The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

The road from Astram to the Holy Kingdom was long, but Kurt and his party pressed on without stopping.

Normally, leaving the Kingdom of Eustia to travel to another nation would have been a journey to savor, but this time, the urgency of the situation left no room for leisure.

The only notable event during the trip was encountering Camila in the Foggy Forest. Incidentally, they still believed her to be the ghost of a nun sacrificed by the undead decades ago.

From then on, Kurt’s party moved swiftly toward the Holy Kingdom, taking the shortest route to arrive as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, their decision to take shortcuts despite the risks wasn’t in vain. It seemed they would reach the Holy Kingdom just before Daria’s trial began.

However, even on the shortest route, they couldn’t travel nonstop without rest. Especially on a long journey, stopping in villages to replenish supplies was a necessity, not a choice.

Even if they tried hunting for food to save time, it would take far longer than simply buying supplies in a village. This was true even with Kurt, an exceptional hunter, in the party.

When they stopped in a village to restock, Kurt sighed, “Hoo… It’s late, so we’ll have to buy supplies and stay here tonight.”

“Ugh… We need to reach the Holy Kingdom as soon as possible… Wasting time here…!” Kurt grumbled.

“Frustrating…! But there’s no other way,” he conceded.

Though they complained, the prospect of a night indoors after constant camping seemed to lift their spirits.

“I’ll go buy local specialties… I mean, supplies, while you all secure lodging,” Kurt said.

“Ah, then we’ll handle the lodging. Arisa, you and the others keep an eye on Kurt to make sure he doesn’t waste money,” someone suggested.

“Got it. I’ll make sure he doesn’t splurge on nonsense,” Arisa replied.

“Tch… You don’t trust me?” Kurt retorted.

“Kurt, if you went shopping alone, would you really only buy what we need? Can you say that confidently?” they challenged.

“…Of course,” Kurt replied.

“Say it while looking me in the eye!” they pressed.

Kurt, infected by the group’s cheerful mood, headed to the grocery store with a spring in his step, eager to restock their dwindling supplies. Though having Liche as a watchdog was unexpected, the chance to shop for fresh ingredients was a welcome change.

However, as soon as they entered the village, Kurt noticed something was off.

“Excuse me, can I ask something?” Kurt approached a villager.

“Eek! I-I don’t know anything!” the villager stammered before running off.

“Pardon me…” Kurt tried again.

“Ahhh!” another villager screamed, fleeing.

Kurt was merely trying to ask where the grocery store was, but the villagers reacted with fear and tension, avoiding him and his companions, including the beautiful Arisa and Liche.

At first, Kurt thought they were wary of strangers arriving at dusk, but he soon realized their fear was directed at something else.

“The villagers here… something’s strange. At first, I thought they were wary of us, but when we revealed we were adventurers from the Kingdom of Eustia, they relaxed. Normally, armed adventurers from another country would make them more cautious,” Kurt mused.

“Th-their expressions also show exhaustion, not just fear. This suggests their state has been building over a long time,” Arisa observed.

Kurt and Arisa, both sharp-eyed, quickly picked up on the village’s unusual atmosphere.

“…It seems we’ve arrived at a bad time,” Kurt concluded.

“Th-there must be some trouble in the village,” Arisa agreed.

But their conclusion didn’t change their plans. They intended to stay the night and leave early the next morning. Getting involved in the village’s problems wasn’t their priority, especially with the urgent goal of saving Daria.

Still, the uneasy feeling lingered as Kurt bought preserved food from a nervous merchant and headed to the inn.

However, as always, ominous premonitions have a way of coming true.

The village chief was already at the inn, waiting for them.

“I heard you’re skilled adventurers,” the chief said, his expectant gaze making Kurt uneasy.

“Please, help our village!” the chief pleaded.

Kurt closed his eyes. He’d rather deal with the timid villagers than this.

The chief continued, “Our village wasn’t always like this.”

“The people do seem… downcast,” Kurt acknowledged.

“No, I mean something more tangible,” the chief explained. “Our village’s population was much larger, and humans and beastkin once lived together here.”

“Wait, but we haven’t seen any beastkin since we arrived,” Arisa interjected, having accompanied Kurt around the village.

The chief nodded grimly. “Yes, there are no beastkin left. It all started when our village’s only mage went mad…”

The chief began recounting the village’s history. Originally, the land belonged to a family of mages who lived in seclusion, helping those in need despite their reclusive nature. Over time, refugees—beastkin fleeing persecution and peasants escaping tyranny—gathered around the mage’s mansion, forming a village.

But everything changed when the mage went mad…