I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Lord’s Office of Fix Territory.

I sat in the office, reflecting on the events of the past few months.

It had truly been a tumultuous time.

In less than three months, the world had undergone many changes.

And the one who led those changes was none other than myself.

‘The boundaries of the universe were vast.’

A major incident that reshaped the worldview of all humanity.

It was none other than the “Descendants of the Stars” incident, which simultaneously showcased the atmosphere of Earth and outer space.

Revealing that the so-called ‘Heavenly Beings,’ referred to as gods in this world, did not originate from the sky but from an alien planet expanded the horizons of thought for people everywhere.

Thanks to this ‘visual proof,’ the world enthusiastically accepted my methodology that could allow anyone to become a ‘Descendant of the Stars,’ with some even considering my words as ‘scripture.’

It was beginning to take on a religious tone.

However, I did not play the role of a guru.

Because if my teachings were worshipped and became a group, it would surely result in factionalism, rejecting other religions.

For instance, the dwarves worship the ‘God of Blacksmiths.’

The elves also worship the ‘Mother of the Forest,’ and among humans, there are those who worship gods other than the Heavenly Beings.

Even in Clendor, which is close to the Empire, they worship the ‘God of the Seas.’

Thus, claiming that only my teachings are correct is dangerous.

A desire to benefit the human world. In other words, I should emphasize accumulating virtue while also respecting other beliefs and convictions.

Only then can wars over religion be avoided.

“…Well, anyway, that’s that.”

Right now, I needed to focus on the tasks at hand.

Today was already March 4th.

The opening of the Academy was approaching.

My ‘Magic Engineering Department’ would officially start accepting students.

“Phew…”

So, I was busy with various administrative tasks and paperwork.

Before the official opening date of March 17th, I had to review candidates for admission and arrange appropriate lectures according to the curriculum.

“I’m glad to have these guys around.”

In that sense, I was fortunate to have club members to help me out.

They had ultimately received approval from the Academy to work as instructors.

‘I’m glad I pushed them hard.’

For the past three months, the club members had dedicated themselves to researching to get jobs as Academy instructors.

Thanks to that, they were able to create things worthy of being called ‘masterpieces.’

They developed living items and magic engineering weapons that encompassed various mechanical knowledge and received recognition from the professors of the Academy’s Department of Administrative Studies.

As such, they could enter my department looking quite professor-like with their bald heads.

They were assigned classes according to the curriculum I devised.

Thermodynamics – David

Solid Mechanics – Jacques

Fluid Mechanics – Scon

Mana Mechanics – Eoren

Combination of Formulas and Materials – Astrey

Heat Transfer – Anthony

Engineering Applications of Formulas – Baekke

Understanding Materials and Processing – Klein

…

“Hmm…”

Thus, I allocated classes according to the talents of my “slaves.”

Having followed me around and worked hard, I was sure they would do well.

In fact, they only seemed unremarkable because they had just been through tough times, but they were also students who could enter the Empire Academy, which only accepts the best talents.

Based on this world’s standards, they could be called prodigies or geniuses.

“Well… now it’s time for admission screening.”

With the overall functions of the department set, it was now time to accept students.

I began drafting the application guidelines to choose suitable talents for my department.

Unlike other departments, however, my department does not consider the use of mana or proficiency in magical formulas.

Only ‘scientific curiosity’ and ‘thinking ability’ and ‘mathematical talent’ would be evaluated.

Even if one couldn’t handle mana, magic engineering was possible with a ‘magic scroll.’

In fact, to become a great engineer, having thinking ability based on mechanical understanding is the most crucial.

“This might… be a bit difficult.”

Thus, I wrote that everyone, regardless of age, gender, status, or race, could be evaluated… but I’m not sure if it will pass.

I wonder if the Empire Academy, which only accepts elites among the nobles, would allow commoners, and whether non-human races would be accepted as well.

“Well, I can always push for it.”

But I am Edgar Fix.

My status is on an entirely different level than a year ago, plus I have Elena and the princess backing me up.

