Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 21: Half a Life Adrift, Resentment for Never Meeting a True Master
Merlin’s eyes were ringed with fatigue. He lay sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling, contemplating life itself. Yesterday had already left him exhausted, but who could have guessed that outside the so-called luxury dormitory, it would be like a troop of monkeys had broken loose—a pack of beasts roaring and hollering through the entire night.
The entire night! Damn it!
Even with his head buried in the pillow, Merlin’s ears could not escape the endless shouts:
“Holy crap, what is this? It tastes incredible!”
“By the Goddess of Light, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life! It’s completely shattered my imagination!”
“Just a tiny piece of chicken, yet so many layers of flavor…”
“My life is complete!”
“Beggar’s Chicken—this is food for the gods!”
“Merlin is unbelievable! He must be the greatest alchemist alive!”
Perhaps because the next day was a holiday, someone among those beasts suggested they might as well turn this miracle of Beggar’s Chicken into a reason for a party.
That proposal, of course, was instantly and enthusiastically accepted. Students hurried back to their rooms to fetch specialties from their hometowns, sharing them with one another. Naturally, a party could never go without beer.
These were nobles, after all. Students living in the luxury dorms always had wine hidden away. And so, the “Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken Party” was born.
What a cursed bunch! Imagine throwing a full-blown party just because of one roasted chicken wrapped in lotus leaves!
Merlin rubbed his aching temples and dragged himself to the window. Below was a scene of chaos: noble students sprawled every which way across the courtyard, trash and bottles littering the ground, the heavy reek of alcohol rising thick enough to make his head pound.
Staring down, only one thought filled Merlin’s mind: I need to move. This wasn’t the first time those brats had turned the dorms into a carnival.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A sudden vibration pulsed right from his waistband. Merlin reached down and pulled out the message crystal the old man had given him.
Arcane Academy · Garden beneath the Mage Tower
Hesjones Weber had been waiting there for quite some time. When he saw Merlin strolling lazily toward him, his heart burned with impatience. With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind swept in, dragging the boy directly before him.
“Old man, why call me out so early in the morning?”
To give the geezer some face, Merlin had at least tidied up a little before leaving. But he still came yawning, and his gaze instantly caught on something behind Weber—something that looked suspiciously like a kiln.
“It’s hardly proper to keep your elders waiting,” Weber said, tapping the ground with his staff.
Merlin rolled his eyes. “I rushed here the moment I got your message. Since when did I make you wait?”
“Couldn’t you have come faster? Ever heard of haste? Or maybe try a teleportation spell…”
Merlin’s mouth twitched. He quickly cut him off before he could go further. “What do you take me for, a great archmage? Teleportation? Be serious. The fact I ran here at all already gives you enough face.”
He circled the kiln, looking it over. “So, old man, what the hell is this contraption?”
Weber straightened his hunched back with pride, tapping the kiln with his staff. “A little something I made on a whim. Nothing worth mentioning.”
Merlin just gave a noncommittal “Oh.” He didn’t ask further. But Weber wasn’t happy—how was he supposed to show off if the boy didn’t press?
“Wait, wait. Though small, this is a piece of alchemy I crafted especially for you.”
Merlin had already guessed from the shape. “This is a kiln for roasting lotus-leaf Beggar’s Chicken, isn’t it?”
Weber instantly deflated, glaring in frustration. The brat really had guessed it.
“You little devil… Fine, yes! It’s an alchemical kiln designed just for you. It can control the inner temperature with mana and automatically rotate the racks inside, ensuring the chicken cooks evenly. Far more efficient than your crude methods.”
Merlin hadn’t expected the old man to become so obsessed with Beggar’s Chicken that he’d actually forge a specialized alchemy tool for it.
But looking closer, this wasn’t just for roasting. Properly used, it could be excellent for forging weapons or refining potions as well.
“Old man, it’s a fine piece of work. But I don’t have enough mana to run it. You should know I’m only a second-rank apprentice mage. My mana can’t possibly handle something like this.”
“Hmph. Of course I know that. Which is why I installed a crystal capable of storing the mana of a high-ranked mage. You can simply draw on the stored energy.”
Merlin’s eyes widened. “Wait—you put a crystal that can hold a high mage’s mana inside this thing?”
No wonder he was shocked. Most alchemy devices in this world required external mana to operate, usually through magic stones, beast cores, or mana crystals.
Mana crystals, however, were on another level. Refined by alchemists from magic stones and beast cores, they could store mana repeatedly. Reusable, powerful, and rare, they were worth far more than disposable stones or cores.
A crystal capable of storing the mana of a fifth-rank high mage? On the market, it could fetch at least fifty thousand gold coins.
Sell it, and a tenth of his debt would be gone in an instant! Just how rich was this old man?
Merlin looked at Weber with newfound awe. The old man smirked smugly, about to speak—when the handsome youth before him suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
???
“Merlin has drifted half his life, only regretting never meeting a true master. If you would not scorn me, I would gladly take you as my foster father!”
Weber’s mind went blank. The hell?! He only wanted some chicken, and now the brat wanted to become his son?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Weber furiously rapped Merlin’s head with his staff. “What nonsense are you spouting! Do you think you can just become someone’s son on a whim? And with our resemblance, people would think you were my illegitimate child!”
Shameless old man!
Still, Merlin clutched Weber’s leg tightly and wailed, “Father, just accept me! Look at you—your years are numbered, with no children by your side. Let me be your son, care for you in your old age, and… maybe inherit a little more of the family wealth!”