I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

---

The day after Reina killed Bayater, the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom held a festival. They had finally slain the ancient terror that had long been feared, known as the “Calamity of the Snowy Mountains.” Thus, Reina was hailed as their hero. Dagran’s creation, the “Guide of Emotions,” was also celebrated as a holy sword, deemed both an artifact and a relic of theirs.

Dagran, who had spent his life in debauchery without receiving any “title,” became an instant star by earning the title of “Master” all at once.

– “Dagran, I didn’t know he was such a remarkable guy. How could he create such a holy sword…?”
– “He hasn’t been showing up to parties, and look at what he’s been busy crafting!”
– “Is that all? He even managed to win over a woman from the Empire. What a capable guy.”

The Empire held a status nearly equal to modern-day America. Their economic, military, and cultural influence overshadowed other kingdoms. Thus, at that time, the dwarves idolized women from the Empire. Moreover, since they traded frequently and had many chances to see them, their desire for women from the Empire was at its peak.

Now that Dagran had achieved such a dream-like feat, he rose to fame as the greatest blacksmith among all dwarves.

“Do you feel anything now?”

Amidst the festive atmosphere, Dagran and Reina sat side by side at a table, discussing Reina’s feelings.

“Yes, yesterday my emotions were like waves, but now I feel normal again.”

Reina had a blank expression on her face. At that moment, Dagran stood up and sat beside her. Clearing his throat, he took her hand.

Reina’s shoulders twitched.

“What about this?”

“……”

The expressionless face of Reina. However, Dagran noticed a subtle change.

The corner of her mouth slightly lifted.

“That’s good. It’s comfortable, and my heart is racing a bit.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

They quietly held each other’s hands and smiled. After the festival that day, they talked for a long time.

Upon returning home, they shared their thoughts over a simple snack and a drink of beer, speaking freely about what they had kept hidden in their hearts.

“…That’s my story up to here.”

Dagran shared his entire past with her because Reina had been curious about it.

As she realized her own feelings, she began to wonder about Dagran.

“…That must have been hard for you too, Dagran.”

After hearing all of Dagran’s story, Reina felt a twinge in her heart.

His story was also filled with boredom and lethargy.

The explorer Dagran.

He originally dreamed of becoming an explorer.

Since childhood, he had been so curious that he rarely stayed at home.

Because of this, Dagran was disinterested in blacksmithing like other dwarves.

His sole goal was to become the first dwarf to circumnavigate the world, and he devoted a long time to collecting maps and studying the cultures, knowledge, and languages of various countries in preparation for his journey.

– “I need some practice!”

Once he felt somewhat prepared, Dagran began his travels starting from the bordering regions of the kingdom.

From human villages appearing outside the kingdom to the unexplored caves of the snowy mountains, he traveled anywhere his feet took him.

– “Hmm?”

One day, he stumbled upon a mysterious cave.

It was a cave filled with a previously unseen type of mana stone.

He had discovered the emerald mana stone as the first dwarf.

– “I have to tell everyone!”

Why had no one discovered a cave of this scale until now?

Hurriedly, Dagran returned to his clan and informed everyone about the emerald mana stone.

With his father’s permission, he led a group of retainers and workers to the mountain, reaching the cave he had found.

However, there was nothing where the cave should have been.

There was not even a cave; only a barren cliff wall stood before them.

At that time, no one knew that the cave was a “magical anomaly” that only appeared at a certain time.

– “Could it be that I imagined it?”
– “Hahaha, perhaps the young lord got too carried away with his travels.”
– “Emerald mana stones? Surely such a thing cannot exist.”

In an instant, he became a delusional patient or a liar.

And to make matters worse, he was ambushed by the snowy mountain’s evil spirits that emerged due to magical anomalies.

More than half of the retainers and laborers he had brought for cave exploration died in that ambush.

– “Cancel the journey at once!”

From that day onward, Dagran found himself living in seclusion.

Bearing the disgrace of being called a delusional patient or a liar, he lived a meaningless and tedious life, filled with hatred for himself and the hidden cave.

Dagran’s descent into gambling and antics began from that point.

“But it’s alright. Everything changed once I met you.”

Amidst all this, Dagran met Reina.

Naturally, he became interested in her because of his lingering adventurous spirit.

He was curious about the life of a mercenary that Reina claimed to have lived.

“Perhaps it’s not you who was saved, but me instead. I said I’d make you smile, but truly, I just wanted to smile myself.”

Dagran smiled bitterly, his self-deprecating grin evident.

Reina gazed at him with an impassive expression.

Then,

“My heart aches.”

Reina said, placing her hand on Dagran’s hand on the table.

As she manipulated her mana, she released the byproduct of heat waves and spoke.

“If you are in pain… I feel pain too.”

The gloomy blue haze radiating around her body symbolized sadness, tragedy, despair, and gloom.

“Can you see into my heart?”

But that gloomy color began to spread into a golden hue.

Love, hope, courage, tolerance, comfort.

The bright colors of hope began to shine brilliantly.

Reina, with a faint smile that was almost visible, said.

“I want to heal the wounds of you who are hurt… For a lifetime, by your side.”

“……”

Reina, who had lived for long years devoid of emotions, chasing only money.

And Dagran, who had lived for long years filled with suppressed anger and self-loathing.