I suppose I’ll have to go and insist on it.

“Let’s do it.”

As expected, the result was a “yes.”

In fact, the response was more like, “If you want it, what can’t you do?”

Even the half-asleep princess, nestled against Elena, said it would be fun, and encouraged me to push ahead.

So, I posted the recruitment notice for students.

“W-wait, we can apply to Edgar Fix’s department?”

“You’re not even considering the race!?”

The reaction was explosive.

There was a rush of participants from all over the world, eager to attend the Empire Academy since commoners could join and no racial exclusions were made.

“Bwahahaha… They’re willingly walking into hell…”

Then David muttered something strange.

Comparing the always cheerful and happy Magic Engineering Department to hell was a curious choice.

Is he using irony? If that’s the case, I would have to give him credit.

“Sure is a crowd. Good luck with that.”

“……”

Thus, I assigned my kids the first and second screenings.

The evaluations were simple tests to determine if they had at least a minimal understanding of mechanics.

However, even with just this simple test, we managed to filter out 70% of the 8,600 applicants.

This result came about because more than half of the applicants were drawn to me rather than the mechanical engineering itself.

“Thanks for the third round as well.”

“Yesss~”

Next, I conducted the third test, which assessed the ‘domain of talent.’

Even if they hadn’t studied natural sciences, if they had curiosity and thinking ability, they could explain certain phenomena.

For instance, I asked them to explain the principle of how a ship floats, explain Newton’s laws of motion, or reason which of two objects of different volumes and weights would fall faster when dropped.

These were problems to evaluate their reasoning ability.

“Quite a number of useful candidates.”

And I must admit I was impressed by the results.

Many candidates perfectly explained the mechanical interactions of gravity and buoyancy to prove the principle of buoyancy and even explained how to keep a ship from rocking by adding ballast in the hull.

“Hmm… a lot of people from my territory.”

Most of such talented candidates were residents of my territory.

To be more precise, they mostly consisted of the children of my engineering unit.

It seemed that having their fathers working as engineers influenced them to study mechanical engineering and natural sciences separately.

This can be seen as a very positive phenomenon.

“Well then, I’ll conduct the final interviews.”

I filtered down to about 240 interviewees.

And from this group, only 133 would be accepted into my department.

This was to select well-rounded talents that possessed skill, character, personal qualities, mindset, and philosophy, in accordance with the motto of the Empire Academy, which only accepts the best elites.

“Thank you all for your efforts. You may go in and take a good rest.”

“Thank you, professor.”

Thus, thanks to my club members who became instructors, the assistant professors, and the administrative team who all worked hard over the past five days, we were able to accept 133 elite students.

Among them, surprisingly, there were elves who had come from faraway forests and young dwarves from the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom.

Because they were allied nations of the Empire, they were allowed admission.

– Whoosh…

So on March 17th,

the path leading to the main gate of the Empire Academy was adorned with blooming cherry blossom trees.

New freshmen, excited, headed towards the main gate, while my fellow sophomores, finishing up their winter break, also approached with a renewed mindset to begin the new semester.

“Hello, Professor!”

“Professor! I’m a fan!”

However, my situation was a bit different.

Surely, just a year ago, I was walking to school as a commoner, but now I was heading to the main gate as a noble and professor.

I briefly thought about how much had changed in such a short time.

“…Hmm?”

In the midst of this, a girl came into my view.

A 19-year-old girl with short white hair, frowning with green eyes.

It was Enya.

“I was fine until yesterday…”

Enya was staring pointedly at her scabbard with a face full of complaints.

Suddenly, the moment I first met her a year ago flashed in my mind, causing me to smile involuntarily.

Back then, Enya had also frowned deeply about how tight her scabbard was.

I had repaired that scabbard for her, and that’s how we became friends.

“I think there’s something wrong with your scabbard.”

So, I jokingly addressed Enya.

Startled, she turned around and then greeted me with a brightened expression.

“Ed!”

“It’s just like a year ago. Is there an issue with your scabbard?”

