The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

The last day of our stay in the Holy Kingdom was approaching.

As it got closer, we decided to throw a small farewell party, even though we hadn’t built up any particularly grand memories.

Normally, given the circumstances, we would have hurried to leave as soon as possible, but Archbishop Tierra, having confirmed through Lakia’s prognostication that we had some time until the dimensional gate actually opened, advised us to relieve the fatigue accumulated from our journey instead.

I had assumed the Archbishop would be urging us to hasten our departure towards the Spine Empire, so it was surprising, though fortunate for our situation.

As someone who had reached a transcendent state, I could easily handle the journey without rest, but my companions weren’t in the same boat.

We had consumed a lot of resources just to reach the Holy Kingdom, and the journey to save Daria had already been quite taxing, coupled with the subsequent issues of being locked in a detention center and preparing for a trial, we were all pretty worn out.

Archbishop Tierra and Bishop Lynette must have taken that into consideration.

Thus, we enjoyed a short rest and some much-needed reorganization over the next few days, and I relished the opportunity to cook—something I hadn’t gotten to do during the journey.

Every day, Tierra and Lynette would come by to taste my dishes, nagging me to make vegetarian meals or meat dishes, practically annoying me.

If someone didn’t know better, they might think that the suggestion to take it easy before we departed was just an excuse to indulge in my cooking.

…Right?

Anyway, the fact that we had caught wind of the Spine Empire’s secret was confidential, so even though it was a farewell party, it wasn’t exactly a raucous affair.

As always, our group shared meals with cheerful faces despite the heavy matters of dimensional gates and empires looming over us.

And on top of that, there were Azani and Nisa, the nun who had been kidnapped by Joyra during our travels.

And naturally, there was Joyra herself.

She had once researched archaeology in Astram, exploring the ruins of the Ancient Empire with us, and had gotten too close to the secrets of that ancient empire, ending up under the Holy Kingdom’s protection.

We also had Lynette, the mentor of Azani and Nisa, alongside Archbishop Tierra, who could very well be described as the ruler of the Holy Kingdom.

Though the gathering didn’t feel overly crowded, a fair number of people had come together for the farewell party.

The invited guests were helping themselves to a buffet setup, each loading their plates with whatever dish they fancied as they enjoyed the banquet.

Thankfully, the party atmosphere looked lively.

Having successfully prepared all the dishes just in time before the farewell party, I wiped the sweat off my brow and gazed at the scene with a sense of satisfaction.

It felt rewarding that I had set up a buffet, especially after the hassle of preparing everything on my own.

No solo cook, no matter how transcendent, could find it easy to manage all the food alone, but for a party atmosphere like this, a buffet was definitely the way to go.

However, preparing such a party buffet solo was quite a challenge; not only did I have to cook in bulk, but I had to ensure every dish was cooked to perfection.

Still, I managed to get all the dishes out without being late.

I might have to refill a few items here and there, but since I had partly prepared dishes that just needed finishing touches in the kitchen, I could finally enjoy a bit of a breather.

“Ah, Kurt. What are you doing here all alone, the star of the cooking?”

“Just finished the cooking and was taking a moment to rest.”

“Ah, well, it’s good to take it easy the day before a departure…”

“Enough. I chose to do this myself because I enjoy it.”

Opportunities to cook at such a gathering aren’t common, so the last thing I wanted was to regret not taking on the task.

I patted Mari’s head, which was a rare show of affection, and stood up.

But Mari did have a point.

“It’s a waste to sit idle at a farewell party.”

I watched Mari walk off with an empty plate to load up on food and began to stroll around the gathering.

“Hey! That pork cutlet was the piece I was gonna grab first!!”

“There’s no owner in a buffet! Plus, I’ve got plenty of other pork cutlets I’ve grabbed, so feel free to take whatever you want.”

“No way! The ends are the crispiest and the tastiest! Hand it over!”

“Not on your life! Why should I give you my pork cutlet?”

Even with plenty of food available, Azani was whining at Daria over trivial matters. Daria, in turn, was nonchalantly teasing Azani, seemingly enjoying herself.

Azani seemed to have a bit of a rivalry with Daria, always looking to pick fights or prove her superiority whenever they crossed paths. Ironically, she stayed up all night searching for evidence to help Daria when it looked like she might lose in a religious trial.

Aila, Nisa, Arisa, and Yuri stayed out of their juvenile disputes, but it didn’t stop them from enjoying their meals together, seemingly used to the bickering.

“Having a good meal?”

“Ah, Kurt! Thanks to you, I’m really enjoying it.”

“Always grateful for the delicious food.”

“Yeah, if you need more, just let me know. Just don’t bicker and eat.”

