The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

After the trial ended, we emerged from the courtroom with fresh faces, accompanied by Linest.

I was slightly worried that Gelio, having lost in the trial, might lash out in a final desperate attempt, but even though he was a bishop from the same Holy Kingdom, the overwhelming difference in demeanor between him and Linest—who was responsible for law enforcement and heresy trials—made it clear that Gelio would quietly accept his imprisonment without rebellion.

Of course, the fact that one of the bishops of the Holy Kingdom intentionally framed the special saint and holy knight was a national scandal, so there would definitely be quite the uproar, but at least it wasn’t something an adventurer like me needed to concern myself with.

In any case, I could say things went pretty well.

On the day we were released from the detention center, we were greeted by a woman named Lynette. Or rather, that was just a casual shortening of her real name, Linest, and she was one of the eight bishops of the Holy Kingdom.

They say adventurers’ journeys are always filled with unexpected events, but who would have guessed that the nuns we saved during our travels—Azani and Nisa—were Linest’s disciples? It was through this connection that we ended up meeting her.

Also, the wandering nun we randomly encountered in the fog, Camila, seemed to be quite a well-known figure in the Holy Kingdom.

After the meal, Linest, despite looking cheerful, lacked a certain seriousness. So, out of curiosity, I pulled out the token she had given me to show to the people of the Holy Kingdom earlier, and her expression instantly turned serious. Without asking anything further, she readily offered to assist us.

What a wonderfully orchestrated twist of fate life can weave.

Was it because of the heavy weight that the title of bishop carries in the Holy Kingdom? Or was it simply because she was exceptionally skilled in navigating these matters?

That daunting religious trial could be completely turned around by Linest’s declaration to help us.

Suddenly realizing this, I felt quite grateful that we met her.

Anyway, the fundamental reason for our visit to the Holy Kingdom—the trial of Daria and Aila—had successfully concluded.

Having shed our heaviest burdens, our faces were clear, devoid of any clouds, and our steps were light.

“But what a surprise. Your identity as one of the bishops of the Holy Kingdom, Linest, caught me off guard. I was certain that the lion-beastkin would undeniably be male,” I remarked.

“Why? Is it strange for a bishop who leads the Holy Kingdom’s military organization to be female?” she replied with a tone that felt at once challenging.

If one didn’t know her personality well, they might think she was genuinely provoking me, but having grown accustomed to her style over the past few days, I knew she was just joking.

“No, it’s more about the beastkin form you take.”

“My form? Is there something strange about my appearance?”

“Well, you have the form of a male lion.”

As I pointed out her lion-beastkin mane, Linest broke into a wide smile.

“I see. You thought that because of the mane. But all lion-beastkin, regardless of gender, have manes, you know?”

“Huh? But if I’m not mistaken, male lions are the ones with manes, right?”

“That’s true for real lions. But let’s be direct—during my travels, I learned the origins of beastkin, didn’t I?”

“It wasn’t exactly a cheerful truth.”

“Right. All beastkin originated from the Ancient Empire’s experiments to create chimera for slavery. The Ancient Empire thought female lions lacked appeal compared to males and, while creating lion-beastkin, combined human and lion genes with those that promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. That’s why lion-beastkin, regardless of gender, have manes.”

“What…?”

Linest casually dropped this shocking bombshell.

Our party, who had been quietly listening to Linest and me, froze for a moment at her revelation.

“…Sorry, I didn’t know that…”

Come to think of it, Azani, Linest’s disciple, transformed into a male lion too.

I hadn’t thought much of it at the time after only seeing it briefly in battle, but perhaps I should have caught on then.

It was no wonder she was subconsciously reluctant to adopt her beastkin form…

Who would’ve known?

“Ha! No need to worry about it. If it really bothered me, I wouldn’t be active in the form of a black lion-beastkin at all. In fact, it’s easier to walk around in my human form because most people, except those close to me, misunderstand my gender,” she said, grinning in amusement at our reaction.

“I actually think this mane looks pretty cool. Even if its origin comes from the Ancient Empire’s shenanigans, it’s still awesome, don’t you think? Such matters only become embarrassing if one feels ashamed of them,” Linest continued, perfectly comfortable despite our tentative glances.

