The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

‘A master? And not just any master, but a ‘Beastkin’ master?’

In an instant, the Marquis’s mind turned blank, and all sorts of terrible imaginations bloomed in that empty space.

However, as the Marquis of the Empire, the weight on his shoulders was far too heavy to simply lose his composure forever.

“There’s no need to worry. Despite appearances, a holy figure from the Holy Kingdom has vouched for their identity, so they won’t cause any major trouble… Why do you look so concerned, Marquis?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing. I’ll be inspecting the territory for the first time in a while, so you go ahead and handle the tasks at the mansion.”

Struggling to regain his composure amidst the chaos, the Marquis feigned calmness and instructed his aide to return to the mansion.

“If it’s a territory inspection, I’ll assist as well.”

“No need. Moving around together will only make the residents nervous. I’d prefer to inspect quietly and alone.”

“Understood!”

In truth, what he truly didn’t want to provoke wasn’t the residents of the territory but the mysterious Beastkin master who had somehow entered the territory.

‘If the master hadn’t entered the territory yet, it might have been different, but now that they’ve set foot in the territory, provoking them recklessly would be the worst move. If things go wrong, all the citizens in the territory could become hostages. No, they might already be hostages.’

The only silver lining was that he had discovered the master’s presence before it was too late.

Watching his oblivious aide return to the mansion, the Marquis carefully hid himself.

Though the Marquis wasn’t at the level of a master, he was a highly skilled martial artist.

The fact that he had instantly grasped Kurt’s level just by observing him from a distance was proof of that. Superhumans at the level of a master were difficult to detect unless they revealed their strength themselves, unless one had reached a certain level of skill.

Fortunately, while the Marquis concealed his presence and hid, Kurt’s party remained unaware of his existence.

‘A Beastkin master… Could they be part of a resistance force aiming to liberate Beastkin slaves…!?’

It was a baseless assumption, but it was the most reasonable speculation to explain the sudden appearance of a Lizardman master.

‘If it’s indeed a resistance force, what’s their goal? Supporting liberation movements within the territory? Or assassinating exploitative nobles? Damn it! If they’re moving with a Sister of the Holy Kingdom, does that mean the Holy Kingdom is backing them!?’

The Marquis felt his palms sweating and took a deep breath.

As a noble of the Empire, and especially as the Marquis guarding the Empire’s borders, one must always imagine the worst and be prepared.

But at the same time, one must not be consumed and swayed by those worst-case scenarios.

The Marquis shook off the ominous thoughts rising in his mind and steadied himself.

“…No. All of this is just my weak mind conjuring up ominous imaginations. If my mind is tainted by delusions, I just need to cleanse it. I’ll follow them and see for myself.”

The Marquis desperately hoped his imagination was wrong.

Meanwhile, Kurt’s party gradually walked toward the city center, and the Marquis began to secretly tail them to uncover their true intentions.

.

.

.

Several dozen minutes after starting to follow Kurt’s party.

During that time, Kurt’s party acted like ordinary adventurers, securing lodging and resting normally.

Though he suspected they might be using the inn as a cover for some other scheme, they truly just booked a room and organized their belongings.

By now, the Marquis, dressed in plain Empire citizen attire for tailing, reassessed the situation.

“Calm down. If you think about it, the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t openly support such a thing unless they’ve gone mad. That could lead to a war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, something the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t want. Maybe they really just came to the Empire for adventurer business….”

Perhaps because time had passed and his mind had settled, the Marquis began to calmly sort through the situation in his head.

If they had truly entered the Empire with malicious intent, they wouldn’t move as such a conspicuous party, including not just a Lizardman but also an Elf, a Dwarf, a Dark Elf, and even a Beastkin girl who looked like a demon.

At that moment, the Marquis overheard Kurt’s party talking.

“Now that we’ve finished organizing our belongings, shall we head to the market as we discussed earlier?”

“Yes. We need to buy ingredients to cook lunch!”

“Hahaha. Even though Kurt is the one cooking, Mari speaks as if she’s the one doing it. And we’ll need to stock up on quite a few supplies for the journey ahead.”

“Right. It’s going to be a long journey, so we need to prepare thoroughly.”

‘A long journey? What does that mean? What are they hinting at?’

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary conversation about going to the market.

But the Marquis, eavesdropping, didn’t miss the subtle unease in their words.

Soon, the Marquis realized the source of his unease.

First, the fact that they planned to cook lunch themselves.

They had booked lodging. And booking lodging meant meals were provided.

Unless they were homeless, why would they go out to buy ingredients to cook when meals were already provided at the inn?

