I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“…You know too little about the stubbornness of dwarves. Just wait. I’ll make you smile one day.”

Dagran said this as he stepped out of Reina’s lodging.

And he pondered why he had fallen in love with her.

It was pity.

His obsession with making her smile and the sympathy he felt for her had turned into love.

But that love would never be realized.

Women of the Empire have always been known for their high noses, treating dwarves as lesser men.

Beauty and the Beast were just fairy tales; they had never materialized in reality.

Moreover, could a beauty like her even feel emotions?

‘That’s fine. I just need to make her smile.’

However, he had no intention of giving up just because he couldn’t receive love.

Instead, Dagran’s stubbornness intensified his determination as he desperately delved into crafting equipment.

How much time had passed, he wondered.

It had been seven months since Reina had stayed in his mansion.

Finally, Dagran had created a special potion and device.

The potion could combine emotions with mana, and the device could decipher the smoke that occurred when emotion-infused mana was manipulated.

“Reina! Please sit down! I want to test something—!”

Dagran joyfully entered Reina’s lodging.

Reina, still in her underwear, was glancing at Dagran while doing rehabilitation exercises.

Dagran, startled, hurriedly tried to leave the room but soon halted his steps.

Approaching Reina, who looked at him with a blank expression, he said,

“I have something to test. Please sit down for a moment.”

Reina nodded and picked up the clothes that had fallen to the floor.

At that moment, Dagran took her hand and said,

“Let’s just test it as it is. After all, you don’t know shame, right? So it’s okay?”

“…”

Reina nodded.

After sitting down, she waited for Dagran’s instructions.

Eventually, Dagran told her to drink the potion and then manipulate the mana.

Reina followed his instructions exactly.

– Shhhh…

Then, a purple haze began to rise.

Dagran jumped up from his seat and shouted.

“T-There! You have emotions! You have emotions!”

“…?”

Reina tilted her head with an expressionless face.

Dagran quickly activated the emotion deciphering device and absorbed the violet haze.

He then showed Reina the results, saying,

“Do you see this? Shame, embarrassment, slight anger, humiliation, doubt.”

“…?”

“Reina, these are the emotions you feel! It’s proof that you feel emotions, you just lack a way to express them!”

Reina’s expression changed.

With her mouth slightly open, her curious eyes followed the purple haze swirling around her.

Finally, she spoke.

“However, I don’t feel anything.”

“…It’s just that you can’t express it. Emotions definitely arise, but they just don’t convey.”

Dagran said, holding Reina’s hand.

The color of the haze spreading around Reina’s body began to deepen.

“I will definitely find the cause. First, since it seems you are embarrassed, let’s put some clothes on. Ahem.”

With an emotionless face, Reina dressed herself.

After that, the two talked for a long time.

To see if emotions would change through conversation.

“Reina. In the past… you mentioned that if given proper compensation, you could offer your body. Were you serious?”

Reina remained silent.

However, a black haze began to rise around her.

It was a feeling of self-denial.

It wasn’t sincere.

Dagran let out a sigh of relief and said,

“Thank goodness. It’s not sincere.”

“…”

“I think you didn’t want to get hurt. You’re deliberately pushing others away.”

Reina lowered her head.

Her expression showed deep thought.

Eventually, after a moment, she raised her head and said,

“Even if that’s the case, what good does it do? I still feel nothing.”

Reina said this and paused for a moment.

Then she looked at the black haze rising around her and said,

“And… even if I do feel something, it’d probably be very faint. Like this black smoke, it’ll just scatter away and be a useless byproduct…”

Reina said this and looked at Dagran.

Dagran looked back at Reina.

He could see her black haze transforming into a golden hue.

Then Dagran said,

“…If you can’t feel the essence of emotions, I will help you feel it. I’ll show you just how intense your feelings can be, in a way a knight can feel. Until then, please stay here.”

There was only a week left until her rehabilitation treatment was over.

Actually, Reina was in a position to leave whenever she wanted.

But the haze around her was gradually shifting to a stronger yellow light.

Finally, she responded with a blank expression.

“Yes. I’ll wait a bit longer.”

***

Three months later.

Dagran finally completed the initial version of the ‘Holy Sword.’

He had succeeded in converting emotions into ‘energy.’

He hurried to Reina’s lodging.

Offering her the initial version of the holy sword, he then tested it to see if she could convert emotions into energy.

– Suooooo…

As a result, the deep yellow haze emanating from Reina’s body began to be absorbed by the holy sword.

And that power began to transform into blue mana.

He had succeeded in converting the byproduct of combined emotions and mana into energy.

“L-Let’s go outside! Let’s wield your emotions!”

Dagran grabbed Reina’s hand.

He strode into the snow-covered yard, holding her hand.

Strangely, Reina’s heart raced rapidly.

“Now! Swing it! Feel how intense your emotions are!”

“…”

Reina assumed her stance.

She closed her eyes and felt the holy sword absorbing her mana.

– Hoooom!

At last, she slashed forward.

The blue mana-imbued sword energy charged toward a large rock.

Kugugugugung!!!

The ground trembled.

Crack! Crack! The rock split apart.

The trail of the sword energy carved through the snow like the Red Sea splitting.

Unprecedented destructive power.

“…”

Reina took in the entire scene.

This was the emotion she held within.

That feeling was this intense.

It had been trapped for twenty-seven years, never having been released.

“Reina.”

At that moment, Dagran stood beside Reina.

She looked at Dagran.

Golden haze rippled around her body.

Then Dagran said,

“This is just the beginning. One day, I will make you feel real emotions, not just this sword energy.”

