I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Haam····”

I overslept after staying up late making equipment until dawn yesterday.

Rubbing my bleary eyes and checking the time, it was already 8:30.

Since the class selection would start at 10, I was pressed for time, to say the least.

“Huuuh!”

But I stretched leisurely.

After all, I was staying in the accommodations attached to the Academy’s blacksmith shop.

It would only take five minutes to walk to the examination venue.

Even after washing up and eating, I’d still have time to spare.

I scratched my belly and strolled to the shower room.

Swooooosh····

Hot water cascaded over my head.

I really loved this moment of zoning out while being showered with warm water.

It felt strangely healing, you could say.

As I scrubbed the foggy mirror clean, a handsome boy came into view.

Whether I pushed my wet hair back, styled it in pigtails, or lathered it with bubbles to make a Mohican, I still looked good.

Of course, the face of the guy possessing my body was good-looking—that’s the universal rule.

I really appreciated how thoroughly they upheld that cliché.

“Hahaha! Edgar! Did you sleep well? Our son looks handsome even while showering!”

At that moment, James peeked in to greet me good morning.

By now, I had grown used to James’s foolish behavior, so I chuckled in response.

“You’re up.”

“Yeah! Today is an important day, right? I made your favorite kimchi stew, so you can wash up and eat!”

“Oh, kimchi stew? Got it!”

Kimchi stew.

James knows how to make kimchi stew.

That’s because I taught him how to make kimchi and how to cook kimchi stew.

The hardest part about being transported to this world was missing the food from home, but I managed to perfectly replicate kimchi stew from memory.

Bubble bubble bubble····.

Finally, I came out of the shower, and the delicious smell struck my nose.

Kimchi stew made from Macbeth pork broth.

Honestly, I think this could be a hit if we opened a restaurant.

James’s cooking skills were quite impressive.

“Did you wash up? Just in time! Come and eat!”

He had set out mountains of rice and various side dishes at each seat.

And there was James moving the kimchi stew to the center of the table.

I roughly dried my hair and put on my underwear and shirt before going to the dining table.

Before picking up my utensils, I said “I’ll eat well,” and took a spoonful of the broth.

Slurp.

It’s a win.

Silently giving a thumbs-up, James let out a hearty laugh and puffed his chest out.

“Hmm····”

I continued to eat while preparing for the class selection.

I was planning to utilize my newly acquired derivative skill, ‘Hologram,’ now that my ‘Engineering Thinker’ level had risen to level 3.

So now, beside my bowl, there stood a hologram modeled after my body.

37 mana stones were embedded throughout my physical form, and I was contemplating how much mana to allocate to each stone.

“Ha ha ha! Edgar, can you see this? It’s all praises for our son!”

But even in the face of this bizarre spectacle, James showed no reaction.

He had already learned holography a week ago.

He’d seen me use it numerous times.

Instead, he was busy reading the newspaper with my article in it.

“Hmm… If I want to increase output…”

“Indeed! Aha. This is how an article should be.”

“This will slow down the speed, though. I’ll need to improve this part.”

“Ah, I should have been there. To receive the applause of the nobles.”

In this way, we each explored our own directions.

James and I had a relationship akin to that of friends disguised as father and son, so it felt comfortable to just chat while eating without needing to respond to everything.

Like two buddies living together in a ten-pyeong two-room apartment.

Sometimes we’d share drinks, have engineering debates, and play card games while getting along well.

“Oh? Father. I’ll be off now. It’s almost time.”

Perhaps it was too comfortable.

I casually checked the clock and it was 9:40.

I hurriedly finished dressing and tidied my hair.

With James sending me off, reminding me to take care and do well, I stepped out the door.

Maybe it was because I was well-fed; my steps felt light.

***

The main auditorium of the Basic Tactics Department, Hall 7.

That was the gathering place for today.

As Edgar made his way there, he received greetings from numerous nobles, as he had become a celebrity at the Academy after yesterday’s speech.

There wasn’t a single noble who didn’t know ‘Lord Fix.’

