The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

The mansion of the Border Count had turned into a complete mess.

It was literally chaotic, both physically and atmospherically.

The members of the resistance and those who had gone out to make contact with the Emperor all rushed back to the mansion in a daze after witnessing Kurt’s spectacular clash with Duke Newgoros. Upon seeing the ruined state of the mansion’s garden, they nearly lost their minds.

The only reason they didn’t completely lose it was that by the time they returned, the situation had somewhat stabilized.

As soon as the group returned to the mansion, they were horrified to see Kurt in the ruined garden, bandaging his wounds.

“Ma-Master!?”

“I can’t believe it. Who would dare to attack so brazenly within the Imperial Capital?”

“Those Imperial bastards. Are they insane!?”

“Calm down. The Emperor himself intervened, so this won’t happen again. Probably.”

“Probably!? Is this something we can just brush off with a ‘probably’!?”

“I’m the one who got attacked, so why are you, Serena, the one getting angry?”

“Of course, I’m angry! If it were up to me, I’d just ditch all this Imperial conspiracy nonsense and head back to Astram!”

“But we can’t do that. We’ve come all the way to the Imperial Capital. We can’t go back empty-handed. And if you think about it positively, the Emperor’s intervention means we’re finally making progress.”

The group was furious upon hearing that Kurt had been attacked, but Kurt himself acted as if it were no big deal.

His calm demeanor quickly cooled the heated atmosphere, and soon the conversation shifted to the meeting with the Emperor.

“Anyway, the fact that we’ve secured a meeting with the Emperor is a big step forward. The letter says he wants to meet us publicly in a week. A public meeting is even better than we expected.”

“Is there no chance it’s a trap?”

“If he wanted a private meeting, that might be possible, but since he wants a public meeting, the chances are slim.”

“…Then it seems we have a rough idea of how to deal with the Emperor. The problem of how to contact the resistance still remains… But it seems like we’ve sorted out most of today’s events, so let’s head back to our rooms. It’s getting late, and Kurt has been through a lot, so he needs to rest.”

The fact that Kurt had been attacked was shocking, but with Kurt himself not saying much, how could they stay angry?

In the end, the group only vaguely planned how to handle the meeting with the Emperor and tried to disperse with an uneasy atmosphere.

“Wait, there’s one thing we haven’t sorted out.”

But then Kurt raised his hand, stopping the group from dispersing.

“Something we haven’t sorted out…? What’s that?”

“Yeah. About Tyrbing.”

As Kurt pointed, Tyrbing, who had regained consciousness and was being supported by elf servants, came into view.

Tyrbing was also staring at Kurt with a stiff expression.

“Why is that lunatic noble suddenly…?”

“Perhaps he’s not just a simple lunatic.”

The group, who hadn’t paid much attention to Tyrbing until now, couldn’t understand Kurt’s intentions and tilted their heads in confusion. But Kurt, who had been present during the attack, had a different opinion.

At the moment when Kurt and Newgoros’s final strikes clashed, Tyrbing had thrown himself to protect the elf servants.

Against the very people he had been tormenting and treating as playthings.

And the sharp judgment and courage he showed after the Master appeared.

These were not the actions of a mere spoiled lunatic.

Clearly, Tyrbing had secrets he hadn’t shown them.

Kurt had concluded as much.

“Tyrbing. I don’t know what you’re hiding, but why don’t we drop the act and be honest with each other?”

“Ha! I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is lizard language really that hard for humans to understand?”

“If you don’t suspect, you’ll never know, but once you start suspecting, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. You know that, right?”

“….”

Tyrbing responded with his usual rude and rough language, but Kurt, now convinced it was just a facade, pressed on.

At Kurt’s persistence, the sneer on Tyrbing’s face vanished as if he had removed a mask.

“…Damn it. I’m completely exposed. If that blasted Master hadn’t interfered, I could’ve kept it up.”

That was practically a confession.

Kurt’s group was shocked to find out that Kurt’s words were true, but Kurt and Tyrbing continued their conversation without concern.

“So, why don’t you tell us your true identity now?”

“You already have a rough idea, don’t you?”

“Guessing and hearing a confession are two different things.”

“…The resistance. To be precise, a sponsor of the resistance.”

The impact of Tyrbing’s statement was immense.