As we exchanged light-hearted banter, we soon arrived at Linest’s mansion.

Her mansion was fairly large and tidy for an ordinary home but felt quite modest for a residence of one of the bishops of the Holy Kingdom.

There was a reception room in the mansion, but there were too many of us for it to accommodate, so we were led to a spacious dining room instead.

“When will Daria and Aila be freed?” I inquired.

“Now that their innocence has been proven, they will be released today. However, it’s a significant case, so while a few necessary procedures may take a few hours, please wait for a little while,” she replied.

“Don’t worry. We’ve waited plenty for them. Waiting a bit longer is no trouble at all,” Arisa answered calmly.

Given her usual personality, I expected her to fumble her words and be more anxious than usual, but she seemed surprisingly composed.

Could it be that she had grown mentally through this trip to the Holy Kingdom?

Our party each found ways to pass the time while waiting for our reunion with Daria and Aila.

I, too, sat quietly in the dining room, waiting for the uncertain hours of procedure to pass…

“Hey, Linest. I’d like to borrow the kitchen.”

But that didn’t happen.

My words made the rest of the party give me that ‘are you cooking again?’ look, as if they were mocking my desire to cook even at a time like this.

How rude to shoot such glares at a Lizardman.

But I had my reasons.

First of all, instead of waiting aimlessly with no plan, it was far more efficient to prepare something in the kitchen.

Plus, if we were to have an emotional reunion, a special dish would be essential.

Thus, preparing a dish was not merely cooking but rather a necessary step in preparing for my reunion with Daria and Aila.

And given that I hadn’t cooked properly for the past few days while gathering evidence for the trial, I was already itching to get back to cooking.

“Show me to the kitchen. But I can’t guarantee there’ll be enough ingredients.”

“Don’t worry about that. I brought the ingredients myself.”

“You… brought that to the courtroom?”

“Of course, a chef should carry at least the minimum necessary ingredients for cooking at all times. Is that strange?”

“Well, it should be normal… Hah. Forget it. Just come with me.”

A little while passed after Kurt went into the kitchen guided by Linest.

As the anticipation in the dining room gradually settled down, the door creaked open.

Creeeak.

Kurt’s party, especially those who were originally part of Daria and Aila’s party, stood up from their seats with excitement when they saw that.

“Oh? What are you all doing here?”

However, the two silhouettes that appeared weren’t who they had hoped for, but rather Azani and Nisa.

“Ah… Ms. Azani and Ms. Nisa…”

“Making such disappointed faces when seeing someone else is quite rude. Were you perhaps waiting for someone else?”

Azani teased Arisa, who couldn’t hide her disappointment, and that teasing expression put her in quite an awkward position.

At that moment, a soft voice scolded from behind Azani.

“Come on, Azani. You’re making Arisa feel uncomfortable.”

The voice scolding Azani belonged to someone behind her.

“Ha. Can’t even tease a little.”

“This voice is…”

“It’s been a while, Arisa. Or should I say, I should welcome you to the Holy Kingdom, though I’m a bit late?”

“Daria!!”

The identity of the voice was none other than Daria, hidden behind Azani and Nisa.

And next to her, walking out with a faint smile, was Aila.

Despite having weakened a lot after long confinement, Daria’s face was still bright with a smile.

“I heard from Azani and Nisa. You came with Aila to rescue me…”

“Daria!!”

Although it had been a while since their reunion, Daria tried to express her gratitude to Kurt’s group formally, but her thanks never made it out completely.

Ariisa, unable to hold back her tears any longer, suddenly dashed forward and wrapped her arms around Daria.

Soon after, the rest of the party followed suit, and in an instant, the two were surrounded by their friends who had raced from Astram to the Holy Kingdom to save them.

“Oh my, Arisa. And everyone else too… so clingy…”

“Daria! I missed you so much!!”

“…truly, thank you.”

Eventually, even Daria, who had been putting on a brave face in front of her friends, couldn’t hold back her tears and started crying.

She laughed while she cried.

Whether that day’s smiles from Daria and Aila stemmed only from escaping the prison and finally proving their innocence or if there were other reasons behind it…

Would remain a secret and precious memory shared solely between Daria and Aila.

---