I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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The past six months.

Ed has been quite busy building up the northern defensive line.

To construct an immense barrier spanning about 120 km, he signed contracts with the main blacksmiths of the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom and recruited the Gryphon Riders of the Isilian Kingdom to rain down white phosphorus from above.

But that’s not all.

Afterwards, Ed toured various kingdoms to request their military cooperation.

He employed all the special forces each nation had to reinforce the barrier.

Of course, to hire the special forces from a single kingdom, he had to pay the price.

Depending on each country’s circumstances, he had to provide economic and diplomatic benefits.

“Of course, that’s possible.”

However, Ed had the power and authority to make all of that happen.

With financial might and technical skill, and having gained the Emperor’s trust, there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish in this world.

[Monthly Column December Issue]

“A World Connected as One”

Now, as many talents from numerous nations participated in the “Large-Scale Northern Defensive Line Construction” project led by Ed, various miraculous phenomena were occurring in Graham’s territory.

Longtime enemies, the Dwarves and Elves, were uniting to discuss civil engineering projects, and rival nations that had hated each other for decades were collaborating.

“It’s going just as you intended, brother.”

And as Eve had just remarked, this was all orchestrated by Ed.

A phenomenon where the world unites with a common goal.

At this moment, just before the demon invasion, it was a stage that absolutely had to be achieved.

“Well, I’d say we’ve succeeded about half the time. What about the Demon Church’s movements?”

However, Ed wasn’t satisfied with the current outcome.

He knew that the moment one becomes complacent is the most dangerous moment.

Even while the world united, he didn’t let his guard down against the Demon Church.

Eve adjusted her glasses and replied,

“It’s clearly decreased compared to before. The presence of the Demon Church in the Empire has been nearly eradicated.”

The Demon Church had completely lost its footing within the Empire.

This was a natural result of the Empire’s economic growth.

Originally, the primary target demographic of the Demon Church was the hungry and poor common folk, but as Ed instigated an ‘Industrial Revolution’, the living standards of the common people improved overall, eliminating routes for recruitment.

Moreover, the nobles who fell into the clutches of the Demon Church due to their greed were also being judged by Princess Sephilia and Elena.

There was absolutely no opportunity for the Demon Church to flourish.

“…Is there something weighing on your mind?”

Yet despite everything going smoothly,

Ed’s expression seemed dark for some reason.

Noticing his expression weighing on her mind, Eve asked, and Ed glared into the void as he spoke.

“It’s too quiet.”

“…? What do you mean by quiet?”

“…The Lords of Hell. Everything’s going too smoothly, and it feels like the calm before a storm. They wouldn’t just sit and watch like this.”

The Lords of Hell, who had dealt thorough defeats in all previous encounters.

Yet this time, they were disturbingly quiet.

Even as the timing for their strength to wane approached,

there were no signs of any premonition.

That made the current calm, with the Demon Church’s activities so quiet, even more concerning.

“…But the statistics are all green lights. Thanks to your efforts, the economic situation across the world has improved… Thus, the number of Demon Church followers continues to decline. How about relaxing your mind a bit? My analysis has never been wrong.”

However, from Eve, the android assistant’s perspective, Ed’s concerns seemed exaggerated.

All the data and statistics pointed to green lights; there was no need to worry unnecessarily.

“…Well, if you say so, maybe I’m worrying for no reason, as past failures may have left me with trauma.”

Thus, Ed rubbed his temples and nodded obediently.

Since Eve had always provided answers close to the truth by deducing various scenarios, her assertion suggested that there was no need for pointless worry.

Right now, it was enough to just think about handling Lilith.

‘…What could their scheme be?’

Yet, contrary to his words, a part of Ed was still gripped by an instinct.

An instinct that the Lords of Hell might be preparing something significant.

Ed concentrated on the rising ‘power’ boiling within his chest, trying to deduce the anxiety that his instincts pointed to.

His strongest weapon, his trump card — the power of ‘Authority’.

***

“We have achieved hundreds of victories. But not a single moment can be called a true victory.”

In the abyss.

A giant surrounded by inky black smoke relayed such words to another giant seated on a throne.

Just as the hundreds of times Ed had failed were not true failures, they pointed out the absence of genuine victory for them.

“Why is it not a victory?”

But at that moment, the owner of one of the thrones revealed an uncomfortable feeling.

Karaan.

One of the six Dukes of Flame burned bright with fiery eyes.

“All those worldly powers were our perfect victory. The world of humans they sought to protect has always crumbled at our hands, and all they cherished has been thoroughly crushed by us. Don’t you remember? Their face when they screamed.”

Ed’s face, screaming as he lost everything he cherished.

The Dukes nodded.