With sparkling eyes, Dagran vowed to find her emotions.

At that moment, Reina felt a strange sensation fluttering in her chest.

The longer she was with him, the more she felt changes happening to her body.

Could she really change if he was with her?

That day, Dagran and Reina talked for a long time.

They celebrated today’s events by drinking and discussing various topics.

That day, Dagran learned why Reina was so obsessed with money.

A fallen noble.

Her family had gone bankrupt and was buried under enormous debt.

So Reina’s parents wanted to marry her off to a wealthy noble family or merchant.

They sought to uplift their family through their in-laws’ power.

But no man wanted her, an expressionless stone Buddha.

A few had pursued her because of her beauty, trying to form serious relationships, but in the end, all gave up after a month.

From then on, Reina began doing anything she could to make money.

Fortunately, she was talented in swordsmanship from a young age, allowing her to earn money through it.

That’s how she ended up on an expedition to the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom, which offered generous compensation.

“…You have done your duty.”

Dagran, having listened to all of Reina’s stories, smiled sadly.

He placed his hand over Reina’s hand resting on the table and said,

“I will keep my promise. I will make you smile. I will.”

“…”

Reina looked at Dagran with an expressionless face.

Her expression hardly shifted.

– Thump. Thump. Thump.

But in contrast to her expression, her heart raced vigorously.

The yellow haze was transforming into a golden glow.

She had fallen in love with Dagran.

***

Two months passed again.

During that time, Dagran and Reina tried various methods to find emotions.

In the process, they spent more time together.

Reina was no longer passive; she began to act actively.

She studied to find emotions, consulted Dagran, and made efforts in various ways.

“…I think I need to go find the ore veins today. Because my father is displeased.”

Dagran’s father, however, was displeased with him.

He believed Dagran had forgotten a dwarf’s duties and was locked away all day, obsessed with a human woman.

Until that point, no one knew about the existence of the ‘Holy Sword,’ so Dagran’s father had many complaints about him.

“Then I’ll go too.”

In any case, for this reason, Dagran and Reina joined the ore vein search team.

Reina’s colleagues, seeing her after a long time, mocked her as ‘the Dwarf’s Woman.’

But Dagran didn’t step in.

Reina held his hand and shook her head.

“W-Wait, wait, wait!”

Then, suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the party.

It was ‘Bayateer.’

In the Dwarven language, it meant ancient wraith.

The long-dormant scourge of the snow mountain had revealed itself.

“AAAAAAH!!!”

The disaster struck in an instant.

As Bayateer leaped to the ground, swinging its claws, dwarves and humans were torn apart one after the other.

Even the knights assigned as escorts couldn’t make a move before meeting their end.

“F-ck!!! Retreat!”

“What about the dwarves?”

“Is that our concern? We’re all about to die! Run!”

The surviving knights began to flee.

Bayateer was a monster even they couldn’t handle.

Originally, Bayateer was an ancient beast featured only in the legends of the dwarves.

Knight-level experts could never withstand such a beast.

“…”

Reina, however, was troubled.

Normally, she would have fled long ago.

It was utterly impossible to defeat that monster with rationality.

She should abandon all the dwarves and run away.

“…N-No…”

But her feet wouldn’t move.

Dagran had dashed forward to save his companions.

“GRAAAAH!!!”

“Nooo!!!”

It was a foolish act.

Dagran wouldn’t accomplish anything by charging in.

Only reckless passion would hasten his doom.

Why are humans so swayed by emotion?

“…W-What!?”

But just then.

Bayateer’s gaze turned toward Dagran.

It bared its jagged teeth and growled low.

And—

– Whooooom!

It raised its front paw high and swung it down toward Dagran.

Blood gushed into the air as Dagran fell to the ground.

A golden haze exploded from Reina’s body.

“NOOOOOO!!!!”

Her body moved on its own.

Yelling out Dagran’s name, she rushed at Bayateer.

Bayateer’s gaze shifted to Reina.

– Whooooom!

Reina’s emotions exploded for the first time.

The energy of those emotions was tremendous.

Though Bayateer lunged at her with its front paw, her sword energy struck Bayateer first.

The once impervious exterior of Bayateer ripped open, blood gushed out, and its organs spilled forth.

“DIE!!!”

Reina screamed as she swung her sword, imbued with golden haze, once more.

Before Bayateer could recover, her blade severed its neck.

Legendary monstrosity Bayateer couldn’t even use its full power as its head rolled away.

She achieved an extraordinary feat as a knight.

“DAGRAAAAAAAN! DAGRAN!!”

But none of that mattered to Reina.

She ran to Dagran to check his condition.

It wasn’t a deep wound.

“Wait! I’ll! I’ll heal you!”

Reina placed her hands on Dagran’s chest and began to heal him.

Gradually, his wounds started to mend.

But Dagran was smiling.

He caressed Reina’s cheek and opened his mouth.

“I said I would make you smile, but it seems I’ve made you cry instead.”

“…?”

Reina jumped in surprise and touched her cheek.

Tears were streaming down.

“I… I…”

Suddenly, she realized her eyes were stinging.

Her nose felt damp.

Her expression twisted in confusion.

“H-How… W-What is this…?”

She was bewildered.

She had never felt this before in her life.

How could she define this strange symptom?

Sadness? Anger? Relief?

None of those fit.

It was something more complex and high-dimensional.

“…”

But soon, Reina realized.

In truth, she had been harboring it for a long time; she was only now coming to terms with it.

Eventually, Reina defined the nature of this confusing symptom for herself.

“…It seems I love you.”