Cheese (2)

“That hurts, Mr. Knoll.”

Frowning at Mr. Knoll’s attack, I took out the pizza I brought.

“I thought it would be rude to come empty-handed, so I made some food. Would you all like to try it?”

It had cooled a bit, but the cheese was still moving.

It was just the right time to eat.

“What is this? It’s a dish I’ve never seen before…”

Mr. Ment was the first to take a slice of pizza.

“A round shape with bread… Is this bread? What’s this white stuff?”

Mr. Knoll, who was right next to him, also had a curious look.

The two women who were behind them also approached.

Miltain held the pizza in his hand and looked at Mr. Ment.

“Senior, you have to eat first so I can eat too! Hurry!”

Miltain whined again.

“That’s right. The protagonist should eat first. It’s not the spicy food you like, but I guarantee the taste. When you recover and come to the restaurant, I can make it spicy for you. Hehe.”

“Oh! Really? I’m looking forward to it.”

Mr. Ment momentarily put down his worried expression and brought the pizza to his mouth.

“What is this? What’s this stretchy thing?”

Mr. Knoll shouted with a surprised face.

Miltain also started to fuss.

“Ooooooh? What is this?”

He held the pizza in his mouth and dangled the cheese, shaking it back and forth.

“Oh! This is delicious. The texture of the bread and the red sauce go really well together, and the meat… And what is this white stretchy thing? It’s savory and salty, and it harmonizes the ingredients on the bread perfectly.”

Mr. Ment calmly gave his thoughts.

Mr. Ment was the only one who was calm.

People were eating my pizza as if they were entranced.

Of course, it was a pleasant reaction.

But there was one woman who couldn’t enjoy it.

There was definitely meat in that pizza.

But the other type was similar to pasta.

A pizza made with just dough, cheese, and tomato sauce.

If she was okay with pasta, this should be okay too.

She said she couldn’t eat meat.

“Ms. Elena, try this one.”

I offered the Italian-style wood-fired pizza to Ms. Elena.

She had been watching everyone eat it deliciously, and she seemed a little interested, so Ms. Elena brought the pizza to her mouth.

With her pale face, she hesitated and then took a tiny bite of the pizza’s edge.

The cheese stretched out.

The blonde elf and the cheese somehow looked good together.

The elf’s cheeks soon turned red.

“It’s delicious! How can you cook so well without using meat? Can you teach me too?”

She shouted alone and then turned her back, embarrassed.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

There’s nothing I can’t teach if it’s a simple dish.

“But can you come to the restaurant?”

I asked with a slight smile, and the elf fell back.

“W-w-well, I don’t know!”

It seemed like she was scared of the dragon.

She looked very worried.

Anyway, Mr. Ment ate the pizza with satisfaction.

I don’t know if he felt energized, but from now on, it’s something he has to overcome himself.

I hope he overcomes it soon because I can’t lose a regular customer.

After the pizza party ended, people scattered.

I too returned to the restaurant.

Rurin seemed to like the pizza, eating two wholes by herself.

A whole bag of mozzarella cheese was used up, and only the empty bag was left in the kitchen.

Cheese is definitely a processed product, so I can summon it, but it’s very inconvenient.

Using a variety of cheeses, including mozzarella, has many advantages, but the amount I can summon is very limited.

A bottle of liquor.

A bag of cheese.

A box of soju.

I can summon things packaged in boxes by the box, but that’s also limited to what I can carry.

There are always limits to summoned items.

Knowing that cheese and pizza suit the tastes of the people here, I suddenly have the desire to make cheese myself.

Having a cheese factory above the dragon’s lair can be a good cover.

Of course, ordinary people wouldn’t even think that there’s a lair hidden beneath the hill.

Ordinary people, that is.

Anyway, cheese is needed.

Mozzarella cheese was definitely made from water buffalo milk.

I remember learning about it in cooking school.

Then, should I build a ranch?

Making a peaceful ranch is another one of my dreams.

It’s on my bucket list.

I’ve definitely seen water buffalo before.

In fact, the basic ecosystem of this world is very similar to Earth.

As I speak, I suddenly want to put cheese on everything, from gratin to even ramen.

Cheese that I’ve made myself.

I feel a surge of motivation.

A passion for cooking, that is.

The lair has progressed to the point where I can leave it to the dwarves.

Only negotiations with the dwarves remain.

There’s no problem focusing on cheese now.

A ranch isn’t that difficult.

Just capture water buffalo, enclose them on the hill, make water paths and pens, and then ask Rurin to help tame them.

The buffalo born there will be tame from the start.

Just need to hire someone to manage it.

Once the system is in place, mozzarella cheese will keep coming in.

Strike while the iron is hot, they say.

I ran to the basement and grabbed Rurin.

“When did you come back? Huh? What’s the rush?”

“Let’s go somewhere.”

“Where to?”

Rurin tilted her head and asked.

“To get some treasure.”

