I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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The operation was successful.

The Night Crow Unit flawlessly executed Edgar’s orders, blocking the castle gates.

Edgar and his party were able to quell all the Demon Church members rampaging within the royal castle.

As a result, they achieved their objective of defending against the demon invasion and saving the Sardinia Kingdom.

“……”

“……”

However, Isabella and Enya’s expressions were far from bright.

Edgar, who always prioritized them, had spent most of this operation fixated on Lucas.

Why was Edgar taking such care of Lucas?

‘…Now he’s doing it openly.’

However, Claire from the Bernhardt family had already noticed Edgar’s change.

Her family specialized in “buffs and auras,” making her adept at detecting subtle emotional shifts in others.

Moreover, Claire had secretly begun to like Lucas.

While Enya and Isabella were infatuated with Edgar, she had been quietly harboring feelings for Lucas, so she had picked up on the subtle changes between Edgar and Lucas long ago.

‘The World Tree exploration…’

Thus, Claire was precisely aware of when their relationship began to change.

It was right after they experienced the World Tree exploration in the Elf Kingdom.

After returning from there, Edgar’s attitude towards Lucas had slightly shifted.

Isabella and Enya had also become closer to Edgar after coming back from that ordeal.

They had been feeding themselves all kinds of cringeworthy nonsense about how they were star-crossed lovers destined to be together.

‘…Anyhow, the conclusion is.’

When you put all this together, it’s clear that Edgar and Lucas must have had some connection in their past lives.

Edgar, after peering into his previous life, had become aware of some kind of bond with Lucas.

‘…He won’t tell me even if I ask. He’s a slippery one.’

That prickly and quirky Isabella had completely fallen for Edgar Fix.

Claire knew that she couldn’t compete with him.

She also understood that she wouldn’t get the answers she wanted if she asked him.

In the end, to uncover the nature of Edgar and Lucas’s relationship, she had no choice but to rely on her observational skills and intuition, keeping a steady watch.

‘I will find out for sure!’

Nodding slightly, Claire clenched her fist.

***

Two weeks passed.

During that time, Isabella and Enya had nearly reached their wits’ end.

What initially seemed like mere worry over Edgar’s behavior had now solidified into a near certainty.

Edgar was, for sure, more concerned about Lucas than about them.

While outwardly it appeared as though a friend was looking after a friend, his expressions and gestures, along with his unique aura, were filled with affection.

To a third party who had never shared a romantic encounter with Edgar, his signature “affectionate expression” could be seen in the way he interacted with Lucas.

—Cawww…

As a result, dark circles had settled under Isabella and Enya’s eyes.

The two had been brainstorming together for weeks, but they still couldn’t figure out why Edgar was fixated on Lucas.

“Haa… This isn’t easy.”

It had brought her joy when she realized they had been lovers in a previous life.

Now, Isabella and Enya had dreamt of a rosy relationship without any anxiety, living happily ever after with him.

‘But…!’

Yet, Edgar was a playboy.

He had another love besides herself.

Notably, Enya had Isabella.

And Isabella had Enya.

Additionally, although Edgar had not mentioned it, Claire suspected something unusual with the Great Mage Elena.

Wasn’t there a certain subtle emotion in the way she looked at Edgar, which transcended that of a mentor and a pupil?

On top of that, recently, there was also Eve Fix, who had shown up claiming to be his cousin.

With Edgar already busy saving the world, those damn women swarming around him left no room for romance whatsoever.

She just wanted to do all sorts of things with Edgar!

“Drinking in broad daylight?”

At that moment, the pub’s door swung open, and a voice rang out.

Isabella and Enya turned around simultaneously with dazed expressions.

It was Claire.

“What’s up? Is that you…?”

“We’re feeling uneasy. Let’s talk later.”

Gloomily welcoming Claire, Enya chugged her beer.

Claire chuckled softly and sat next to her, alternating her gaze between the dark circles under Enya’s and Isabella’s eyes.

“You two are always fighting, yet you end up together in the end. Were you perhaps lovers in a past life?”

“…Huh? What?”

“Me, with her? Nonsense!”

“Pfft. Just kidding. No need to get all worked up.”

Claire smiled, leaning sideways on the table.

She propped her chin in one hand, observing Isabella and Enya.

With a huff, Enya folded her arms.

“We’re just… stuck together because we have something to discuss. It’s unavoidable.”

“…Let’s just call it a ridiculously unsolvable riddle. But we do have a problem to deal with.”

Saying this, Isabella chewed on dry snacks.

