Chapter 165

It’s a well-known fact, but a Lizardman’s arm regenerates.

No, not just the arm, but the entire body of a Lizardman regenerates.

You might have heard that when a lizard is in danger, it sheds its tail to escape, and the tail later regenerates.

Not just in appearance, but Lizardmen, who actually possess the traits of lizards, also have that regenerative ability.

Though, in reality, the regenerated tail of a lizard isn’t perfectly restored and is more like a boneless lump of flesh compared to the original tail.

In fact, it’s not reptiles like lizards but amphibians like salamanders that have the ability to perfectly regenerate lost body parts.

However, for some reason, Lizardmen have a regenerative ability closer to that of salamanders than lizards.

That said, it’s not like they can just sniff hard and *poof* a new arm grows back.

The regeneration of a Lizardman happens very slowly over several years.

Especially during the molting period, which occurs once a year.

During that time, a Lizardman’s metabolism becomes highly active, and their regenerative ability increases significantly, allowing them to not only heal wounds quickly but also regenerate lost body parts.

After molting, the lost parts don’t fully regenerate, but at least noticeable regeneration occurs, and repeating this process over several years results in the lost body parts growing back.

The speed varies depending on the size of the lost body part, but if an arm is torn off below the elbow joint, it takes about 5 to 10 years to regenerate.

Seeing the innkeeper happily greeting Pey, it was clear that the muscles on his right arm were thinner compared to his left.

…

…

…

Pey and the Lizardman who saved him 10 years ago.

The two were sharing a touching reunion.

“So, you were the child I saved back then. You’ve grown so much.”

“Uncle… your arm…”

“My arm? Hahaha! If I eat and sleep well, it’ll grow back in 7 years!”

“…I’m so relieved. I thought you’d have to live the rest of your life without an arm because of me…”

“More than that, I’m grateful to you. I heard you helped this kid and came looking for me. Going out of your way for someone else’s sake! Now that I look at you, your face reminds me of my younger self! Hahaha!”

“It wasn’t anything special. I’m just glad it all worked out.”

It took longer than expected, but seeing the two warmly reuniting after 10 years was quite heartwarming.

Well, in both my past and current lives, I’ve already lost many people I can never see again, so I can’t help but feel for those who suffer from not being able to meet the ones they miss.

“Ah, right. It’s getting late, so let’s have a meal and talk. How about you join us, young Lizardman? It’s on me!”

“No, I’m fine. You two must have a lot to catch up on. I shouldn’t intrude.”

“Don’t say that! If it weren’t for Mr. Kurt, I might have missed my life’s savior right in front of me!”

“That’s right! You shouldn’t refuse such kindness!”

“…Alright.”

Thinking about it, it’s already evening, and if I go back to the Adventurer Guild to prepare a meal, it’ll be midnight by the time we eat.

And even if I cook at the Adventurer Guild, it wouldn’t be much different from eating here…

“Then, I’ll gladly accept.”

“Great choice! I’ll show off my cooking skills for the first time in a while! Today, I’ll treat you to a Lizardman-style steak set meal that you can’t find anywhere else!”

“…Huh?”

“What?”

Lizardman cooking?

Even as a joke, it’s not something you’d want to eat.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry! I’ve lived in human society for nearly 20 years! I can cater to human tastes!”

But the innkeeper, confidently thumping his chest, assured us, and Pey, though half-doubting, seemed somewhat relieved.

However, I saw it.

The look in the employee’s eyes as they pitied us while the innkeeper thumped his chest.

And the mixed looks of pity and amusement from the other guests.

Ah, this is bad.

This is a disaster.

“Hahaha! Let me teach you about Lizardman cuisine, Pey!”

“Really! Thinking about it, I know so little about the Lizardman race! Just today, I couldn’t even imagine that severed parts could regenerate! I should take this opportunity to learn more about Lizardman culture!”

“That’s a great attitude! I’ll bring out the food right away! I just got some good meat today! Wait with anticipation! It’s called the Lizardman-style Steak Set Meal!”

“Steak! I’m really looking forward to it!”

No.

If we let the innkeeper go like this, he’ll surely bring out some bloody meat with bitter, unwashed grass haphazardly served in a bowl.

“Wait.”

So, I stopped the innkeeper as he was about to enter the kitchen.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“If you need cooking done, I’ll handle it. I’m quite skilled in cooking, you know. I’m also well-versed in traditional Lizardman cuisine.”

It’s too late to back out now.

We’re destined to have dinner here.

Having steak for dinner isn’t bad.

But the problem is who’s cooking it.

Who’s doing the cooking?

Lizardman-style Steak Set Meal.

Before that horrifying menu name, I had to add one sentence.

My Lizardman-style Steak Set Meal.

Only I can save tonight’s dinner.

…

…

…

Having convinced the innkeeper and entered the kitchen, I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes.

At least I made it into the kitchen.

When I offered to cook, Pey was visibly flustered, his eyes darting around, but in the end, he didn’t stop me, probably feeling indebted.

And by the time I convinced the innkeeper to let me into the kitchen, he looked like a prisoner sentenced to death.

Fool.

You don’t even realize I’m saving you.

Anyway, getting into the kitchen solved more than half the problem.

But that doesn’t mean I can just cook anything.

First, the innkeeper promised Lizardman cuisine, and Pey is expecting it, so the meal has to be a steak set.

But if I serve real Lizardman-style food, it’ll be a bad ending, and my efforts will be wasted.

I can’t possibly serve something like that.

So, what I need to make is something that looks Lizardman-style but is actually delicious.

So, the steak should be cooked to the lowest level of doneness, blue rare…

Yes. The innkeeper said he got good meat, so freshness isn’t an issue, and quickly searing the surface should reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Having sorted out my thoughts, I first checked the meat to be used.

Upon inspecting the meat, I realized I faced a major hurdle from the start.

“This… this meat…”

The freshness of the meat wasn’t the issue.

The breed of the meat wasn’t the problem either.

Lizardmen usually don’t care about the gamey taste in meat and just grill it roughly, but since this is an inn, the meat supplied here is the kind other human races enjoy—beef.

And not the cheap kind from old labor cows or dairy cows but properly raised beef for consumption.

Indeed, the innkeeper had recently slaughtered it himself, and the quality of the meat was quite good.

But the problem was the cut of the meat.

It was from the loin section of the cow.

Almost equivalent to ribeye.

A cut with a lot of fat.

I’m not saying one cut is inherently better or worse than another.

Preferences for certain cuts vary by country, culture, and even individual taste.

For example, in my past life in South Korea, pork belly was highly sought after, making it more expensive, and beef with high marbling like ribeye was also highly favored.

However, in other Western countries, pork belly was considered cheap, used mainly for making bacon, and beef with less fat was considered higher grade.

This isn’t about which culture’s preference is superior or inferior but simply about cultural differences.

But even so, I couldn’t help but feel panicked looking at that meat.

The more fat in the meat, the worse the texture and the stronger the gamey taste if the fat isn’t properly rendered.

And blue rare won’t render the fat enough.