I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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The wait was long, but eventually, one’s turn would come.

As the sun set and the twilight lengthened, finally, Elena’s number was called.

“Number 48, please enter.”

48.

There were many titles used to refer to her: Great Mage, Master, Chief Professor, and so on, but being called Number 48 was a first for her.

If it were any other situation, Elena wouldn’t have let this humiliation slide.

‘If it’s Edgar, I’ll have to endure it.’

But she was generous towards talented individuals.

Moreover, if that individual had morals, even more so.

‘With talent like Edgar’s, he might earn the title of ‘Creation.’ The only human blacksmith to do so.’

Elena held high hopes for Edgar’s potential.

A title of ‘Creation’ bestowed only upon the three greatest blacksmiths of the current era.

Of course, some might call this delusion.

After all, no human had ever received the title of ‘Creation’ until now.

Indeed, all the exceptional treasures that left a mark in history were crafted by the eight clans of dwarves.

Masterpieces that would go down in history, like ‘Twilight,’ ‘Eclipse,’ ‘World of Nothingness,’ and ‘Divine Protection,’ were all born from the hands of dwarves.

Humans had never created such treasures.

‘But with Edgar…’

But with Edgar, it might be possible.

He possessed an imagination rich enough to create some fictional object, coupled with a refined sense to realize that imagination.

He was not a mere blacksmith who mechanically churned out items based on blueprints.

To earn the title of ‘Creation,’ one must possess such brilliant imagination and creativity.

“Hurry up and come in─…?”

As she thought this, Elena stepped into James’ forge.

And as soon as Edgar recognized Elena, he tilted his head in confusion.

For a moment, he wondered if he was seeing things.

Why was Chief Professor Elena here?

“Edgar Fix.”

However, Elena calmly called out to Edgar.

James leaned toward Edgar and whispered, “Do you know her?”

Edgar, looking somewhat puzzled, replied, “Um…,” just as Elena politely nodded her head.

If someone who knew Elena saw this, they would be shocked.

After all, it was the Great Mage and princess’s mentor, Elena, who bowed her head first.

“I came here to apologize for what happened before. I made an erroneous decision due to a moment of emotion.”

After initiating the conversation like that, Elena lifted her head.

And taking one step closer to Edgar, she continued with her next words.

“I want to apologize for belittling your skill, for putting forth criticisms disguised as advice, for depriving you of the qualifications you rightly deserved─.”

As that statement ended, Elena stopped in her tracks.

She and Edgar faced each other.

She extended her hand, requesting a handshake.

“I want to seek your forgiveness, as a human to a human.”

Human to human.

In other words, it meant putting aside all the baggage that comes with one’s status and skill to convey a pure heart.

In response, Edgar scratched the back of his head and awkwardly smiled, saying, “Um… I’m fine. I’ve long forgotten it. Besides, it’s true that I did mess with the chief professor’s cat without permission. I’m also responsible.”

…He has some responsibility too, huh.

Elena smiled at Edgar’s reply.

Blacksmiths were typically known for their stubbornness, yet Edgar was someone who could reflect on himself.

He was not arrogant despite his skill.

“Uh, uh, Edgar… what does that even mean? Chief Professor?”

James, however, could not help but feel bewildered by the situation.

A waiting candidate was a chief professor?!

Then Elena pulled out her nameplate from her pocket.

The nameplate bore the insignia of the royal family and the Magic Society.

“I should have introduced myself sooner. I am Elena von Eliade Rosario, the Chief Professor of the Empire Academy.”

“………?”

James’ eyes widened as soon as he confirmed the nameplate.

No matter how much he was from a rural village, he surely knew Elena’s name.

After all, wasn’t she the century’s genius honored with the title of ‘Great Mage’?

In the midst of his surprise, Edgar blurted out the next words.

“Honestly, if anyone needs an apology, it should be my father, James. He was eliminated without knowing the reason.”

Edgar’s statement, making a commoner blacksmith bow his head, left James shocked, staring at Edgar.

Demanding an apology from someone who played a pivotal role in the empire, not a mere noble.

“You must have felt unjustly deprived due to my negligence. If it’s alright, I’d like to give you another chance.”

However, Elena bowed her head without hesitation and expressed her regrets.

Having lived as a commoner, who despised authority to the extreme, bowing her head to someone of a lower status than herself was not that difficult of a task.

“Uh, yes. I’m fine. It’s all in the past… Honestly, running a forge here with my son isn’t… that bad…”

James accepted Elena’s apology with a dazed expression.

He never imagined that the fearsome Great Mage, whom he had only heard rumors about, would bow her head so readily to a commoner.

While he was having such thoughts, Elena spoke up.

“Still, the fact that you were unjustly deprived of an opportunity hasn’t changed. So, I’d like to ask…”

With the situation settling down, Elena began to delve into the main topic.

She was requesting that he participate in the bidding competition once more next Wednesday.

James and Edgar readily accepted the proposal.

“Then we’ll meet again next Wednesday at the same location and time as the previous exam.”

Having completed her business, Elena concluded her speech and left the forge.

The moment she stepped out, her figure dissipated like smoke.

James, who was dazedly watching this magical sight, turned to Edgar and asked, “Edgar, this isn’t a dream, right?”

***

Next Wednesday.

We traveled to Empire Academy by carriage.

Originally, we had planned to walk, but thanks to Elena sending a carriage for us, claiming we were her invited guests, we were able to travel comfortably.

As I quickly observed the passing scenery, I contemplated Elena.

