The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

It felt like the whole party gasped and held their breath in disbelief.

But ignoring the shocked reactions of the group, the artifact manipulated by Joyra soon continued to show us another video.

[Cheap! Safe! Trustworthy! Unlike the Eldriksir Company’s 3rd generation Beastkin that’s raised numerous safety issues regarding the genetic magic engineering technology, we at Magic Beast Magic Industry only select and sell Beastkin manufactured through traditional genetic manipulation methods! With durability that can withstand shock levels up to 17 Jorua without dying! Clinical trials completed showing a 3% mortality rate from about 78 powerful viruses! Magic circuit sealing rate of 99.98%! And various other validations passed by the Magical Livestock Administration! If you want to purchase strong and powerful work-related Beastkin, visit your nearest Magic Beast Magic Industry branch! We are currently selling new reptilian Beastkin!]

[Are you still carrying around that fearsome-looking Beastkin? The era of scary, smelly, dirty, and ugly Beastkin is over. The Magic Stos Association only deals with beautiful and clean Beastkin that replicate the human appearance by over 90%. In this era, the status of the owner is reflected by the quality of their Beastkin. Our Magic Stos Association produces the most ideal and beautiful companion Beastkin by minimizing the beast’s appearance to just ears and tails. They’re great as decorations, pets, or for comfort – the perfect companion Beastkin just for you. We at the Magic Stos Association are here to support you.]

The videos kept coming.

It was eerily similar to those endless TV commercials I had been sick of seeing in my previous life.

But what was being sold in those ads was not mere products, but living beings.

Beastkin.

The ads kept rolling out, each one varying only by the kind of Beastkin for sale and the organization selling them.

Amid the continuous stream of various commercial videos, the party fell into stunned silence.

Maybe it was because the contents of the ads were more akin to the marketing methods from my past life rather than this world’s culture.

Mari and Karina, who didn’t fully grasp the content of the ads, expressed their anxiety with a vague sense of unease, but those who completely understood, like Serena and Liche, couldn’t bear to watch the videos to the end and were either closing their eyes tightly or gagging.

“So… what’s this all about?”

“You don’t seem surprised. You don’t look like someone who doesn’t understand the content of the video… Did you, like those nuns over there, already know that secret?”

Joyra pointed toward the Sisters of the Holy Kingdom in the back.

As he said, they didn’t fall into a panic like others; perhaps they already knew the truth revealed in the video, but they still wore expressions of struggle, finding it hard to accept the content.

So, they did know.

“…Honestly, I always thought it was weird since I was born.”

The Lizardman had skin made of scales as if they were a cold-blooded creature, despite not being one.

Scaly skin was merely an evolutionary result adapted for cold-blooded animals to easily absorb external heat, and it was unnecessary for warm-blooded creatures.

In contrast, Marin, the mermaid we met in Leila, was part fish, part human, with a fish-like lower body and a human-like upper body.

In the cold ocean depths, a human body was inefficient, yet the form was beautiful, despite not being suited for either undersea or land living.

During my travels, I met cat Beastkin like Mina, whose bodies were indistinguishable from human apart from their ears and tails, which were identical to those of actual cats.

Not cat-like ears and tail, but ears and tail of actual cats.

It was as if they had ‘unnaturally attached animal bodies to a human form.’

All just to look good as if they were ‘created’ that way.

Despite this bizarre appearance, the people of this world didn’t care, thinking that was simply how Beastkin were, and I also accepted that in this fantasy world, that was just how things were.

But that wasn’t true.

“That’s amazing. I’ve never met anyone who questioned the appearance of Beastkin before. Even I, who prided myself on studying medicine and knowing more about biological structures than others, didn’t feel any discomfort until discovering this underground space.”

Joyra praised sincerely without a hint of sarcasm.

“In ancient times…”

And then suddenly, he spoke with a blank expression as if he had transformed into another person.

“It is said that the Ancient Empire, which built the most brilliant civilization in human history, was a paradise that people today can’t even imagine. We currently don’t compare to the highly advanced magic of the ancient empire. Grand Sorcerers that we would currently call sages walked the streets, and advanced medical magic could extend human lifespan multiple times over; the people of the Ancient Empire could enjoy delicious food and drink every day without hard labor. Moreover, the inherent human rights and humanism of the Ancient Empire – ideologies that continue through modern times – meant nobles and royalty existed, but the status of slavery was nonexistent.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about something everyone knows?”

Ayla couldn’t hold back and questioned Joyra, finding it silly to discuss how great and glorious the Ancient Empire was, a topic common in fairy tales.

“But where there’s light, there’s also shadow. For all the people in the Ancient Empire to enjoy a paradisiacal life, someone had to undertake the hard and dirty labor, and for those enjoying the bountiful services, someone had to provide those services. However, the ideology of the Ancient Empire stated that all humans were equal and that one human could not enslave another.

So, they created beings to serve as their slaves. They mixed human and animal genetics to create beings that could think and speak like humans but were not human at all. It was not a difficult task. The affluent, noble, and royal individuals of the Ancient Empire had already modified their own genes to have bodies that were inherently suited for using magic.”

“Are you saying that…”

“They were created entities that could think, act, and speak like humans, but were not humans. Thus, the people of the empire justified treating them as slaves and objects based on the argument that they were created from animal genetics. The identity of Beastkin? They are chimeras created by the Ancient Empire.”

“Beastkin are not animals; they are people!”

Hearing this, Mari finally understood everything and let out a sharp scream.

“Your thoughts have no meaning. The important point is that the people of the empire believed just that.”

“That’s…!”

“Initially, when I broke the seal of this underground space, I was filled with hope of obtaining the magic of the Ancient Empire. Among various magics attributed to the Ancient Empire, there were rumors of medical magic far superior to what we have today. But when I learned the truth, I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t the magic I had hoped for nor a truth I could bear.”

“Rather, what I discovered was nothing but a certainty that my condition could never be cured.”

“…Certainty? How can you be so sure? It’s true that the information left behind by the Ancient Empire in this underground space is incredible, but I wouldn’t think it would include precise details about your family’s condition.”

“No, it was written down cleverly. They thoroughly described what this frail condition passed down through my family was and why it was weak. They even detailed why it couldn’t be cured with current magical technology. Didn’t you just mention that the people of the Ancient Empire had already modified their own genes and transformed to optimize their bodies for using magic?”

“Does that mean…”

“Yes. That’s precisely me and my ancestors. Right, we are Wizards.”

In this unending flood of new information, we could do nothing but be overwhelmed by Joyra’s explanations.

If the origin of Beastkin was a chimera created by synthesizing various animal genes.

The origin of Wizards was,

Humans from the wealthy or high-ranking classes of the Ancient Empire, who edited their genes to induce desired results.

They were enhanced humans.