This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 9 - Helper (3) - Part 2
Back at the office, I found Liffree sitting with a contemplative expression. He was surrounded by various ornaments, which he was scrutinizing silently.
“What are you doing?”
“…Oh, you’re still here?”
Curious about what he was up to, I approached and asked, causing Liffree to grimace. Judging by the way he glanced at Khan, it seemed he wanted to pass me off to him.
Khan, likely exhausted from dealing with me on the way back, pretended not to notice and slipped away.
“This place has an unusual layout. The only connection to the outside is this small office, and the rest seems to be underground. Is there no private space?”
“The underground is spacious, so we stay there. Usually, when we move, it’s through Mr. Khan’s ability. But about what you said earlier—was it true?”
“What do you mean?”
“The part about an amplification ability user.”
Liffree held up a ring with a striking blue hue. Yet, unsatisfied, he put it down and picked up another one to examine.
“It’s true.”
“If it is, I want to bring them in.”
“Why? To expand the organization?”
“Organization?”
Liffree looked at me, then chuckled at what he found to be a plausible misunderstanding.
“You seem to be mistaken… Zerdan and I don’t care whether the organization grows or not. I’m not sure what kind of illusion you have about our work, but it’s just weird people tagging along. We don’t stop them.”
“I’ve heard that your members engage in murder and human trafficking.”
“Human trafficking? Probably not. Some of the kids tried to do that, so we stopped it. As for murder… well, it’s usually the result of them arguing with each other. Not really our concern.”
“Then what is your goal?”
“If I tell you, will you bring that woman?”
Liffree’s gaze fixed on me.
Honestly, I am curious about Zerdan’s true intentions. The game lore suggests that he murdered his parents and led a criminal organization just to showcase his power to Obella, but is that the case?
If I can successfully pursue Zerdan, perhaps a hidden story will unfold. Somehow, it feels like this might be that moment.
“I can bring her but kidnapping is more your specialty.”
“That works. With Khan’s ability, it’s entirely possible. You seem interested in Zerdan. You two aren’t actually in a relationship, are you?”
“Not yet.”
Liffree seemed amused and smiled as he began sorting the ornaments in front of him, dividing them into two groups. Most of them went to the left, but I couldn’t figure out the criteria for his sorting.
“Our goal is to find someone.”
“A person?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure if it’s a person or a monster, but it’s too dangerous to just leave alone.”
“A person more dangerous than Zerdan? He doesn’t seem like the type to care unless someone threatens him.”
“That’s true. But the problem is, this one causes a lot of trouble—more than you’d expect.”
I couldn’t quite grasp what he was getting at.
He mentioned finding a person, so it didn’t seem to involve Obella’s group. But could there be someone Zerdan considers a threat?
Isn’t Zerdan supposed to be the villain in this game?
“I’m curious, could you tell me more?”
“You are a nosy one, aren’t you? Moa Ablon, right?”
Liffree picked up a ring he had been examining. After a moment, he seemed to consider placing it to the right but then looked at me. He took my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.
Even though it’s small, it seems like a real gemstone—was he giving this to me?
“It’s a gift. You did share some valuable information.”
“It looks like a real gem. Are you sure I can have it?”
“Gems aren’t what’s important to us. There’s a bit of luck infused in it, but don’t expect too much—it’s not a major power.”
“Lily, is your ability related to bestowing luck?”
“I told you not to call me by that name… No, not exactly. My ability involves imbuing objects with my desires. Whatever I earnestly wish for becomes embedded in the gem. Of course, it has to be the right kind of gem, and the effects are random. It’s a finicky power.”
A finicky power, but not a bad one.
To imbue something with a wish…
I can’t tell if he wished for good luck or a curse, but still.
“I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“Sure. Though I can’t say how effective it will be.”
Liffree’s gaze shifted to the necklace I was wearing.
Come to think of it, the gemstone in the necklace was something I took from Zerdan’s lair, wasn’t it?
For a moment, I wondered if he was asking for it, but he shook his head, indicating that wasn’t the case.
“If you’re curious about anything else, ask Zerdan directly. He’s downstairs, so go on.”
Liffree’s attention returned to the gems he had sorted.
It seems like he was determining if there was a gem that could respond to his abilities. I couldn’t quite grasp how useful that ability might be, but I figured it wouldn’t be of much use unless one was extremely wealthy.
He seemed to have lost interest in engaging with me, so I stood up.
Now that I think about it, I was curious about the origin of the earrings that Zerdan gave me to suppress my powers. It seems they were tied to Liffree’s ability.
It’s a useful power, but it’s useless if there’s a companion. I wonder how Zerdan plans to use that ability.
I glanced at Liffree for a moment, then closed the door and left. I recalled the distance I had traveled with Khan and descended the stairs. Upon reaching the basement, a scene I hadn’t properly observed earlier came into view.
‘It’s incredibly spacious.’
Behind the stairs, there were distinct spaces, possibly where they stayed. Zerdan was standing on the opposite side, where the puppets were lined up.
“Zerdan.”
At my call, Zerdan turned around. He didn’t seem surprised, as if he had already sensed my presence before I spoke.
“Did you enjoy your date with Khan?”
Had Liffree told him that I went out with Khan?
I approached him. He was looking down at me. Though his eyes were smiling, his golden irises had a slightly cold impression.
“Were you jealous?”
“A little. I tend to be possessive.”
“I enjoy being with you more, Zerdan.”
“Then I’m glad to hear that.”
“…I thought you could turn corpses into puppets, but why did you tell Bella that Diswen was still alive?”
He looked over at Diswen. Conveniently, he was standing right in front of her.
A beautiful woman with curly black hair and a rather sullen expression.
Diswen was staring at Zerdan with unfocused eyes.
“My original ability is to turn corpses into puppets, but it’s also possible to turn someone who has lost consciousness into a puppet. Of course, if the person’s sense of self is strong or if they’re a fellow ability user, it becomes difficult. But back then, I also had the power of the Queen of Opera, so it wasn’t too hard.”
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to kill her?”
“Yes, but with special types like those with mental abilities, the success rate is low. The reason I didn’t kill the Queen of Opera on the spot was because of that. The chances of failure were high, and killing her would mean losing a valuable ability.”
“What will you do if Bella succeeds in rescuing Diswen?”
“I don’t care.”
His response was surprisingly cool.
Despite saying it was a precious ability.
“…Is it because Diswen’s ability isn’t very helpful in finding people?”
“Did Lily tell you?”
“Zerdan, you’re smiling, but your eyes are a little scary. You’re not angry, are you?”
I reached out and caressed Zerdan’s face. He didn’t push my hand away.
“Do I seem like I’m angry?”
“Yes. I feel like if I say one more word, you’ll kill me.”
“I can’t say you’re wrong. Moa Ablon. I hope you don’t cross the line any further.”
What exactly is the line he’s referring to?
Zerdan placed his hand on the back of my neck.
“It seems you asked Khan a question that crossed the line as well. There’s a mark.”
There was a mark left from when Khan had grabbed my neck. Perhaps it had even bruised.
As Zerdan looked at it, he gripped the back of my neck with his large hand and pulled me closer. Lowering his head, he kissed me. His tongue entered, and the kiss continued.
But it wasn’t as sweet as before. Despite the kiss, his gaze remained cold as he stared at me intently.
It was a warning. A silent pressure telling me not to come any closer.
What should I do to win his heart?
I had thought he was the most interested in me among all the men I’ve met so far.
But I felt like I was growing more distant from Zerdan.