The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

“What on earth is this taste…!?”

Joyra stared in disbelief at the spoon, glancing back and forth, but no matter how many times he looked, the spoon and the contents of the bowl remained unchanged.

The liquid in the bowl looked so transparent that he even doubted if any solid ingredients were present, let alone grains.

In fact, the thin rice porridge he occasionally made for patients would be darker and richer than the soup in that bowl.

So how could he explain the rich and deep harmony of meat and vegetables he was experiencing in his mouth?

The clear, transparent broth, filled with an intense yet unique meat aroma, as well as the fresh scents of onion, carrot, and celery, didn’t bear any strong or pungent spices like pepper.

Yet, as he held the broth in his mouth, it felt endlessly satisfying and seemed to cure his worn-out spirit.

Without a doubt, the taste of this soup rivaled any broth dish he had eaten until now.

In fact, it might even exceed his highest expectations.

If anything, he would understand if he was misinterpreting flavors due to a damaged palate.

But no, the taste and scent he was experiencing were not a misunderstanding; they were a clear reality.

This must truly be magic itself.

“Ah… Ahh… What in the world is this dish…?”

“Consommé soup. That’s the name of the dish.”

Kurt, who had been quietly eating beside him, answered, despite Joyra being at a loss for words in shock.

In fact, the soup Joyra was eating seemed to be nothing but a transparent broth with no proper ingredients at first glance, but it was anything but just broth.

It was a type of French soup known as consommé.

Consommé soup is made by roasting animal bones and then simmering them to create a broth, to which ingredients like beef, egg whites, carrots, onions, and celery are added before boiling it down once more, then straining out impurities with cloth. This dish is used as a base for other soups but is also an excellent meal on its own.

Originally, the history of consommé soup stemmed from being a humble dish for the poor, with recipes made by throwing in whatever ingredients were available. In those times, it was perceived as peasant food that was thick and plentiful in solids.

Given that the region of France itself had a low regard for broth dishes, consommé had an image far removed from the luxurious French cuisine we think of today.

However, as time passed, the recipe for consommé soup evolved and improved, and the image of it being a dish only for the poor gradually faded, changing its form as it became a clearer broth by straining out solids with fabric.

Thus, consommé was transformed from its once murky color, filled with solids, to a clear and transparent soup.

As the recipe was refined and the skills of chefs became more adept, consommé evolved to the point where only the taste and aroma remained.

“Are you telling me this dish actually contains real meat and vegetables? I can’t see anything…?”

“Despite using countless ingredients, none of their forms remain intact. That’s the essence of consommé cooking.”

“It can’t be that amazing…”

As Kurt spoke about the cooking with the proud expression of a parent boasting about their child, Joyra marveled and slurped at the consommé.

Slurp.

Slurp.

Joyra kept moving his hands.

When he thought about it, it was a rather simple menu.

There were no sides like steak or bread; the soup was just the clear liquid without a single solid.

Yet, that consommé broth seeped into his body faster than any spicy food.

In comparison to Eastern dishes like clear beef soup, which soaks up the refreshing flavor of radishes alongside the rich aroma of beef, the consommé carried the essence of vegetables that primarily grow in the West.

Perhaps because his body was in such a wreck, the simple yet delicate consommé soup resonated with him even more. Even if his body weren’t in shambles, he felt that the consommé would have been delicious enough on its own.

By the time the broth in the bowl was almost gone and the spoon scraped the bottom, he felt his body had warmed up considerably.

“Consommé… How beautiful a dish this is…”

In a truly ‘dizzying’ fashion, Joyra cleared the bowl completely.

All the heavy, gloomy thoughts that had filled his head just moments ago were forgotten as he solely focused on that consommé soup.

Initially, he thought he wasn’t worth a proper meal and that any food would suffice.

But in reality, it was the exact opposite.

The dish Kurt had given him was stellar, deserving more than someone like him.

“I’ve never had such a delicious dish in my life. Surely, this must be a dish only for the incredibly wealthy or nobles.”

Joyra sincerely admired and praised the meal.

That was the truth.

While it was true that Joyra’s family once enjoyed immense wealth, that was a tale from long ago.

The Eldricksir family had rapidly fallen from grace over generations, especially since the time his ancestors gave up sacrificing innocent villagers to sustain their lives. By the time it got to him, almost all material wealth was gone, leaving behind only intangible assets like outstanding magical knowledge.

Additionally, instead of pursuing wealth, Joyra had lived a life where he spent every penny he earned to learn superior medical techniques so he could help many people, drifting far from a lavish life.

Thus, despite being respected by the villagers as a young master, this was probably the first opportunity he had to experience noble food culture.

He didn’t particularly dislike the lentil soup he had mostly eaten until now… yet, it seemed there truly was an undeniable gap in taste between gourmet and common food.

Suddenly recalling the lentil soup, Joyra’s expression darkened again.

“That’s a bit different.”

But then Kurt refuted him.

“Huh?”

“It’s true that consommé soup is regarded as a dish of the upper class, but that only happened after the recipe developed and its flavor was acknowledged in later generations. In fact, consommé actually started as a peasant dish. It was closer to something for the poor, like lentil soup.”

What he was discussing was not the history of consommé soup in this world, but rather in his past life.

Indeed, France was quite fertile, and ordinary people would use wine even when preparing broth, believing that the methods of extracting broth from bones rather than meat were something only the poor might employ.

Having a chance to discuss cooking excited Kurt, and he rambled on about the history of consommé.

“You mean this exceptional dish was treated like lentil soup…?”

“Hmm. When you get down to it, both high-end and peasant food are stories made by people. There was never truly a distinction between gourmet and common dishes. Cooking is just cooking.”

“…!!”

In that moment, Joyra shed a single tear with a realization.

When he thought about it, it was already strange for someone like him, a sinner, to be served such a meticulously prepared dish.

It would have been far more reasonable to just receive a bland porridge.

At this moment, through his conversation with Kurt, Joyra understood the reason.

He had been telling himself through that consommé soup from the very start.

He wished for him to recognize his own mistakes and repent.

“W-what’s happening all of a sudden…?”

“…You are right. Every life is precious. Putting a price tag on someone’s life and dividing them into superior and inferior is just the selfish claims of those who assert themselves. In the end, there are no worthless people who ever truly existed. Neither the beastkin my ancestors sacrificed nor the ones I had kidnapped were any less valuable.”

“You were using this dish called consommé to illustrate that. Hic…!”

Through the tale of consommé soup, Joyra finally confronted the evil intentions inside him.

Just like how the once disregarded peasant food of consommé became a main dish in fine restaurants.

People, too, depending on how one looks at it, might seem utterly worthless and lowly, but might actually be incredibly valuable and remarkable.

However, his ancestors and he himself had arbitrarily valued them as worthless beings who could die without concern, while seeing themselves as worthy of life.

He was a mage who had learned medicine, so he was a valuable person.

It seemed right for him to survive, even if it meant sacrificing a few lives now if he could save even more later.

After all, those beings weren’t much more than chimera descendants that could be made with a few coins at a lab.

Moreover, if they were created by his ancestors, then it meant he, who bore their bloodline, could also claim their lives as his right.

He had been whispering those thoughts to himself, encouraging his wicked desires to abduct villagers.

Having finally encountered the ugliness he had avoided facing until now, Joyra quietly shed pearly tears of repentance.

And Kurt, who silently observed that scene, thought to himself.

‘W-what’s going on? Why is he suddenly crying…!?’

He was just excitedly discussing cooking.

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