I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Match made in heaven.”

This phrase describes the perfect harmony between one’s passion and profession.

Fortunately, this phrase fit me perfectly.

Having been deeply absorbed in mecha since childhood, I pursued a path in mechanical engineering, and now, even entering the world of the games I loved, I can tinker with machines.

So, for me, working with machines was a delightful experience.

Sketching blueprints to perform specific functions and meticulously crafting machines to fulfill those designs brought me happiness.

“Wyoyong!”

In that sense, creating a new prosthetic limb for this cat was also enjoyable.

Making the prosthetic limb for him started from my pure goodwill and personal desire.

“Hmmm… it needs to be made from a highly elastic material.”

However, that didn’t mean I planned to do it carelessly.

I couldn’t tolerate flaws in the finished product that came from my hands.

“I should use high-elasticity steel. Regular steel would be too burdensome for the cat.”

From that perspective, I really didn’t like the cat’s existing prosthetic limb.

It was just made sturdily from steel, which ended up being too heavy and causing an imbalance in the cat’s movements.

Also, because it was too durable, the impact on its legs when landing or jumping was substantial.

I needed a compensatory material.

“Shape memory alloy.”

So, the first material that came to mind was shape memory alloy.

Shape memory alloy is a type of steel that strongly retains its original shape, and it was a robust material with a fair degree of elasticity.

“I should also reduce the overall volume compared to the old design.”

To lessen the weight, I decided to thin the diameter of the iron core.

Calculating, if I reduced the volume by 38.5% from the previous design, it would match the weight of the cat’s bones.

“And if I wrap that iron core in rubber…!”

The rubber would act as the skin.

It would absorb the shock when landing on the ground.

“I’ll use springs for the cartilage and place screws here to maintain its shape…”

Having completed the selection of materials, I began engineering the design.

Connecting the iron core in the shape that best matched the cat’s leg movements.

Especially since the cat moves with its heels lifted, the flexibility between the front and back paws must be great.

That means there should be a lot of joints in that area.

“Finally, if I just engrave the ‘Heat Preservation Rune’ on the joint connected to the cat’s stump, it’ll be complete.”

The heat preservation rune.

The reason this is necessary is that if the coldness of the iron core connects directly to the cat’s severed leg, it would hurt the tissues due to the core’s chill seeping into its skin and bones.

Therefore, the joint must be treated to maintain the same temperature as the cat’s body.

“Hmm. Then shall I begin?”

With all the plans set, I took out the ‘Imperfect Creator’s Hammer.’

After starting a fire in the forge, I retrieved the materials from my inventory.

Bam!

Now it was time to swap out that pathetic prosthetic limb.

***

Through ‘Mana Tracking,’ Elena pinpointed Wyoyong’s location and immediately moved toward the blacksmith.

During this process, Elena was able to detect Edgar’s mana, reassuring her that he was with Wyoyong.

His mana had an exceptionally calm and gentle nature.

He must be taking care of Wyoyong.

“Wyoyong!”

Once at the blacksmith, Elena found Wyoyong.

Wyoyong was sitting near the cooling forge, purring contentedly.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, Edgar, who was maintaining his equipment, turned to look at Elena.

At the sight of him covered in soot, Elena instinctively sensed that he had been using the forge without permission.

It was evident, given that the heat of the furnace was still radiating.

“…?”

Then her gaze landed on the new prosthetic limb attached to Wyoyong’s right hind leg.

Unlike before, its design and structure had completely changed.

A strange feeling crossed Elena’s mind.

“Um, did you happen to change our Wyoyong’s prosthetic limb?”

She was grateful for taking care of Wyoyong.

Thanks to him, she could find Wyoyong without any major incident.

However, it wasn’t right to change the prosthetic limb without the owner’s permission.

How much that prosthetic limb cost!

“…Ah, you’re the cat’s owner?”

“Yes.”

“Um… it didn’t fit properly before. Honestly, it was absolute garbage.”

“What did you say?!”

But the response she received was ridiculous.

He dismissed the prosthetic limb, which had cost hundreds of thousands of Orden, as garbage.

Of course, Elena got overcharged for that low-quality prosthetic limb.

But being clueless about machines, she had no idea.

“Um…? Excuse me, are you Professor Elena?”

And then, at that moment, Edgar, recognizing Elena, asked if she was indeed her.

However, Elena furrowed her brow, tilting her head in confusion at his question.

Only a select few knew that she had become a professor at the Academy.

“What are you? How did you know I was appointed as a professor?”

He was a suspicious man.

It was one thing to know she was a professor, but knowing she was the ‘Chief Professor’ was another.

“Oh, that’s…”

Edgar mumbled, struggling to come up with an excuse.

It was just a habitual slip to call her ‘Chief Professor’ when the entrance ceremony hadn’t even been held yet.

“Did you purposely take care of our Wyoyong to find out about me?”

It was entirely possible.

He was the Empire’s Great Mage and the Chief Professor of the Academy.

Given his position, he was likely subject to many people’s scrutiny.

“Oh, well, um…”

Edgar fumbled, flustered as he searched for words.

Elena, having made a provisional conclusion, began to press him.

A blue aura swirled around her, and her black hair floated upward.

Edgar hurriedly waved his hands.

“Wait a minute. First, calm down. What the professor thinks is absolutely not true; I’m just a blacksmith.”

“…A blacksmith?”

“Yes. It’s regarding the equipment bidding competition at the Academy. I received a waiting ticket to participate, but… there’s quite a bit of time. I was number 27.”

“…And?”

“Since there was so much time, I took a walk. That’s when I found him.”

