Chapter 78

Dagdak.

Dagdak.

The wind that swayed as it approached carried the warm, comforting scent of sunlight.

As the pleasant breeze brushed over my scales, I sat dazedly in the carriage, soaking in the peaceful aroma of grass.

Until now, traveling often meant cramming into the cargo compartment, but sitting in the driver’s seat and breathing in the fresh air outside felt surprisingly nice.

Even when I thought sitting in the cargo compartment was better than walking during our travels, now that I’m sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat, I realize how insignificant those times were. Humans—or rather, creatures like us—always want to sit when standing and lie down when sitting.

“After all, even if it costs a bit more, having your own carriage is much more comfortable.”

“That’s right~.”

Mari’s voice affirmed my words from beside me.

Indeed.

We were continuing our journey not as escorts for merchants but in our own carriage.

Originally, we planned to hitch a ride with a merchant caravan to the World Tree to earn some travel expenses along the way.

However, during a recent escort mission with Logwin’s group, we were constantly attacked by monsters, leaving us mentally and physically exhausted beyond imagination. Eventually, we decided to change our plans and, despite the expense, purchase a carriage to travel more comfortably.

Of course, a carriage wasn’t something you could just buy on a whim when changing plans.

But fortunately, while hunting monsters brought in by the merchant, we unintentionally gained a substantial side income. Additionally, a smuggler we captured had all his assets seized by the Kingdom of Eustia and auctioned off, allowing us to purchase his carriage cheaply at the auction.

And indeed, our decision to splurge on the carriage wasn’t in vain. For the past few days, we’ve been enjoying an incredibly peaceful and leisurely carriage journey.

“By the way, how much farther is it to the World Tree?”

“…Ugh!”

While peacefully basking in the sunlight, Karina suddenly asked Mari, who made a face as if something unpleasant had come to mind.

“…Do you dislike going back to the village that much?”

“It’s not that I dislike it… It’s just the thought of being lectured… Ah, anyway, how much farther is it to the World Tree?”

“That’s right.”

“We should arrive straight after passing through one more city to the Village of the World Tree.”

Mari awkwardly answered Karina’s question, seemingly trying to change the subject.

“Just one city? Weren’t we supposed to pass through several more?”

“Originally, our route was based on the merchant’s path, so it was a bit roundabout. But now that we have a carriage, we can go straight without worrying. So, we’ll pass through one more village, stock up on supplies, and head straight to the World Tree.”

“Indeed, if I had known it would be like this, I would’ve bought a carriage from the start.”

“That’s right.”

“By the way, what’s the next city like?”

“Hmm… Nothing special, but they say strawberries are their specialty!”

“Ooh! Strawberries, you say! It’s the season too, so we can enjoy fresh strawberries.”

The two immediately started chattering excitedly about what they would taste in the upcoming city.

“Already talking about food, huh.”

I might have influenced them a bit, but they really are food enthusiasts.

As Karina continued chatting with Mari, she seemed uncomfortable sitting in the driver’s seat and turned to me.

“Kurt, aren’t you tired from handling the horses? If it’s okay, I’ll take the driver’s seat from now on.”

“Ah, that’d be great.”

With that, Karina switched places with me and continued chatting with Mari, while I moved to the cargo compartment where Serena was.

“Ugh, the smell of alcohol. Drinking in the middle of the day?”

“Hahaha. We couldn’t drink much during missions, so I’m just catching up on what I missed.”

At my words, Serena smiled like a cat, clearly in a good mood.

As soon as the idea of buying a carriage for pure travel came up, Serena’s eyes sparkled, and she bought as much beer as she could in the city. She filled the space originally meant for merchant goods with her beer stash.

She practically spent all her remaining money on beer after buying the carriage.

Happily hugging a barrel, Serena was enthusiastically drinking her beer.

In the driver’s seat, Mari and Karina were discussing what to eat in the city, while in the cargo compartment, Serena was happily gulping down her beer.

Basking in the sunlight in the driver’s seat was nice, but lying down in the cool shade of the cargo compartment felt equally pleasant.

Originally designed to fit eight adventurers snugly, the spacious cargo compartment was more than enough for Serena and me. Feeling the pleasant drowsiness in the cool shade, I quietly closed my eyes.

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I was dreaming.

It was an old dream.

But in the dream, I was older than I am now. Suddenly, I looked down at my hands and realized they weren’t the green-scaled hands I was used to but human hands. It was then I realized I was dreaming of a past life.

Human hands… Somehow nostalgic yet unfamiliar.

