Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 35: The Beast-Slaves Academy
Was he perhaps pushing them too hard? It seemed clear that he needed to take a serious, deep look at himself.
Merlin sighed softly and took a deep breath, steadying his mindset. A few genuine tears slipped down his face, and he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. After all he had done, he truly was a benevolent boss, looking out for the welfare of those at the bottom of the ladder, his loyal workforce—the “beasts of burden” who toiled for him day in and day out.
Reflection! He must reflect!
He needed to examine, with utmost seriousness, whether perhaps he had been too generous with their wages. Maybe… just maybe… he should consider reducing them a bit?
“You lot of little brats,” he bellowed, his voice sharp and commanding. “At least you know who’s looking out for you. That alone makes me feel a bit gratified. But the boss still has work for you tomorrow—Lotus Leaf Beggar Chicken is on the menu again! And what are you all doing standing around here? Get moving! Right now! I want five hundred of them today!”
Once Merlin had distributed the wages, he slipped seamlessly into the role of the administrator, hands planted firmly on his hips, exuding the aura of a strict overlord. His eyes flashed with a sharp, merciless gleam.
“What? Five hundred today?!”
“Oh my heavens! That’s so much money! And we get to work again! We’re so lucky!”
“Five hundred? I’m going to slaughter even more chickens today! We’ll make even more money!”
Meanwhile, some of the clever first-year students had already sprinted toward the back hills. They were headed to their breeding grounds, ready to catch their own chickens and sell them to Merlin. Each chicken brought a silver coin in commission, and these students weren’t short of stock—many had hundreds, even over a thousand chickens under their care.
No one had ever bothered to count the exact number of chickens raised at the Beastmaster Academy, but everyone knew that entire hillsides had been taken over by flocks of chickens, ducks, and geese. These farmed chickens had effectively become a staple food for magical beasts.
Just as Gallant was about to rush to the back hills to catch chickens, Merlin stopped him with a firm grip.
“Merlin! Boss! What’s the meaning of this?” Gallant asked, a note of urgency in his voice. He was one of the top first-years when it came to raising chickens, with over a thousand waiting for him to “rescue” from the harsh hills and transform into the succulent Lotus Leaf Beggar Chicken.
“Don’t rush, little brother Gallant,” Merlin said, pulling a piece of paper from his cloak. “Do you remember what I said yesterday about building a villa back here? I’ve already drawn up a design. Take a look and see if you can construct it.”
Gallants’ eyes immediately lit up. He had never attempted to build anything so inventive before. Could this really be the villa Merlin had mentioned?
“This kind of structure can be built,” he said, examining the drawings carefully, “but it’s a huge project. It might take many days to complete.”
“How long exactly?” Merlin asked, leaning over to inspect the blueprint.
“About six months, I’d say,” Gallant replied, glancing around the site to assess the surroundings.
Merlin shook his head. “Six months is far too long. I want to be living in this house by the start of the next semester.”
“That’s just over a month! That’s incredibly tight!” Gallant rubbed his temples in worry.
“But it’s not impossible,” he added. “If we’re willing to spend money to hire more hands, and if we bring in intermediate or advanced earth mages, we could get it done in a month.”
Merlin snapped his fingers. “Money isn’t a problem. And manpower? We can hire students. Any materials we need, just buy them.”
“If we have earth mages to lay the foundation and solidify it with spells like Petrification, the rest can be done using the hardwood from the back hills. It’s premium construction material,” Gallant explained, pointing to the endless green sea of forest stretching into the distance.
“This hardwood is more durable than regular stone, and if it’s fire-treated, it becomes incredibly tough and resilient.”
Merlin’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “We can source it all locally! Perfect!”
“This is wonderful! Chop the trees! Everything will be done according to your requirements!” Merlin called out to Jean, who was busy taking notes. Jean immediately ran over.
“Boss, what’s the order?”
“We’re starting construction on this clearing. I need plenty of hardwood, and I want you to gather some students to cut the trees.”
Jean’s eyes lit up. “No problem with cutting hardwood, boss, but first-years just won’t manage. Even the strongest among them would take a whole day to cut down a single tree.”
“Then hire second- and third-years. Aren’t wind mages particularly good at precision cutting? Just pay them.”
Merlin continued, “How much should we pay for a single hardwood tree?”
“One gold coin should be enough,” Jean pondered.
Merlin was stunned. Just… one gold coin?
“If the volume is large, it could be even cheaper. Maybe even one-for-one per tree,” Jean continued.
Merlin’s jaw dropped. Were the students of the Arcane Academy really this affordable?
“Boss, you have no idea how hard it is to find a good moneymaking opportunity. Every year more and more students enroll, the competition is fierce, and the major empires demand only the top talent. Securing a stable, high-quality job is extremely difficult.”
Jean sighed. “Geniuses in every field are always first to be picked. They don’t fear unemployment, and the Academy even offers them the chance to stay on after graduation.”
“We commoner students take extra combat courses because excelling in battle can earn us positions as mage-guards in imperial palaces.”
“Even those less skilled might be employed by high-ranking nobles as magical bodyguards on their estates.”
“And of course, for the daring and reckless, there’s always the adventurer’s guild—joining an adventuring party or a mercenary group to hunt beasts and explore the continent.”
Jean’s voice turned bitter. “But most students want a stable, ‘iron rice bowl’ job. Who wants to risk their life in mercenary work? Our parents spent everything to send us to the Academy. We want to repay them with a respectable position—something that earns them face and pride.”
“Nowadays, palace and noble guard positions are nearly full. Many students remain at the Academy to continue studying, all vying fiercely for the few coveted roles.”
Merlin hadn’t realized the Arcane Academy had become so cutthroat. Once again, he reflected—maybe he had been paying his workers too generously.
“Many wind mages come from families of carpenters. After cutting the trees, they can even provide processing services.”
One gold coin—such incredible power in this world!
Merlin knew he had to hire these Arcane Academy workers. In his past life, they would have been college students—prime, cheap labor he could not possibly pass up.