The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

The anomaly was felt from the tip of the knife cutting through the meatball.

As expected of a skilled warrior, the Border Lord immediately sensed the change in texture at his fingertips.

Then, as the inner layer of the meatball peeled away, the source of the strange sensation revealed itself.

It was pure white, like untouched snow…

“…An egg?”

“Yes. I added a Three-legged Fowl’s egg.”

It was a boiled egg.

“To think you’d put a whole boiled egg inside a meatball…”

An unexpected twist.

The boiled egg, especially the egg white, had a bouncy and fresh texture, different from the minced meat of the meatball.

The meatball’s flavor was excellent, but if a fist-sized meatball had the same taste throughout, no matter how delicious, the excitement would inevitably halve.

In that sense, the bouncy, nearly tasteless simplicity of the egg white was like a comma for the tongue, which could tire from the intense flavors.

It was a small but delightful twist.

Clatter.

But because of that, the Border Lord felt a pang of regret.

The idea of putting a whole boiled egg inside a meatball was indeed a small but enjoyable twist.

However, the twist was too minor.

Subjectively, he thought a regular meatball, separate from his personal preference, would score around 70 points.

Adding the creativity of the boiled egg would bump it up to 80.

For an ordinary meatball, adding a boiled egg could raise the score by 10 points, but the problem was that Kurt’s meatball surpassed the ordinary.

The shocking flavor and perfection of this meatball, which made him ashamed of not knowing such potential despite his pride in loving meatballs, would easily score over 90!

The technique that would have added 10 points to an ordinary meatball now felt like a cheap accessory on this special meatball.

A boiled egg, even with fresher eggs or adjusted cooking times, has a fixed range of flavor.

‘What a pity. It would have been a plus for an ordinary meatball… But on this exquisite meatball, the boiled egg feels out of place.’

Normally, the Border Lord wouldn’t care about such minor discrepancies, but the perfection of the meatball made him sigh at the presence of the boiled egg.

That is, until he ate the egg white.

“…What is this?”

As the Border Lord dug deeper into the meatball, a golden glow erupted from within.

A dazzling golden liquid, like a volcano erupting, poured out with the movement of the knife.

The golden liquid was the yolk, intentionally left uncooked.

The outer layer was perfectly cooked meat, the middle layer a bouncy egg white, but the inside was intentionally kept as a warm, golden soup.

The Border Lord felt a chill at Kurt’s exceptional skill.

‘This might be worth 85 points.’

Still, compared to the 90-point meatball, it was somewhat lacking, but it could somewhat ease his regret.

“I thought the yolk would be cooked since the white was. To think it’s soft-boiled. Incredibly precise heat control.”

“Personally, I recommend dipping the meatball pieces into the yolk.”

Kurt advised the Border Lord.

“Dip the meat into the yolk?”

“Yes. Think of the yolk as a kind of sauce.”

Indeed, the savory flavor of the egg yolk would perfectly balance the richness of the meatball, smoothly guiding the latter half of the meal.

But the Border Lord’s warrior instincts sensed that Kurt’s advice wasn’t so simple.

And when he dipped a piece of meatball into the yolk…

Bang!

The Border Lord felt a thunderous shock in his head.

“This… this isn’t just egg yolk!”

Forgetting noble etiquette, the Border Lord exclaimed.

But who could blame him? What was inside the boiled egg wasn’t the soft-boiled yolk he expected.

“What kind of magic is this? There were no signs of cutting or pasting on the boiled egg. How could there be ‘sauce’ inside instead of yolk?”

“It’s not just yolk… That’s half right, half wrong.”

“What do you mean… Huh! There’s definitely a faint egg yolk aroma.”

The first taste was a refreshing citrus acidity that subdued the richness of the meatball, easing the fatigue on the tongue.

But if it were just acidity, it might erase the previous excitement. So, what followed was the smooth body of egg yolk and olive oil.

Finally, lingering on the tongue was the deep resonance of herb flavors.

Though complex, the flavor of egg yolk was unmistakably present.

