This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 18 - Raid (3) - Part 2

“Miss Moa Ablon always seems curious about something when it comes to me. Do you have any other questions? I’m in the mood to answer just about anything right now.”

“I do have one more question. What was Ding to you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I understand that Ding was special to Terisier, but I’m curious about what she meant to you and Liffree, who was also there at the time.”

“I don’t think Liffree clashed with her much. As for me… we butted heads quite a bit. Her personality was so different from the Ding you know that you could almost say she was a different person.”

“Was she similar to Bella?”

“No. If I had to compare… she was more like you, Moa Ablon. Though that might just be a misconception.”

Like me? Although he spoke calmly, there was something peculiar about his attitude. It seemed like he didn’t realize it himself. I didn’t show much reaction and just nodded in understanding.

“You’re quite mysterious, Zerdan. The more I get to know you, the more surprising you are.”

“I’d say the same about you, Miss Moa Ablon. Come to think of it, there’s something I’d like to ask as well. Will you answer?”

“Since you’ve been answering my questions so diligently, I suppose I should.”

Zerdan, running a hand through his sweat-drenched hair, still looking straight ahead, spoke again.

“When I first met you, you seemed like someone who didn’t care much whether you lived or died. But now, you seem different. More cautious, if I might say… Did something change in your heart?”

“After you left a gaping hole in my chest?”

“The change seems to have happened around that time. But before that, weren’t you indifferent to death? Almost as if you knew you wouldn’t die even if you did. Has death become more of a reality to you now?”

A sharp man.

Though he spoke lightly, there was a certain confidence in his expression.

It felt like he was already sure of his assumptions, so I didn’t bother answering. Zerdan didn’t seem too concerned about my silence, and I just continued walking as he led the way.

Suddenly, Zerdan stopped in his tracks.

A familiar, leisurely smile spread across his face.

“Whether we walked here or were thrown here by an attack, it seems we’re close to Sidon’s location.”

Zerdan’s legs began to heal rapidly. It seemed he could sense Sidon’s presence nearby.

Watching the wounds on his arms and legs heal quickly, I asked.

“Is this healing because you’re giving Sidon orders?”

“Sidon no longer follows my orders strictly. I could force it by using my ability strongly, but… if Sidon truly resists, it won’t mean much. The healing is happening because Sidon wills it. Just as I can roughly sense Sidon’s location, Sidon can sense mine.”

So, Sidon must have sensed that Zerdan was injured earlier and healed him on its own.

Even though Sidon was currently on our side because of Diswen, he had made it clear that he wouldn’t fight with us.

I thought it was because of the effect of the ability, but it seemed more like Sidon had a strong attachment to Zerdan. And Zerdan was aware of this.

That’s why he let Sidon go so easily. He was sure it wouldn’t be much of a hindrance even if it went over to the enemy.

“It seems this is the way to go. Sidon is coming this way as well.”

“Zerdan.”

“Yes?”

When I called out to him as he continued walking with his arm around my shoulder, he turned back with a sly smile. His expression was so ridiculous that I lightly tapped his arm draped over my shoulder.

“Now that you’re healed, could you please move your arm? It’s heavy.”

“Don’t you like being in my arms?”

Zerdan stared at me.

I hadn’t forgotten that he almost killed me. And I hadn’t forgotten how much I was attracted to this man with black hair, golden eyes, and that relaxed smile.

He probably realized early on that I was weak to his face. It’s a charming trait, after all.

Without hesitation, I lifted Zerdan’s arm and slipped out of his grasp. Then I walked a few steps ahead and looked back at him.

“There are plenty of other men who enjoy holding me in their arms. I don’t see the need to stay in yours. Now that you’re all healed, let’s hurry.”

Zerdan smiled at me. It seemed he hadn’t expected me to slip away so easily or respond so coldly.

But with his healed long legs, he quickly caught up to walk beside me.

Instead of a proper bandage, a piece of cloth was wrapped around his injured leg, leaving his waist partially exposed.

I barely resisted the urge to wrap my arms around that waist. I almost got swept up in Zerdan’s pace and pinned him to the ground right here.

No matter how much his face and body were my type, if I just went for it, I’d come off as too easy. Even having such thoughts might already be a problem.

As I walked ahead, I vaguely heard Zerdan ask what kind of men the others were. But I was too distracted by the sight of Zerdan’s slender waist, which kept flickering in my mind, so I just let it slip by.

Walking in the direction Zerdan pointed, I could see a part of the building’s underground structure. There was a small hole where it connected to the building, likely created by some impact from above.

“Hold on a moment.”

Zerdan stopped me before I could move forward and took the lead. The hole wasn’t large, but it was big enough for the two of us to get through. However, it seemed to be a bit of a drop.

Zerdan went down first. I heard a soft thud as he landed lightly.

Peering down at him, I noticed that his palm had a small scrape, likely from the descent. But even that was healing quickly, indicating that Sidon was quite close.

Zerdan removed his outer coat and draped it over the edge of the hole. Then, he extended his hands towards me.

“I’m helping you now, so you won’t refuse, will you?”

Indeed, if I tried to jump down alone, the drop might be high enough to twist my ankle, especially since I wasn’t as agile as Zerdan.

With the coat cushioning the sharp edges, I carefully lowered myself and jumped down towards Zerdan, who easily caught me.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zerdan gently set me down on the ground and began surveying our surroundings. Though the area was filled with dust and dirt, it was clear that we were inside a building.

It was hard to tell what kind of building it was, but Zerdan soon directed his gaze towards the rear.

“Is there something back there?”

All I saw was a space, but the way he stared intently in that direction made me ask. Without a word, Zerdan grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. At the same time, the space began to ripple.