They had indeed brought Ed to a pitiful end every time he returned to the past, and the results had never changed.

However, the jet-black giant appeared to think differently.

“Yet we’ve reverted back to square one.”

“That’s all well and good. If he flees to the past, we just need to continue giving him endless despair.”

“Do you really think that will work again?”

“Of course. The future does not change.”

“……”

The jet-black giant silently glared at Karaan, who showed no signs of backing down.

At last, he twisted the corners of his mouth and spoke.

“Karaan. That’s recklessness.”

“……”

“Have you forgotten what kind of existence the Heavenly Beings of that detestable new world hold in reverence?”

“……”

Karaan fell momentarily silent.

He could not dare answer a question about the essence of Heavenly Beings.

Because the target he so looked down upon once resembled a father figure to him.

“…Don’t forget. We do not seek to ravage that detestable new world; we seek to save our world. From those who abandoned us.”

“……”

The fiery light in Karaan’s blazing eyes began to fade.

He was recollecting the meaning of the war they had waged long ago, trying to gather his thoughts.

Finally, he nodded and replied.

“…I see. You’re right, Melfirn. I had forgotten our mission.”

Karaan accepted Melfirn’s opinion with a softened demeanor.

Melfirn nodded and said,

“There’s no need to bow your head, Karaan. It’s just that we’ve been twisted for far too long. Our hatred for them has consumed our hearts.”

“……”

“We must focus solely on achieving victory. Let’s remain vigilant. We’ve won hundreds of times, but the one who ultimately accepts victory or defeat is that man’s heart. If we lose even once, that will decide everything.”

The other Dukes nodded in agreement with Melfirn’s words.

Ultimately, what determines victory and defeat lies within Ed’s control.

Because if they lose, they can go back to the past, and if they win, they can simply live on while maintaining the world order.

“So, Melfirn, do you believe we will lose this time around? The ones who easily devoured the new world before?”

Hence, Melfirn’s assertion about the ‘fear of regression’ amounts to a warning that this round is dangerous.

Because if it were a repeating scenario identical to all the previous hundreds of encounters, they wouldn’t even need to bring this up.

They would have acted to bring about thorough defeat in line with their existing strategy, crushing Ed’s mentality.

“Right.”

And as expected, Melfirn openly admitted it.

He feared this version of Ed more than any before.

“This time, he is different. He discarded the body of a third-rate noble he always possessed and has taken on the body of a commoner. But the results are drastically different. The world is rallying around him, and the Entica Kingdom, which once served as our forward base, has been destroyed by him. By now, Count Gyro should have risen to the rank of Cardinal, but he was killed by him, and even the Elf King, who had sworn loyalty to us, has perished. Many aspects have changed.”

The Lords of Hell, losing the pieces they had once used as strong pawns.

However, in comparison to the forces they possessed, those losses were minimal.

There was no real issue conquering the world even without those.

“So it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”

But Melfirn was wary even of that minor change.

He understood that any slip-up could lead to disaster.

“So, Melfirn, what do you want to say?”

At that point, another Lord of Hell inquired for his opinion.

Melfirn always raised issues while contemplating solutions.

As if he had been waiting, Melfirn expounded his solution.

“We must seal him.”

“……”

“By any means necessary, we must seal him. This version of Ed is unpredictable in how far he can grow. We must seal him now to solidify our victory.”

“……”

Silence fell upon the Hall of Dukes.

To seal Ed, the most powerful of the Heavenly Beings, requires a tremendous amount of energy and offerings.

And those offerings meant ‘Duke-level’ sacrifices.

“Then I shall become the offering.”

However, amidst that, there stood one Duke who voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice.

Karaan, the giant burning in eternal flames.

His fiery eyes burned fiercely bright.

“I wish for this. I will unleash all my hatred within the same space until his soul is extinguished.”

Karaan revealed his intense will and ignited flames all over his body.

Eventually, Melfirn nodded.

He looked around at everyone and spoke.

“Very well. Thanks to Karaan’s noble sacrifice, we can finally achieve our great cause. I will begin preparations for the sealing ceremony.”

***

December 17, Year 476 of the Empire.

At last, the day had come.

It was time for Ed to execute the long-planned ‘Northern Execution of the Abyss.’

And Ed was carefully watching the screen within the crystal ball, calculating the ‘timing of infiltration.’

As Adrian Graham was on his way to become Lilith’s offering,

he awaited when her hidden dwelling would be revealed.

“…Finally, you’ve come, Graham’s child.”

How long had he gazed into the crystal ball?

At last, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.

As Adrian reached a certain cave, Lilith’s sinister and ominous voice began to echo.

Ed turned to his operation team and said.

“Let’s get ready. Lilith will soon reveal herself.”