The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

A few days had passed since the incident where Jungwoo and Elsee were attacked by a merchant.

The cat, which had already been part of Kurt’s party before, had now fully integrated and become the undeniable mascot of the group.

Kurt, in particular, showed the most dramatic change in attitude.

Although he had never shown any negative behavior towards the cat before, his previously neutral stance had now shifted to a strangely affectionate one.

Kurt began to personally take care of the cat’s meals, often looking at it with expectant eyes. However, the cat would only act like a normal cat, leaving Kurt quickly disappointed with a sullen expression.

The rest of the party, unaware of the cat’s true abilities, simply thought Kurt was being kind, remembering how the cat had bravely rushed to save Elsee and Jungwoo. But the truth was known only to Kurt.

“Meow.”

“Our cat is so cute today~.”

“Indeed. Heh. It looks like a deer but acts like a fox.”

“The cat is neither a deer nor a fox, it’s a plant. Wait, is that even right?”

That day, the party continued to dote on their mascot cat (in deer form, a plant), petting it affectionately.

Under their touch, the cat rolled over and purred like a real cat, making happy sounds.

“….”

But there was one person silently watching the cat with a gloomy gaze.

It was Liche, the mage from Arisa’s party.

Perhaps because Liche’s gaze was so intense, Mari, Karina, and Serena, who had been petting the cat together, awkwardly sat back down and started discussing the day’s plans.

“Ahem. Let’s stop the chit-chat and talk about what quest we’ll take on today. We’ve been resting for a few days, so it’s time to get back to work.”

“Then, how about the quest to investigate suspicious footprints? It’s near where the ancient ruins were discovered.”

“Hmm. The reward isn’t great, so it’s not worth it. That quest is more suited for Arisa’s group. Any other quests?”

“Ah, there’s this one posted on the board this morning…”

As they started discussing the quests, Kurt’s party quickly focused, their expressions turning serious.

But even as their attention shifted elsewhere, Liche continued to glare sharply at the cat, her gaze lingering until Arisa’s party left the Adventurer Guild.

—

“Um, so this quest is… uh… are you listening?”

“….”

“Liche?”

“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought.”

Although Arisa’s party had set out on the quest, even outside Astram, Liche’s mind seemed preoccupied, her mood dark.

Arisa, walking beside her, felt awkward and tried to gauge her mood.

In fact, Liche’s unusual state wasn’t just today.

Her expression had grown sharper a few days ago, around the time Kurt’s party started keeping the cat.

Every time Karina and Serena showed affection for the cat, Liche would glare at it as if it were a rival.

‘Come to think of it, Liche became an adventurer because of Karina and Serena.’

Arisa had heard that Liche used to live alone in a remote mountain far from Astram.

Her only family, her frail parents, had passed away before she reached adulthood, leaving her alone in the mansion for years.

Inheriting her parents’ weak constitution and the reclusive nature of the Wizard race, Liche lived a monotonous life, rarely interacting with the nearby villagers.

Then, by chance, she met Karina and Serena, who were lost in the forest, and for the first time in her life, she made friends. She left her secluded life to join them in Astram.

Later, she developed a rivalry with Kurt, challenging him to a cooking duel, which she lost. To seek revenge, she trained in cooking, eventually leading to her current state.

The important thing was that Liche was deeply attached to Karina and Serena.

‘Is she jealous of the cat because Karina and Serena are doting on it?’

Even if that were the case, it seemed strange to be jealous of an animal…

In fact, Arisa herself felt a bit upset that Mari, her first friend, had recently been paying all her attention to the cat.

“Um… Liche, how about we do some cooking training after this quest? Like the time we made that steak?”

Arisa, summoning all her social skills, suggested this to Liche.

For someone as reclusive as Liche, a Dark Elf with elite loner tendencies, making such a suggestion required great courage. But Arisa wanted to help her dear comrade.

“Let’s hunt some rare monsters for ingredients! I’ll help too!”

Yes.

Arisa knew from experience that sitting idle in such moments was no help at all.

She was determined to help Liche, just as Liche had helped her when she was down.

And to that, Liche responded…

“Sigh… I just want a cat.”

“If we do that, surely the two of them will… huh?”

“Ah.”

Liche, realizing she had spoken her thoughts out loud, panicked.

Indeed.

Liche hadn’t been glaring at the cat out of jealousy or a sense of loss.

If anything, she envied Karina and Serena.

She wanted to pet and dote on the cat, which acted like an affectionate house cat despite being a plant.

‘I want to spoil a cat too.’

But she couldn’t muster the courage to approach Kurt’s party, leaving her restless.

That was why she had been glaring at the cat for the past few days.

And through Liche’s slip, Arisa realized this.

“Uh… did I just say my thoughts out loud?”

“…A little.”

Both Liche and Arisa blushed, feeling embarrassed—Liche for revealing her thoughts, and Arisa for giving misguided advice.

—

After walking in uncomfortable silence for a while, Liche was the first to speak.

“By the way, you were explaining the quest earlier, weren’t you?”

She spoke casually, but her ears were still red from the earlier slip.

Arisa, though socially awkward, had enough tact not to point it out.

“Yes. The quest is to investigate strange sightings and traces near the ancient ruins. Count Astram wants us to check if anyone is illegally entering the sealed ruins or if criminals are hiding there.”

“I see.”

“There’s no need for combat, and tracking humans is my specialty, so this quest should be easy.”

“Indeed, it’s a simple quest. Just investigating traces shouldn’t be dangerous.”

“Right. It’s unlikely there’s any new danger in the ancient ruins we don’t know about.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at the cave entrance where the ancient ruins were hidden.

Upon reaching the target area, the two, contrary to their usual airheaded demeanor, began searching the forest with seasoned precision.

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