Cooking is essentially labor. Especially cooking for over ten people. It’s unnatural to go shopping for ingredients to cook right after arriving at the inn to rest.

Adventurers’ cooking couldn’t possibly be better than that of professional innkeepers.

‘…Then, cooking lunch might not be literal but a code for something else!’

At that moment, the Marquis felt the slack tension tighten.

If that were the case, then the phrase “long journey” might not be literal either.

‘A long journey… Could it imply death? Are they planning something even at the cost of their lives?’

The Marquis’s fist trembled from the force of his grip.

He wanted to burst in, grab them by the collar, and demand what conspiracy they were plotting.

‘What are they planning to do in the precious territory granted by His Majesty the Emperor…!?’

But his opponent was a master.

Though the Marquis was a martial artist unmatched in the Empire except by masters, his opponent was a master.

A master was out of his league.

“Ugh…! Of all people, why a master…!”

Bitterly reflecting on his own powerlessness, the Marquis continued to tail Kurt’s party as they headed to the market.

.

.

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Kurt’s party wandered the market like ordinary adventurers.

They bought preserved food, replenished consumables like oil for lanterns and flint.

The market merchants seemed to find nothing unusual about them.

But the Marquis, who had already sensed something off from their conversation at the inn, wasn’t fooled by their disguise.

Look. Even now, they’re boldly exchanging coded conversations in the middle of the street.

“So, Kurt, what are you making for lunch?”

“Hmm… How about meatballs?”

The Lizardman master responded to the blonde Elf woman.

The Lizardman master seemed to be leading the party, taking charge of the coded conversation using the term “lunch.”

“Meatballs? Why suddenly?”

“No reason, just thought of it. Why? Don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I dislike it… Hmm… How about something else?”

“Wait, Mari. Kurt’s the one cooking, aren’t you being too demanding?”

“No! I’m not demanding, I just answered because Kurt asked…!”

“Don’t worry about it. I’d rather cook what you all want to eat anyway.”

“Really, Kurt, you’re too soft!”

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary argument over lunch menu choices.

But if you carefully reconsider, you’d realize how nonsensical that conversation was.

‘A Lizardman… cooking? Even if it were a master cooking, it’d be unnatural, let alone a Lizardman!’

As far as the Marquis knew, he had never heard of a Lizardman cooking, at least by human standards.

Lizardmen, lacking ordinary taste buds, were biologically incapable of cooking.

Just as creatures without wings can’t fly, and non-snakes can’t sense temperature, Lizardmen can’t cook.

Yet, they were casually discussing a Lizardman cooking!

At this point, suspicion turned into certainty.

Logically, if meals are provided at the inn, why cook? And among a party of over ten, why would a Lizardman be the one cooking?

This was undeniable proof that “lunch” wasn’t about a meal but a code with a separate meaning known only to them.

And it was being led by a master-level figure.

Gulp.

Even without knowing the exact meaning of “lunch,” the Marquis couldn’t help but swallow dryly.

‘Lunch, meatballs, cooking… I don’t know what it means, but it’s surely nothing good for the Empire.’

Unable to decipher the code, the Marquis memorized their entire conversation.

Somehow, he felt a strong scent of blood in those words.

If they could use such professional codes so naturally in daily life, they must be a highly trained elite force.

‘Damn those exploitative nobles! I told them not to abuse slaves with petty emotions…! They’re bringing ruin to the Empire!’

While suppressing his disgust for the decadent nobles, the Marquis watched as the adventurer party approached a Beastkin cleaning the streets.

“Excuse me. We’d like to ask for directions.”

“Huh…! W-what is it? Did I do something wrong…?”

“No, no need to be scared. We’re new to this city and don’t know our way around. We’re looking to buy ‘ingredients.’ Do you know where the ‘grocery store’ is?”

“T-the ‘grocery store,’ you mean?”

“Yes. We need ‘ingredients’ for today’s ‘lunch.’”

“Ah, if it’s that, just follow this road…”

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary conversation between adventurers unfamiliar with the city and a timid Beastkin slave.

But when linked to the earlier coded term “lunch,” the conversation took on a completely different meaning.

‘Could there be collaborators within the Empire!? Well, if they’ve managed to recruit a Lizardman master, it’s not impossible!’

The Marquis was shocked to discover that the peaceful territory he believed in had hidden secrets no one had noticed.

‘…‘Grocery store’ and ‘ingredients.’ Another new code. I’ll have to remember this.’

Suppressing his trembling, the Marquis hid again and cautiously continued to tail Kurt’s party.

He followed them as they bought beef, eggs, vegetables, and other groceries, all the way back to the inn.

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