The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

Berman decided to momentarily postpone settling his score with Rufus and his gang, leaning back heavily into his chair.

Just moments ago, his body, driven by an iron will and vigor, felt no pain. But as he sat down, delaying his departure, the pain surged in with a sharp “zing.”

“Ugh… I guess I’m getting old after all……”

His spirit felt fully restored, as if he had returned to his younger days, but his body clearly hadn’t.

In the past, even with worse wounds, he wouldn’t have felt the pain. Now, his body seemed unable to keep up with his mind, like an old dog struggling even with a walk.

As he sat waiting for Kurt to finish baking the pie, Berman absentmindedly basked in the glow of the fireplace.

The chill from the rain, the warmth of the fireplace, and the fatigue that came late—all enveloped him.

In this state, halfway between sleep and wakefulness, Berman found himself lost in thought.

“…Come to think of it, why did I stop in my tracks at the mention of apple pie?”

It was true that he liked apple pie, but not enough to delay his duties as the vice-leader of the family, especially during a betrayal. He wasn’t that gluttonous.

“Why didn’t I just grab the doorknob and leave……”

Reflecting on it, he realized that after eating the soup Kurt had given him, he had been reminded of the apple pies he used to share with his childhood friends, which made him hesitate at Kurt’s words.

“But…… Even so, that’s hardly a reason to postpone the decisive battle with Rufus…… Why……”

Leaning back in his chair, gazing at the fire, Berman felt as if he were dreaming while awake, on the verge of realizing something.

Just like people often do before falling asleep.

“That smell…… What is that smell? It’s…… the smell of baking bread…… and old paper……?”

But soon, his thoughts drifted off in an unexpected direction.

Just like people often do when they fall asleep.

As Berman caught a whiff of a nostalgic scent from somewhere.

“Hey. The apple pie’s done. Wake up.”

Kurt woke him.

“…Ah. I must have dozed off for a bit.”

“I woke you because the food’s ready, but you look really tired. Did I wake you for nothing?”

Berman rubbed his stiff eyes and replied.

“I thought I was just staring at the fireplace, but I must have fallen asleep.”

“No, you woke me just in time. I almost fell completely asleep before an important task.”

“Right. It’s important to eat apple pie when it’s freshly made.”

“That’s not what I meant……”

Berman, with a slightly exasperated expression, stopped talking as the delicious smell of the apple pie wafted over.

Gulp.

The aroma of the apple pie was several times stronger than what he had smelled in his dream.

Even though he had just eaten soup, the sweet scent of wheat and butter made him feel as if he hadn’t eaten anything at all.

Adding to that, the refreshing yet sweet aroma of apples competed with the butter and wheat, making its presence known.

Finally, the unique and stimulating scent of cinnamon completed the apple pie.

Though he had spent his life as the head of a criminal organization, accustomed to blood and violence, he had never encountered such a violently delicious aroma.

Without realizing it, Berman swallowed his saliva and looked at the source of the scent.

The pie, baked with butter and egg wash, shone in a delicious brown color, puffed up and tempting.

The top was covered with a lattice crust, so uniform and organized that Berman even felt a sense of architectural beauty.

Through the gaps in the lattice, he could see apple slices that looked tender and sweet, shining like jewels.

Gulp.

Berman swallowed dryly twice before even touching the pie, but who could blame him?

With such a perfect apple pie before him.

It was truly perfect.

The aroma and form were flawless, as if the concept of an apple pie had been materialized.

Even the beautifully idealized apple pie from his memories paled in comparison to the one Kurt had brought.

Facing the pie, Berman forgot all the thoughts he had in his half-asleep state.

There was only one thing to focus on: the perfect apple pie before him.

Under Berman’s eager gaze, Kurt smiled subtly, seemingly pleased, and cut a slice of the pie.

Sizzle.

As the pie was cut into a perfect triangle, the hot steam trapped inside burst out like a sauna.

The layer of apples revealed through the lattice was far thicker than what had been glimpsed before.

Berman, forgetting his age, almost urged Kurt to hurry and give him the pie. Sensing his impatience, Kurt quickly served him a large slice on a plate.

“Wow…… This aroma……”

Up close, the scent of apples and cinnamon was incomparably stronger than before.

As a beastkin, his sense of smell was far more acute than an average person’s, making the sweet aroma even more impactful.

“Eat it before it gets cold.”

“Ah, ahem…! Got it.”

Berman picked up a fork and carefully cut into the pie with trembling hands. Despite his cautious movements, the pie divided neatly under the fork’s pressure, maintaining its shape.

Though it cut easily, the pie wasn’t mushy. Instead, it was crisp and firm, yet not tough, allowing the fork to glide through effortlessly.

He could almost feel the texture at his fingertips.

Any further observation would be a luxury.

Without hesitation, Berman brought the slice to his mouth.

Crunch.

The crust was beyond crisp, reaching a level of flakiness.

And before he even chewed, the rich aroma of butter filled his senses.

Even if it were just the crust, it would have been a masterpiece.

But without the filling, it wouldn’t be called an apple pie.

The important part was the filling. As Berman’s jaw moved, he bit into the pie.

Squelch.

“……!!”

As he bit into the pie, the structure collapsed, releasing a flood of apples and cinnamon like a dam breaking.

The warm, sweet juice from the apples, far from losing its freshness, intensified, sweeping through his mouth. The cinnamon’s spicy aroma followed, asserting its presence.

Just one bite, and Berman’s mouth was a mess of apple and cinnamon flavors.

His tongue was overwhelmed, as if caught in a trap set by two rival gangs in his youth.

Crunch crunch.

But Berman couldn’t linger in the intense flavors for long.

The luxurious taste of butter from the crust demanded attention.

‘Pie! You’ve come to save my tongue!’

‘No. I’ve come to ravage it too.’

In his mind, the apple, cinnamon, and butter formed a triad, cornering his tongue.

“How is it? The apple pie? I used well-preserved apples from the cellar and high-quality cinnamon.”

“It’s delicious…… Truly delicious.”

It really was.

It was the most delicious apple pie he had ever eaten in his life.

Berman felt both joy and sorrow.

For a moment, he felt as if his eyes were reddening.

Just like when he had eaten Kurt’s Omerta-style soup, Berman recalled the days when he shared apple pies with the orphans he lived with in his youth.

While the Omerta-style soup was made from ordinary ingredients, a daily home-cooked meal, the apple pie was the opposite.

Using butter and obtaining cinnamon powder were as precious as jewels or artifacts to the orphans struggling to survive day by day.

So, the days Berman could eat apple pie were rare—days when Benny successfully pickpocketed a drunk pimp, or when he and Rufus attacked a gangster who abused orphans, turning him into a cripple and stealing his jewelry.

On those profitable days, Berman would wait with a pounding heart for John to bake the pie.

And when the apple pie was done, Benny, John, Rufus, and Berman would each take a slice, sharing heroic tales and dreaming of the future.

“Haha…… I really am old.”

How many times had he said that today?

Even as he ate the most delicious apple pie of his life, Berman felt a renewed sense of loneliness, realizing there was no one left to share it with.

“Why the long face? Doesn’t the pie suit your taste? Or is there an ingredient you can’t eat?”

“No. The apple pie you made was the best. Truly the best. But it just made me realize that there’s no one left to share it with.”

“I see……”

At those words, Kurt’s expression darkened.

No matter how skilled a chef, they couldn’t solve the loneliness of the person eating.

“Don’t make that face. Your cooking was flawless. If John had tasted this, his pride would have been shattered.”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

Berman then finished the slice of apple pie Kurt had given him.

While eating the pie brought back memories of old friends and a sense of loneliness, it was also true that it was the most delicious apple pie he had ever tasted.

“Want another slice?”

“No, this is enough. I can’t eat as much as I used to.”

Having cleared his plate, Berman politely declined Kurt’s offer and stood up.

“Leaving already?”

“Yes. I have things to do. I’ve delayed enough. It’s time to settle the score.”

As he stood and straightened his clothes, Berman’s mind was no longer on the apple pie.

It was truly strange.

When Kurt mentioned making apple pie, he had wanted to postpone his battle with Rufus just to taste it. But after just one slice, he felt no lingering attachment to the pie.

“Thanks for the meal. Let’s meet again if fate allows.”

With those final words of gratitude, Berman prepared to leave the safe house.

But his actions were a step too late.

Because Rufus found him before he could leave to find Rufus.

Bang!!

The violent sound of the safe house’s entrance being smashed.

In an instant, wooden fragments flew, and the hungry wolf, Rufus, appeared.

“Kuhaha! Finally found you! Hiding in a place like this. You’re not Omerta’s hound but Omerta’s rat! Berman!”

“Ru, Rufus!”

Seeing Rufus leading his private army to attack the safe house, Berman realized he had been too complacent.

Given his situation, this was no time to be eating apple pie…!

“Have I been here too long…!”

“Who would have thought you’d build a safe house here. Hm…? What’s this? A lizardman. Is this your hidden trump card?”

Rufus’s gaze naturally fell on Kurt, sitting silently in the middle of the safe house, watching him. Berman urgently shouted.

“No, no! He’s just a traveler who happened to find this place, a civilian with no connection to us! Don’t harm him! Involving outsiders in family matters goes against the family’s rules!”

‘Oh no! If this continues, that lizardman youth will be harmed…!!’

If it were just Berman, it wouldn’t matter.

Even if he were to die here by Rufus’s blade, he would take as many with him as he could.

But Kurt was different. A young man who could cook like this, how much combat training could he have? He was just a powerless traveler, unrelated to the Capenna Family’s internal strife.

He couldn’t let this kind, gentle youth, who had offered him warm soup, treated his wounds, and served him delicious apple pie, be dragged into the criminal organization’s conflict and killed.

But Rufus only laughed at his desperate plea.

“Ha! Worrying about unrelated civilians in a situation like this! And you dare speak of the family’s rules? No! Today, with your death, the family’s rules will be rewritten! The weak will be exploited, and the strong will exploit! Only strength will stand as law!!”

“Rufus!! You!! Even if I die here today, I’ll take you with me!!”

With that, Berman and Rufus lowered their stances, ready to pounce at each other, and Kurt stood up from his seat.

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