The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

After resolving the long-standing issues with the Holy Kingdom, Tirving decided to focus on his meal with a lighter heart.

Until now, meal times for him were mostly filled with the extravagant and decadent social gatherings of the Empire’s nobles, where he had to play the role of a fool, or they were simply a process of obligatory energy intake during Resistance activities.

While his Resistance comrades were struggling, whether he was indulging in luxurious high-end cuisine alone for the sake of his act or hastily eating to fill his hunger during Resistance activities, meal times were never particularly enjoyable for Tirving.

Occasionally, he would have ordinary meals at the mansion, but even then, unlike his outward appearance, he mainly ate modestly to reduce expenses.

However, this time, he could enjoy delicious high-end cuisine while sharing the joy with his Resistance comrades in peace.

It wasn’t just because the food was excellent, but because his heart felt light, making the meal even more enjoyable.

As Tirving was about to take another bite of Tarin with a light heart, he noticed Mari refilling a plate with Tarin.

“Hey, Miss Mari. The dish is wrong. That’s Tarin mixed with chicken. The vegetarian Tarin is on the side plate.”

“But isn’t meat tastier than vegetables?”

“Well… that depends on the person… but before that, can’t Elves not eat meat?”

“Ah, it’s fine. I’m a Half-Elf, so I can eat meat too.”

“Half… Elf?”

Tirving made a somewhat dazed expression at Mari’s words but quickly regained his composure and replied.

“Oh, I see. Then it’s fine. Yeah…”

He awkwardly accepted her explanation.

Perhaps because Tirving had spoken first, Mari took the opportunity to ask him something she had been curious about.

“By the way, how did you end up supporting the Resistance, Tirving? It might sound strange, but as a noble of the Empire, you didn’t have to stand up for other discriminated races. Especially not by playing the fool for decades and even giving up your family’s wealth.”

It might have been a rather personal topic, but Tirving surprisingly answered readily.

“It might sound strange, but I don’t really know the exact reason myself. If I had to explain, I just felt like doing it.”

Though that answer wasn’t exactly a proper explanation.

At Tirving’s words, Mari looked at him as if thinking, “Is he bragging? Does he want to show off how noble he is?”

Tirving noticed her gaze and continued with a bitter smile.

“Have you ever heard that I went missing for a few years when I was young?”

“Ah…”

What followed was a topic he had also discussed with Shail Delphine.

Remembering the conversation with her master, Mari straightened her posture and quietly tensed up.

“You’ve heard of it, it seems. While it’s known as a fool’s runaway, most nobles of the Empire know that I went missing due to a power struggle within my family, fleeing assassins outside the Empire. I returned only after my eldest brother fully inherited the position of Margrave and the assassins stopped pursuing me.”

“I’ve heard that story.”

“Have you? But there’s another secret that even the nobles of the Empire don’t know. I lost my memories from the time I fled. When I woke up one day, I was lying by a riverside, soaked and battered as if I had fallen from a cliff or been chased by assassins. By then, the internal strife in my family was almost over. It’s been over twenty-five years since I returned to the Empire, but I still don’t remember my time in exile.

But even without memories, emotions remained. For some reason, after returning to the Empire, I couldn’t remain indifferent to the abuse of Elves as I had before. I couldn’t bear it. Perhaps somewhere in my lost memories, I owed a great debt to the Elves.

If my guess is correct, I might be repaying that debt through my Resistance activities.”

“…I see.”

“Haha. I’ve rambled on. Originally, only my eldest brother and a few in the Resistance knew this story. To blabber it to an Elf girl I’ve only known for a few days… It’s quite strange. I felt a mysterious closeness to you from the start.”

“Ahaha… Maybe it’s because I’m an Elf.”

Hearing this, Mari, feeling guilty for her earlier suspicion, scratched her cheek and gave Tirving a warm look.

Under Mari’s gaze, he awkwardly continued his meal, and Mari, now with a happy expression, began to eat her Tarin with a “yum yum.”

