Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 18: Just Waiting for Your Chicken
The sun had originally planned to work a little longer, but the afterglow dragged it behind the mountains, as if giving the stars and the moon a chance to take over the shift.
Under the night sky, the Arcane Capital constantly radiated a “dazzling” brilliance—a crystallization of generations of mages pursuing the pinnacle of magical power. This stable and prosperous city, dotted with magically powered lamps, had earned itself a new title: the Sleepless City.
Even in the lower districts of the Arcane Capital, the main roads remained lit throughout the night, let alone the bustling middle districts.
The city’s residents, weary from life’s daily grind, only found the time to release their true selves at night. Ask them why they didn’t sleep, and they would answer you loudly, right beside you:
Only at night, in this time that belongs to me, do I live like a human, not like an animal.
A sense of freedom, intoxicating in its charm, wafted through the main streets of the middle district. Every shop buzzed with life—except, of course, for the tavern before him.
Despite its large footprint and prime location, not a single soul entered the tavern.
The dilapidated little tavern had finally lost its gray, depressing air after Merlin and his parents tidied it up, but the old tables, chairs, and flooring still needed to be replaced at a cost.
Merlin handed the blueprints in his hands to his parents and carefully instructed them to ask Uncle Otto to help craft the grilling tools. Beyond that, he personally designed the tavern’s layout.
The overall layout hadn’t changed much, but even from the blueprints alone, one could sense the “modern” aesthetics from Earth infused into this renovated tavern.
“When the renovations are complete, we’ll open the tavern. As for the expenses, you can borrow a little from Uncle Otto.”
Merlin stepped onto the carriage, looking back to continue instructing his parents, “As for my life at the Arcane Academy, don’t worry. I’ll do just fine. I can earn my own money; I have my plans.”
Pate and Kanna nodded repeatedly at their son’s words. Anyone unaware might even think Merlin was the parent.
“Remember, the tavern must only open after renovations are done. Protect the barbecue marinade and spices. Although these are secret recipes, an alchemist or Incense maker could easily replicate them. These recipes must remain in the hands of just you two.”
Merlin, wary of his carefully prepared marinade and spices being stolen, reminded his parents repeatedly. After all, neither Pate nor Kanna were entirely reliable.
“Son, don’t worry. We know their value. Whether the Leo family can turn things around depends on that marinade and those spices!”
“Yes, maybe we can even earn back our territory through the tavern!”
Merlin smiled at his parents’ hopeful words. As for reclaiming their noble fief through a tavern? That was just a joke. First, he had to repay the 500,000 gold coins.
Under the night sky, the carriage gradually left the middle district of the Arcane Capital, heading toward the Arcane Academy.
After nearly an hour and a half of riding, Merlin rubbed his sore backside. He knew the motion looked unseemly, but he had no choice. He needed rest—tomorrow required preparation for his money-making plans, and he already had a strategy in mind.
Merlin had just returned to his dormitory when he saw a group of people waiting outside his door. Curious, he approached—and realized they were all classmates from his class.
Fate and longing had finally reunited Fitt and Kris with Merlin. They immediately lunged at him, one from the front, one from behind, holding him in place.
The rest of his classmates, spotting Merlin, surged forward like long-lost fathers, sprinting with full force.
Merlin was dumbfounded. “What are you doing? What’s wrong with you? Let’s talk!” he shouted.
His classmates didn’t answer. Their eyes glowed green as if they were wolves starved for days, staring him down relentlessly.
Creepy! Merlin froze. Fitt, like a resentful zombie, floated to his side, wailing, “Beggar Chicken! We want Beggar Chicken!”
Then, as if a rebellion had broken out, his classmates joined in: “Beggar Chicken! Beggar Chicken! We want Beggar Chicken!”
Grrr-rumble!
The sound of stomachs growling was deafening. Merlin looked at his famished classmates in horror. “Y-you… what are you doing?”
“Of course we’re waiting for you to make us Beggar Chicken! We haven’t eaten all day—we’ve been waiting for your cooking!” Fitt yelled, thumping his chest like a gorilla.
Merlin was speechless. He spread his hands. “I don’t have the ingredients! How am I supposed to make it for you? And besides, have you even looked at the time?”
“We don’t care! We want Beggar Chicken, and as for the ingredients—we have them!” Kris dragged a few terrified students forward.
Merlin looked at the students they had dragged over. Their uniforms were second-rate, the plain, non-custom linen uniforms typical of commoner families.
Each student clutched a chicken tightly, trembling as a group of noble students surrounded them.
“What are you—what are you doing?!”
One of the students cried, “Don’t take our chickens! These are our semester projects!”
Merlin noticed the academy insignia on their uniforms. These kids were from the Beast-Taming Academy.
The Beast-Taming Academy, as the name implies, specialized in taming and fighting with magical beasts. Low-year students, much like alchemy students experimenting with scents, focused on breeding beasts. Their coursework included the cultivation of common livestock as well.
Clearly, these low-year students were in the same stage as Merlin’s class. Their current semester projects were the chickens they held carefully in their arms.
Those capable of studying alchemy rarely came from commoner families—it was an expensive field. That’s why all of Merlin’s classmates were nobles.
He hadn’t expected that his pampered classmates would target the chickens nurtured by the Beast-Taming Academy students. Perhaps this was the only way they knew to obtain real chicken ingredients at the Arcane Academy.