Though she’d been deep in denial for weeks, from the look on her face, it seemed she was slowly returning to her former “witch” self.

“Is it because of Lucas?”

Just then, Claire’s sudden mention of “Lucas” made Enya and Isabella’s eyes snap open.

When they simultaneously turned to Claire, she smirked.

“With Edgar and Lucas growing closer recently, you both must be troubled, right? You feel sidelined and are wondering whether your feelings are cooling down or how to approach him about it.”

““…?””

Staring vacantly at Claire, Isabella and Enya looked at her as if they found her reaction amusing.

Claire then turned her gaze directly forward and raised her hand.

“Boss! One beer over here!”

“Sure~”

After ordering the beer, she popped a peanut into her mouth.

Enya clasped Claire’s arm excitedly and asked, “How did you know? Do you know something?”

Munch munch munch.

Nodding while chewing her peanut, Claire answered.

Isabella abruptly stood up, leaving her chair beside Claire and sat next to her instead.

With Claire in the middle, Enya sat on the right and Isabella on the left.

The two immediately began showering her with questions.

“What is it? What did you find out? Is there a special reason why Edgar is looking out for Lucas?”

“You heard something from Duke Elmar, right? You are close to Lucas’s mother, after all.”

“Wait! Is it because Lady Adela is Edgar’s guardian? Did she ask him to take care of Lucas or something…?”

“Would Duke Adela even make such a request? Anyway, Claire, what’s going on? What did you find out? Don’t just sit there; spill it!”

Enya and Isabella were both frantic to hear the answer.

In the meantime, the pub owner served Claire her beer.

Taking a sip, Claire narrowed her eyes and gazed straight ahead.

After a moment’s pause, she made an explosive declaration.

“Edgar likes Lucas.”

““…????????????????””

Isabella and Enya’s expressions screamed, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

After a sip of her beer, Claire continued.

“The truth is, I like Lucas. So I’ve been keeping an eye on him for a long time.”

““…??????””

She likes Lucas?

Isabella and Enya’s gazes collided with the air.

Their eyes seemed to ask, “Did you know about this?”

How could they possibly know?

After all, Claire had never dropped even a hint.

“You liked Lucas…?”

“…Since when?”

“…”

Claire simply smiled bitterly while rolling her beer glass.

Eventually, she spoke.

“…It’s been a while. He’s a pitiful kid.”

Claire had long since grasped Lucas’s trauma.

She knew that Lucas feared his own heritage.

Having a father who was just a mercenary, he was worried that his existence would be a burden on his mother.

Unbeknownst to him, he had been silently cheering for Lucas.

But before he knew it, he had realized he liked him.

For that reason, Claire had quietly rooted for him.

To help him gain his mother’s recognition. And she understood just how hard he worked to break free from the label of “half-hearted noble” and fit into noble society.

As her feelings grew into something deeper.

“Lucas is… pitiful?”

“…Is there any reason for him to be pitiful…?”

But most people didn’t understand.

They believed his talent and character were simply innate.

Only Claire, who had happened to see Lucas crying during a visit to the Elmar Territory, could see that he was a born genius, not just someone who flaunted their abilities.

Lucas’s exaggerated laughter and bravado were merely means to hide his insecurities.

“Anyway, I like Lucas. It’s been more than two years.”

“…”

“…”

And so, Claire promptly reached a conclusion on the matter.

Regardless, those who didn’t know Lucas wouldn’t understand, and she didn’t feel the need to convince Isabella and Enya.

What was more critical was the more pressing issue at hand.

“Well, now is not the time for that. Ultimately, what’s important to you is the relationship between Lucas and Edgar.”

The relationship between Lucas and Edgar.

Mentioning that topic made Isabella and Enya focus on Claire with exclamation points in their eyes.

While chewing peanuts, Claire said, “Listen well. Edgar definitely has feelings for Lucas. It’s not just that he cares for him as a teammate or friend, but he harbors emotions beyond that.”

““…?””

Isabella and Enya’s expressions turned cold.

While it made no sense, at the same time, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

Even they could see that Edgar’s feelings for Lucas surpassed simple friendship.

“B-but why would Edgar… ? It doesn’t add up.”

“Right! Edgar and I were… I hate to admit it, but we were also… special lovers! Even if we lived the same life a hundred times over… He always chose me as his lover!”

Yelling this, Enya took a deep breath before chugging her beer.

Isabella, with her dark circles around her eyes glaring at Claire as if to challenge her to refute this, remained tense.

