The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

After five days, we stepped out of the detention center and soaked up the long-lost sunlight.

Our plan to slowly analyze and take control of the inside of the detention center had, well, gone completely haywire, but in hindsight, it turned out to be a happy misjudgment.

Had we followed the original plan, we’d still be struggling inside the detention center.

With the religious trial of Daria and Aila looming ahead, wasting more time could be risky.

I turned to Azani and Nisa, who had rescued us from the detention center.

“I had no idea you two would be the ones to save us. How did you pull it off?”

“Hoo, we asked our mentor. After five days of relentless begging, we used their authority to vouch for your innocence. In return, we’ve now got a hefty workload ahead.”

Azani’s expression darkened, perhaps regretting the price she paid to pull us out.

“Mentor?”

“My and Nisa’s mentor is the Black Lion Linest.”

“One of the eight bishops of the Holy Kingdom?”

Several members of my group gasped at her words.

Recalling what I had heard from Aila earlier, I suddenly remembered who the Black Lion Linest was.

The eight bishops, just beneath the supreme leader Archbishop, appeared ordinary but were actually in charge of various hidden roles, each shrouded in secrecy as with all matters of the Holy Kingdom.

The Black Lion Linest was a bishop representing the foreign military force of the Holy Kingdom, responsible for training and deploying special troops like holy maidens and paladins, and was a formidable Beastkin with considerable power.

Azani and Nisa were disciples of such a remarkable figure.

“Yes. After days of persuading him that you are not evil, we were finally able to secure your release.”

With a sigh, Azani changed the topic, her voice turning serious.

“But more importantly, there’s the trial of Daria and Aila. While you were stuck in the detention center, the trial began.”

“Is that really true!?”

Everyone, including Mari, was stunned, but honestly, it was something we could have expected.

They wouldn’t have locked us up for five days without a reason, and whoever it was, they were clearly trying to ensure we wouldn’t influence Daria’s trial.

According to Azani and Nisa, the situation for both of them was really dire.

Aila’s refusal to cooperate and escape was the most critical issue, but even without that, the trial was riddled with biased testimonies and evidence stacking against them.

At this rate, it looked like both Daria and Aila wouldn’t escape serious penalties for heresy.

“No way! Even if Daria made mistakes to cover for us, her loyalty to the Holy Kingdom is genuine! There’s no way evidence would come up proving her betrayal…!”

“…We think so too. Daria, though frustrating, isn’t the type to betray the Holy Kingdom.”

The goal of locking us in wasn’t to target us at all, but rather it turned out to be a trap aimed directly at Daria and Aila.

What once was mere suspicion while we were in the detention center was gaining momentum with the testimonies of Azani and Nisa.

The grim expressions on my companions’ faces, including Mari and Arisa, suggested that they too felt this wouldn’t simply end with us testifying at the trial.

After that, Azani and Nisa passed more information about the trial and finally turned back, warning us before they left.

“One last thing, while you’ve escaped the detention center, don’t let your guard down. Although we did manage to persuade my mentor to release you, he was quite displeased. There’s a possibility he may come looking for you, so be careful.”

With that, the two of them, burdened with too much responsibility for us, disappeared across the street with Joyra, and we headed back to the inn we had eyed on our first day.

Upon entering the inn, we finally had the chance to lie down on fluffy beds after such a long time.

Ironically, no one showed any signs of joy or rushed to their rooms.

This trip, which we thought would simply involve going to the Holy Kingdom to defend Daria and Aila, turned out to be much more complicated than we had imagined, and we sensed something far bigger was behind it all.

Even worse, that unknown entity had already tried to ensnare us into the detention center, and still, we had no clue who they could be.

“…What should we do next?”

“For now, we need to go to the judge and testify to Daria and Aila’s innocence!”

“No. Rushing to the judge right now would be pointless. If we truly fell into a trap, they’ve already prepared for that.”

“Then we should investigate who’s behind the attempts on Daria and Aila and reveal their conspiracy!”

“No, that would be too late. The trial has already started, and with no leads on who the culprit is, we’d be wasting time searching. Even if we do catch the culprit, by then, the trial might already be over.”

“So what are we supposed to do then?”

“I… I honestly don’t know… I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no… I shouldn’t have yelled…”

We escaped the detention center, but the mood was even more somber.

While we had hope and a goal back in the detention center, now that we were out, we had no clue what to do or how to proceed, drowning in uncertainty.

Even I, pretending to be an impartial observer, couldn’t think of any solutions to this dilemma.

“….”

“….”

All my companions kept their eyes glued to the floor in silence.

Watching the heavy atmosphere settle in, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up.

“First of all.”

As I opened my mouth, all eyes turned to me.

With their attention on me, I declared in a calm voice,

“Let’s eat.”

“….”

“Kurt! Now’s not the time…!”

Of course, my suggestion was met with stunned silence, and even Mari, who typically jumped at the chance to eat when I suggested it, couldn’t help but shout in frustration, insisting it wasn’t the right moment.

“No. This is exactly when we need to eat.”

But my desire to eat wasn’t just the product of insensitivity.

“When there’s no hope or solution in sight, a person’s perspective tends to narrow significantly. Sometimes, resetting your emotions is crucial. By taking a breather, you can regain clarity and see things you might have missed before.”

“….”

“And in this regard, all I can do is cook.”

After staying silent for a while, Mari finally spoke up with a defeated tone.

“…Kurt’s right. We can’t change anything by being gloomy here. Let’s eat. We’ll gather our strength and then think about whether we missed anything regarding those behind the scenes.”

“…I agree with Kurt and Mari.”

“Me too…”

While we didn’t dramatically rally our spirits, they seemed slightly more active than before, slowly beginning to move from their lethargic states.

“We don’t need to overthink it. If it comes to it, we can rush the judge and bolt with the two of them! Hahaha!”

“Yeah, running away would solve everything.”

Whether they were oblivious or just carefree, Kirsh and Lakia yelled cheerily.

…But perhaps, just like Kirsh said, that could indeed be a right answer.

If things really went south, I’d think of forcibly rescuing the two of them and escaping.

With that in mind, I headed to the kitchen, thinking of a dish that would match this low energy.

Before entering the kitchen, I glanced at the sky, thick dark clouds looming, threatening rain at any moment.

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