A head of fluffy, light brown hair suddenly popped out of the shimmering space. As the face gradually emerged, it looked familiar, and I instinctively called out his name.

“Sidon?”

“Found you.”

That cotton-candy hair was rare, so I had a hunch, but it was indeed Sidon.

Zerdan didn’t seem particularly surprised, as if he already knew Sidon would be arriving.

Sidon, covered in dirt, approached Zerdan.

“After you fell, I couldn’t sense your presence much. I thought you might be dead.”

“I almost was. It was quite a drop.”

Zerdan naturally reached out and dusted the dirt off Sidon’s hair. As Sidon stood there quietly under his touch, Zerdan asked him a question.

“Did you come alone? That ability just now seemed like Lazis’ ability.”

“I sensed that you were getting closer, so I asked him to send me. The others agreed since they thought you might be hurt.”

Sidon said, pointing at me. It was a relief to know that everyone else was still alive, considering they were worried about me.

Curious about the situation outside, I asked Sidon.

“How is it outside? Is anyone hurt?”

“There were injuries, but thanks to my ability, everyone has recovered and is currently hiding. Also, that big tiger…? Anyway, the tiger went to Liffree.”

“Terisier went to Liffree? Willingly?”

Sidon nodded.

Terisier and Liffree weren’t that familiar with each other, so why would he follow him? I looked at Zerdan, hoping he might know, but he just shook his head.

“It’s probably because of Liffree’s ability, but I’m not sure how he did it.”

“Terisier didn’t have any accessories with gems on them… Sidon, we want to get out of here too. Can you contact Lazis? Or maybe Khan?”

“He’ll come to pick us up soon. He agreed to use his ability around me after a certain amount of time. And as for Khan… he’s probably not in his right mind right now, so he might not be able to use his ability.”

“It seems Sidon’s ability doesn’t work on Ding.”

Zerdan’s face stiffened slightly as he spoke, and Sidon nodded in agreement. It appeared that Sidon knew something about Ding’s existence.

He spoke calmly.

“Even before, I used my ability to reactivate her dwindling life force, but with that level of injury, it seems the damage was too severe. Ding was never a truly living being, to begin with, so my ability no longer worked on her. I explained that she was originally dead, but Khan didn’t seem to believe me.”

“That’s understandable. Khan thought of Ding as family, more than anyone else.”

Zerdan smiled bitterly, for he had a certain amount of affection for Khan, even if he had betrayed him.

He hadn’t planned to reveal the truth this way, but he had been hiding it to use Khan’s ability.

Zerdan seemed to shake off his thoughts and looked between Sidon and me.

“Sidon, please heal Miss Moa Ablon’s wounds. And before worrying about my body, you should take better care of your own. You have such a great ability, but it seems you don’t use it enough, Sidon.”

“Ah, well… this much will heal on its own if I leave it.”

Sidon reached out and took my hand. As he did, the scrapes and minor cuts on my arms and legs began to heal.

Looking at Sidon, whose hand I was holding, I noticed that although his dirt-covered appearance hid it, there were quite a few cuts on his face and the back of his hands.

Considering the chaos outside, it would have been strange if he were unscathed.

I began to worry that Sidon might have used so much of his ability to heal Zerdan and the others outside that he hadn’t taken the time to heal himself.

Perhaps understanding the meaning behind my gaze, Zerdan smiled as he spoke.

“Sidon doesn’t have significant limitations with his ability. It’s not an ability that drains physical strength either. Like Bella, it’s an innate talent, so you don’t have to worry too much. He likely healed the people above because of Diswen, and he probably left his own wounds because he found it bothersome.”

“……”

It seemed Zerdan wasn’t wrong. Sidon, who was healing my wounds with a blank expression, did look slightly annoyed.

What an incredibly powerful ability. To be able to heal wounds so quickly and without limitations.

“Can Sidon’s ability heal almost any wound as long as the person is still breathing?”

“I can’t handle it if the organs are completely exposed.”

Organs exposed…

He spoke so bluntly with such a blank expression.

So, it’s possible as long as the organs aren’t outside the body?

But since he seemed too bothered to explain further, I looked at Zerdan, who, as if expecting this, began to explain.

“Sidon’s ability is more about activation than healing. So, if a limb is severed or organs are severely damaged, it’s difficult to heal. However, other wounds or depleted life force can be restored within a certain range. But when the ability is greatly taxed, there is one condition. Only Sidon and I know about it.”

“Does the person have to be asleep? I think Ding mentioned something like that.”

“Yes. They need to be asleep or unconscious for him to use the stronger aspects of his ability. However, the person seems to experience nightmares during the process.”

“Nightmares…?”

So, in exchange for being healed, the person has nightmares…

I fell silent, looking at Sidon. He seemed to sense my gaze and stared back at me, having finished healing.

Still, he seemed to find it too bothersome to heal his own wounds, and I sighed. Zerdan, too, seemed to have given up and didn’t say anything further.

“Zerdan.”

The space under Sidon’s feet started to warp. It appeared to be Lazis’ ability.

As Sidon blankly watched this unfold, I sighed again and called Zerdan. Understanding why I called him, Zerdan and I moved closer to Sidon.

The space under Sidon’s feet expanded, gradually extending to where Zerdan and I were standing.

“I thought it was odd that he was talking so much, but it seems he got bored already.”

“You must have your hands full with him, Zerdan.”

Suddenly, I thought of Diswen, who had been captured as a spy. Despite being captured with such confidence, she hadn’t provided much useful information to someone like me, whose status was still unclear.

Her ability was absurdly powerful, but…

For some reason, both Sidon and Diswen, with their incredibly strong abilities, seemed to have a knack for exhausting their superiors.

If this is something they have in common, I suppose you could say they’re similar.

Smiling inwardly, I allowed myself to be drawn into the increasingly warped space.