“Ah…! Well, that’s…”

Enya explained the situation to me.

To summarize, her scabbard had loosened up, causing issues with drawing her sword.

“It was tight last year, but now it’s loose.”

“Pfft… Right?”

Last year, Enya had trouble with her scabbard being too tight.

Back then, she hadn’t looked at me with this sort of expression.

Her face had been like that of a wary little kitten watching over her territory.

A face filled with suspicion.

“Ah… Speaking of which, I guess I should call you ‘Professor’ now, right?”

But our relationship is different now.

She has feelings for me, and I for her.

We were maintaining a surface-level friendship while harboring those ticklish feelings.

“Ah, come on. When we’re alone, just be casual about it. It feels weird to be called ‘Professor’ too.”

“W-well…”

“More than that, I’ll take a look at your scabbard. It should be an easy fix.”

And so I repaired Enya’s scabbard just like before.

The cause of the looseness was that she had left a heated sword in the scabbard.

Having undergone intense training leading to the sword heating up, the inside of the scabbard had been warped by the heat.

“Here you go.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

This level of repair was easy for me, so I could fix it quickly.

Having repaired her scabbard, I walked alongside Enya.

Feeling a bit awkward yet thrilling, I felt those strange feelings.

‘Well, it has barely been three weeks since that event.’

That event.

In other words, the day I unexpectedly kissed Enya.

Just three weeks ago, Enya and I had shared a kiss in the backyard of Cruel Territory.

‘…Given the atmosphere, I couldn’t help it.’

And the unintended fishing that happened when I kissed Enya was because she had tried to distance herself from me.

That was because, despite the rapidly changing situation, Isabella and Charlotte met regularly, while Enya hadn’t been seen for months.

– Enya, I haven’t been able to see your face lately. Is something wrong?

– There’s nothing wrong. I’m just busy with training.

So I had asked Enya if something was up, but her response had been oddly cold.

She, who was always proactive towards me, began to avoid me.

That’s why, three weeks ago, I visited her territory.

Still, Enya tried to avoid meeting me, claiming she wasn’t feeling well.

In the midst of that, Duke Ireya came to meet me and explained everything that had happened.

She had a guilty conscience caused by her inappropriate words regarding Enya.

– Enya.

So I was guided by Duke Ireya to her room.

She was indeed bedridden with a fever.

How ill must her heart be for the normally robust Enya to catch a fever?

I told Duke Ireya that she didn’t need to feel sorry.

At that time, I had been a commoner, so Duke Ireya had sufficiently been in a position to make such a suggestion.

I explained that I hadn’t held any grudge since then.

However, even after that, Enya only remained silent, avoiding my gaze.

– …Would you like to talk outside? Let’s take a walk.

In the Duke Ireya’s mansion, where many ears were present.

I had taken her outside, just in case there was something she couldn’t say to me.

As we walked along the quiet road devoid of people, reminiscing about various memories, I broached the main subject.

I asked her why she was starting to avoid me.

Eventually, Enya answered with a face on the verge of tears.

– I’m… an obstacle.

– …?

What on earth could she mean by that?

How could Enya be an obstacle?

When I asked for clarification, she responded.

– …I know. About you and Isabella… dating…

– ????

Wait, me dating Isabella!?

When I clarified that it wasn’t the case, Enya yelled with tear-filled eyes to stop lying.

She had covertly followed us after hearing that we met every 49 days and confirmed that I entered Isabella’s dorm and didn’t come out all night.

She yelled at me not to deceive her.

– No, that’s…

So I explained everything I could without disclosing Isabella’s secret.

I was just helping Isabella with her mental care and providing her with sleep therapy so that she could have just one night’s worth of comfortable sleep.

I explained it in that manner.

– …So, you don’t have any feelings for Isabella at all? Even after staying up with her all night, you don’t feel anything for her?

– ……

However, her question was sharp.

Enya’s inquiry about whether I had any feelings for Isabella.

I honestly conveyed my feelings.

