The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

Chapter 385



I sat quietly in the prison, trying to make sense of the situation.

First of all, the place we were locked up in was the Holy Kingdom’s prison.

But of course, we weren’t about to find ourselves in a proper prison since we hadn’t been formally tried or caught in the act. In reality, we were closer to being in a detention center—not a prison—until our charges were confirmed.

If they had intended to transfer us to a prison without any legal procedure, we certainly wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.

While the standard of the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers did seem higher than that of the soldiers from the Kingdom of Eustia, it wasn’t like they were invulnerable to slipping past their vigilance.

Nonetheless, we had come to the Holy Kingdom to rescue Daria, and creating trouble wasn’t an option.

Plus, considering our current situation, I was prepared for this outcome from the start.

After all, to clear Daria’s name, we needed to make contact with the authorities in the Holy Kingdom at some point; so perhaps this was a quicker route.

Before long, we would be interviewed for investigation, so for now, it was best to take it easy and bide our time.

“Ugh… ugh… I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault…”

“No, I don’t think that’s true.”

At that moment, Joyra next to me was berating herself with a downcast expression as if everything were her fault.

I felt bad interrupting her lament during her moment of distress, but this time it was we who were dragged into this mess, not her.

In the first place, the mistake Joyra made was something only Azani and Nisa knew about, and they had just arrived with us at the Holy Kingdom. From the Holy Kingdom’s perspective, they likely didn’t even know who Joyra was, let alone imprison her.

…Wait a minute. Isn’t that the same for us?

Just then, a question popped into my head.

“…But why are we being detained?”

If the Holy Kingdom didn’t know Joyra’s whereabouts, then naturally, they shouldn’t know about us either.

So how did they get information about us so quickly after we had just entered the city?

It wouldn’t have made sense if our true identities had been exposed at the city gates before we even checked into an inn.

They had moved to apprehend us the moment we arrived in the city, as if they knew we were coming ahead of time…

Or did they?

But there was no one to give me a clear answer to my question.

The guards in the detention center were clearly well-trained to the point that they wouldn’t even make eye contact while talking to us. Since Azani and Nisa weren’t targets from the start, they hadn’t been brought in, and as for Aila, her charges were far more serious than ours; she was taken to a higher security area.

‘Something’s wrong.’

And by the next morning, what began as a mere thought in my head evolved into a growing certainty.

The Holy Kingdom had reacted incredibly quickly, dispatching troops immediately after we arrived, yet here we were a full day later, and none of us had even faced a proper interrogation.

It had only been a single night, but if I was right, they probably hadn’t even considered investigating us.

It was as if locking us up here and dragging this out was the actual objective…

‘Does this mean that perhaps Daria’s trial itself is a clever ruse by someone?’

As that thought crossed my mind, I stopped lounging about and set my sights on a new goal.

‘First priority in the Holy Kingdom: escape from this detention center.’

And for the plan…

.

.

.

McLean was the warden of the Holy Kingdom’s detention center.

Handling the detention center meant dealing with countless lawbreakers and villains daily, making it a profession that came with inherent stress.

With numerous overnight duties and not-so-great pay for his rank, it often felt thankless.

Yet, despite all this, McLean took pride in his job.

He believed that every hour he worked made the kingdom a safer place, and if he could win smiles from the people through his efforts, it was the greatest reward for him.

His sense of justice wasn’t limited to only the citizens, either.

The detention center he managed had earned a strong reputation for treating even suspects without bias, treating them just like everyone else until their trials were concluded.

However, the atmosphere in the detention center had recently taken a drastic turn, diverging significantly from the peaceful, orderly environment McLean had always envisaged.

“What on earth is happening…?”

McLean pondered in a shaky voice as he surveyed the chaos in the detention center.

The ordeal began a few days ago when nearly ten adventurers were forcibly brought in by elite soldiers from the Inquisition.

