The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

“Umm…”

Daria, with a troubled expression, picked up her quill and sank into deep thought.

“The report is almost done.”

The reason for her contemplation was the report she needed to send to the Holy Kingdom.

Until now, she had omitted reports to prevent information from leaking to the Empire during operations, but now that all operations were complete, there was no longer a need to delay.

However, most of the content had already been reported.

The story of leaving the Holy Kingdom and arriving in the Empire.

The journey from the Empire to the Imperial Capital.

And finally, the battle against the specter and the efforts to stop him.

Most of the mission’s progress had already been documented and sent to the Holy Kingdom.

What remained was perhaps the aftermath of thwarting the specter’s plot.

But the events following the specter’s defeat were widely known, and the Holy Kingdom’s intelligence would likely have already grasped everything without Daria’s report.

After some thought, Daria decided there was no need to make the report overly heavy, as the Archbishop would already know the details. With a light heart, she began to move her quill.

—

As the Archbishop knows, the events in the Imperial Capital were impossible to conceal.

Even during our escape from the underground prison, the forces we clashed with amounted to three knight orders, including three Masters. It was impossible to silence all of them.

Moreover, countless Imperial citizens witnessed the massive gate that opened above the Emperor’s residence, and some even narrowly avoided being swept into it.

This was no small incident that could be easily brushed aside.

Given that the specter of the Ancient Empire had announced a major declaration, the battle at the Imperial Palace, which took place in front of a massive crowd, couldn’t be hidden.

Ultimately, the first thing the Emperor did after being freed from the specter’s control was to publicly declare that all of this was the specter’s doing.

Of course, the truth—that a figure from the Ancient Empire had survived and tried to open a gate to banish all non-humans from this world—couldn’t be revealed as it was. The public wouldn’t be able to handle such a shocking truth.

Instead, the official announcement was that a royal mage had used drugs and magic to manipulate the Emperor like a puppet, attempting to control the Empire from the shadows.

Despite downplaying the truth to minimize the shock to the citizens, the Empire still faced unprecedented chaos.

The Holy Kingdom must have noticed the turmoil in the Empire over the past few months.

The fact that the Emperor, the highest authority in the Empire, had been manipulated carried immense weight.

The chaos didn’t lead to the Empire’s collapse because the specter had already been eliminated by the time the information was released, and figures like the Holy Sword Knight Order and Duke Quelliac, who remained loyal to the Emperor, worked tirelessly to suppress the unrest.

Ah, of course, as you know, Shail Delphine became the new Duke of the Empire.

He played a significant role in defeating the specter as the Imperial Palace mage, and his appointment also filled the vacancy left by Duke Newgoros, who stepped down.

Unlike Duke Quelliac, who immediately took charge of restoring order after the Emperor’s liberation, Duke Newgoros secluded himself in his mansion after his battle with Kurt.

Publicly, Duke Newgoros’s resignation was seen as punishment for following the specter’s orders and opposing Shail and our group.

However, few knew that the specter had been manipulating the Emperor, and despite losing an arm, Duke Newgoros was still a valuable Master to the Empire.

The real reason for his resignation was his loss of will to continue, having aged rapidly due to the shock of his battle with Kurt.

Personally, I doubt Duke Newgoros will ever return to the field.

Thus, the Emperor had no choice but to strip him of his title, which then passed to Shail.

Ironically, Shail Delphine once joked about taking Duke Newgoros’s title, and now it has come true.

Though Shail, despite his achievements, often slacks off by visiting Tirbing’s mansion under the pretext of sparring with foreign Masters to improve his skills. Rumor has it he’s been slacking off in various places.

Once, Mari asked him, “Isn’t it too much to wander around so freely? Shouldn’t you be busy with the Empire? After all the effort to save the Emperor, aren’t you going back to the Imperial Palace?”

Shail shamelessly replied, “If I return to the palace, His Majesty will surely give me work. Of course, if the Emperor commands, I, as his loyal servant, will obey wholeheartedly. But I don’t want to work hard. That’s why I’m not returning. If I don’t go back, His Majesty can’t give me direct orders, and I won’t have to work as hard as other officials or knights.”

Even Mari couldn’t hide her exasperation at his shameless response.

“…Aren’t you worried about the Emperor?”

“His Majesty is in good health, so there’s no issue. Managing the Emperor’s health is the royal physicians’ job, not mine.”

I always thought Shail Delphine was an enigmatic, snake-like man. But after hearing that conversation, I began to think he might just be a lazy, careless person.

Looking back, even his advice about Tirbing turned out to be a grand misstep.

Not just Shail Delphine, but members of the Holy Sword Knight Order were also heroes.

They were the only ones in the Empire who recognized the specter’s existence and were persuaded by Shail’s tearful plea to follow him for the Empire’s future. It’s like a tale of heroic knights from a story.