“What kind of magic did you use…?”

“The details are a secret, but let’s just say I recently acquired a decent cooking tool.”

“I see…”

Famous coffee blends or cocktail recipes are trade secrets. So, while curious about the meatball’s secret, it wasn’t something to pry into.

The Border Lord suppressed his curiosity and sat down.

Rather than obsessing over the secret, it was more constructive to finish the meal before the meatball cooled.

“A dish where the sauce is hidden inside the meat… Truly a new dish I’ve never heard of or seen.”

Thus, true to his practical warrior nature, the Border Lord silently continued his meal, dipping the meatball into the yolk.

…

In fact, the secret to Kurt’s yolk sauce swap was thanks to an artifact found in the Ruins of the Ancient Empire just before arriving in the Spine Empire.

Among the few intact artifacts found amidst the broken ones, this artifact, presumed to be for healing wizards, had simple functions like auto-cleaning and durability enhancement.

Sealed after its creation, it remained functional despite the passage of time.

The artifact was a syringe.

Kurt used it to extract the yolk from the uncooked boiled egg, created a special sauce with it, and refilled the egg.

Then, covering it with minced meat and adjusting the heat, he completed today’s menu.

A dish famous for having a boiled egg inside a meatball.

The Scotch Egg.

Of course, the original Scotch Egg doesn’t involve using a syringe to alter the egg’s contents, making this a distant variation.

But then again, who can enjoy British cuisine in its original form?

…

Thus, the Border Lord’s satisfaction, Kirsh devouring the meatball in one bite, and Shu smearing yolk on her lips marked the end of lunch.

Perhaps due to the satisfying meal, the Border Lord’s attitude softened.

He asked basic questions about the mission Kurt’s group received, and they answered sincerely.

Had he asked sensitive questions, the atmosphere might have stiffened, but fortunately, he didn’t pry unnecessarily.

After the essential conversation, the Border Lord spoke in a gentle voice.

Before the meal, he had been hostile, distrusting the Holy Kingdom’s envoys, but now, it seemed he had forgotten his earlier resolve.

“So, you’re delivering a secret letter to His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. Actually, due to various incidents during our journey, we’re behind schedule and need to reach the capital as soon as possible. Originally, we planned to meet you first, deliver the message, and depart for the capital the next day, but since you came to us, we’ll head to the capital tomorrow if there are no issues.”

“But stopping to meet local lords in every city would delay you considerably. Very well, I’ll facilitate your journey.”

“Ah, there’s no need to go that far…”

“No need to refuse. If the secret letter is delayed, causing issues between the Holy Kingdom and the Empire, it wouldn’t be pleasant for me, guarding the border.”

“If you insist, we’ll gladly accept your kindness.”

“I’ll write you an invitation as my guests to a mansion in the imperial capital. With this, you’ll reach the capital without hindrance. And you may stay at the mansion until your duties are complete.”

“Ah! Thank you so much!”

Before the meal, he wouldn’t have cared about the envoys’ delays, perhaps even secretly pleased. But as a meatball enthusiast, after such a splendid lunch, he couldn’t maintain hostility.

Kurt’s group had unexpectedly removed a major obstacle in an unforeseen way.

Thus, Kurt’s group’s entry into the Spine Empire was off to a splendid start.

…

With the Border Lord’s unexpected support, Kurt’s group departed for the imperial capital after a night’s rest.

And the Border Lord quietly watched their departing figures from his office.

Would they be a boon or a calamity for the Empire’s future…?

Personally, he liked them, but personal favor and macro-level gains and losses were different matters.

“Your Majesty, may you live long and prosper…”

Watching the shrinking dot of the carriage, the Border Lord silently prayed for the Empire’s peaceful future.

Then, he realized he had forgotten to tell them one thing.

“Ah… my younger sibling is currently staying at the capital’s mansion.”

Remembering this, the Border Lord immediately offered a second prayer to the heavens.

May his one remaining troublemaker sibling not cause any issues with them.

---