Thus, the parties involved seemed to treat the conversation as just an ordinary mealtime chat.

However, Kurt, who had been listening from a distance, couldn’t hide his stiff expression.

While the parties involved seemed to have no particular thoughts during their conversation, Kurt couldn’t help but feel a rising sense of déjà vu as he listened.

‘Come to think of it, the time Tirving went missing… Could it be…?’

After listening to Tirving and Mari’s conversation with a serious expression, Kurt cautiously asked Tirving.

“Hey, there’s something I want to ask…”

“Something to ask? Sure. Now that the Holy Kingdom and the Resistance are on the same side, I’ll share any information the Resistance can provide.”

“No. It’s a personal question unrelated to the Resistance.”

“Personal? Hmm. If it’s deeply related to private life, answering might be…”

“Have you ever heard the name Aisia?”

At the mention of a personal question, Tirving looked a bit flustered, but upon hearing the name “Aisia,” his attitude completely changed.

He stiffened as if struck by lightning, dropping his fork and knife, and clutched his head.

Then, buried memories surged like a wave in Tirving’s mind.

“Ah, Aisia…! Why…! How could I have forgotten her name!! The name I should never forget!!”

“So it is…”

“Huh? Mr. Kurt, why are you suddenly mentioning my mom?”

Seeing Tirving clutching his head, Kurt made a complicated face, unsure whether to be embarrassed by this strange coincidence or simply happy. Meanwhile, Mari, who was relatively oblivious, just expressed curiosity at the mention of her mother’s name.

“Y-your mom? Y-you mean you’re Aisia’s daughter!?”

“Yes. Aisia is my mom’s name. In fact, my name, Marisia, is derived from my mom’s name, Aisia.”

“A-ah… How… What a coincidence!”

Hearing this, Tirving began to shed tears of emotion.

While it was a touching moment that could be a turning point in Tirving’s personal life, it was utterly bewildering for the other members and the Resistance who were unaware of the situation.

Everyone in the dining hall looked at Tirving with tense eyes.

But for Tirving, who now only had Mari in his mind, the others’ gazes were irrelevant.

He could no longer hold back and rushed towards Mari, trying to hug her.

“Marisia!”

“Kyaa! What are you doing all of a sudden!”

Startled by Tirving’s sudden action, Mari panicked and fled, while everyone except Kurt stood up to protect her, taking defensive stances.

The Resistance members also reflexively stood up, preparing to confront Kurt’s group.

But amidst the chaos, Tirving paid no heed and continued to rush towards Mari.

“Waaaah! Call me Daddy!!”

“Kyaaa!! Why are you doing this all of a sudden!”

Naturally, Mari, who still didn’t understand the situation, could only scream and run away.

Thus, until Kurt, the only one who maintained his composure and knew the full story, stepped in to sort things out, the evening at the mansion was pure chaos.

—

After the not-so-touching family reunion late at night.

I quietly looked down at the ground in the ruined garden.

In front of my companions, I pretended to be fine, maintaining composure, but the experience of defeat was too shocking.

In truth, I had always thought of martial prowess as merely a means to hunt monsters, never obsessing over it more than necessary.

Originally, I was someone who didn’t have much attachment to anything other than cooking. That’s what I thought until now.

But that was just my misconception.

Losing in a direct confrontation with someone of the same level created a huge ripple in my heart, surprising even myself.

In fact, there was a fighting spirit within me that even I didn’t know about. It just hadn’t had the chance to surface until now.

“Martial arts…”

Not just a means to hunt monsters and sustain life, but the totality of techniques to face someone who uses martial arts.

Until now, I never particularly needed such techniques, as in most situations, moving instinctively was the optimal action.

But in battles between transcendents, instinct alone wasn’t enough.

Systematic martial arts.

Techniques to face transcendents.

That’s what I needed.

I looked at the broken spear and clenched my fists.

The night grew deeper.

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