I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“····Who are you?”

Edgar tried to approach as kindly as possible, but Enya’s reaction was as cold as ever.

She wasn’t the type of person to easily accept the goodwill of a stranger, so she immediately placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, her green eyes gleaming sharply.

However, Edgar was a veteran who had played ‘El Pandor Runtera’ countless times.

He had already figured out her prickly personality long ago.

With a smile still on his face, he said, “I couldn’t just walk by. A sword crying out from a mismatched sheath.”

“······.”

A sword crying out from a mismatched sheath.

It was a bit of a cheesy metaphor, but it was exactly the kind of emotional expression that Enya liked.

Wasn’t that a metaphor a character from the manga ‘Baldojae’ would use?

Feeling a bit intrigued, Enya softened her wariness and decided to test Edgar.

“Well, I don’t think someone who can hear the sword’s cries is all that knowledgeable about swords.”

Saying this, Enya removed her hand from the hilt of her sword.

Then she continued, showing the family crest engraved on her sheath. “Rather, weren’t you more interested in this design? If that’s the case, I’ll politely decline. Surely our relationship shouldn’t be based on insignificant social niceties, but rather on the superiority of skills, right?”

With the polite tone of a noble, Enya conveyed her feelings.

However, Edgar interpreted her words differently.

“You don’t know anything about this sword, do you?”

“Aren’t you trying to latch onto my family’s status?”

“If you want to socialize, just shove off. Let’s compete based on skills.”

…What a classic Enya message, Edgar thought.

“You’re quite suspicious.”

But Edgar wasn’t one to back off just because she told him to.

Enya was one of the key NPCs who could significantly impact the future, so he needed to build a relationship from the entrance ceremony onward.

Finally, Enya smirked slightly and said, “Suspicion? Let’s say I’m simply not naïve.”

“Haha, I don’t have any ulterior motives either. I was purely interested in that sword, which is why I spoke to you.”

Both exchanged words, engaging in a subtle battle of wits.

However, Edgar’s last remark stirred Enya’s curiosity once again.

He came here purely out of interest in the sword?

“Do you know anything about this sword?”

So, Enya asked directly.

Did he know anything about this sword?

At that moment, a peculiar light appeared in Edgar’s eyes.

He knew this sword better than anyone else.

‘There’s no way I could not know it.’

He had played this game dozens of times.

Every time he restarted the game, Enya always wore the same sword.

At least during the entrance ceremony.

“I recognized it at a glance. That’s the Yodo Muramasa.”

Muramasa.

As soon as he mentioned the name, Enya’s pupils widened dramatically.

It was the iconic dagger that the protagonist of the manga ‘Baldojae’ carried.

And Edgar recognized it at a glance.

“How do you know this… perhaps?”

“Yes. I’ve seen it too. ‘Baldojae.’”

…He watched ‘Baldojae’?

Enya’s furrowed brow began to relax.

Her wariness melted away like snow, and a bright smile appeared on her pale face.

“There are others who know ‘Baldojae’ besides me…! Could it be, even the side stories?”

“Of course. The side stories are where it really begins.”

Enya’s face began to glow with excitement.

Edgar’s statement that ‘the side stories are the real deal’ reassured her.

Someone who could understand her dream and ideal, ‘Baldosul’.

The black-haired boy in front of her was exactly that kind of person.

“Right! The side stories are the real deal…! But to be honest, I hesitated a bit. As you know, the main story ends somewhat ambiguously… So I struggled with whether to continue or not, but the beginning of the side stories…!”

“The Jacken arc, right?”

“…! That’s right! The Jacken arc! I think I really got hooked from that point.”

“Those who just read the main story and quit are amateurs. The real potential bursts from the Jacken arc.”

“Ugh. That’s true.”

Enya completely immersed in the conversation with Edgar, laughing and chatting.

Having had no one to share deep conversations about ‘Baldojae’ until now, Edgar was a welcome conversational partner.

-What? I didn’t know Enya could smile like that?

-Her energy is completely different!

However, since she was notorious for being prickly in social circles, all the men nearby watched their conversation with puzzled expressions.

There must have been dozens of guys who had never dared to approach her due to her icy glare.

-Who’s that guy? I’ve never seen him before.

-Well, he wasn’t at the last social gathering.

-Could he be a fallen noble?

Thus, all eyes were inevitably drawn to Edgar, who had made Enya smile brightly.

When she usually spoke with sharp eyes, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword, now she was chatting animatedly, her eyes sparkling, using both hands to express herself—it was an unfamiliar sight.

How on earth did that black-haired boy disarm her like that?

“······.”

And Max, the second son of the Zigmund family, had the same question in mind.

Two years ago, when he asked her to dance after seeing her for the first time in the social circle, she had given him a cold look and insulted him.

Feeling humiliated by her chilly response, he had challenged her to a duel, which resulted in a painful experience he would never forget.

Having endured hardship to improve his skills, he had come this far, only to see her showing a carefree smile at some random guy.

That was a spectacle he simply could not tolerate.