Dagran felt his heart begin to beat once more.

Like the days when he collected maps with the dream of being an explorer in his youth, he could now dream once again.

“Now, you are my dream.”

That night, Dagran embraced Reina, and Reina embraced Dagran.

They shared the warmth of each other, whispering words of love that had built up over time.

Every time they confirmed their hearts through each other’s lips, it felt as if the knots within them melted away.

No longer a broken entity, he could now start anew, fully as a person.

Thus, they became each other’s dreams.

The golden haze radiating from Reina’s body never ceased to shimmer.

Just like the rising sun bathed the world in gold, the once dry and colorless worlds of Dagran and Reina began to glow golden.

They promised to cherish this small and precious world of each other for a long, long time…

A very, very long time…

***

It was a grand wedding.

Three months later, Dagran became the happiest man in the world, and Reina became the happiest woman in the world.

Now, a naturally radiant smile adorned her face.

After a long time of effort, she was now able to express her emotions to some extent.

“What a foolish girl…”

But at that grand wedding, there were a few who scowled: Kroto, Egu, and Arjie.

They were the ones dispatched along with Reina as guard knights of the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom.

However, while slandering Reina, a conflict arose between Dagran and them, leading to a comical fight, and they received a light reprimand.

“Damn, we got our pay cut because of that girl, yet she seems thrilled.”

But it wasn’t problematic for them to fan Dagran.

At that time, Dagran was merely the imperfect son of a dwarf chieftain, while they were the sons of noble families from the great Orserk Empire.

The problem lay in their abandonment of their mission.

While Reina faced Bayater alone, they forsook their duty as the dwarf guards and fled.

As a result, they suffered a 50% pay cut and faced the threat of losing their knight status.

Had it not been for their fathers’ lobbying, they would have long ago lost their knighthood and ended up unemployed.

“Forget it. As long as we make a proper handover, we just need to fill our resumes. No need to create unnecessary problems.”

The reason they could return to this place was merely “handover.”

They would stay here for three years, informing young knights about the terrain of the snowy mountains and the characteristics of the monsters while passing on their mission.

Although they fled, they were still the ones who knew the mission here better than anyone, allowing them to return under the guise of “handover” and a “sincere apology to the dwarves.”

“That girl is living a charmed life. They’re saying that short fellow is in vogue. If that short guy becomes the king here, all we’ll need to do is shake our butts a little.”

Yet they only pretended to repent on the outside while returning with even stronger malice.

Sounding noble while claiming to protect the dwarves, while they forsook their comrade, was disgustingly absurd.

Moreover, had Reina been harmed by Bayater, they could argue it was “an unavoidable monster,” yet their own image was ruined because she single-handedly defeated Bayater.

“Forget it. Just let it go. Damn it… It sucks, but what can we do?”

However, their anger would change nothing.

They were merely being dispatched as border defense troops.

Their mission was to educate the Empire’s knights who entered the boundary of the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom and send them to the center.

There was nothing they could do against Dagran and Reina, who had already become a trend.

Thus they returned to the outskirts with bitter hearts, unaware of the tragic events that would unfold from that incident.

***

One year later.

A new life had taken root in Reina’s womb.

It was the fruit of love between Dagran and Reina.

“Hahahaha! Reina! Thank you so much!”

Dagran was elated to the point of almost flying.

Reina, who had thought she would live her life as a single woman, shed tears of joy at the realization that she had become a mother.

Now, her emotional disabilities had nearly healed completely, allowing her to laugh and cry naturally.

“But I’m sorry. I’m busy right now; let’s definitely celebrate tonight!”

“Hehe. Yes, my love. I’m busy as well.”

They each held important responsibilities.

Dagran had taken on the position of “Royal Advisor,” a key role that all Dwarf Kings passed through, while Reina had become the commander of the dwarf knights, teaching young dwarves weapon skills.

“We need to strengthen the borders.”

At that time, Dagran consistently proposed border fortifications to the Dwarf King.

However, the Dwarf King reacted skeptically to his opinions.

“Hmm… Isn’t the budget already tight just for developing the mines? Strengthening the borders in this peaceful era sounds like a waste of resources.”

“……The Empire is expanding its territory at an alarming rate. Recently, they are even planning a campaign against the Shadow Forest.”

“The Shadow Forest…?”

“The situation is seriously concerning. If we poke around there, we might draw the ire back to our kingdom… So I suggest we prepare at least minimally.”

The king nodded.

From the perspective of a conservative dwarf, Dagran’s proposal to set up safeguards seemed reasonable.

“Alright. I will appoint you as the chief responsible person.”

Thus, Dagran received the king’s permission and led a host of laborers and attendants southward.

Reina also descended to the border to support Dagran while ensuring her own stability.

“Let the construction begin!”

Under Dagran’s supervision, large-scale repairs commenced.

They tore down the old wooden barriers and built new ones, then added several siege tools.

Day by day, the border area was rapidly reinforced.

“Monsters!”

But the Empire’s advance was too swift.

Moreover, since Dagran, with foresight, ascended to a high position too late, there was too little time to reinforce border defenses.

Ultimately, before the construction could be completed, the monsters from the Shadow Forest descended upon them.

The beginning of the tragedy started from that moment.