Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 20: For the Sake of Eating
Merlin suddenly remembered—wasn’t the Silver Moon Trading Company run by the elves?
Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the chubby man before them, only to realize that his ears were long and pointed. This guy… was an elf?
“You’re an elf?”
Fitt couldn’t believe it. It was the first time he had seen an elf so… plump.
“Ahem… half-elf, half-elf,” Dahl raised his hand. “I’m half human, half elf.”
Half-elf? Fitt murmured, “I’ve heard that half-elves hold very low status among the elves, especially those with more human blood like you.”
“Hey, watch how you talk.” Kris elbowed Fitt in displeasure, signaling him not to speak so casually.
Dahl, however, waved it off. “No worries, no worries. What this brother said isn’t wrong. Half-elves do hold low status among the elves. In fact, most of the Silver Moon Trading Company is made up of half-elves, and my father is the human representative who liaises with the Arcane City region.”
“Ahem, I digress,” Dahl said with a slightly embarrassed smile. “I came here because I heard about a dish called Beggar’s Chicken. I wanted to try it. I don’t have any special hobbies—I just really love food.”
Fitt glanced at Dahl’s physique and nodded in agreement. “That explains it.”
Dahl had a good temper. He didn’t argue and turned to Merlin, speaking with a hint of admiration. “Brother, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone as handsome as you. Even among elves, I’ve never seen anyone prettier. Perhaps only an elven prince I haven’t met could rival your looks.”
Everyone around was stunned by Dahl’s words. Not because of Merlin’s appearance, but because the legendary elven prince was supposedly so striking he could compete with Merlin in beauty.
“Brother, these spices should be enough for one chicken, right?”
After saying this, Merlin chuckled and nodded. “Of course. Everyone, please wait a moment. I’ll prepare Lotus Leaf Beggar’s Chicken for you. Speaking of lotus leaves…”
A boy, drenched from head to toe, ran over holding a stack of fresh lotus leaves.
Everyone instinctively stepped back—the scent of the pond clung to him too strongly. He must have just come from the water.
“Here, here, it’s all ready,” he said.
Merlin didn’t expect the students to go this far for a single dish—it exceeded his wildest expectations.
“I’ll prepare the spices for the lotus leaf beggar’s chicken now. Please wait a moment—it’ll be ready soon.”
Of course, Merlin couldn’t let anyone see the spices he was using. These were his secret ingredients for future profit; he couldn’t let them be copied so easily.
The surrounding students, all from the Alchemy Academy, understood the importance of secret recipes and naturally didn’t ask to peek.
About two hours later, outside the senior dorms on the grass, Merlin dug several steaming clumps of earth from the ground and placed them on the soil.
Looking up at the sky, Merlin guessed it was late at night. He casually picked up a stone and cracked open the mud covering the lotus leaf-wrapped chicken.
Instantly, a familiar, rich aroma spread out, and Fitt and the others greedily inhaled it.
“Yes! This is the smell! This is it!”
“So familiar… so familiar! It smells amazing!”
“Is this the smell of Lotus Leaf Beggar’s Chicken?” Dahl, tasting the aroma for the first time, was immediately conquered. Drool streamed down his neck.
There were only seven chickens in total. With so many people around, it was clearly not enough to go around. Merlin peeled back a lotus leaf and handed a whole golden chicken to Dahl, who had contributed the most spices—taking a whole chicken wasn’t unreasonable.
The others looked on enviously but didn’t protest. Deep down, they understood: Dahl contributed the most, so taking a whole chicken was fair. These noble students had manners—they knew how to distinguish priority.
Merlin’s lotus leaf chicken wasn’t as richly flavored as the ones prepared in class, since pre-marination enhances taste. But for those who had been eating “slop” for so long, this freshly made dish was exquisite.
Merlin yawned. He was exhausted—riding to the tavern, meeting his parents, preparing barbecue spices and marinades, cleaning, traveling back, and now making Beggar’s Chicken for this group—it was overwhelming.
Not caring how they divided the food, he yawned again and returned to his dorm. “Figure it out yourselves. If there’s not enough, I can’t help. I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep.”
With that, Merlin walked back to his room. To the others, the chicken was all that mattered; Merlin himself was irrelevant.
Of course, the girls lingered, still reluctant to let him go—they had planned to enjoy the chicken while watching Merlin.
Back in his room, Merlin closed the door. The exhaustion vanished instantly, replaced by sheer excitement.
Looking at the pile of spices in his room, he calculated: how much spice does one Lotus Leaf Beggar’s Chicken require? The stash from his classmates could make hundreds of chickens with no problem—and some of the spices might not even be needed, meaning pure profit.
That half-elf Dahl was wealthy, too. Merlin had just received a huge bag of spices from him. Alchemists are said to make money easily, but this wasn’t just profit—it was practically robbery.
Wait, Merlin wasn’t even an alchemist—he was a chef.
Thinking this, he hugged the bag of spices and flopped onto his bed. No matter how pungent the scent, to him, it was like glittering gold. Even selling the spices alone could fetch hundreds or thousands of coins.
Of course, selling them outright would be wasteful. Since Beggar’s Chicken was so popular, he could just sell the prepared dish. Where would he get the chickens? Naturally, wholesale from the Beast Master Academy.
Others might not know, but could he not? The academy had no shortage of chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, and sheep—these were beginner tasks and food for beasts. Could he manage with a small quantity?
The only problem was that livestock from the academy was generally not sold outside. Merlin would have to devise a plan.
Thinking of the fortune he could make tomorrow, a happy smile spread across his face. With that, he drifted into sleep. He was utterly exhausted today—and after all, only a well-rested chef could earn more money, right?