While similar events did occur, I suspect there’s been quite a bit of embellishment.

Though they didn’t receive as extravagant rewards as Shail, each of them became a hero who protected the Empire, greatly elevating their status.

However, they’re too busy restoring order in the Empire to enjoy their newfound prestige.

Recently, whenever Shail slacks off at Tirbing’s mansion, Albert and Louis naturally come to take him back to the Imperial Palace.

But they often end up eating and drinking Kurt’s food and wine, complaining about how hard things are before leaving.

When we first met Kurt, we trembled like a Three-legged Fowl meeting a Shavel Tiger, but now we’ve grown quite comfortable with him.

The Resistance also underwent dramatic changes in this situation.

The Holy Kingdom must have been most surprised by the shift in the Resistance’s status.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor officially recognized the Resistance as saviors of the Empire, alongside Shail Delphine and the Holy Sword Knight Order.

He also pardoned all crimes committed by the Resistance and released imprisoned members, acknowledging their contributions.

Considering how the Spine Empire had oppressed non-humans and fought the Resistance, this was an unprecedented move.

Reflecting on this, I recall hearing that the Emperor had been quite open-minded even during his time as Crown Prince.

Perhaps this attitude is the direction the Empire should have been heading all along.

The Emperor’s public praise of the Resistance isn’t just a gesture of gratitude but a political signal that the treatment of non-humans in the Empire will change. Sensitive nobles are already trying to align themselves with this trend.

While it’s impossible to overhaul the system immediately, gradual improvements in the treatment of non-humans might one day lead to the abolition of slavery in the Empire.

Thanks to this, Tirbing went from being a reckless idler to a busy hero who saved the Empire.

The Resistance has been reorganized into an administrative body to prevent discrimination against non-humans in the Empire, with Tirbing Roman officially appointed as their leader and cultural exchange officer for non-humans.

Though he was always more than just a slacker, secretly leading the Resistance underground, he’s proven more capable than anyone expected.

However, with the Resistance’s activities now in the open and his memories of Aisia restored, he seems eager to abandon all public duties and head to the Elf Village where Aisia resides. But it seems unlikely he’ll get there anytime soon.

He wants to finish his tasks quickly and leave for the Elf Village, but his competence only seems to pile more work on him. When will he realize this?

And the Emperor, despite being manipulated by the specter for decades, appears surprisingly healthy.

Shail, who spent decades sharpening his blade to save the Emperor, has even commented on his robust health.

From the specter’s perspective, there was no need to overwork a puppet Emperor.

Ironically, this allowed the Empire’s chaos to settle quickly.

The newly reinstated Emperor is passionately overseeing state affairs and preparing various reforms. The legitimization of the Resistance seems to be part of these changes.

With the improved treatment of the Resistance, the Empire is likely to undergo significant transformations in the near future.

Perhaps the relationship between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom will also take a new direction.

Contrary to concerns, the Empire is rapidly returning to normal.

But this new normal will undoubtedly be different from anything before.

Finally, this report concludes with the story of Daria, the Holy Kingdom’s special envoy, Holy Knight Aila, and our party.

Officially, we are a brave adventurer party hired by Shail to defeat the specter, traveling across nations to solve various problems.

Our arrival as envoys from the Holy Kingdom was unofficial, and revealing that Holy Kingdom envoys solved the Empire’s issues could be seen as interference.

It would have been easier to erase our existence entirely, but the Emperor strongly insisted on publicly rewarding us.

As a result, we’ve been plagued by nobles seeking to hire Kurt and our party.

Though our party members are non-humans discriminated against in the Empire, the title of “Saviors of the Empire” seems enough to temporarily overlook such biases.

However, Kurt and the others show no signs of retiring from adventuring.

We are soon to be officially rewarded by the Emperor.

The reason we’ve stayed in the Imperial Capital for months is partly to recover from injuries sustained in the battle with the specter, but also because the award ceremony couldn’t be held until the Empire’s chaos subsided.

As the Holy Kingdom’s special envoy, receiving an award directly from the Emperor is something I couldn’t have imagined just a short while ago.

The award ceremony will take place around the time this report is being written, and by the time the Archbishop reads this, it will likely be over.

Details of the ceremony will be included in the next report.

—

After writing for a while, Daria frowned at the completed report.

“Hmm… Is it too light?”

This feels more like a letter than a report.

Having lazed around Tirbing’s mansion for months, even her report-writing has become lazy and bloated.

“Should I rewrite it…?”

Just then, Aila called from outside.

“Daria, it’s time to get ready.”

“Ah, I’ll be right out.”

“Today’s the award ceremony. Everyone’s waiting outside.”

“Well, rewriting is a hassle. This should do.”

Under Aila’s urging, Daria added one last sentence to the report and folded it up.

This concludes the report.

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