Chapter 29: Becoming the Boss Directly

Heave-ho—heave-ho—heave-ho—

In the open clearing behind the Beast-Taming Academy, a row of giant cauldrons had been set up. Broths and marinades mixed with spices shimmered in ruby-red and amber hues, glinting brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Two hundred dressed chickens were soaking in the marinade. After a few hours, they would be ready to roast.

At that moment, Jean came rattling up in a donkey cart, waving at Merlin. “Brother Merlin, I’ve brought the stuff for you.”

Merlin’s eyes lit up with satisfaction when he saw the clay ovens piled on the cart—the very ones needed for baking lotus-leaf beggar’s chicken. He had specifically asked Jean to fetch them from the back garden of the Mage’s Tower.

Jean’s journey there had been nerve-racking. He never imagined Merlin would stash cooking gear in that place—after all, that garden was the domain of a Great Being.

Although students technically had access to the back garden, who in their right mind would wander there? What if he ran into that one? Thankfully, Jean’s trip went smoothly, and he managed to haul the alchemical ovens back without incident.

Merlin couldn’t help but admire the Beast-Taming Academy. Here, one could buy almost anything. Take these cauldrons for instance—elsewhere, you’d need a blacksmith to forge them. Here? Ready-made.

Incidentally, these “giant cauldrons” were actually feeding troughs for certain large magical beasts.

Bundles of lotus leaves were carried over from the Academy’s lotus pond by several students. Jean carefully noted down their names; the expenses would be tallied separately. Even if the students said they didn’t need payment, Merlin insisted on keeping clear records. For someone like him, building for the long term, the clearer the accounts, the better.

Jean himself hadn’t even realized it yet, but he had somehow become Merlin’s unpaid assistant.

Not that he minded. In fact, he was glad. He had long been wondering how to help the freshmen earn a little extra money. Watching them scrape by reminded him of his own first year, and it pained him.

“Make sure to keep track of everything. Every step will be paid for. Now, the time’s about right—start wrapping the marinated chickens in lotus leaves.” Merlin gave instructions as the students began their work.

“Brother Merlin! The lemons and passion fruit you asked for are here!” A few pretty female students came running with baskets of freshly picked fruit. Nestled inside were also plenty of chilies.

Merlin breathed in the enchanting fragrance of the passion fruit and lemons. Who would have thought the Academy’s Botanical Research Department had everything? Whatever he asked for, it seemed they had. Truly, worthy of an Arcane Academy.

Every part of a chicken could be used—head, neck, feet, drumsticks, even the offal could be sold separately.

But in this world, people rarely ate animal organs. So when Merlin began braising chicken livers and hearts, the others looked on in confusion.

After all, such things were considered dog food—even commoners would only touch them if starving.

“Move it, all of you! Master Merlin is paying good coin to buy your lemons and passion fruit, and paying wages for the chicken work. You should be grateful and work hard! How many freshmen get chances to earn extra money like this? If any of you slack off, don’t blame me for kicking you into shape!” Jean barked like a slave driver.

Merlin, watching him hustle and even act as a foreman, immediately thought about hiring Jean properly. Of course, Jean was a third-year student with a decent standing in the Academy, and hiring him wouldn’t come cheap.

But when Merlin wanted someone, he wasn’t about to let them slip away.

“Senior Jean, why don’t you come work with me? I need a right-hand man to manage all this, and I think you’re perfect for the job.” Merlin asked bluntly.

Jean raised his brows in surprise, folding his arms with a grin. “You want to hire me, Brother Merlin? My price isn’t low.”

Merlin nodded. “I know. I’m not asking you to be a bodyguard or muscle. I want you to manage the operations I’m building—everything you see before you.”

“Oh? If it’s something this small, I could easily help you for free.”

“That won’t do. Even brothers must keep clear accounts. Besides, I want to be your boss. How about this—two hundred gold coins a month. How does that sound?”

Jean had been about to say not to mention money for such a trifle—but when he heard the number, he froze. Surely he’d misheard? “…How much?”

Thinking he had offered too little, Merlin raised the bid with a smile, holding up a finger. “Three hundred gold a month. And that’s just base salary—bonuses and commission are extra.”

With a thud, Jean dropped to one knee on the spot. “Young Master Merlin! Don’t call me ‘senior’ anymore—just ‘Little Jean’ will do. From now on, I’m yours.”

Damn it, these nobles really didn’t treat money like money. Three hundred gold coins a month? Even if he worked himself to the bone breeding beasts or risked his life with an adventuring party, he might still not earn that much.

And here, all he had to do was oversee freshmen working—without even leaving the Academy. This kind of deal was once-in-a-lifetime!

Merlin hadn’t expected Jean to kneel so quickly. He had been prepared to raise the offer to five hundred if necessary. If Jean ever found out, he might regret dropping to his knees so soon.

“Excellent. Your wages will be paid at the end of each month. As for hiring others and handling expenses for chickens, passion fruit, lemons—all of that will be settled after tomorrow’s sales. You’ll handle the distribution.” Merlin no longer used the honorific “senior.” After all, he was the boss now, and Jean had respectfully addressed him as Young Master.

Three hundred gold coins.

When the freshmen of the Beast-Taming Academy heard the number, they were stunned. Brother Merlin was that powerful? To hire Senior Jean, he offered such a staggering salary? The shock left them wide-eyed.

Wasn’t this the very dream they had come to the Arcane Academy for—to one day earn a wage like that after graduation? Yet here was their senior, not even graduated, already taking home such a fortune.

If they worked hard enough to catch Merlin’s eye, could they also earn such high wages?

Their hearts beat faster, burning with hope. They knew they weren’t ready for such pay yet, but if Young Master Merlin chose them… what if?

What if the next lucky one was them?

Driven by that thought, the freshmen worked with fiery enthusiasm. They too wanted those wages. They too wanted to rise above the rest.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter