I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Edgar Fix, having skimmed through all his past, was enveloped in a strange sense of responsibility.

It was no wonder, considering that the initial possession had caused a significant error, drastically altering Adela’s entire life.

As a result, Lucas was born.

“But…”

Yet, if one were to ask whether he was Lucas’s father, the answer was no.

Lucas’s biological father was merely a mercenary named Jack, and he had only possessed Jack for four months to save Adela, which didn’t even allow him to regard the possessed version of himself as his true self.

Having lost his memory, Edgar felt a confusion regarding his identity.

“Still… it is a result of my possession, isn’t it?”

Regardless, Lucas was born due to his intervention.

Adela had also gone against tremendous opposition to give birth to Lucas, wishing to leave behind her love for Jack in this world.

And she remained a widow, still living with her longing for Jack.

“I guess I have to bring this to a conclusion, one way or another.”

Thus, Edgar began to ponder.

How should he wrap up his relationship with Adela?

What would happen if he revealed his true identity to her?

It would likely cause great chaos.

Adela had wandered for a long time, unable to distinguish between the original Jack and the Jack she had loved for four months; revealing the truth now could lead to even greater turmoil.

Their existing relationship could collapse.

“Above all…”

Above all, he doubted whether Adela would be able to accept this fact.

Could she easily accept that the friend of her son was actually Jack?

To explain that fact, he would have to delve into numerous details, starting with the saving of the world to the possession itself.

“…”

Moreover, Edgar didn’t see the ‘Jack he possessed’ as his true self.

He only regarded the life of ‘Edgar Fix’, based solely on the memories granted to him, as his true being.

Furthermore, wasn’t there a consciousness of mission which occupied the largest part of Jack’s identity?

That is, it was the unbreakable will to save this world.

He was merely a persona that existed briefly for the sake of saving Adela, her existence alone.

Claiming him as himself would mean their fundamental components were entirely different.

“I… I value my memories more.”

Thus, Edgar made his stance clear.

What he cherished were the bonds he had formed at the Academy during countless iterations, and he couldn’t bring himself to take responsibility for all that Jack had left behind.

He wouldn’t allow even the slightest crack in his life and connections to bear that vague sense of responsibility.

“…But I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.”

However, due to his nature, he couldn’t continue to live as if this fact didn’t exist.

Though he would do anything without hesitation for the sake of saving the world, he felt shackled by this moral responsibility.

…Was there any way to protect the life of ‘Edgar Fix’ while saving Adela as well?

“…Hmm?”

At that moment, a voice surfaced in Edgar’s mind.

Suddenly, he recalled something the Emperor had once said to him.

– Just promise me one thing. If you can properly finish all this, erase all my abilities and memories. I’m tired of being ‘me’.

The Emperor, who had requested the removal of all his transferred memories and abilities.

That request meant he wished to relinquish his power.

By transferring the power that maintained memories and abilities, he would be freed from the responsibilities that had persisted for centuries.

“…What if I could hold that power?”

Thus, Edgar contemplated.

What could he do with the power reclaimed from the Emperor?

“…It’s entirely possible.”

And Edgar realized.

With that power, he could also save Adela, who had lived as a widow for nearly 20 years.

A smile spread across his face.

***

World Tree.

This wondrous divine artifact held mysterious powers related to memories.

By sharing memories inscribed in the soul, one could peer into another’s memories.

The countless lights surrounding Isabella were also energies made from other people’s memories.

“…Ed.”

However, if one gazed too long into another’s memories, they could become consumed by them.

One could be swept away by the immense sea of memories, erasing their very existence.

Thus, to avoid being swept away by the sea of memories, four individuals, connected by fate, had to pair up and share their memories.

While searching for oneself among each other’s memories, they would form a barrier to prevent other memories from intervening.

“…Edgar Fix.”

As Edgar’s party of four paired up to resonate, Isabella thought of Edgar.

At a time when Edgar wished to delve into his ‘past self’, Isabella yearned to peer into the memories of ‘Edgar Fix’ the most.

Because Edgar was the one she had loved most dearly, yet had to abandon due to her family’s fate, a heartbreaking existence.

That was why she still couldn’t escape her obsession.

“…What’s happening?”

However, in Edgar’s memories, he did not appear.

Only a nameless low-ranking student building a relationship with her could be seen.

Why was it that a life completely disconnected from Edgar unfolded before her eyes?

“…Should I watch for now?”

Nonetheless, Isabella decided to calmly observe the strange man before her.

At times, she saw fragments of Edgar’s presence in his actions and demeanor.

There were even aspects resembling Edgar’s unique tone and atmosphere, and the subtle habits she alone knew.

Although their noble lineage, names, and appearances were completely different, it could not be said that he had no relation to Edgar at all.

“…Is this the universe for a lifetime?”

Yet, the more she watched his life, the more her confusion deepened.

This was entirely due to the fact that the man’s life began to flow in a direction completely different from the history she knew.

“…Edgar is absent.”

And the greatest factor that changed the course of history was ‘Edgar’s absence’.

From enrolling in the Academy as a commoner to captivating the hearts of the audience with his entrance speech, and then moving on to the ‘Class Assessment Battle’.

Once Edgar’s intense footprint vanished, the atmosphere of the Academy changed entirely.

“…Without Edgar, I…”

And the version of herself that existed in a history where Edgar was absent was now much darker.

She didn’t feel particularly interested in any class she attended at the Academy, solely fixated on accumulating ‘Negative’.

Moreover, as she entered the second year, those symptoms only intensified.

Every 49 days, deprived of any comforts from Edgar, she gradually lost her humanity, evolving into a monster to defeat her father.

As a result, she was far stronger in terms of power compared to now.

With no emotional solace, focusing solely on accumulating negativity, she ruled as the strongest student in the Academy during her second and third years.

[…Isabella.]

Yet, it was at that moment that a man approached her.

A man resembling Edgar’s spirit.

In other words, someone she had no acquaintance with, but who strangely shared the same essence as Edgar.

And the parallel version of herself began to intertwine with that man, slowly changing.

She was starting to regain her lost humanity.

“…Ah.”

Thus, the self who had once been so vicious began to change little by little.

She began to smile like her former self before abandoning Edgar, sometimes expressing herself in her own way.

While it was still ambiguous to call their relationship deep, at least a ‘friend’ similar to the much darker self she once was had emerged.

“…”

And when the fourth year rolled around.

She ultimately became a being similar to her current self.

After being caught swept away by negative emotions every 49 days, she began to open her heart and love him.

“…Parallel universe.”

Thus, Isabella decided to accept the strange man before her as Edgar.

Because the way he treated her closely resembled how Edgar did, and the story of him rising to the ranks of the strongest in the Academy without anyone’s attention was similar to Edgar’s.

Simply put, his timing was just significantly delayed; the man was almost no different from Edgar.

“Here, it’s the same.”

But ultimately, her decision to abandon Edgar remained the same even in the parallel universe.

As the speed at which negativity accumulated slowed with her sharing love with Edgar, she abandoned him and accepted her family’s fate.

“…Why?”

However, the Edgar from the parallel world did not give up on her.

Even though the parallel version of herself had hurt him so much, he continued to envelop her like a fool.

Seeing his unwavering love and foolishness for her made her heart ache.

“Why… why don’t you leave me?”

And now, the Edgar she saw in the parallel world was the version of him that chose the ‘Isabella route’ in his first playthrough.

Just a mere first run, and her heart was already shattered…