This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 20 - Wrapping Up - Part 2

There were no corpses. Instead, Anise and Sidon stood upright, staring intently in this direction. At the same time, Terisier, instead of standing by Liffree’s side, was positioned behind him.

“It’s unfortunate. My ability isn’t just limited to bristling fur. How does it feel to be trapped by Diswen’s mind control and lose your sense of spatial awareness through my sensory manipulation? …Do you still think I’m standing right next to you?”

As her voice faded and the sensation of a hand on Liffree’s shoulder vanished, he found it increasingly difficult to perceive his own surroundings. His body was his own, but his awareness of the space around him was clouded.

Moa Ablon, watching Liffree’s bewildered expression from behind, silently smiled as Liffree struggled to make sense of the situation.

* * *

Seeing the panic on Liffree’s face, I decided to end things before he could regain his composure. I raised my hand, letting the edge of it rest against his neck like a cold, sharp blade. Liffree, who couldn’t fully feel his senses, would likely experience it as a chilling, knife-like presence.

“Why not admit it? Terisier has already fallen victim to Diswen. To him, the same scene continues to play out as before. I control his hearing too, so even if you were to scream from being stabbed right here, he wouldn’t know.”

“You’ve been hiding your abilities?”

“Not at all. I just got lucky. Maybe the gods decided to help me this time. Though, even without their help, I would’ve made sure to exact my revenge on you.”

Liffree broke out in a cold sweat as Terisier remained motionless, while the menacing sensation crept closer to his throat.

What could he do in a situation where he was already brainwashed and couldn’t even feel his surroundings? He wanted to command Terisier, but how could he do that when his own voice couldn’t reach him?

Resigned, Liffree unclenched his fists. I noticed his surrender and signaled to Khan. In response, Khan’s shadow shifted toward us.

Khan’s shadow could transport people and objects, but it was also capable of simple restraints. In an instant, Liffree was dragged to the center of our group, where he collapsed to the ground. His arms and legs were bound tightly by the shadows, rendering him immobile.

“Can I punch him once?”

Phel asked, her fist clenched in frustration, clearly still upset over everything that had happened. Lazis and Diswen, who had joined us, seemed amused by the situation, though Anise and Sidon’s expressions remained grim, likely because they had been Liffree’s initial targets.

“I’ll allow it, as long as you don’t kill him, but let’s wait for a bit.”

Liffree looked at me in horror, but the others nodded and backed off, all while glaring at him. Zerdan, staring at Liffree for a moment, then turned to me and spoke.

“If Lady Moa Ablon wishes, no one would blame you for killing him here. You’re aware that he endangered your life, right?”

“There are quite a few people who have a grudge against him.”

I remarked with a smile, and both Diswen and Phel shot Zerdan sharp glares. Zerdan simply shrugged, seemingly indifferent. Meanwhile, Obella approached me from the opposite side of Zerdan.

“But wouldn’t it be dangerous to let him live like this?”

“Liffree can imbue desires into gemstones. So unless someone receives jewelry made of these gemstones, they won’t be significantly affected. Besides, we need to return Terisier to normal.”

“Terisier doesn’t have any jewelry, though, right?”

I turned to look at Terisier, who stood bound by Khan’s shadow, motionless. When I glanced at Diswen, she looked worried but gave a reassuring nod.

“My mind control is still working well. He’s still seeing us in combat, just like before.”

“That’s a relief. Terisier didn’t have any jewelry to begin with. The reason Liffree was able to control Terisier wasn’t through that.”

I turned to Liffree, asking.

“Right?”

His face paled in shock, staring at me in disbelief as if asking how I knew. I bent down, smiling confidently at him.

“You’ve always been unique, even as a child. Who would’ve thought you’d use gemstones like that? I almost wouldn’t have known.”

“How… how do you know…?!”

“Didn’t I tell you? Maybe the gods decided to help me out. I guess they wanted me to make sure you were thoroughly crushed.”

Leaving the astonished Liffree behind, I approached Terisier. I asked Diswen to release her mind control, and she hesitated, clearly nervous.

“What if he attacks us again, Moa?”

Anise asked anxiously, standing protectively beside Luke, who was also looking at me with unease.

They were probably scared after having their lives threatened earlier.

“It’ll be fine. Once Terisier is free from Liffree’s control, he’ll go back to being the rude Terisier we knew before.”

“…Alright, I’ll release him.”

Diswen seemed to trust me, nodding grimly. Soon after, Terisier’s dull eyes regained their natural color.

Liffree, watching with a glimmer of hope, quickly averted his gaze when Phel, who had her hands pressed threateningly against Liffree’s neck, shot him a menacing glare.

After briefly glancing at them, I gently took Terisier’s face in my hands. His green eyes focused solely on me.

Would Terisier remember me? It was a gamble, but I had no choice but to try.

“Terisier.”

He didn’t respond to my voice. Looking at his face, I carefully touched the spot beneath his eye where he had been injured as a child and spoke softly.

“…Seeing how long your hair has grown, I remember now. You were the one who saved me when I was dying after being hurt by Zerdan, weren’t you? I don’t know if you remember.”

The image of that long silver hair I saw as I was losing consciousness from a stab wound to my chest flashed in my mind.

At the time, I thought I was mistaken when I collapsed and saw my silver hair. But it turned out I had caught a glimpse of Terisier’s hair growing longer for a split second as he used his power.

He probably lost his memory after that, but seeing me injured must have overlapped with Ding in his mind, so he unconsciously healed me.

“Thank you, Terisier, for that time and this time as well. So please come back now. I want to properly thank you.”

Terisier’s eyes, which had been gazing at me, slowly filled with tears. His expression soon twisted, and he quietly let the tears fall.

* * *

A young girl who, during childhood, gave me an odd sense of familiarity. And later, a peculiar woman I met after losing my memory. Her approach to Obella with suspicious motives was clear, so I was wary and treated her more harshly than necessary.

But she was honest, always expressing her opinions clearly without pretense, and I was surprised when she faced enemies confidently with the ability I had once mocked as useless.

Maybe it was her quick thinking, or perhaps her sharp judgment in critical situations.

There wasn’t much of an age difference between us, yet she had an air of maturity.

As my wariness subsided, curiosity arose, followed by a small sense of trust as comrades. Then, when she suddenly approached me with sexual charm, I began to develop feelings for her as a woman.

And when I regained my lost memories, only to be rendered powerless, unable to move my body freely, obeying someone else’s commands—it was pure helplessness.

Without knowing the cause, I was powerless, watching as my comrades were overwhelmed by my own strength.

I tried to suppress my abilities internally, but I still couldn’t control them well. I was merely used helplessly under someone else’s orders.

How did I feel when I saw Anise and Sidon die because of my abilities? When I saw Moa Ablon collapse because of me? And how did it feel to have to fight against my comrades afterward?

Only now do I realize. Even as a child, I harmed others with these abilities, and now, it’s being used uselessly. It’s not even a proper power, so why was it ever praised as the greatest?

I thought about ending everything, and even though it was dangerous, I tried to take control of my power.

Suddenly, the situation before me went dark, and after blinking, I saw a woman with short silver hair standing in front of me.

Silver hair and green eyes. I couldn’t fully grasp the situation, feeling her palms cupping my cheeks as she smiled at me.

It was a smile I had grown familiar with even in my childhood.

“Terisier.”

Another new world unfolded before my eyes.