I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy – Chapter 54

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Sword Saint Eleiya had been sighing a lot lately.

He regretted his misjudgment of Edgar Fix, and the careless remark about making him a mere concubine.

‘He’s worth more than a Count…’

Initially, he had seen Ed as simply a talented commoner. Skilled in combat, eloquence, judgment, politics, and diplomacy.

Though lacking noble birth, he was a well-rounded individual with exceptional abilities.

That’s why Eleiya had considered making Ed Enya’s concubine.

He believed that Ed’s abilities and wisdom would support Enya, ensuring House Cruel’s prosperity as the Empire’s strongest family.

‘No, he has the power to influence the Empire itself.’

But Ed was more than that.

He possessed the immense potential to establish an entirely new nobel house.

The proof? He had already received an invitation from the dwarves.

Those stubborn, grudge-holding, insular people had expressed interest in Ed during the cold war and sent him an invitation to the Ironhammer Exhibition, their exclusive festival.

‘He moved an entire Allied Kingdom, all for the sake of one person.’

It was an extraordinary feat.

The relationship and diplomatic direction between two nations could shift because of a single individual.

‘A new market is forming around him.’

Furthermore, with the creation of the groundbreaking ‘Graham’s Northern Wind,’ a new industry was emerging.

The Empire’s blacksmiths, previously in a slump, were revitalized by the mass production of ‘Graham’s Northern Wind,’ supplying the entire Empire.

Ed’s invention was creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

“I was foolish. The Archmage and Her Highness didn’t take him in for nothing.”

As expected of the Archmage and the Imperial Family.

Eleiya marveled at their foresight in recognizing Ed’s talent.

He had prided himself on his ability to judge character and read situations, rivaling any strategist, but it had all been arrogance.

“I wonder how my daughter is doing…”

Eleiya could only rely on his daughter now.

It would be beneath him, as the head of House Cruel and a Sword Saint, to summon Ed again and retract his previous offer.

The only option was for Enya, who had feelings for Ed, to win his heart and invite him to their house.

Then, he could apologize for his earlier words and propose marriage instead of concubinage.

‘To do that, she must be selected for the Dwarven expedition…’

The Dwarven expedition.

A golden opportunity for young men and women to spend seven days together in a foreign land!

No matter how politically astute Ed was, he was still a teenage boy.

There was no telling where the sparks of attraction might fly.

‘Other families must have given similar instructions…’

Any sensible head of house would have instructed their children to be selected for the Dwarven expedition and win Edgar Fix’s favor.

And to make a good impression on the Imperial Family by participating in this diplomatic mission.

The unusually high competition, with almost the entire student body applying, suggested that such instructions had been given.

Even if they had sons, they would have been told to befriend Edgar Fix.

‘Enya… you must be chosen.’

The number of competitors was increasing.

With Ed’s value skyrocketing, Enya needed to ride that wave of success.

“My Enya… will definitely be chosen.”

Eleiya smiled confidently.

He had given Enya a special tip for the expedition selection.

If she had honed it well, she would surely secure a spot on the Dwarven expedition!

‘If my Enya is chosen for this expedition…’

A fantasy unfolded in Eleiya’s mind.

After the expedition, his daughter would announce that she and Ed were officially together.

He would then invite them over, express his support for their relationship, and charm Ed with his down-to-earth demeanor.

After that, all he had to do was keep any meddlers away from their relationship…

‘Father-in-law.’

“Khahahahahaha!”

He would become Ed’s father-in-law!

He would have the most talented individual in the Empire’s history as his son-in-law!

The other Grand Dukes would be green with envy and regret.

“Just you wait, Ed, my son-in-law. I have so much to offer you if you join our family…”

Eleiya’s thoughts, fueled by regret, spiraled into a full-blown fantasy.

He imagined himself and Ed, arms around each other, dancing drunkenly.

Ed, with his impeccable manners and noble spirit, would surely be a wonderful son-in-law and a good friend.

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“You’re disqualified.”

Enya’s eyes widened.

Her heart sank, and she froze, as if turned to stone by Medusa’s gaze.

Ed’s casual words echoed in her ears.

“Haa… Haa…”

But she couldn’t freeze.