‘Enya…! Your smile should have belonged to me alone!’

Infatuation.

Max was infatuated with Enya.

He admired her strength as much as he felt anger and hatred towards her.

Thus, Max came here dreaming of subduing her.

After delivering her a humiliating defeat, he planned to console her and win her heart.

‘Enya, was your smile really that cheap?’

But Enya had opened her heart to a guy who seemed like a wretched parasite.

He looked like a rookie who didn’t even know the basics of swordsmanship.

Deng─!

At that moment, the clock tower installed at the academy’s main gate began to chime.

It was a signal that there were only ten minutes left until the entrance ceremony.

“Oh, is it already that time?”

With that, the conversation between Edgar and Enya suddenly came to a halt.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Eventually, Edgar looked at Enya’s sheath and said, “Hey, shouldn’t we fix that sheath? It looks pretty uncomfortable.”

“·····There’s no helping it. The entrance ceremony is about to start, and there’s no time.”

Sighing lightly, Enya said this.

There was only ten minutes left until the entrance ceremony began.

There was no way they could fix the sheath in that short time.

“Just give it to me for a moment. I can fix it quickly.”

Yet Edgar casually extended his hand, as if it were no big deal.

Then he pulled out his ‘Equipment Maintenance Toolbox’ from his inventory.

As he did—

Crackle!

A rift opened in the air, revealing the ‘Equipment Maintenance Toolbox’.

Watching this sequence of events, Enya instinctively thought of one thing.

‘Summoning equipment? Does he handle special-type spells?’

Special-type spells.

Special-type spells were a type of magic that required one to inherit a special ‘bloodline’ that involved stealth, spatial voids, mutations, or disguise.

Also, summoning equipment like that in the air was suspected to be a combination of the spells for ‘spatial voids,’ ‘disguise,’ and ‘stealth.’

In other words, it meant he was a skilled practitioner of rare spells.

“Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

But time was indeed tight right now.

Enya set her thoughts aside for a moment and handed the sheath to Edgar.

With only ten minutes remaining, could he really fix the sheath in that short time?

“Well then.”

Immediately, Edgar took out the equipment from the toolbox and began to fix Enya’s sheath.

Thanks to his hidden skill ‘Handy Work’ and ‘Engineering Thinking’, he could quickly adapt the sheath to fit the size of the sword.

“Hmm. I think it could use a bit more work.”

However, to Edgar, who pursued perfection, this level didn’t satisfy him.

Was there a way to improve the sheath’s performance to better match the sword’s style?

Edgar pulled out a ‘Spell Storage Scroll’ he had put in his inventory.

He quickly combined the spells of ‘Enhancement’ and ‘Acceleration’, inscribing them onto the ‘Spell Storage Scroll’.

And as he infused it with Mana—

Crackle!

The spell, a fusion of ‘Enhancement’ and ‘Acceleration’, was stored in the Spell Storage Scroll.

The incantation was complete.

‘Fast. Incredibly fast…’

Meanwhile, Enya, who was watching the entire process, couldn’t help but feel astonished.

Not only was he fixing the equipment, but he was also crafting an incantation this quickly.

Even in the Duke family’s exclusive forge, that level of speed would be impossible.

That showed how extraordinary Edgar’s understanding of spells was.

“Here you go. Give it a try.”

Moreover, applying the spells to the equipment was of top-notch quality.

For a scroll combining two spells, the odds of failure were considerable, yet Edgar handled it as easily as playing with a toy.

Enya received the sheath from Edgar with a dazed expression and then sheathed her beloved sword into it.

It fit perfectly as if it had been a set from the beginning.

“…That’s amazing. You did all this in such a short time…”

“Haha. It’s my usual work. Crafting or fixing equipment.”

“······?”

Crafting or fixing equipment?

Enya tried to recall if there was a noble family that made such things as their profession.

Could he be from the Tigriel family that trades exclusively with dwarves?

However, she had never heard of such a handsome man in the Tigriel family.

Deng─!

At that moment.

The clock tower chimed again.

It meant only five minutes remained until the entrance ceremony.

The two looked at each other as if they had made a promise.

“…Shall we run?”

“Yes. Let’s go!”

Taat—!

They both sprang forward simultaneously.

Across the light pink path, they swiftly passed through the main gate, rushing past the clock tower.

As they passed through the main gate, a long marble path came into view.

At the end of it stood the Academy’s main building, their ultimate destination.

Taat—!

They accelerated into another run.

Passing the Emperor’s statue and the fountain, they rushed through the garden surrounded by trees.

And as Enya passed through with Edgar and the scenery, she felt a mysterious thrill.

It was because it was the first time she ever ran side by side with someone.

Was this feeling what friends were like?

‘I think it will be fun.’

She began to look forward to it.

She felt a desire to get to know more about the boy running beside her.

He was a skilled person who could keep pace with her steps.

Someday, wouldn’t there come a day when they’d call each other’s names, leaning back to back?

Enya smiled, imagining such a distant future.

After a long time, a fluttering feeling surged within her.

Just like the day she first read ‘Baldojae’.