“W-What!?”

“An Imperial noble sponsoring the resistance? That’s like a vegetarian sponsoring a butcher shop! Does that even make sense?”

“Yeah. Among other things, a human who filled his mansion with elf servants is part of the resistance? Are you lying to cover something up?”

It was only natural for the group to be skeptical.

There was a huge gap between the Border Count’s spoiled playboy and a sponsor of the resistance.

But what silenced their doubts were the elf servants supporting Tyrbing.

“It’s not a lie! Our master has been sincerely fighting for the rights of elves and other non-human races within the Empire!”

“The fellow elves working in the mansion were originally second-class citizens who had been downgraded to slaves. Our master spent his own money to bring them here!”

Tyrbing’s words were hard to believe, but they couldn’t ignore the words of the elves defending him. The group had no choice but to fall silent in the face of this unbelievable truth.

“So all this time, acting like a lunatic and isolating yourself in social circles was all an act.”

“No one pays attention to someone they think is incompetent and foolish. And to act freely, I needed to keep my distance from other nobles. As you said, if no one suspects you, no one will ever know your true identity. The contempt and ridicule of others make for the best hiding place.”

“Then all the extravagance and squandering of wealth were just a smokescreen?”

“That was part of it, but the money that seemed wasted went through several laundering processes and was used as funds for the resistance. Where do you think the resistance gets its money?”

“…Originally, our master could have been the leader of the resistance, but as an Imperial noble, he stepped back to become a sponsor because leading the resistance himself would undermine its legitimacy.”

“…He’s more of a big shot than I thought.”

“…That’s just my friends exaggerating.”

Tyrbing, who had given up his act as a lunatic, now appeared as the cold strategist who had supported the resistance from the shadows for decades.

At that moment, Daria, who had been silently listening, suddenly shouted.

“W-Wait a minute! If you’re the hidden leader of the resistance…!”

“I’m not the leader, just a sponsor.”

“That’s not the point! If you’re part of the resistance, does that mean you knew we were trying to contact the resistance and ignored us?”

“Ah. That? Yeah, that’s right.”

“Why!?”

“Actually, I’ve been eavesdropping on every conversation you’ve had in the reception room since you arrived at the mansion.”

“Eavesdropping!? But if you were eavesdropping, shouldn’t you have contacted us even more?”

“Why should we risk ourselves to help you?”

“…What do you mean? The Holy Kingdom has been supporting the resistance from the shadows for a long time.”

“Support? Yeah, we’ve been supported. Just enough to shake up Imperial politics. Do you know what I’ve learned from my long involvement with the resistance? The rights of minority races can’t be begged for with the help of foreign powers. They have to be fought for. In the end, the Holy Kingdom’s support for the resistance is just a way to keep the Empire in check. When has the Holy Kingdom ever truly cared about the rights of minority races in this country?”

Tyrbing sneered as he looked at Daria.

But the sneer Tyrbing wore now was different from the one he used during his act as a decadent noble. It was as cold and sharp as a kitchen knife.

“I can’t just let that slide! The Holy Kingdom has always acted with the goal and ideology of peace for all races and nations.”

“That’s a nice story. But the reason you need our help now is because you need us as a stepping stone to deliver your Archbishop’s secret letter to the Emperor, right? You talk about peace and equality between races, but behind the scenes, you’re just compromising with the Empire to maintain the status quo…”

“That’s not true! Delivering the Archbishop’s secret letter is just a pretext. Our real goal is not a normal diplomatic meeting but to uncover and stop a secret plot the Empire is planning before it’s realized! We wanted to contact the resistance because we need your help to stop that plot!”

Tyrbing, who had been cynical about the Holy Kingdom, couldn’t maintain his cynicism after hearing that.

After all, what Daria had just said was something he hadn’t heard even while eavesdropping on their conversations in the reception room.

“…An Imperial plot? Even so, what does that have to do with us, the resistance…?”

“The Empire is currently trying to recreate the Dimensional Gate that the Ancient Empire once created. And they plan to use it to exterminate all non-human races except humans and beastkin.”

“…Tell me more.”

Despite his initial dismissal, Tyrbing’s expression turned serious, and he urged Daria to continue.

At that moment, the resistance joined Kurt’s group’s plan.

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