Enya took deep breaths and tried to calm her racing heart.

Ed had disqualified applicant number 97, not her, number 98.

“Number 98, please come in.”

But as her number was called, the suppressed tension resurfaced.

Seeing Ed, her crush, as she entered the audition room, her heart began to race like a runaway train.

Her face turned red.

“Applicant number 98, please introduce yourself.”

When it was her turn to introduce herself, Enya couldn’t deliver the lines she had diligently prepared. Her words came out jumbled and incoherent, like a glitching artificial narration.

“I-I-I am… the… o-only daughter… of House Cruel… Enya…”

Her mind felt like it was short-circuiting.

She kept rambling, unsure of what she was even saying.

Why was she so nervous?

Her feelings for Ed had grown so strong that they were consuming her thoughts.

Even now, she couldn’t help but admire his handsome face.

“……”

After her self-introduction, the Princess and Elena’s expressions were frosty.

Ed, too, looked at her with a mixture of pity and disappointment.

The room began to spin.

‘No, no, no… I’m going to fail…’

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

This wasn’t her.

As the most beautiful woman and the most talented swordswoman in the Cruel territory, she was accustomed to being admired and exuded confidence.

She was always direct and assertive and her eyes constantly filled with conviction.

Boys her age could only look up to her, nervously trying to catch her attention.

‘And yet, I’m…’

But now, with a genuine crush, she was a mess. She spent her nights fantasizing about holding hands and kissing him, clutching her pillow for comfort.

‘I’m no different from those pathetic girls I used to look down on…’

She had become one of those delusional girls, lost in fantasies of romance with a prince charming, neglecting self-improvement for the sake of daydreams.

‘Now, I’m…’

She was exactly like them.

As reality slipped away, her mind conjured up fantasies of a future with Ed.

Even now, she could see his lips filling her vision and their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

“S-So… the reason… I-I applied… is… to… introduce… the Empire…”

She was doomed.

Desire had completely consumed her reason.

Her intense longing for Ed fueled her bizarre fantasies, clouding her mind.

Her once clear and sharp eyes were now dull and unfocused, her confident face became flushed and dazed.

Even Enya was not immune to becoming a nervous wreck in front of her crush.

‘I’m going to fail…’

Elena and the Princess’s expressions were cold.

Ed was scratching his head, looking skeptical.

But as her chances of passing dwindled, Enya’s fantasies intensified.

‘It’s… okay… Even if I fail… I’m… closest to Ed…’

She was his closest friend.

And the expedition was only for a week; nothing significant was likely to happen in that time.

Perhaps it would be a better strategy to be the first to comfort him after his long and tiring journey.

Her family specialized in therapeutic massage to relieve physical fatigue.

She could use that to gain his favor, more effectively than any expedition.

And if their bodies touched during the massage, perhaps he would feel the same desire she felt, and her wildest fantasies might come true.

‘I need to get back to the dorm…’

She wanted the disastrous audition to end quickly so she could return to her dorm and continue her fantasy, rubbing herself against her pillow, imagining a scenario where a “lucky accident” during a massage led to something more.

‘Yes…! While Ed’s away… I can use his pillow… and it will feel…’

She had descended into a dark fantasy of sneaking into Ed’s dorm and cuddling his pillow while he was away.

Then, Elena asked the final question.

“…Please explain why you should be chosen for this expedition.”

…Why she should be chosen?

There was no reason anymore.

The audition was already a failure.

She just wanted to go back to her dorm, hug her pillow, and soothe her disappointment…

-Human will. The human will to seek order.

Suddenly, Ed’s words pierced through her mind.

Triggered by his voice, their past conversations began to resurface.

A casual conversation in his lab.

-Ed, what are all these records?

-Hmm?

-These meticulously written notes, organized by date. What are they?

Countless records displayed on the screen.

She had asked about the notes covered in X marks.

Ed approached her, chuckling as he replied.

-Oh, these? They’re records of my experiment results.

-…Experiment results? …They’re all failures?

-Yes. They all failed. It’s a difficult subject.

His answer had been unexpected.

He, who always seemed to succeed, was calmly admitting his failures.

How difficult it must have been to hide so many failures.

