The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

Joyra, regaining her senses, stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

‘Is this… the light of the horseman?’

Just like she had spent countless hours searching for a way to extend her life after being given a terminal diagnosis, she had equally pondered the nature of death.

Ultimately, both quests had ended in failure.

But she had heard the term “light of the horseman” many times.

Didn’t they say that a person’s life flashes before their eyes before they die?

If that’s true, then what she was seeing now was surely one of those memories.

As she continued staring at the ceiling, she thought, ‘…But does the light of the horseman take this long?’

Having never experienced death, Joyra found herself questioning the unchanging scene of the light of the horseman as time passed.

‘I could have sworn they said the scenes fly by so quickly…’

However, no matter how long she waited, there was no next scene; the ceiling remained the only thing in view.

‘Wait, was there even a moment in my life that looked like this?’

As questions began to arise, so did a feeling of unease, and in turn, Joyra came back to herself.

“I, I…! Ugh…!”

As she regained consciousness and attempted to sit up, she let out a groan as pain shot through her body from the sudden movement.

“Oh. You’re awake?”

Was that a response to her groan?

At that moment, a voice came from beside her.

With great effort, Joyra turned her head to see the owner of that voice.

Sitting leisurely in front of a pot was the Lizardman, Kurt.

“…Where am I? And how am I still alive? I clearly collapsed back then…”

“You sure ask a lot of questions.”

In her confusion, Joyra blurted out several questions, but she quickly found herself silenced by Kurt’s sharp tone.

In the meantime, Azani, now back in her human form, was glaring at Joyra with piercing eyes.

“Do you really think your current situation is comfortable enough for you to ask those questions?”

“W-well…”

Her tone was too aggressive to be directed at someone who had just come back from death, but Joyra could only close her mouth in response to Azani’s questioning.

“Now, let’s put the talk on hold for a bit.”

Unexpectedly, it was Kurt who interrupted the tension between the two.

“We’ve got a lot to discuss, but let’s eat first.”

He said this as he ladled a large scoop of soup from the pot and handed it to Azani.

“We should be discussing something important now…!”

“You eat too. The soup’s going to get cold.”

“No, but I’m saying this important—”

“We can talk after the meal without it getting cold, but the soup will not wait. So, it makes more sense to eat first, doesn’t it?”

“Ugh… Fine. Then I’ll eat as quickly as I can…”

“Take your time.”

“…I’ll take my time and then we can continue our talk.”

Ultimately, Azani couldn’t resist Kurt’s peculiar logic and forcefulness, so she reluctantly accepted the bowl.

She wasn’t the type to back down easily, but Kurt, who they fortuitously encountered in this remote place, was exceptionally skilled, especially when it came to eating, making her unwilling to challenge him.

“You take some too.”

“Y-yes…”

Thus, seeing Azani’s resolve falter, Joyra awkwardly took the soup being offered.

‘What on earth is happening here?’

Why was she still alive, and where was she now?

Everything after opening her eyes was a complete mystery, but one thing was clear: the warm feeling in her palms.

That warmth undeniably confirmed that this wasn’t a dream.

‘It’s warm… Yes. I really am alive.’

And simultaneously, she felt the reality of life for the first time since opening her eyes.

She realized the scenery she first saw wasn’t the light of the horseman, and though she understood intellectually that she wasn’t dead, the sensations she felt vividly confirmed she was indeed alive.

Perhaps it was because the notion of being alive struck her heart.

Along with that, the aroma of the steam rising from the soup.

‘Now that I think about it, I could hear the bubbling of this soup even before I opened my eyes.’

The subtle fragrance of the vegetables tickled her nose.

“Could it be… is this soup…?”

Lentil Soup was a common dish that ordinary villagers often ate, but for Joyra, it held a very special meaning.

Having lost her parents at a young age, she grew up under the care of the villagers, mostly staying in the village chief’s house.

Even though the chief was struggling, he always treated young Joyra like his own child without a hint of distaste, often looking after her more than his own kids.

During mealtimes, he would sneak her a big spoonful of lentils when no one was looking, and every time Joyra tried to refuse, saying it was too much, the chief would laugh and say, “Young master is weaker than other kids, so you need to eat more. But don’t tell my kids; they might get jealous.”

The chief probably thought his family didn’t know about him secretly sharing soup, but the truth was, his family always wore reluctant smiles every time he did it, a secret only Joyra was unaware of.

The chief occasionally told Joyra how wonderful her parents had been and how indebted he was to them during his youth, apologizing for not being able to serve her anything better than lentil soup. But in fact, Joyra often cherished the playful smile of the chief when he secretly filled her bowl.

All those beautiful memories, however, were something she ruined with her own hands, leaving an indelible scar upon the chief and the villagers.

So she thought she would never eat lentil soup again…

“Is this soup… could it be… lentil soup?”

As she looked at the bowl of soup, memories of her childhood flooded back, and her eyes became misty as she asked Kurt with a trembling voice.

“No.”

“Oh… okay.”

Of course, it wasn’t.

Wiping her flowing tears, she looked again, realizing that the soup in her bowl was a completely different, almost translucent, pale mixture rather than the reddish hue of lentil soup.

There weren’t even any ingredients, just some bland broth taking the place of lentil soup, more akin to rice porridge.

‘R-right… it would be a waste for a sinner like me to have lentil soup…’

With that realization, disappointment mingled with resignation as she lifted her spoon.

‘I guess I’m just suitable for this bland porridge. Heh. I’m rather greedy, huh? Now I’ve gotten lucky enough to survive, but my days are numbered.’

Taking a spoonful of broth with such self-deprecation, Joyra suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

‘Huh? This is strange.’

Slurp.

After another spoonful, Joyra couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh inside.

‘Ha ha… it seems I’m close to death after all. How can I taste something from this bland porridge? My sense of taste must really be broken…’

They say that when a person is nearing death, their senses dull and begin to fail.

‘Isn’t this exactly what I’m going through?’

It was absurd that she could feel the complexity and deep flavors of various ingredients from something so utterly bland.

This was undoubtedly a precursor to death, as her body began to show signs of decline.

Just when she had finally started to feel the reality of living, she was now sensing death creeping closer.

How cruel.

‘Yet it fits the punishment for the great sin I’ve committed.’

Thus, though Joyra was assured of her impending death, she did not feel the fear or anxiety about it she had experienced before.

She simply held a calm heart.

Slurp.

And as she calmly accepted her death while continuing to spoon, she recalled one question.

‘But… is there a case where you can eat something and not taste it, while tasting something that doesn’t exist?’

‘Huh?’

That question suddenly emerged.

On top of that…

‘Could it even have this intricate taste and aroma?’

The flavor of the soup was complex and delicate, comparable to none she had ever eaten before.

To feel such vibrant sensations with her sensory organs while on the brink of death was simply too surreal.

‘Huh…?’

Slurp.

‘Huh?!’

“Why…?”

As she kept eating, the flavors grew stronger and clearer.

At first, she was caught up in various thoughts, but with every repeated sip, it became even more undeniable.

“Why… why is this so delicious?!”

Joyra, who had just been lost in thought moments before, exclaimed in shock over the taste of the consomme soup.

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