“Lord Fix. Your speech yesterday left quite an impression on me. I am Ishike, the eldest son of the Brante family.”

“Lord Fix? Please, just call me Edgar.”

Even while receiving all this attention, Edgar skillfully conversed with them.

After all, ‘El Pandor Rune Terra’ is a relationship-based simulation game.

He’d repeatedly learned to converse with countless characters, so earning their goodwill was second nature to Edgar.

“Uh?”

At that moment, someone exclaimed in surprise and pointed at a specific spot.

Following the direction of their finger, he saw someone pushing their way through the crowd like the Red Sea.

It was the four children of the duke’s household.

“Hey. Move aside. You too, don’t block the way. Yeah, you.”

And leading the way was Isabella, the second daughter of the Graham Grand Duke family.

As soon as most nobles recognized her, they hurriedly dodged out of her way.

They had long heard bad things about her.

They didn’t want to be cursed by her for stepping out of line.

“Ha ha. Sorry friends.”

However, Lucas of the Elmar family, who had made the entrance oath for new students, was accommodatingly clearing a path.

Having drawn all eyes to Edgar, he was even more conscious of his reputation.

“Ugh. So many eyes on me. I said I’d go alone, why is everyone following…”

In the center of it all, Enya was feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

She wanted to give Edgar a gift when they were alone.

“Hmm? Following? Who wants to go with you?”

But then, Isabella, hearing Enya’s words, turned around and said that.

With a slight smirk, she continued with a teasing look.

“I’m just going to meet that commoner, you know? It’s a personal matter.”

“·····A personal matter?”

“Yeah. I’ve got something to give. And well, I find him somewhat cute and am interested.”

Interested in Edgar…?

Enya’s face, which had been tense until now, froze cold.

Crack—a clash of gazes between the two women.

Then Enya spoke.

“Interest? What kind of interest? It’s really unsettling.”

“Pfft. Interest is just interest.”

“Because it’s you, I’m saying this. If you do anything strange to Edgar, I won’t let it slide.”

“Wow. Feeling wronged? What did I do? I just wanted to give him a gift.”

“······.”

Enya stared into Isabella’s deeply sunken eyes.

She observed her old friend, who had become strange at some point.

What on earth was this girl thinking, trying to get close to Edgar?

Finally, Isabella chuckled and diverted her gaze.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. You can give him your gift later.”

With that, Isabella walked ahead.

Enya stepped forward quickly.

Standing beside Isabella, she glared at her and said,

“No. I’ll give it to him first. It’s not like we’ll get to meet separately anyway.”

Having become a celebrity due to yesterday’s big speech, Edgar was surrounded by people as soon as he appeared.

It was unlikely he’d have a chance to be alone with him anytime soon.

Thus, taking advantage of Isabella’s provocation, Enya moved ahead.

Isabella chuckled as she watched Enya’s back.

“Hmph. Simple-minded.”

And then followed right behind her.

Weaving through the crowd, they finally approached Edgar.

“······.”

Surrounded by the crowd, the children of the duke’s household faced Edgar.

The onlookers were busy voicing their various thoughts on the situation.

The fact that the duke’s children had come to seek Edgar out meant that he was already embarking on a path to success.

It could also mean they hadn’t come with good intentions.

Especially that gaining the attention of a witch wouldn’t lead to anything good, and so on.

They were gossiping, pouring forth all sorts of sensational ideas.

But none of that reached Enya’s ears.

Faced with Edgar right in front of her, her heart raced, and her head became a jumble.

Would it be okay to show up like this?

So many eyes were on her; what if Edgar rejected her gift?

That would be so embarrassing.

Would Edgar be mad at her for mistakenly accusing his family of being the Schneider family yesterday?

“What are you doing?”

Just then.

Claire of the Bernhardt Grand Duke family slapped Enya on the back.

Then she whispered as if to say, “Just give it to him.”

Being nudged by Claire, Enya took two steps forward, gulping down her nervousness before nodding her head.

“Puhahaha! How hilarious. You look like a total loser.”

