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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Laboratory.
Ed examined the damaged left arm of his suit, the section where Lucas’s attack had severed the power flow.
‘He knew exactly where to strike.’
The mana conduits were shattered, rendering the left arm useless.
While the detachable mobility gear had been completely wrecked, which was expected, the disabling of the arm itself had been a surprise.
He hadn’t anticipated Lucas targeting the suit’s joints, exploiting its vulnerabilities.
‘Mana users with Clear Eye are truly troublesome.’
Lucas, like Isabella, had awakened his Clear Eye at a young age.
This allowed him to perceive mana flow, giving him a significant tactical advantage.
Instead of attacking the suit’s reinforced exterior, he had targeted the mana conduits, the network of thin glass tubes carrying the mana solution that powered the suit.
By focusing his attack on the joints, he had created vibrations strong enough to shatter the delicate glass tubes, disrupting the mana flow.
‘But thanks to him, I discovered a weakness.’
The mana conduits, though protected by multiple layers of alloy designed to withstand impacts, were vulnerable to vibrations.
It was an unexpected flaw.
This highlighted the importance of thorough testing.
‘Lucas will make an excellent test subject.’
Lucas had a knack for unconventional attacks, utilizing spatial warping in creative ways.
He was sure to uncover more flaws in the suit’s design.
Just as Lucas had sought Ed’s guidance over Macbeth pork dinner, Ed could learn from Lucas as well.
He had already identified a crucial improvement for the suit.
“So, this should fix the problem.”
1:00 AM.
Having spent the hours after dinner working tirelessly, Ed had successfully replaced the mana conduits in all the suit’s joints.
This weakness wouldn’t be exploited again.
“Now then, I wonder how those guys are doing.”
With his stomach full and the immediate problem resolved, Ed’s thoughts turned to the members of the SIBALSAEGI club.
He hoped they weren’t slacking off, thinking he’d gone soft on them.
It was time for a visit to the club room.
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1:00 AM.
The SIBALSAEGI club members, despite the late hour, were diligently studying in the club room.
They had a quiz the next morning, and good grades required burning the midnight oil.
“Ugh… My head’s going to explode.”
The sheer volume of material was overwhelming.
Grasping modern physics wasn’t easy for people from this world.
Kzzzzzzzt~!
Whenever they felt like giving up, however, the sound of Ed charging his repulsor beam echoed in their minds.
The image of him, with a smirk on his face, aiming his palm at them, spurred them on.
They had no choice but to keep studying.
Slap!
They slapped themselves awake, some cheeks already red and swollen.
A few, nearly half of them, were even starting to lose their hair from the stress.
They were now sneaking physics textbooks into their regular academy classes, desperate to keep up.
‘This is the path to becoming Lord Edgar Fix’s loyal followers! This much is nothing!’
A few, however, weren’t just keeping up; they were actively studying ahead, the so-called “Loyalist Faction.”
These were the ones who had fully bought into Ed’s incentives.
Becoming a member of Ed’s club, under his protection, had dramatically improved their lives at the academy.
– Hahaha! My son! You make me proud!
The first noticeable change was in how their families perceived them.
Being in the same club as Edgar Fix, the rising star of the Empire, had earned them praise from their parents.
‘For Lord Ed!’
Recently, David, the club president, had received a special reward.
He had scored a perfect score on the last quiz, and Ed had personally visited his home.
The Arsen family, David’s family, had benefited immensely.
The mere rumor of Count Fix dining with them had significantly elevated their social standing.
‘Oh Lord! I want to be closer to you!’
David, once a vocal critic of Ed, had become a devout follower.
Ed had even unlocked his gauntlet further, allowing it to transform up to his palm, a privilege previously limited to the wrist.
He now constantly showed it off, asking, “Can you do this?”
‘David, don’t push it.’
Anthony, however, viewed David with disdain.
Anthony had been the one guiding the nobles during the “Mosquito Net Contract” event.
He had placed second on the last quiz, earning him the prestigious role of “Contract Guide.”
He had worn the Imperial armband, directing the flow of nobles, a position of authority that had thrilled him.
The looks of respect from the nobles, the acknowledgment of his connection to Ed, had been intoxicating.