Their number was somewhat high, and given that they were distinguished figures originating from the Inquisition, orders had been issued from above: no touch until given further instructions; just lock them up.

In truth, it was not unusual for absurd orders to come down from above.

Having ascended to the position of warden, he was somewhat aware of the presence of secret, clandestine organizations that lived in the shadows of the kingdom, which usually, those in the light would never understand.

But the oddity didn’t lie with the orders from above.

The suspects themselves were rather strange.

“Hahaha! This guy is something else!”

“I came an hour early this morning just to eat here!”

“Aah! So that’s how you can do it! Hahaha!”

Before long, McLean found that his subordinates had completely fallen under the spell of the suspect named Kurt.

His subordinates, who had always been instructed not to even make eye contact with the suspects, had seemingly forgotten that fundamental rule amid the lively dining atmosphere created by Kurt’s antics.

And at the center of it all was Kurt, the adventurer.

To be precise, it was the bizarre dishes he created that had captivated everyone.

Initially, he started with simple advice on making the bland meals provided more edible.

For example, he suggested cutting a dry piece of bread in half, spreading fruit jam on it, poking a hole in the middle, and pouring milk over it. The bread would absorb the milk through the hole and turn into a somewhat decent milk porridge.

At first, the guards didn’t give it any thought.

Listening to a suspect was hardly a virtue in their line of work—let alone when that suspect was a Lizardman!

After all, Lizardmen were known for eating dripping blood from meat and slurping down bitter grasses without a second thought!

However, a couple of guards were tempted after hearing his detailed taste descriptions, and soon enough, the deliciousness was proven.

As the meal tips continued, the guards gradually began to expect them at each meal time.

With a certain level of trust built up, he soon stepped up his game.

He lamented that if he could use the spices and sauces seized from him, meals would have a much greater flavor.

But requesting that his seized belongings be returned was a completely different matter than sharing meal tips.

The guards naturally ignored him and even shot him cold glances suggesting that was his aim all along.

However, Kurt refused to back down and insisted that if they were suspicious, he would share his secret ingredients and sauces, claiming he could even demonstrate their use in front of the guards.

Simultaneously, he whispered like the devil about how the quality of dining improves remarkably with those spices and sauces.

Seeing how the ingredients with their expiration date looming were at risk of going to waste, he pleaded to share the feast with the guards, and eventually, they relented and brought him some spices and sauces from his belongings, all the while avoiding McLean’s eyes.

Despite the strict rule that all confiscated items would be returned later, and certainly couldn’t be snuck in ahead of time!

Looking back, it surely wasn’t just ignoring the rules!

He began crafting a dish by thoroughly mashing down the dry, tasteless fish flesh into a “fish mayo” and generously offering it to the guards to inspect for foul play.

That was when everything started to spiral in directions McLean hadn’t anticipated.

Before long, his subordinates were offering unwavering support to Kurt.

And finally, that very morning, cooking commenced.

Despite a multitude of restrictions!

‘Good God! Cooking in a detention center! By a suspect!!’

“Making bread this good without even letting it rise! Incredible!”

“Especially from a Lizardman! I’ve never seen a Lizardman cook this well! Though I’ve never even seen a Lizardman before…”

“This green onion cream cheese is amazing! The creamy saltiness mixes perfectly with the pungent aroma of the green onion, making the taste rich without being heavy!”

“Right? Kurt is an amazing cook!”

“Hmm. The guards sure know how to appreciate a meal.”

“Mixing those bacon chips full of smoky flavor into this cream cheese is also a delight!”

The guards were either oblivious to McLean’s simmering frustration or genuinely excited while they praised Kurt’s culinary skills alongside his companions.

“Ugh. Those guards…”

Watching his subordinates’ behavior, McLean felt dizzy and took a bite of a green onion cream cheese bagel to calm his nerves.

It was delicious.

It was the fifth day since Kurt’s group had entered the detention center.



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