child possess that makes the middle-aged woman cherish him so much?

The ability to read others’ memories or thoughts at will is terrifying.

But if my intuition is correct, he is not just a simple psychic. There must be something special about his abilities that the middle-aged woman favors.

* * *

Why did he suddenly recall the past?

Sitting beside Zerdan, Liffree pondered.

Quite some time had passed, and the outside seemed noisier than before, indicating that Obella’s party had joined them.

“What will you do now, Zerdan? If Obella has joined, it means the other guys or your puppets have become useless.”

“It would have been good if Khan were here, but I didn’t expect him to betray us, so I’m at a loss. We have no choice but to threaten them again by taking Ding hostage. How did the attempt go?”

“It seems to be going well.”

Liffree nodded, recalling how easily Phel had been taken away.

Since the moment Phel was captured so easily, it was clear that they had a purpose to lull them into a false sense of security.

They aren’t the type to abandon their comrades easily, so he assumed they would have a plan. Indeed, they took Phel away easily using Lazis’ ability.

So, he secretly attached a small gem-adorned trinket to Phel’s coat. A small, black gem that would go unnoticed.

Since they likely moved toward Lazis, the operation should proceed as planned.

Now that Obella has arrived, there seems to be some commotion outside, as if they intend to talk with them.

As they moved to take them out of the cell, Zerdan seemed to notice and took a step back. There’s no way out except from above, but they can’t be buried under the dirt.

Following Zerdan’s lead, Liffree stepped back and then spoke quietly.

“Are you still against what I mentioned last time?”

“I’m not confident it’ll work out.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

As expected, Terisier’s attack caused the pile of dirt from above to collapse, revealing their figures.

Khan’s shadow bound Zerdan and Liffree. Since his abilities included not only spatial movement but also light restraints, this was within the realm of expectations.

Soon, the two were exposed to the outside air while still bound. Zerdan, seeing Obella’s glaring gaze, was smiling.

“Long time no see, Bella.”

“It seems like you’re still smiling. You must understand the situation, right?”

“Honestly, I didn’t anticipate this situation, but it’s quite interesting. If I had known that Moa Ablon was still alive, I would have devised more diverse plans.”

At Zerdan’s words, Moa Ablon showed no particular reaction from the back. She thought that her role was somewhat complete and that Obella, as the leader, should handle the situation.

Liffree looked at the enemies they were facing in the current situation.

The horrific events of the past were still vivid. Yet, there was one person whose memory remained unclear.

The small child whom the middle-aged woman had favored.

Considering that neither the name nor the face was clearly remembered, it was likely that the memory had been deliberately manipulated.

Zerdan had suggested finding and killing that person, but Liffree’s thoughts were somewhat different.

Although Liffree did not agree with the middle-aged woman’s horrific experiments, he understood the desire to make use of a powerful ability and achieve great things.

Yes, Liffree had not mentioned it to Zerdan, but he was still fascinated by the ability of that child, which had been strongly imprinted on him during childhood.

Liffree used his ability. He targeted Lazis, who was next to him, using the gem attached to Phel.

This gem resonated with Liffree better than any he had seen so far.

It was small but useful. It allowed for temporary brainwashing.

“Lazis?”

Suddenly, Lazis appeared with a dazed expression due to spatial movement. Beside him were Sidon, Diswen, and Phel.

As they suddenly appeared, Moa Ablon frowned, seeming to be the first to notice that the situation was becoming unusual.

Lazis quickly created a small, distorted space next to Zerdan and Liffree. And from that space, a small girl bounced out.

Ding, who had fallen on the floor, looked around, confused.

“Ding!”

Khan, who recognized Ding first, shouted anxiously. Ding, who seemed to have spotted Khan while looking around, showed a bright expression.

“Khan! Where have you been? I searched everywhere for you!”

The child’s face lit up with joy upon finding the person she had longed to see.

As the child tried to get up and run towards Khan, someone grabbed her shoulder. The faces of everyone, including Khan, tensed up instantly.

“I have no feelings for you, but I do want something.”

Liffree’s hand moved quickly as he caught the shadow of Khan approaching urgently.

A large amount of blood began to stain the child’s clothes. The white outfit made the red blood stand out even more vividly.

“Ding!!”

Khan’s cry echoed loudly.

Although Zerdan hadn’t desired it, there was no better way to proceed with such a high probability.

Liffree looked around calmly while watching Khan take Ding away. Soon, he noticed someone among the astonished faces showing a different reaction and his eyes gleamed with intrigue.

“Terisier! Are you okay?”

Moa Ablon asked urgently as he turned from his animal form to his human form and gathered Terisier, who was clutching his head in his hands.

Liffree’s smile grew even wider at this sight.

He had found it.

The true gem.

* * *

His eyes opened.

Through a faint vision, he saw a familiar man.

“It seems you’ve come to.”

“…Zerdan?”

His black hair, damp with sweat, partially covered his eyes. It was unfamiliar to see him disheveled, having only seen him neatly arranged normally.

Liffree, momentarily dazed by the unusual closeness of Zerdan, soon furrowed her brow as he grasped the situation.

“Terisier went out of control.”

“I’m glad the need for explanation has lessened.”

Zerdan spoke with a light laugh. Liffree recalled the events that had just occurred.

When Liffree attacked Ding, everyone, including Khan, was shocked by the unexpected turn of events.

Another reason for Moa Ablon’s surprise was Terisier’s reaction.

He had collapsed, seemingly in great pain, having lost control of his ability. It seemed that Liffree had been laughing at this.