Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 97: A Sudden Turn of Events
Yuna hummed a little tune, her mood evidently light and cheerful. When she caught sight of the “Honey Snow Time” stand near the clearing behind the academy’s back hill, she noticed a small crowd of students eagerly jostling to purchase drinks. Unable to resist joining the lively scene, she picked up a cup of pearl milk tea for herself.
“An interesting drink,” she murmured with a small smile, lifting the cup to inspect it.
Tonight, the Arcane Academy seemed unusually quiet. Moonlight streamed through the towering windows, casting silvery reflections across the cold stone floors. The corridors surrounding them were steeped in silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of pages turning in magical tomes, as if the books themselves were whispering ancient secrets into the night.
Perhaps the stillness was due to the approaching end-of-term exams; many instructors had already departed for the Arcane Capital to indulge in revelry, and a fair number of students had left as well, planning to purchase equipment for their final practical in the Monster Forest.
Not all students were as wealthy as Merlin. The alchemical gear at the Steam & Star Alchemy Workshop was prohibitively expensive. While the quality was guaranteed, the price alone would deter most students from buying anything.
Thus, compared to purchasing from the Steam & Star Workshop, most students preferred the black market in the Arcane Capital.
Merlin sat in a quiet corner of the library, several thick alchemy tomes spread before him, his expression concentrated and serious. His fingers traced the edges of the pages as he studied the schematics, muttering softly to himself: “It seems some people in this world are developing gun-related alchemical products… though their approach is clearly mistaken.”
He had long realized that, in low-tier magic, most spells, though they appeared powerful, were far less effective than firearms on Earth. At this world’s level of alchemy, forging guns would be perfectly feasible.
Merlin was, by nature, a man without a sense of safety. If even the original body at the Arcane Academy could be killed, then nowhere around him felt truly secure.
Though he had armed himself to the teeth with alchemical equipment, against high-level mages, his gear would be practically useless.
Consumable magical items of the sixth tier or higher were strictly controlled; purchasing them through legal channels required filling out endless forms. Beyond the exorbitant cost, the bureaucratic hoops alone gave Merlin a headache.
And if there were any method targeting magical power itself, his alchemical devices would fail, and scrolls or potions wouldn’t activate. In that scenario, all his preparations would be for naught. Guns that did not rely on magic, then, represented the optimal solution in Merlin’s eyes.
He had studied firearms extensively through Earth video tutorials. The mental training in this world only sharpened his memory; the steps were crystal clear. Following the videos, he could craft a handgun without difficulty.
As for semi-automatic or automatic rifles, he only needed to provide designs and ideas, and skilled alchemists or dwarves could develop them for him.
“Merlin, you’re still here?” Yuna’s voice rang unexpectedly clear in the hushed library. At the far end of a bookshelf, she appeared, her long, fiery-red hair catching the moonlight and glinting like a living flame.
Merlin had not expected to see Yuna at this hour. Noticing the several books she carried, he asked, “Senpai, still in the library this late? Studying so diligently?”
Origins of the Fairies, Elves and Fairies, Fairies and Elements, Spirits and the Third World, Floating Academy—Volume Three.
Merlin cast a glance at the stack of books in Yuna’s arms. Clearly, she hadn’t let the morning exam defeat go; she intended to research ways to deal with the fairies herself.
Yuna shrugged lightly, walking over to sit at the table opposite him.
“I have some things to take care of as well,” she said, “but seeing you still here, I thought I’d check in. I didn’t expect a junior like you to be so obsessed with alchemy… such dedication to learning.”
“I’m looking for inspiration in the books,” Merlin replied. Besides alchemy texts related to firearms, he had also been perusing books on elven history and elven preferences.
He wanted to see if there were anything akin to catnip—something that could make elves as obsessively enamored as cats.
Though he found some answers, they were far beyond his reach: artifacts related to the Moon Goddess, the World Tree… too distant to access.
A flicker of admiration crossed Yuna’s eyes, and she was about to speak when suddenly a strange surge of magical energy rose from the distance. Darkness fell abruptly, swallowing moonlight and starlight, and the air grew heavy, as if the entire world had held its breath.
Buzz—Yuna’s hairpin glowed softly, enveloping her in light. After a sudden wave of disorientation, she turned toward Merlin.
Merlin looked down, a pang of frustration crossing his face as he examined the shattered ring in his hand. The ring had been purchased just yesterday at Steam & Star—a costly alchemical item designed to resist mental magic. It had already broken, costing him over six thousand gold coins.
Feeling the familiar, profound darkness, Yuna shivered, memories of past trauma rising involuntarily. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “Is… this the domain of Siyue?”
Siyue’s domain? Merlin had earlier felt a cold wind pierce his very soul; fortunately, the ring had helped absorb the force.
“This sensation… it feels familiar,” Merlin thought suddenly of his personal secretary, Stacie. Her aura was usually faint, barely noticeable. But this presence was a flood, an overwhelming beast, threatening to consume everything.
“Is that the direction of the teacher dormitories?” Yuna peered out the window, toward the epicenter of the dark magical surge.
Stacie lived in the teacher dorms. Could something have happened to her? Merlin’s heart leapt in alarm. Why now, of all times, when the teachers had collectively gone out drinking?
“I have to check,” Merlin said, panic rising. If something had really happened to Stacie, where else would he find such an easily influenced employee?
“I’ll go with you,” Yuna said, and together they pushed open the library door. Immediately, a few students, who had not left, were sprawled unconscious along the corridor.
Merlin rushed forward, lifting one of the collapsed students, while Yuna narrowed her eyes, observing the others.
“They’ve suffered mental attacks under Siyue’s domain and fallen unconscious,” she explained. “We must find a way to neutralize it quickly, or they’ll remain trapped in this nightmare.”
Just as Merlin and Yuna prepared to leave the library corridor, a dark magical aura rose from the bodies of the unconscious students. One by one, humanoid creatures coated in black, as if drenched in tar, began emerging from them.