Rurin’s eyes started to shine at my words.

Her instincts twitched at the word ‘treasure’.

Dragons can’t resist treasure.

She’s never taken off the gold bracelet I gave her for her 799th birthday.

“Ooh? Treasure, you say?”

I opened a map and started explaining the location.

The place we need to go to is quite far from Greek City.

Ten years ago, during the height of the Monster War.

Back then, I didn’t even know Rurin existed.

It was the time when I was literally a snot-nosed wizard.

The lower reaches of the Berint River in the southeastern outskirts of the Empire.

I remembered seeing something similar to a water buffalo in the area where the sea and the river meet.

I vividly remember it because of the nobles who were busy making bows out of its horns.

The water buffalo, called ‘Bereneryk’, had tasteless meat, but its horns were very popular among the nobles.

Making a bow out of water buffalo horns, even if not used, became a symbol of strength.

Greek City is in the southwest of the Empire, so it’s a very long way.

Of course, with teleportation, it’s a one-shot.

Otherwise, capturing a water buffalo would take over a year.

But with a dragon, it’s quick.

Restaurant and ranch.

A restaurant with a ranch.

I held off on a simple uka ranch because there are many on Greek Mountain, but water buffalo are unique and profitable.

My own ranch.

What a nice ring to it.

We arrived at the lower reaches of the Berint River, in front of the Empire’s vast sea.

The blue stream of the Berint River flows right into this sea.

If we go up the Berint River, we’ll find the water buffalo’s habitat.

We couldn’t go directly to the habitat because of teleportation limits.

Rurin can’t teleport to places she hasn’t seen or been to.

So we had to find the magic of a dragon’s lair in the southeast and teleport there.

Then we had to walk to the southern sea where the lower Berint River meets.

From here, we have to go up the Berint River to find the water buffalo.

It took some time to get here, but once we find the water buffalo, the game is over.

Going back will be simple.

Of course, Rurin was exhausted and limp.

Still, seeing the sea after a long time made me feel refreshed.

The horizon towards the river.
The horizon towards the sea.

I led Rurin to stand on the shore.

Then I took in the view of the sea.

The smell of the sea hit my nose.

This place where the wide sky looks even bluer.

“You! Why is this river so big? Is it a lake?”

“What? What did you say, Dragon?”

“Why, why…?”

Rurin looked bewildered.

She had a face that didn’t know what was wrong with what she said.

“No way, does the so-called most intelligent creature, a dragon, not know the sea?”

“No! I know the sea. I’ve heard of it!”

“Idiot. So this is the sea.”

Eight hundred years. The central part of the continent. The sacred place of the Black Dragons.

She spent time near there. Proving the years spent sleeping and getting involved in the Monster War, she had never flown to the sea.

A dragon who had never even had fun.

“Wow! Is this really the sea? I thought it was a river! No wonder it was too big for a river! Hehe.”

Her bright smile as she accepted it looked almost radiant.

The sky is radiant. The sea is radiant. The dragon in front of me is radiant.

The weather is good too.

Swoosh!

The sound of waves pleasantly hit my ears.

I suddenly had the urge to play, forgetting about the ranch and everything.

The emerald sea so bright it was almost blinding. The transparent coral reefs in the sea. The deserted beach.

My life, which has never had a vacation, and Rurin’s.

Rurin, who was seeing the sea for the first time, too.

It’s too sad to just pass by.

So I picked Rurin up.

It was a princess carry.

Even though she wasn’t a princess, but a dragon.

“Wha-wha-what?”

I sprinted and ran into the sea water.

Then I threw Rurin into the water.

Splash!

The dragon fell into the sea water, then immediately got up and glared at me.

The depth was just up to her thighs.

“Ugh! Why is it so salty!”

“Sea water is naturally salty.”

“Why did you suddenly come into the water…!”

I started splashing seawater all over Rurin’s face as she opened her mouth.

“This is how humans usually play.”

Rurin, her face full of seawater, shook her head wildly and looked at me.

Her eyes were shining. It was her fighting instinct.

“Is that so! Then I can’t lose either!”

Rurin started using magic.

A tidal wave rose behind her.

Something that can’t happen naturally.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Take this! It’s revenge!”

A tidal wave as tall as me came crashing down on me.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a 9th-class spell, indicating she had some concept of playfulness.

If Rurin or I wanted to, we could create a huge tsunami.

I dived into the small tidal wave and hid my body.

Then I swam outer into the sea.

“Did you get swept away by just this? You can’t be that weak! I couldn’t kill you even when I tried!”

When is she talking about?

I swam far away underwater, then surfaced and summoned falling rocks in front of Rurin.

It’s a counterattack.

Splash!

When the rocks fell, a storm of seawater hit Rurin’s body.

Seawater splashed all over Rurin’s face again.

“Ah! It’s salty! It’s cold!”

Rurin sensed my mana and started swimming towards me.