– I do. I like Isabella. I hope she doesn’t break down.

– ……

At that, despair washed over Enya’s face.

It was as if her world had crumbled, staring at me with hollow eyes.

– …But you like me too. More than just friends.

– …!?

But then, my next words began to change Enya’s expression.

Her dead eyes suddenly sparkled with life, and color returned to her pale face.

She grabbed my sleeve tightly and shouted.

– Y-you like me!? W-when did this happen!?

…When was it, indeed.

When I think about it, Enya was my first heroine.

Back in the early stages of my infinite regress, I had connected with everyone through Enya.

It was only as I transitioned toward the latter part of the regression that I became increasingly aware of Isabella’s sob story.

In truth, I had liked Enya as a partner too.

– From the beginning.

So, I calmly conveyed my feelings.

I had liked her since the very first moment I saw her.

Enya’s face flushed and she began to flounder over her words.

– W-what!? No way… Y-you… like me…? Wow… wowww…

She was fidgeting, darting about restlessly.

Then she suddenly froze in place and asked how much I liked Isabella.

When I evaded with an awkward expression, she muttered while resting her chin on her hand.

She seemed to think she had a chance after all.

– S-so… what were you and Isabella doing all night?

Then she asked what I had done with Isabella all night.

I answered that I comforted her, shared various conversations, and embraced her to help her find stability.

Enya, with a face about to burst from the redness, said,

– I… I… can I…?

– ……

There was nothing wrong with that.

Enya and I had gone all the way.

But when the situation occurred, I suddenly felt embarrassed.

Was it because I had brushed previous memories aside as part of a game? But when I embraced Enya from behind, my heart felt like it would burst.

– Ah… mmm…

But Enya was also feeling shy.

So much so that I could clearly feel her racing heartbeat.

Even though it was relatively cool, Enya was extremely excited to the point of breaking into a sweat.

– …I won’t ask you to choose right away.

Then, Enya turned to me, gazing into my face.

With her face blushing like a tomato, she buried herself in my chest and said,

– Until your heart is decided… I want you to treat me just as you treat Isabella. Just that much.

Enya said that, wrapping her arms around my back.

Breathing heavily against my chest, she rubbed her face against me.

I had to pull back as a reaction in my lower half started to plummet.

– …N-no, I changed my mind.

But at that moment, Enya looked up at me and said that.

Then, with glistening eyes, she conveyed her deep feelings to me.

She felt she couldn’t live without me.

When she resolved to forget me, it seemed like nothing worked in her hands, and even tasty food felt like chewing on paper.

Everything became meaningless, stealing away her will to live.

Thus, she expressed her feelings.

[…Without you, my life has no meaning.]

And at her words, I suddenly recalled the past.

In the cycle where I had chosen Enya as my heroine, I remembered her end.

[…So, I will never leave you behind.]

Enya’s end.

She always met her demise while trying to protect me.

Except for the ending where I led her astray and she fell into the clutches of a devil, in every cycle, she faced her end alongside me.

She had always loved me with all her being.

– …Hah!

Overwhelmed by that memory, I tightly embraced the Enya in front of me.

Our lips met, and we passionately explored each other.

“…Ed!”

At that moment, my memories scattered.

Enya, who had been walking alongside me, called out to me.

“…What were you thinking?”

“…Oh. Just thinking about class for a moment.”

“Ah… I see.”

Enya, slightly flustered, nodded her head.

She said,

“W-well then!… I’ll see you later! I’m one of your students!”

My class.

In other words, it referred to ‘The Proper Usage of Various Combat Magical Engineering Equipment’ that I was teaching as a general course.

My general classes were open to not just major students but all cadets.

“…Okay. See you later.”

And this class would be attended not only by Enya but also by Isabella, Charlotte, Lucas, and Claire.

As I had expected, the major prospects of this world had all gathered.

“Well… alright. First, I should prepare for class.”

So, I shook off my thoughts.

As the responsible professor, the reason I was conducting this general class was to properly nurture the children of the four dukes.