‘But it’s not enough…!’
His role was limited.
David was the one receiving instructions from Ed, the one managing the club and its affairs.
Anthony coveted that position, the proximity to Ed, the chance to receive his commands directly.
– Ha! Showing off with just that?
When David had bragged about his gauntlet upgrade, Anthony had confronted him.
A clash between the top two students was inevitable.
– Seems like you’ve forgotten how disrespectful you were! You called Count Fix a “trash who’s nothing without his equipment!”
Their argument devolved into a litany of past offenses.
They had been close when they mocked Ed, each aware of the other’s disdain for him.
– Ha! You were far worse! You wanted to give my master laxatives! Remember? You suggested we spike his drink!
– You agreed! You were all for it!
– I was just playing along! We didn’t actually do it! You’re the one who actually did something!
– What? What did I do?
– You stole his writing tools! To sabotage him!
– Th-That was…
– Anthony.
A chilling voice cut through their argument.
It was Ed.
He had entered the club room, standing between them.
– M-M-Master… Th-That was just…
– I’m disappointed. You even considered giving me laxatives?
– I-I deserve to die! I was a fool, I didn’t know any better, I did something unthinkable!
– David. I’m disappointed in you too. “Trash who’s nothing without his equipment?” You hurt my feelings.
– F-Forgive me! I-I was out of my mind! I’ll never say such a thing again—!
– Forget it. I’m leaving. Don’t bother contacting me.
Ed turned and walked away, with a smirk playing on his lips.
A week had passed since that incident.
David and Anthony, desperate to redeem themselves, had doubled down on their studies, neglecting everything else for physics.
Creak!
The door opened, and Ed entered.
The club members scrambled to their feet.
Ed gestured for them to sit, and they awkwardly settled back down.
“Just checking in. Seeing how you’re all doing.”
Ed strolled through the room, glancing at their notes, offering a smirk here, a nod there.
“Let’s see… any nasty comments about me~?”
He flipped through their books, a playful yet serious tone in his voice.
Some members nervously sweated, their faces tense.
“Hmm. No slander or laxative plots, I see.”
Having completed his inspection, he smiled.
Everyone waited anxiously for his next words.
“Good work, then. See you in the morning.”
He left.
Many members sighed, staring blankly into space, momentarily stunned.
Slap!
But the moment passed.
They slapped themselves, picked up their pens, and returned to their studies.
The quiz was tomorrow.
They were on the verge of failing.
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The next morning, after the quiz, Ed gave the club members a pep talk, praising their improved scores and dangling the promise of a reward.
A bit of pressure, a bit of encouragement – that was the key to motivation.
“David and Anthony have potential…”
He was pleasantly surprised.
They had a knack for physics.
With a bit more pressure, they could become valuable assets.
‘And their loyalty is… impressive.’
Their devotion to him was particularly noteworthy, especially considering they were just sixteen to eighteen-year-old teenagers.
With proper guidance, they could become accomplished scholars.
“Speaking of which…”
A new issue had arisen.
The Crown Prince of the Clendor Kingdom had been invited to join the Sea Wall expedition.
It seemed the Empire, lacking the necessary nautical and shipbuilding expertise, was seeking Clendor’s cooperation.
‘This could be problematic.’
The Empire and Clendor had a long-standing rivalry.
Clendor was likely to exploit this opportunity, leveraging their superior maritime technology to make unreasonable demands.
Without Clendor’s ships and expertise, reaching the Sea Wall was impossible.
‘I thought they’d ask me…’
It was strange that they hadn’t approached him first.
The Empire had a blacksmith acknowledged even by the dwarves.
Why reach out to Clendor before consulting him?
Elena must have her reasons.
Perhaps she didn’t want to burden him with further responsibility.
This expedition, funded by a substantial amount of national resources, carried significant consequences for failure.
‘I’ll wait and see.’
The Crown Prince of Clendor was due to arrive in a week.
He would assess the situation then.
The possibility of negotiations failing was always there, so it was best to be prepared.
Ed returned to his lab and activated the hologram, assessing the feasibility of constructing a warship for the expedition.
“······”
And it was possible.
Albeit with numerous conditions.
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