Why was she going to such lengths for me?

The answer came to me quickly.

‘She sees me as a talented individual.’

Talent.

Elena was generous towards those she deemed as talented.

No, her generosity transcended into obsession.

This was because, instinctively, she sensed that something peculiar was happening in the deadly land of “Myeolji,” which was teeming with high-risk monsters and demonic beasts.

Thus, her obsession with talent was a manifestation of her subconscious.

Now that she had become a professor at the academy, she may have believed she had gained interest in nurturing the next generation, but in truth, that obsession stemmed from her innate fear.

The fear that if left unchecked, a great catastrophe beginning in Myeolji might lead to the downfall of the Empire.

‘Anyway, I have to make good use of this opportunity.’

Knowing well the events that would unfold in the future, I decided to exploit Elena’s instincts.

Her fixation on nurturing talent was my leverage.

Perhaps through that fixation, I could sneak into the academy as a student.

***

The results of the evaluation were instantaneous.

Without needing to look further, James’ product was accepted.

It was only natural since James was destined to become the academy’s blacksmith from the start.

However, Elena bidding on James’ equipment was not solely due to its excellence.

She had initially summoned him to rope in me as his assistant.

Seeing that she called me into her office separately confirms my intuition.

“To be direct, Edgar Fix, I want to support you.”

And indeed, her first words after sipping tea didn’t deviate from my expectations.

Elena valued my abilities highly.

But for now, I pretended to be completely clueless, widening my eyes.

“Support? For me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“When I visited Greta Village, I took a look at the items you developed. I thought your talent was too precious to be left to rot.”

“Uh…”

“What do you think? I intend to establish a training fund for talented individuals at the academy and support you. I plan to send you to the Kazantin Union Kingdom for around five years.”

Kazantin Union Kingdom.

A dwarven kingdom formed by the alliance of four out of the eight dwarven clans.

Currently, it housed a blacksmith named ‘Olin,’ who had received the title of ‘Creation.’

Elena made the radical suggestion that she would petition the royal family to allow Olin to accept me as his disciple.

It’s as if a national transaction were occurring just to raise me.

“I truly appreciate the offer. But I want to learn on my own at the academy.”

However, I declined the proposal.

While her proposal was indeed extraordinary, the main storyline took place here at the Empire Academy.

“Um… It seems you don’t know much about Olin, but Olin…”

At this, Elena smiled awkwardly as if in trouble and tried to explain about Olin.

However, knowing very well how great a blacksmith Olin was, I didn’t need to listen to her explanation and seized her next words.

“Yes. He’s the blacksmith that everyone admires.”

“The title of ‘Creation’… Huh? What did you just say?”

“I know how magnificent he is. Every blacksmith dreams of being his disciple.”

“………”

In an instant, Elena’s expression went blank, burying herself into the leather chair as she looked at me.

Her face seemed to say, What on earth is this?

Eventually, she spoke up.

“Perhaps… you aren’t that interested in improving your skills? You want to stay with your father?”

“No. It’s my utmost priority. Enhancing my skills is.”

“……? Then you ought to become Olin’s disciple even more. Honestly, there’s no guarantee that Olin will accept you as a disciple. To date, humans have been accepted by dwarves as disciples only a handful of times.”

Of course, that made sense.

For a dwarven smith whose pride in hammering is sky-high, it would be exceedingly rare to acknowledge a human as a disciple.

“Yes. I understand well. But the one I need to improve my skills isn’t Olin. In fact, he cannot help me that much.”

“……”

Amidst disbelief, Elena frowned and gazed at me.

Eventually, she asked in a voice filled with curiosity, “Then who do you think can help you? There is no one with skills greater than Olin’s. He has even received the title of ‘Creation.'”

“No, there is. Someone with skills greater than Olin.”

Elena let out an incredulous laugh at that absurd claim.

The title of ‘Creation’ is bestowed upon someone who has reached the pinnacle of skill.

Maybe that’s why she shook her head in denial and took a sip of tea to calm her nerves.

Once composed, she looked at me as if she would listen.

“…Huh. Fine. Opinions can differ. As absurd as it sounds, let’s say there’s such a person. Who in the world can it be? Someone with skills greater than Olin?”

At this moment, certainly, no one boasted skills greater than Olin.

If we limit it to ‘Equipment Manufacturing’ though.

However, in terms of manipulating mana, there exists someone whose skills no one can compare to.

That person is the Great Mage, the Mentor of the Princess, and also the Chief Professor of Empire Academy, Elena von Eliade Rosario.

Right now, I needed the teaching of a human mage, who can admit to her wrongs and apologize, more than the stubborn and prideful dwarven teachings.

Thus, as I looked directly at her, I slowly stated that identity.

“Right in front of me. Someone with skills greater than Olin.”

“……? In front of me? Who…?”

Yet Elena didn’t comprehend my words and looked around in confusion.

I continued to gaze at her with a solemn expression.

Eventually, sensing something strange, she muttered, “Could it be…?” and pointed at herself with her finger.

“No, surely you can’t be talking about me? …It’s me?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, no, what… Why would I…? …I can’t even make a simple spoon…?”

Of course, she didn’t know how to handle machines.

She probably never swung a hammer even once.

If she could have handled machines, she wouldn’t have fitted such prosthetics for her cat.

Yet she possessed skills that no one could handle better.

“You’re a mana technician. I want to learn how to manipulate mana.”

“……Huh.”

“Please take me on as a disciple. I need the skill to manipulate mana.”