The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

Even though there was still plenty of time before the Emperor’s announcement, the Imperial Capital was bustling with a massive crowd.

Despite the fact that the announcement had been made just a few days ago, not even months prior, the sheer number of people flocking to the Imperial Capital was astonishing.

Even though the Spine Empire had been labeled as an imperialist nation oppressing other races, it was undeniably one of the strongest nations on the continent, capable of being discussed as the top contender.

This scene was only possible because the Empire, while maintaining an absolute monarchy with a pre-modern system, had infrastructure that surpassed pre-modern levels, making it the world’s strongest nation.

After observing the Imperial Capital for a while, I turned my gaze to the Holy Sword Knight Order escorting us.

“We meet again sooner than expected.”

“Indeed. But it seems we won’t be able to enjoy a meal this time.”

Albert, the captain of the Holy Sword Knight Order escorting us, gave a bitter smile and expressed his regret.

“Still, unlike last time, we have a moment to talk.”

Even during the fight with Duke Newgoros, I noticed that Albert’s attitude felt somewhat different from when we met in Astram.

He seemed more at ease, or perhaps detached.

Was it simply because this was his home ground, the Imperial Capital? Or had he experienced something here during his time?

“Do you have something special to say? But do we even have anything special to talk about?”

“You might find it surprising, Kurt, but I actually have a lot to say. However, there’s someone who wants to talk to you all before I do, so I’ll have to yield my turn.”

“Someone who wants to talk to us?”

Daria narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Albert’s words, but I had already figured out who he was referring to.

I’ve been fooled once, but I won’t be fooled twice.

I subtly glanced at one of the knights who was casually chatting with Louis, the vice-captain of the Holy Sword Knight Order. The knight, or rather, the man disguised as a knight, noticed my gaze and smiled, removing his helmet to reveal his face.

“Hmm. I thought I had completely erased my presence, but your senses are sharper than I expected.”

“After recently dealing with a Transcendent, my nerves have been on edge. Marquis Delphine.”

“You can just call me Shail.”

A man with an unreadable, mask-like smile.

Shail Delphine naturally stepped out from among the knights and walked over to us.

“If you had something to say, you could have come to the mansion. Why go through all this trouble? What’s your business?”

“Haha. Isn’t the best way to avoid misunderstandings to not get caught in a suspicious situation from the start? I wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary concern for His Majesty, who is already busy with state affairs.”

Shail shamelessly laughed off my suspicious question.

If you want to avoid misunderstandings, just don’t do anything that could be misunderstood in the first place.

“Was it even a misunderstanding to begin with?”

“That’s quite unfair. My heart is always filled with loyalty to His Majesty, but no one believes me. By the way, you ended up siding with Tyrving, didn’t you? Despite all my warnings.”

“I understand what you’re worried about. But it seems your concerns were unfounded. Tyrving losing his memory had nothing to do with what you imagined.”

Did Shail come to me because we ignored his warnings and cooperated with Tyrving?

But his warnings ultimately turned out to be baseless.

Tyrving’s memory loss wasn’t due to the specter of the Ancient Empire but was a pure accident caused by being pursued by family assassins.

However, that doesn’t mean Shail’s warnings were entirely meaningless.

No, while it might have been meaningless for Shail himself, it held great significance for us.

The important thing wasn’t that Shail’s warnings were meaningless. It was the fact that he gave them.

To give a warning, one must know what to warn about.

In other words, he knows the Empire’s darkest secrets.

“Hmm. What do you think I imagined?”

“Come to think of it, the Ancient Empire’s name was Dragnity, wasn’t it?”

The words that came out of my mouth were unrelated to the question, but at that one remark, Shail’s smile faded for the first time.

And the fact that he warned us implies that he knows the Empire’s secrets and is simultaneously hostile to the Empire.

“…As expected of the Holy Kingdom. To know a secret that even few within the Empire are aware of, as if it’s common knowledge. The Empire’s intelligence department would be amazed by your information network.”

…In truth, learning about the Empire’s secret was purely coincidental.

But I hid that thought and let Shail continue to stumble, asking him,

“Alright. It seems there’s nothing left to hide between us, so let’s speak frankly. Why did you warn us about the Empire’s secret? If Tyrving had been the person you were worried about, your warning would have ultimately hindered the Empire’s plans.”

“I am loyal to the Emperor of the Empire. But tell me, if the current Emperor is not sane… would I still need to maintain my loyalty?”

“…Ha. Now I see why people call you crazy. Are you suggesting we join hands?”

Shail Delphine.

…He truly was a snake-like man.

“Not at all. You and I want different things, don’t we? How could we be on the same side? But our paths align halfway, so we can be companions for that part of the journey.”

“…I’ll hear you out.”

Honestly, we had already spent the past week preparing thoroughly with the Resistance, so Shail’s uncoordinated presence was more likely to disrupt our plans.

But listening to him wasn’t necessarily a risk.

My companions and I agreed to at least hear what Shail had to say.

And so, Shail explained the current situation within the Imperial Palace and laid out his plan.

Our carriage, escorted by the Holy Sword Knight Order through the excited crowd in the Imperial Capital, appeared to be just one of the many honored guests invited to the Imperial Palace. The sound of our conversation with Shail blended into the excited chatter of the crowd and melted away.

Soon after, we passed through the bustling streets of the Imperial Capital and entered the Imperial Palace.

…

…

…

The Imperial Capital itself was a city of unparalleled splendor on the continent, but the Imperial Palace was in a league of its own.

It was less of a palace and more like a small city within the city.

The Imperial Palace was unbelievably massive for a single building, and every corner, down to the smallest detail, was lavishly decorated with high-end ornaments.

Even the most extravagant palace in my past life’s history would pale in comparison to the Spine Empire’s Imperial Palace.

“I expected it to some extent, but… the Empire’s palace is truly magnificent.”

“If we didn’t have a mission, we could have enjoyed sightseeing at ease. That’s the only regret.”

“…Doesn’t this Imperial Palace feel familiar somehow?”

But as I walked through the Imperial Palace, guided by our escorts, I began to feel an increasingly strange sense of déjà vu.

There’s no way such a splendid palace existed in my memories, either in this life or my past one.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, as my companions also seemed to experience a sense of déjà vu.

“Ah.”

It didn’t take long for me to realize the source of this dissonance.

The structure of this palace, despite its different splendor and style, was eerily similar to the ancient ruins we had seen in Astram.

Just as I was feeling an indescribable sense of strangeness about this fact, Albert, who was guiding us, led us to the most central and splendid room in the Imperial Palace.

Opening the door, which was on a completely different level of grandeur compared to the other rooms, revealed a gathering of numerous Empire nobles who had already taken their seats.

As soon as we entered, all the nobles’ eyes turned toward us.

“….”

“….”

Though many nobles were present, not a single one spoke, and the audience chamber was filled with a silence so profound that not even the sound of chewing a cookie could be heard.

And in the very center of these nobles, on the highest seat reserved for the Empire’s most exalted figure, sat a person silently observing us.

Contrary to expectations, he didn’t exude an overwhelming charisma that could dominate everyone. Instead, he appeared humble and benevolent.

Yet, the emotionless eyes that gazed upon us unmistakably declared him the master of the Spine Empire.

Finally, the last act of this journey had arrived.

Our journey, which began in Astram, had finally reached the Emperor of the Empire.

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