NOVEL NEXT Chapter 466
“Then, what should we try first?”
Mari seductively licked her lips as she gazed at the banquet hall.
The dishes arranged in the banquet hall were all high-class cuisine befitting the imperial palace.
Yet, the moment she saw them, she realized that even if Kurt hadn’t cooked them himself, he had provided the recipes.
“….”
The dishes evoked a sense of nostalgia.
A natural smile bloomed on Mari’s face.
Ankurut RGB Mushroom Soup.
Next to it, a clear broth made from the bones of the Abnormal Bird.
Followed by Shavel Tiger Braised Ribs.
Bomb Clam Steamed in Wine.
A-Dragon Sous-vide Steak.
Custard Pudding with Maple Trent Sap.
Cockatrice Fried Chicken.
Steel Armored Bison Soy Sauce Bulgogi.
Scorpion-tailed Wolf Brisket.
Though the cooking methods varied, they were all dishes made from ingredients they had gathered and eaten during their adventures.
Every time she looked at the dishes, Mari recalled the ingredients and the adventures tied to them.
“Mm. These dishes really bring back memories.”
She had laughed, cried, despaired, and overcome.
The runaway girl who had struggled against fire-breathing plants had now become a proper adventurer, meeting companions, friends, and forming bonds.
…And at the start of all those encounters was one man.
In every adventure.
In every moment of joy and sorrow after she left the Elf Village.
Ah.
Mari naturally realized.
“Mr. Kurt.”
So she naturally called out.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have something to say.”
There was no shock like being struck by lightning or a heart-pounding thrill she had vaguely imagined before.
She naturally realized, and her mouth naturally moved.
Her eyes met Kurt’s, and Kurt also looked at her.
The moment their eyes met, Kurt seemed to understand what she was about to say.
Kurt opened his mouth as if he already knew.
“Ah, the French fries are over there. The Cockatrice Fried Chicken is nearby too, so grab some if you want.”
“No, that’s not it.”
It seemed her thoughts hadn’t been conveyed after all.
Mari laughed, feeling a bit exasperated as if steam was coming out of her head.
“Oh? Then what were you going to say?”
“Well… actually, now that I think about it, what you just said is right. I’ll go get some French fries.”
“Hah. How dull.”
But Mari quickly changed her mind.
It would have been fine to convey her feelings, but it was also fine not to.
Life was long, and so were the adventures.
The current relationship among the party was good.
For now, maintaining the status quo was fine.
Certainly.
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Whether Mari realized her feelings or not, the meal continued cheerfully.
The Count and Tirving sat at the same table, awkwardly exchanging greetings as brothers, gradually opening up their true feelings.
The Blossom couple, who had come to take their runaway daughter Yuri back, tried to forcibly take her, only for Yuri to punch them in the gut in anger, causing a commotion as they foamed at the mouth and collapsed, while Mari, feeling guilty, averted her gaze.
The Holy Kingdom’s envoy, Azani, showed jealousy towards Daria but eventually averted her gaze and offered congratulations.
Mari sending regards to Aisia through a spirit, and Tirving indirectly reuniting with Aisia through that meeting. However, during the emotional reunion, Aisia, who had regained her memories months ago, was furious that Tirving hadn’t come to see her, leaving him flustered.
In fact, Aisia exploded a second time upon hearing that many elf women in the Resistance were after him, and Tirving ended up kneeling in the middle of the banquet hall.
Despite being in the heart of the imperial capital, in the palace’s banquet hall, the atmosphere among Kurt’s party was as lively as usual.
Amidst the noisy atmosphere, Liche naturally approached Kurt and asked a question she had been curious about.
“By the way, Mr. Kurt. What did the Black Tentacle mean by what it said at the end?”
“What the Black Tentacle said?”
But Kurt, upon hearing Liche’s question, looked puzzled.
“Before we came out of the Black Tentacle, it said to you, ‘You’re an outsider who came uninvited,’ right?”
“Ah, you heard that?”
Kurt was surprised, not expecting Liche to have heard that.
Thinking about it, the Black Tentacle had no reason to keep its last words to him a secret.
At the mention of the Black Tentacle, the gazes of Daria and Aila from the Holy Kingdom, as well as Kurt’s party, turned to him.
A secret neither hidden nor revealed….
There was no need to hide it now.
