The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

“Breaking Heaven Collapse Fist!”

With a battle cry, she unleashed a single punch filled with overwhelming energy.

If that strike had landed, it was obvious what would have happened, even without seeing it.

To prevent the catastrophe her punch would cause, I quickly dashed in front of her and took the blow in her stead.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Why, why are you acting like this?”

Yuri Blossom looked utterly confused, as if she couldn’t understand why she was being scolded for my outburst.

I let out a deep sigh at her words.

“This request isn’t about hunting monsters, so stop with the unnecessary killing! We’re adventurers, not poachers. And what’s with that ridiculous battle cry?!”

At my words, Yuri stopped her punching stance and proudly replied, “Ahem! This Breaking Heaven Collapse Fist is my newly developed technique! How about it? Strong and cool, right?”

“It’s definitely stronger than I expected… but who shouts the name of their technique every time they throw a punch?”

And with such an embarrassing name, no less.

Still, the impact I felt from her punch was stronger than I had anticipated, and considering the time she must have spent training, it was impressive.

“Heehee. Pretty cool, right?”

“You’re probably the only one who thinks that.”

Or maybe that guy who’s obsessed with martial arts novels and card games would agree.

But he’s not from this world anyway.

After thoroughly lecturing Yuri, I turned my attention back to the original request: gathering materials from the monster.

“…Glacial Whip!”

But there, as if ignoring my lecture, was Liche, chanting a spell toward the monster.

“Hey! Stop!”

Once again, I threw myself in front of her attack, regretting my choices as I wondered how things had come to this.

.

.

.

This all started a few hours earlier.

I was just about to make a simple dessert with ingredients from the market when Liche burst in, holding a mission request from the Adventurer Guild.

“What’s that paper?”

“What do you mean? It’s a mission request, of course!”

Liche looked at Kurt as if his question was absurd.

“You do know we’re on our way to get ingredients for a dessert for Arisa, right?”

“Of course! But using ordinary ingredients for a dish meant to lift Arisa’s spirits is ridiculous! Special dishes require special ingredients, and where else can we get such ingredients but through the Adventurer Guild’s requests?”

Truth be told, while Arisa’s party was overwhelmingly filled with loners and misfits, Liche herself was an elite who had lived alone in a grand mansion for years.

So, just as Arisa felt an excessive sense of responsibility and became a milk-drinking recluse after her party members left, Liche was overreacting and going overboard to cheer up her party member.

“That might be true, but going on a mission that could take who knows how long…”

“Right. Liche, even so…”

Kurt and Mari tried to dissuade her, but before they could, Liche’s logic shot back at them.

Or rather, at Kurt.

“Hmph! Don’t tell me you’re not interested in cooking with special ingredients?”

“…!”

At Liche’s words, Kurt’s eyes widened as if he had realized something, and Mari felt a pang of unease as he spoke in a low voice.

“No. That won’t do. You’re wrong, Liche.”

“Kurt!”

But unexpectedly, his words were a rebuke to Liche.

Mari, who hadn’t expected the cooking-obsessed Kurt to reject Liche’s idea, called his name in surprise.

“How can you make a special dish with just one ingredient? There are a few guild requests I’ve been eyeing. Let’s go get them.”

“Ah…”

Of course.

Unaware of the look Mari was giving him, Kurt went to the guild board and picked up the requests his party members had shown no interest in.

“Hmph. You’re quite reasonable.”

“You’ve got a good eye for selecting requests.”

“Alright. Let’s form a temporary alliance for this one.”

“Huh? Sure, why not.”

Liche made a face as if she didn’t like it but would endure it for the sake of the goal.

And Kurt, not understanding why she made that face, shook her hand anyway.

And so, the temporary alliance between the loner wizard who’d do anything for her friend and the lizardman who’d do anything for cooking was formed.

“This might be… the worst alliance ever.”

Mari, watching the two, sighed in relief, glad she was staying behind at the Adventurer Guild.

Later, after picking up all the requests, Yuri joined them on their way out of the guild, and so they formed a three-person party.

.

.

.

After some time, Kurt, having finally reined in the two troublemakers, spoke with a tired expression.

“So, Palm Goats are docile monsters that don’t approach humans. Our request is to collect their milk. There’s no need for unnecessary killing.”

Normally, for a request like this, they’d use food or scents the monster liked to calm it down and collect the materials peacefully.

But this time, thanks to the two causing a ruckus, they ended up scaring the Palm Goat, which cried pitifully as they forcibly took its milk.

Still, at least they managed to get the milk.

Kurt sighed as he separated the Palm Goat milk for cooking and for guild submission.

As a transcendent, Kurt wouldn’t be physically tired from just stopping two people, but the mental exhaustion was overwhelming.

“Sorry, sorry. I guess I got too excited trying to make up for missing the last expedition to Leila because of academy attendance.”

“Tch. I just got carried away because I usually only take requests for hunting powerful monsters!”

“Hoo… Fine. So, where’s the next request?”

Thinking about it, both of them, despite their skills, were novices as adventurers.

Kurt, having been a hunter before becoming an adventurer, adapted quickly, but that was a special case.

‘Arisa really managed to form a party with these members.’

In the end, he quietly sighed and asked Liche about the next request.

“Hmm… Let’s see. Since we’re near where the Ancient Ruins were discovered… Considering our route, the next one is to hunt wild Predatory Water. We can also pick up some fresh fruit while we’re at it. The location is near Shuraig Cave.”

“Shuraig Cave… I know a place near there where a flock of wild Three-legged Fowl lives. We can stop by and grab some natural eggs.”

“Then leave the guiding to me! I’ll read the map and lead the way!”

“Wait! Yuri! You’re holding the map upside down!”

And so, Yuri and Liche enthusiastically charged toward the next location, while Kurt felt the weight of his responsibility to guide them.

“Maybe I got too excited about getting rare ingredients and suggested something unnecessary…”

Hesitating.

Just as he was about to follow the two who had rushed ahead.

Kurt stopped in his tracks, sensing something off.

For a moment, it felt like someone was watching him.

Just in case, Kurt expanded his senses to detect any life forms around, but the only ones he could sense were the Palm Goats.

“…I thought I felt someone’s gaze. Must be my imagination.”

If an ordinary person had said that, it might have been an ominous foreshadowing, but the one who said it was none other than Kurt.

If his transcendent senses didn’t pick up anything, then there truly was no life form.

Muttering to himself, Kurt quickly caught up to the two who had already gone far ahead.

Meeeh.

And so, near the Ruins of the Ancient Empire, only the Palm Goat, robbed of its milk, cried out as if finally reclaiming its peace.

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