She had felt sorry for him.

-…It must have been tough. Recording these must be painful.

-Hmm… Not really. It’s only natural.*

But his answer had surprised her again.

Failure should be an unpleasant memory to forget quickly, but he considered it natural.

She had asked him why.

-Natural? To record your failures?

-Yes. Engineering is a science. You have to accept and record your failures to increase your chances of success. Even failures are valuable data.

Even failures are valuable data.

At that moment, she had begun to understand why Ed was so exceptional.

He didn’t see failures as blemishes on his record but accepted them, meticulously documented them, and used them as stepping stones to success.

-That’s amazing. I find it so hard to accept my own failures.

She, on the other hand, had denied reality.

Accustomed to being praised as a swordsmanship prodigy, she couldn’t accept the wall she had encountered in the form of Quickdraw.

-…Well, I feel the same way. I get frustrated when I don’t get the expected results. But if you distort or erase the results, it becomes difficult to measure the correct values. Manipulating the data to fit your desired outcome isn’t science. That’s why integrity is crucial in what I do.

Integrity.

Accurately measuring and recording phenomena, using them as nourishment for the next attempt.

That was what Ed valued.

‘What am I doing?’

But now, she had completely forgotten that lesson and was escaping reality.

Believing that she had already failed the audition, she had indulged in fantasies of romance with Ed, harboring a dark desire to sneak into his dorm.

‘Don’t turn away from the truth.’

Enya began to face reality.

She had been acting pathetic, and if she continued, she would only drift further away from Ed.

She began to think about what she needed to do, not what she wanted to do.

To become someone Ed needed.

To become someone worthy of standing beside him.

“The reason I must be chosen for this expedition…”

Enya spoke, her mind now clear.

Her dull and unfocused eyes regained their clarity, her flushed and dazed face regained its composure.

The heat concentrated in her chest and lower body diffused throughout her body.

She began to explain why she was needed.

The corners of Ed’s lips, which had been downturned, curled upwards into a smile.

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A new member was added to the expedition.

Enya Cruel.

Though her self-introduction and reasons for applying were a disaster, she had successfully argued why she was essential to the expedition.

Indeed, she would be a valuable asset.

‘She was amazing.’

Honestly, I had intended to disqualify her.

The Princess and Elena, who had been staring at her with cold expressions, likely felt the same way.

But Enya had turned the situation around.

She had taken out a large piece of marble and begun a sword dance.

*Swish.*

The turning point was the moment she gripped her sword.

The tip pointed towards the ground, and a moment of silence hung in the air.

Enya took a deep breath.

She opened her eyes and began to move, her movements fluid and graceful, like a dance.

It was one of House Cruel’s forms, a testament to Enya’s innate talent.

The beauty of her movements was breathtaking.

She danced with an imaginary opponent, their swords clashing in a mesmerizing display.

It was like a giant white snake trying to constrict a white tiger, while the tiger dodged and weaved, seeking an opportunity to attack.

This, too, was one of House Cruel’s advanced forms.

The intricate movements showcased the depth of her martial art.

*Slash!*

Finally, the victor emerged.

The white snake, attempting to coil around the tiger, was torn to shreds.

The snake was the marble Enya had been cutting.

As she danced, the white marble had transformed into a giant white snake.

Her sword dance had been so captivating that it created an illusion.

*Whirl, Whirl, Whirl, Whirl.*

Enya spun her sword skillfully, as if flicking off the blood of her opponent.

The sword whirled through the air.

Then, she sheathed it by sliding the blade smoothly into its scabbard.

*Rumble…*

At the same moment, the marble she had cut crumbled and revealed the figure of a dwarf carved within it.

It was Ironhammer, the founder of the Dwarf Kingdom and the God of Blacksmiths, holding his hammer, his presence was as commanding as it had been when he was alive.

“……”

We were speechless.

This was the talent Enya had abandoned in her pursuit of Quickdraw.

No wonder Eleiya had wept and begged her to give up the Quickdraw.

“…You pass.”

But I already knew.

That Enya’s Quickdraw would eventually reach the same level.

And when that happened, just like today, everyone would witness the beauty of her “single, all-encompassing strike.”

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