“Actually, there’s something I want to confess….”
Having made up his mind, Kurt lowered his voice and spoke gravely, and the party’s expressions grew serious.
But confessing what he thought was a trivial secret turned out to be harder than expected.
What if they didn’t believe him…?
“….”
As Kurt hesitated, the party looked at him, wondering, ‘What could Kurt possibly be so serious about?’
In the heavy atmosphere, Kurt finally spoke.
“It might be hard to believe, but I was a human in my past life, and I remember it.”
“….”
Silence fell around Kurt’s party.
Was it really that hard to believe?
“Huh? You were so serious, and that’s it?”
“…Huh?”
But the party’s reaction was unexpectedly underwhelmed.
“Well, we’ve known for a while that there was something about you, Mr. Kurt. Even if you’re a genius, you’ve been making dishes we’ve never heard of, using ingredients we’ve never seen before, and even naming dishes with words from countries we’ve never heard of.”
“Mm. And I heard from Ms. Lakia that you’ve only recently developed a normal sense of taste after becoming a master, having lived your whole life in the Lizardman Village. You had no chance to build up your cooking skills.”
“If you’re not a fool, it’s obvious there’s some secret.”
“What…? You mean you guys aren’t fools?”
“Mr. Kurt!!”
“Haha. Just kidding.”
Kurt felt like a fool for worrying.
“Mm. I didn’t expect it to be about being a human in a past life, though.”
“So, Mr. Kurt, what era were you from?”
“Perhaps the Ancient Empire? No, then it would be strange that you didn’t know about the origins of the Beastkin. Maybe you’re from an even earlier era!?”
“No, I’m actually from another world….”
Feeling relieved, Kurt began to share stories of his past with his friends.
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The late lunch banquet continued without pause into the evening.
Perhaps it was a reaction to the hard work day and night to normalize the empire.
Before they knew it, the emperor and his closest nobles had canceled all scheduled events, using the emperor’s health as an excuse, and replaced them with a banquet.
Certainly, the fact that the banquet’s food was incredibly delicious played a part.
And in the relaxed atmosphere of the banquet….
“So, if an average human eats three meals a day, a human living to 100 years old would eat a total of 100,000 meals in their lifetime. Considering the actual average lifespan and days when they don’t eat three meals, the actual number of meals a person eats in their lifetime is even less.
Will you let those limited meal opportunities go to waste? Will you fill your life with mediocre, cost-effective dishes, the same food you ate yesterday, and end it that way?
No. I think that’s blasphemy. Blasphemy against cuisine and life. Everyone has a duty to pursue more delicious dishes every day. At least, that’s what I think.
Are you truly having fulfilling meals every day of your life?”
Kurt, uncharacteristically tipsy, was expounding his culinary philosophy.
Perhaps it was because he felt psychologically relieved after sharing his long-held secret.
Though he hadn’t thought it was a special secret, part of him might have felt alienated due to his unusual origins.
But now, having shared his secret and been accepted by his friends, Kurt felt incredibly light.
At that moment, Mari, who had been quietly listening, asked Kurt.
“By the way, Mr. Kurt, what’s your favorite dish?”
“My favorite dish?”
“Of course, it’s fried food, right?”
“No. It must be soup.”
“Obviously, the pinnacle of cuisine is grilled dishes!”
As always happens at drinking parties, the atmosphere suddenly heated up over a random topic.
Mari, Karina, Serena.
The three women looked at Kurt with tense gazes.
To an outsider, it might seem like whoever’s favorite dish matched Kurt’s would be chosen by him.
“My favorite dish…? I haven’t really thought about it, so I can’t answer. I probably won’t decide until I die. I’ll be encountering new ingredients and new dishes every day. Even if I have a favorite dish, wouldn’t it change each time?”
But the answer that came back was a bit anticlimactic.
Yet, it was also very much like him.
Mari pouted and asked.
“…Then what dish do you want to eat right now?”
“We’re in the middle of a banquet, and you’re asking what I want to eat?”
“That’s such a Mari-like question.”
Karina and Serena laughed lightly at her typical question, but Kurt surprisingly pondered deeply.
And soon, Kurt, having finished his contemplation, spoke.
“The dish I want to eat the most right now is….”
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The Reincarnated Lizardman wants to eat a hamburger. – The End