And from behind, Isabella, who had been watching everything, mocked Enya for her unusual behavior.

However, rather than feeling discouraged by Isabella’s mockery, Enya steeled her resolve and stepped forward.

With a determined face, she stood in front of Edgar and finally made her intentions clear.

“Um, um, excuse me.”

“······?”

“Later, could we talk privately?”

“······.”

“I’ve got something to give you. Also, the other day, you fixed my sword sheath for me… And I mistakenly spread some weird rumors about your family, so this is my way of apologizing…”

Originally, Enya had intended to give him thanks right here.

But no matter how she thought about it, this place was not suitable.

So she proposed that they meet privately.

In fact, just making that proposal made her really bashful.

She felt as if her heart would burst.

Fortunately, Edgar nodded happily.

“Yes. Then after the class selection, I will come find you.”

Hearing Edgar’s promise that he would seek her out gave Enya a sense of relief.

She nodded and swiftly turned around.

With a blushing face, she dashed through the crowd.

Claire looked on at Enya with a satisfied smile as she followed her, and Lucas, who had been shaking hands with surrounding nobles, also followed them.

However, left alone, Isabella approached Edgar instead.

Everyone watched with tense faces as she approached.

Finally, standing right in front of Edgar, Isabella gazed at him with a predatory glint in her eyes.

The spectators were held in suspense by the oppressive atmosphere.

“Wow.”

But with Isabella’s admiration, the taut ambiance relaxed.

The heavy air was cleared.

Then she smiled slyly and continued.

“You seem not at all afraid of me?”

Observing Edgar’s calm expression, Isabella sharpened her gaze.

She took Edgar’s right hand and continued.

“That’s what I like about you more.”

With those words, she pulled something out of her pocket.

And she placed it in Edgar’s right hand.

She gave him a coy smile as she said,

“I’ll make an exception for you. Even if you meet me as an enemy, with this, you won’t be harmed.”

Edgar looked down at the grotesque doll resting in his palm.

It was a doll of a girl with disheveled hair, shedding tears of blood.

“Kek. Then, take care.”

With that, Isabella turned around and followed the other noble offspring.

However, her movement had an uncanny quality to it.

Her feet barely touched the ground as she floated through the crowd like a ghost.

Of course, she was doing this to catch up with her friends quickly.

A bit of playful mischief was also added on.

However, the nobles who knew her reputation jumped back, startled, and hurriedly made way.

They kept their distance, trying to avoid any entanglement with her.

As Isabella disappeared from view, one of the nobles who had spoken to Edgar hurriedly said,

“You should throw that away immediately! You might get cursed by a witch!”

“···A witch?”

“Yes! Haven’t you heard the rumors about the witch Isabella?”

The witch Isabella.

Edgar was well aware of Isabella’s long-standing nickname.

It was a moniker she earned for dealing out punishment in the most chilling ways.

The men who had made advances toward her had all suffered greatly under her curse.

Among them was a noble who had banged his forehead against the marble floor, laughing like a maniac, and fainted.

He’d repeatedly bounced around like that for three days, ending up with a mental breakdown.

That sight was so spine-chilling and bizarre that the nickname “witch” became common knowledge.

“I’m aware, but it’s fine.”

Despite knowing this, Edgar tucked the doll inside his pocket.

As everyone looked at him with expressions of disbelief, Edgar spoke.

“I can’t just throw away a gift I’ve received.”

“·······.”

Gasps of disbelief echoed among the nobles.

Their murmurs began to spread throughout the crowd.

Lord Fix is too kind-hearted.

He must be under some kind of spell from the witch.

No, he’s just naive.

They each added their remarks, scolding Edgar for accepting Isabella’s doll.

‘Is this the beginning of the Isabella arc already?’

But Edgar paid no mind to what they were prattling on about.

What mattered was that Isabella had shown interest in him so early on.

Receiving this doll from her was a signal that an event was kicking off.

Clutching the doll in his pocket, Edgar muttered to himself with a meaningful expression.

‘Isabella. This time, I’ll definitely save you.’