Chapter 298

And so, the time of Kurt and Iot continued to flow.

During that time, Kurt sometimes showed clear signs of dislike while following Iot’s training, and on other days, he skipped training altogether, holed up in the shaman’s hut, devouring knowledge about the outside world or continuing to write his cooking book.

And that day was no different from the usual routine.

*Creak*

“You’re here again?”

“…What?”

“Training. Same as usual.”

“…Tch.”

As usual, Kurt was hiding in the shaman’s hut, using his childhood friend Lakia’s status as a shaman apprentice to read books about the civilization outside the Lizardman Village, and Iot found him and called him out as if it were a familiar routine.

At first, even Iot felt awkward about casually visiting the shaman’s hut, which held a special place in the village, so when Kurt ran there, Iot either pretended not to know or hesitated to enter. But as time passed, Iot became more comfortable visiting the shaman’s hut to call Kurt out.

And this change in attitude wasn’t limited to Iot.

Kurt still refused to acknowledge that he was part of the Lizardman tribe, but he no longer outright called them monsters and had come to accept that they were a type of human species.

At first, Kurt resisted fiercely when Iot took him on hunter training, but now, he reluctantly joined in about one out of every three times.

This time too, Kurt didn’t hide his displeased expression, but he still got up without running away, and the two of them headed into the heart of the Verde Jungle as usual.

—

“Look, Kurt. These tracks are from the drill-hoofed deer I told you about last time. Do you remember? The characteristics of these tracks are…”

“The size of the tracks is smaller than that of a typical adult deer, but the stride length is the same, so the owner of these tracks must be a female drill-hoofed deer, right?”

“…Hmph. Correct. You remember well. Impressive.”

Iot taught Kurt how to track animals by observing footprints and broken branches in the Verde Jungle.

Despite his outward appearance of a teenager, Kurt had lived over 40 years combined in his past and current life.

Emotionally, he was prone to hysteria due to the stress of being in a Lizardman’s body, but in other aspects, he was far more mature than his peers and absorbed knowledge quickly.

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Kurt soaked up Iot’s knowledge like a sponge.

Seeing this, Iot felt a sense of pride and praised Kurt.

“What? Why all of a sudden?”

“I’m just being honest about what I feel.”

Kurt shuddered at Iot’s words.

After all, Iot was a quiet Lizardman who rarely expressed his emotions, so his praise was a rare occurrence.

“You truly have the makings of a great hunter. Your memory, observation skills, and ability to deduce answers from small clues are all qualities a hunter needs. Plus, you have one of the healthiest and strongest bodies in the village. You’re a natural-born hunter.”

“Stop it. It’s creepy hearing such flattery from a grown Lizardman.”

As they walked through the trees, their conversation resembled that of a moody teenage son and a stern but caring father.

The two continued to walk through the forest, exchanging oddly heartwarming banter.

But this atmosphere didn’t last long.

“So, stop wasting time on the impossible dream of becoming a chef and seriously consider the path of a hunter.”

“…What?”

“You know it too, don’t you? It’s impossible for a Lizardman to become a chef. So, face reality.”

Iot’s words weren’t meant to be malicious.

In fact, they came from a place of genuine concern for Kurt’s future.

For someone as stoic as Iot, giving such serious advice was difficult, so he casually brought it up during training. It was a heartfelt, if awkward, attempt to guide Kurt.

After all, a Lizardman becoming a chef was as unlikely as a blind person becoming a painter.

No matter how much one explained, Lizardmen, who lacked the sense of taste, couldn’t understand the flavor of food, the reason for cooking, or even the concept of it.

But.

Even if Iot’s words were well-intentioned and true.

Kurt wasn’t ready to accept them.

“We’re Lizardmen. Lizardmen can’t become chefs. Never.”

“…Tch.”

“Kurt. I haven’t said much about your interest in human cooking culture until now, but from now on…”

“Shut up!!”

Iot didn’t know that Kurt had been a chef in his past life before being reincarnated as a Lizardman.

To Iot, Kurt’s dream of becoming a chef seemed like a fantasy born from hearing merchants’ stories or reading books in the shaman’s hut.

But for Kurt.

Cooking was the dream, passion, and life of ■■■, who had once been a chef.

Iot didn’t know.

How many times a day Kurt felt the urge to tear off his own skin.

How many times he choked back tears, feeling like he was suffocating in oxygen, knowing he could never be a chef again.

How beneath his outwardly hysterical personality lay a mountain of fear and stress, like the tip of an iceberg.

How impossible it was for a Lizardman to become a chef.

Every day, as he read more books, Kurt felt the crushing weight of how absurd his dream was—to become human again, or at least regain his sense of taste.

“Kurt. I just…”

“Shut up!! What do you know?! I’ll become a chef!! A chef!! Not a hunter!! A chef!!!”

In that moment, Iot’s words were like a needle to a balloon ready to burst.

Kurt screamed as if in agony, and before Iot could stop him, he slipped away with quick movements and disappeared into the depths of the Verde Jungle.

“I was just thinking of you… Was I wrong?”

Left alone, Iot slumped to the ground, burying his head in his hands.

—

After sitting in despair for a while, Iot finally came to his senses.

Not because he had recovered from the shock, but because he suddenly remembered the direction Kurt had run.

If Kurt had run toward the village, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

But this place was the heart of the Verde Jungle, a dangerous area teeming with monsters.

When training Kurt, Iot always chose safe paths, considering Kurt’s skill level, but straying from those paths meant entering dangerous territory even Iot couldn’t guarantee safety.

And the direction Kurt had run…

Realizing what lay beyond, Iot’s expression turned urgent, and he dashed after Kurt.