“What’s wrong? Does your hand hurt? Be careful. A chef’s hands are their life.”

“Huh?”

At the sudden voice of a man, I looked up to see the face of a dear friend.

But perhaps because the memory was too old.

His face above the nose was blurry, like fog had settled, making it hard to distinguish his features.

“What’s up, □□□?”

In the dream, I called his name, but like his face, the name was unclear, as if hearing it underwater.

Something feels off.

I clearly remember his hobbies, personality, and profession, but his face and name escape me.

Hearing me, my friend chuckled as if I’d said something strange.

“Of course, it’s me. We’re here to celebrate you, remember?”

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

At □□□’s words, I recalled the memory as if I’d forgotten it.

Yes. This was the day my friends gathered to celebrate me finally saving enough to open my own restaurant.

Back then, I was so absorbed in realizing my dream of owning a restaurant that I worked tirelessly.

From 6 a.m., I learned at a famous chef’s restaurant while saving money, and even on rare days off, I took side jobs like driving to earn extra.

Though, a few days after this celebration, just before the restaurant opened, I died, rendering it all meaningless.

Thinking about it, my extreme disinterest in saving money in this life might be due to adapting to Lizardman culture, but this past life memory might also have some influence.

As I was lost in thought, □□□ tapped me and spoke.

“Hey, what’s up? Spacing out again.”

“Ah, just feeling sentimental.”

Technically, it was about recalling forgotten memories of a past life, but □□□ seemed to think I was moved by opening a restaurant and smiled knowingly.

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“Enough talk, let’s eat.”

Though I was the one who worked hard, □□□ looked as if he’d endured it all himself. Feeling awkward, I cut him off and pointed to the dishes on the table.

On the table were various dishes, from whole chicken and pizza to cake, as well as □□□’s favorite noodles and dumplings, transcending national borders.

“Right, I’m hungry.”

“It’s not much, but eat up.”

“Wait, did you make all this?”

“Of course. I’m the chef here. Who else would cook?”

“I thought it was all delivered…”

“Delivered? I’m barely scraping by to pay the restaurant’s rent.”

As I said this, I cut a slice of the strawberry cream cake and placed it in front of □□□.

“Wow… Did you really make this cake too?”

“I told you, I made everything.”

At my words, □□□ said, “Let’s see,” and took a big bite with his fork.

“What! It’s so moist and soft!? The cream has a rich milky flavor, and the sponge isn’t dry like store-bought ones but perfectly moist with a buttery richness. And the strawberries are high quality, with just the right sweetness and aroma!”

“What’s with the sudden reaction…?”

“I just felt like giving this kind of reaction would make you happy.”

“Tch, how boring.”

Ding dong.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and □□□ said, “Hey, the others are here.”

“Coming~.”

As I got up to greet the others, □□□ called out to me.

“Ah, right. Since we’re all here, how about a card game? There’s a new mode for four players that just came out.”

Even with all four of us here, he’s talking about card games.

□□□ was truly serious about card games.

“Honestly, you really love card games. If you like them so much, why not become a card game developer?”

“Jobs aren’t something you just choose. Maybe in my next life, I’ll be a card game developer.”

Ding dong.

Ding dong.

As we chatted about such trivial things, the doorbell rang repeatedly, as if annoyed by the delay. Hearing it, I finally got up to answer the door.

After that, the four of us enjoyed the meal I prepared and had a great time together.

It was a precious memory.

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“…Kurt. Kurt!”

Hearing Mari’s voice, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, still half-asleep.

“Kurt, we’ve arrived in the city.”

“I see.”

Gradually waking up, I looked around.

The sky, which had been clear and sunny when I fell asleep, was now tinged with the red hues of sunset.

I had a nostalgic dream.

“What’s wrong? You were sleeping so deeply.”

“Just had an old dream.”

“An old dream? From when you were in the Lizardman Village?”

“…Something like that.”

As we talked, I got up and stepped out of the carriage.

Why did I have that dream?

As I pondered, a fresh, sweet strawberry scent suddenly caught my nose.

Ah, I see.

Before falling asleep, Karina and Mari were talking about strawberries, which reminded me of the time I ate strawberry cream cake.

“By the way, Kurt, what’s for dinner?”

“Dinner…?”

“Yes! How about some fried food for a change?”

“How about stew?”

“Barbecue?”

“….”

Looking at the three of them suggesting their desired meals, I shook my head.

“No, sorry, but none of those. I feel like making something specific today.”

At my words, the three couldn’t hide their disappointment, but I pretended not to notice and headed toward the inn.

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