Eventually, Claire nodded and said, “Yeah, I know that from what you told me. Both of you had special connections with Edgar in your past lives.”

““…?””

“But do you guarantee that Edgar Fix exclusively dated you two?”

“…Huh?”

“Did he only date you two while going through all those timelines?”

“…Huh?”

“Among the secrets of the Bernhardt family, we have a spell that manipulates time. Thus, when it comes to theories about time, I know enough to tell you that there is a concept called ‘branch point.’ It’s a theory suggesting that due to a significant event, the timelines can split into multiple paths.”

Branch point?

Timelines can split?

Isabella and Enya looked at Claire with expressions as if asking what that meant.

Sighing, Claire explained.

“To put it simply, it means things can diverge into multiple versions of the world. There might even be a world where Lucas is female!”

“…If that’s the case…?”

“Exactly! If Edgar experienced the world where Lucas was a girl, they could have been in a romantic relationship.”

Isabella and Enya’s expressions stiffened.

***

Fidget fidget.

Suddenly, Edgar felt a strange itch in his ears.

For a brief moment, he thought, “Is someone talking behind my back?” but being the logical person he was, he soon dismissed this superstitious thought and focused on the front.

There stood Lucas, training hard with his upper body bare.

Edgar smiled with satisfaction at the sight.

‘He’s growing tremendously. All he needed was just a mentor.’

Mentor.

To put it precisely, a mental pillar.

Edgar believed what Lucas truly needed was a mental foundation to fully unleash his talents and possibilities.

Because Lucas harbored resentment against his commoner father, he had set limits on himself.

Stuck in the complex of being a “half-hearted noble,” he believed he had to struggle just to keep up with others.

‘But you are inherently talented.’

Lucas possessed ample talent.

This was, after all, natural since it was likely that Edgar’s powers had mingled during the process of Adela’s conception.

Of course, he had borrowed the body of a man named “Jack Dionel,” but regardless, Lucas had inherited his powers.

‘What I can do for you is… help you bring out that talent.’

Thus, even though Edgar recognized himself as a separate entity from Jack Dionel, a sense of responsibility weighed on him.

While he wasn’t Lucas’s biological father, his mistakes had significantly impacted Lucas’s existence.

It was about helping Lucas grow.

‘Isabella has relaxed a bit, and Enya’s anxieties have eased as well.’

Most importantly, the issues that had mattered most to Edgar had been resolved.

By defeating Lilith, Graham had been freed, and Enya realized that she had been his past life lover, didn’t she wear that bright smile?

Now it was time to settle the debts from their past lives.

No matter how much he viewed himself as separate from Jack Dionel, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to Lucas.

“…Lord Fix.”

Meanwhile, Adela watched from a distance as her son was with Edgar.

The sight of Lucas training under Edgar’s guidance and Edgar praising his skills made it resemble a father-son relationship.

In that moment, Adela could inadvertently see her deceased husband’s image in Edgar.

“…I am a dirty woman.”

Since when had she harbored feelings she shouldn’t have?

She had begun to develop romantic feelings for Edgar Fix.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were my one and only love… my eternal love.”

Because of this, she was struggling with self-loathing.

Never had her heart swayed, yet as she started interacting with Edgar, she found herself irresistibly drawn to him.

Even though she knew he was an entirely different person from her husband.

‘He must think I’m disgusting.’

Above all, the age difference was downright ridiculous.

A seventeen-year gap.

Neither biologically nor socially acceptable.

This was the kind of moral decay where a lustful noblewoman took a much younger man as a lover.

It was an impossible love that could never be permitted for someone like her, the Grand Duke of the Elmar family.

‘I’ll just bury this feeling quietly.’

Thus, Adela decided.

She would extinguish this budding flame quietly.

It would be just a momentary feeling that would surely die down with time.

She could extinguish it unnoticed.

Thinking this, she closed her eyes.

“Um… Master?”

“Gah!”

At that moment, a servant called out to Adela.

Distracted by Edgar, she hadn’t even noticed someone approaching and turned around with a startled expression.

The servant stared blankly at her.

“…My lady?”

“Cough, cough…! Wh-what’s the matter?”

“Um, well, a guest has arrived. Lord Lucas’s friends.”

“Lucas’s friends?”

“Yes. The young lords from the Duke’s household have come to see Lord Lucas.”

The young lords from the Duke’s household.

Adela nodded.

It had been years since they had come to her territory, so what brought them all of a sudden?

Nodding, Adela responded, “Let them in.”