“Wait a sec, don’t talk to me like I’m a kid. The only one really pulling that here is Azani!”

“What did you just call me?”

“Ha ha! Enjoy your meal, everyone!”

I moved to the next table, leaving behind what might seem like an adversarial vibe, but was actually a relatively good rapport among Arisa’s group and the four nuns.

“What’s this? This Cajun salad has fried three-legged fowl in it!? Who mixes chicken into salad! This is horrifying!”

“What’s wrong with it? A salad made entirely of tasteless greens was made tastier by adding meat! I actually think it could do with even more chicken.”

“Lynette, you’d like anything as long as there’s meat in it. But salad is one of the few dishes elves can eat without worry! To ruin that with meat—oh, the horror…”

“Don’t be silly. There are many other salads; just enjoy one of those.”

“I want the Cajun salad right now! A Cajun salad without chicken! You understand? My stomach won’t be satisfied until I get that Cajun salad!”

Archbishop Tierra and Lynette were engaged in what could be described as a silly argument about food, with the former frustrated over the lack of vegetables in the dishes.

Both were high-ranking individuals, practically like the king of the Holy Kingdom and a minister from another realm, and there they were, bickering over such trivialities.

I remembered how Tierra had shown such a down-to-earth personality, void of any sense of authoritarianism despite her high rank.

Her demeanor was so far from what I had imagined of national leaders, yet it made sense; if a ruler could manage a kingdom for centuries without selfish motives, they’d certainly be a person of humble character.

“Is there a problem with the dish?”

“Ah, Kurt! Thanks to you, I’m enjoying delicious food. But as an invited guest, might I suggest a bit more vegetable elements in the dishes?”

“No way! We need more meat!”

Tierra was fussing over her plate filled with salad while Lynette was complaining about a lack of meat.

Then it seemed they came to some sort of agreement; Tierra heaped a load of Cajun salad onto her plate, picking out just the chicken for Lynette to enjoy, who was thrilled at being able to feast on just meat.

I couldn’t help but think how absurdly frugal their final resolution seemed for two people in such high positions, but hey, if the eaters were satisfied, that’s what matters.

Seeing everyone at the farewell party enjoying their meals in their own ways, I moved to the next table.

“So… um, I tried to replicate the artifact using the method that Joyra taught me last time, but it’s tough to apply universally to every restoration method. But it works effectively for certain types of artifacts… Mmm, this cheese gratin is really delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear my method… was effective. I took a look at the artifacts that Sei-ri restored, and… Mmm, but this consomme soup is also really out of this world.”

Next up were Sei-ri and Joyra—an unexpected pairing.

But they shared common ground; neither of them was originally from the Holy Kingdom, and they had both been brought there against their will, but they both possessed extensive knowledge about the Ancient Empire’s archaeology, despite their different specialties.

Sei-ri would have normally been subjected to memory erasure for knowing too much about the secrets of the Ancient Empire, but she had been exempted by formally belonging to the Holy Kingdom, continuing her research on the history of that empire. On the other hand, Joyra had committed crimes that could have led to severe punishment, but she had deeply reflected on her actions, and since the victims hoped for leniency, she had been sentenced to labor for research on the magic of the Ancient Empire.

Though their circumstances were quite different, the outcome of their new roles in the Holy Kingdom overlapped, leading to a decent rapport between them.

“So, how’s the food treating you?”

“Ah, Ku, Kurt… Yes, thank you for inviting me today. I’m really enjoying it.”

“I can only express my gratitude for being invited to such a prestigious gathering. The food is incredibly exquisite for someone as humble as me…”

“Glad it suits your palate. But try to enjoy the meal and not talk only about work.”

I wanted them to focus on enjoying the meal rather than discussing work, but seeing their hands and mouths busy while they chatted, I decided to just let it slide.

I barely managed to keep things safe.

I moved on to the next table.

“Oh! This steak is just like the one I used to eat back home!!”

“Mmm. This salad has that homey flavor.”

“Impossible.”

Comparing their rough, bloody pieces of meat and dirt-covered, bitter greens from back home to my perfectly cooked rare steak and salad was a major faux pas!

I sighed at Kirsh and Lakia’s inability to distinguish between my cooking after months of traveling with them and the so-called food from Lizardman Village. Had they been able to tell the difference, they would have easily done so months ago!

“Oh, Kurt, thanks for your hard work. I don’t really know much about cooking, but I imagine preparing all this must have been quite the task.”

“If you need help, I could have lent a hand.”

“Nah, I appreciate the thought, but I’ll pass.”

I knew they meant well, but I shuddered to think what would happen if I accepted help from the inherently delayed Lizardmen when it came to cooking.

I politely declined their kindness and moved on to the next table.

“How’s the food?”

And the last table I approached was…

---