The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

“The secrets of the wizards revealed after the beastkin were shocking, but maybe because we had already adapted to the beastkin’s secret, we were able to recover from the shock relatively quickly,” Joyra continued.

“When the humans of the Ancient Empire created the beastkin, they made sure they were born with their magic circuits closed off so they couldn’t use magic. No matter how strong they were or how sharp their claws were, without the ability to use magic, they were essentially nothing in the Ancient Empire. Wizards, on the other hand, were born with highly developed magic circuits that allowed them to manifest magic, having their genes engineered for it. The exceptional magical aptitude all wizards possess today is the result of that.”

“Wait a second! That’s strange! I don’t know what genes are, but if humans themselves modified the body, why did all wizards end up with frail bodies? They shouldn’t have been created solely as slaves.”

Arisa, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t hold back and challenged him.

“That’s obviously a side effect of the gene editing process. True, the Ancient Empire had the technology to edit genes, but the mysteries of life are too profound, and it’s unavoidable that there would be a few side effects during the process. Right?”

As Joyra answered her question, he glanced at me as if to seek agreement.

“….”

“Kurt?!”

“…so this ‘taste’ wasn’t natural after all.”

I had thought it was strange for a while.

Taste—a sense that humans developed to create the culture of gourmet food—was not actually a sense designed for that purpose. Taste exists not just for the pleasure of enjoying delicious food but to distinguish between the nutrients the body needs and poisons.

In nature, essential nutrients like sugar and salt, which are hard to come by, are preferred for their sweet and salty flavors, while poisons or spoiled foods are sensed through bitterness, sourness, or disgust. All living beings can differentiate between the nutrients they need and those they shouldn’t ingest.

Not having taste in nature is almost as serious a problem as not having sight. If you can’t tell whether the food you’re eating is truly beneficial or if it’s mixed with potentially harmful poison, what’s the difference from being blind?

No matter how excellent a Lizardman’s regenerative abilities are, there’s no need to lack the sense of taste.

Joyra seemed delighted as she quickly understood my words and continued speaking with a smile.

“Yes. The Lizardmen are beastkin created by mixing human, reptile, and amphibian genes. As a result, they gained the remarkable regenerative ability to heal from severed limbs, but in the process, their sense of taste ended up severely atrophied. However, the fact that they lack taste was a minor side effect to the humans of the Ancient Empire, and they were born that way. The weak physical abilities of the wizards were also just a minor side effect.”

“Minor, you say…? How can a side effect that could lead to a life of poor health and premature death be considered minor?”

“It’s simple. When the Ancient Empire was strong, physical deterioration was a problem that could easily be treated. Didn’t I mention that the Ancient Empire had the technology to edit human genes? Yes, it’s true that wizards had many defects in their bodies, but addressing those issues was just a minor flaw that could be corrected in just a few days by visiting a medical facility every few years. At least, that was the case compared to the enormous rewards they could obtain in return.”

Hearing that, I finally realized why Joyra had said there was no way to heal himself.

As he concluded his explanation with a worn-out expression, it became clear he had finally arrived at an answer.

“Looks like you’re catching on. That’s right. There were ways to ‘treat’ it. Back when the Ancient Empire thrived. With the magic, facilities, professional personnel, and knowledge of the Ancient Empire still in place, it wouldn’t have been difficult to treat the body even if it began to break down due to excessive gene modification. But now, with the fall of the Ancient Empire, all of that is gone, making it impossible to control the body’s discord. Because to fix the wizards’ constitution requires the magic to edit genes, and that kind of magic no longer exists in this world. Hahaha. After studying medicine so hard, it’s only natural I couldn’t find a solution. This problem cannot be resolved unless the very genes at the root of the problem are edited.”

Moreover, this issue worsens with every generation, like a wound that festered from not receiving timely treatment.

After Joyra disclosed everything he had learned about the Ancient Empire, he smiled wearily as if his soul had been drained.

The answer paper that the healer, having devoted his life to curing the hereditary condition passed down through his family, ultimately found only said that it was impossible from the start.

His entire life had been a mistake.

I wondered what that must have felt like.

If I hadn’t chosen to live as a hunter, abandoning my dream of becoming a chef due to guilt towards my father, and instead lived with the vain hope of becoming a chef in Lizardman Village without reaching the realm of the transcendent, would I have ended up like him?

“Why… all I wanted was not to die…”

“….”

“….”

We could only remain silent in response to Joyra’s despairing confession.

Just when I thought we should say something comforting, Arisa, who had been deep in thought, suddenly exclaimed.

“Wait a second!!”

“What is it?”

“Then why were the villagers kidnapped? I heard your story, but there’s no reason for the villagers to be abducted!”

Joyra’s eyes widened as if he just remembered something.

As we were lost in Joyra’s words, we snapped back to attention and heightened our vigilance.

“Ah… that’s what you mean.”

Joyra’s voice regained vigor as if a robot that had stopped due to a lack of fuel was starting up again.

He spoke with a spark of excitement in his eyes, almost feeling strange.

“The conclusion I found in the history of the Ancient Empire was just the beginning, but fortunately, there was more information stacked in the Underground Cavern. I managed to find records from my ancestors that were written after the fall of the Ancient Empire. Let’s start with the first question: Do you remember the video I first showed you?”

“That video….”

“That… ”

So many shocking facts had come to light that the first video had slipped from memory, and we all struggled to recall it, groaning as I quietly stated the word that had been bothering me.

“Eldriksir Company.”

“You remember, after all. That’s right. As you might guess, my ancestors were part of an organization that combined animal and human genes to create beastkin and sell them during the glory days of the Ancient Empire. Therefore, my family possessed much more knowledge in fields like medicine or life than other wizards, and this Underground Space holds a lot of that knowledge. While there may be no magic for gene editing, there are still plenty of useful information and techniques for my current situation.”

“Is this related to the mass abduction of the villagers?”

“Yes. Now, I’d like to ask you the second question. Do you know about the history of this village?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that many refugees scattered from their hometowns for various reasons and that your ancestors took them in, forming a village…”

…wait.

A sinister thought suddenly struck me.

“According to the records of my ancestors, it seems that even though they had the knowledge and techniques to create beastkin, they were ultimately unable to replicate the magic for gene editing. So, my ancestors chose a different path.”

That statement became clearer with Joyra’s forthcoming words.

No. There’s no way…

“If they couldn’t make themselves healthy, they could use the healthy bodies of others. That was the conclusion my ancestors reached.”