“……”

“I learned about you being a professor from a previous participant. I heard you were judging the equipment bidding competition. From a high seat, in fact. So, I just speculated. If you’re sitting in the high seat to judge the bidding competition, then you must be the Chief Professor here… But is it true that you really became the Chief Professor?”

Edgar passionately acted while making his alibi.

Elena nodded at Edgar’s quite convincing words.

It was a reasonable enough explanation.

After all, she was a famous person in the Empire.

“…Haa.”

Thus, Elena calmed her boiling mana.

The red glow in her eyes returned to their original color.

Her dark irises focused on Edgar.

“Alright. I’ll let the fact that you know my title slide. But how do you plan to explain the unauthorized use of the blacksmith before the bidding competition is even over?”

“…Um. There’s no excuse for that.”

Edgar neatly admitted his fault.

Either way, the blacksmith required recognition of the owner’s qualification to be used.

However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any mitigating factors.

After all, this all happened while helping Elena’s cat.

Edgar started to plead that point.

“But as you can see, I’ve cleaned everything up nicely. Furthermore, I used the blacksmith for this cat…”

“…Stop. That’s enough.”

However, Elena had no intention of listening to Edgar’s excuses.

She was already upset that he had changed the prosthetic limb without the owner’s permission.

In addition, he had violated the rules.

He could be using the Academy’s blacksmith to modify a work presented for the bidding evaluation.

That was a flagrant violation of fairness.

“Whatever the reason, breaking the rules is breaking the rules. You said you were number 27, right?”

“……”

“What’s your name?”

“……”

“What’s your name, I said?”

Edgar saw Elena’s stiffened expression.

Those resolute eyes had already concluded his fate.

What he said here wouldn’t matter.

“Edgar Fix.”

“…Edgar Fix, number 27. I will disqualify you.”

Having disqualified Edgar, Elena embraced Wyoyong.

Then, she left him with her final words while looking at Edgar, who was hanging his head and biting his lip.

“Fix… If your surname is Fix, then you’re a commoner. If there were capable blacksmiths among commoners, I’d know them, but clearly, you’re not one of them.”

“……”

“Live up to your name, Edgar Fix. This Academy is, after all, for the elite. Touching other people’s belongings without any skill is just stupidity, not goodwill.”

“……”

“Don’t be too disheartened. Think of it as a life experience. Nobles’ property should not be recklessly touched.”

With that, Elena turned her back.

Edgar sat there, staring blankly at her departing figure.

Clip-clop—. Clip-clop—.

The sound of her elegant shoes gradually faded away.

“…I’m screwed.”

But to Edgar, that sound felt like a departing train.

A rescue train he needed to board in order to survive had left him behind, departing into the distance.

“…Should I dig a tunnel through the sewer?”

Edgar muttered, half-jokingly.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him.

***

“Wyoyong!”

It was truly strange.

Wyoyong, who would struggle to escape whenever held, was now purring and perfectly still in Elena’s arms.

Maybe he missed her embrace during the short time they were apart.

Elena smiled as she stroked Wyoyong’s head.

“…”

However, her smile looked somewhat sad.

No, it was less of a smile than merely a forced curve of her lips, barely maintaining a semblance of a grin.

Her worries about matching Wyoyong’s new prosthetic limb overshadowed her happiness.

“Haa… I’m in trouble.”

The cost of fitting Wyoyong with a prosthetic limb was going to be several hundreds of thousands of Orden.

For someone like her, who was repaying her adoptive parents’ debts, that kind of money was a burden.

Or actually, it was ridiculous that a commoner like herself, suddenly adopted by a noble couple, thought of herself as one of the nobility.

Yet here she was, preaching about living up to one’s name.

“Live up to your name…”

Why had she uttered such words, which weren’t even like her?

How could she carelessly say that to a person after suffering so much from that phrase in her childhood?

…Yes, perhaps this came from a growing pain.

Because she understood how painful it was to live as a commoner among nobles, she wanted to warn him in this harsh manner.

Not to get involved with nobles recklessly.

And perhaps, it was also because she had changed herself.

Wasn’t she now truly a noble, wielding some degree of power?

Well, she still heard people calling her a half-baked noble every now and then, though.

“Wyoyong!”

At that moment.

Wyoyong, who had been quietly nestled in her arms, suddenly wriggled out.

Elena gasped, reaching out to the jumping Wyoyong.

He had always struggled to land properly, ending up clumsy and falling over due to his leg incapacity.

“Hmm?”

But that wasn’t the case.

Wyoyong not only landed safely, but he also executed a perfect roll.

And then—

“Wyoyong~~~!”

The cat, who had been limping, started to run.

No, it was more accurate to say he dashed.

Simply watching him brought a sense of liberation.

“How…?”

But how could this be possible?

Hadn’t the Empire’s capable blacksmith warned her that even walking would be a hassle without precise understanding of a cat’s leg structure and mechanics, down to the last detail?

He had definitely said that one must dissect a cat’s leg and analyze it over months before designing suitable materials and blueprints.

“But no blacksmith would go that far!”

“What’s more, it would require an astronomical amount of money to do so. Assuming three times the original cost, I might consider it. Heh heh heh!”

Suddenly recalling that conversation with the Empire’s blacksmith, Elena clutched her head.

If what was said in that conversation were true, then she had blurted out ridiculous nonsense to Edgar Fix, who had accomplished an incredible task.

“Live up to your name, Edgar Fix. This Academy is for the elite. Touching other people’s belongings without any skill is sheer folly.”

“Ahhhhhh—!”

Thus, she rarely cried out like a child, stomping her feet on the ground.

The embarrassment of having lectured before him while acting superior was overwhelming.