I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Currently, King Magrian of the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom.

As evident from his name, he was the elder brother of Dagran.

Moreover, he was a brother who cherished his younger sibling dearly, and their bond was deeper than that of any other brotherhood.

“······.”

Because of this, he had hesitated a lot about inviting Edgar Fix to this exhibition.

The great disaster 40 years ago was the result of the Empire’s reckless territorial expansion, and the decisive reason for his younger brother’s suicide was surely the shock from his wife going insane and slaughtering their kin.

Of course, there were many aspects that were difficult to understand.

While it was one thing for Reina to be driven mad by a monster, it was another to think that his brother would so easily take his own life.

That’s nonsensical.

“······.”

But the dead do not speak.

No matter how many questions he had, with the only witnesses being those human knights, there was no way to know the truth.

“I searched the world for answers.”

In fact, Magrian had traveled the world in search of the truth.

Around the same time, exploring the world had also been his brother’s dream, and he wanted to know the truth behind his brother’s death even more.

But no matter how much he traveled, even making elf friends to consult, he never found answers.

He had to bury it deep in his memories, leaving it forever in suspicion.

“The next participant is Edgar Fix. Please come up to the stage.”

While thinking of his brother, it was finally Ed’s turn.

Magrian looked at Edgar, who was stepping onto the stage with cold, hardened eyes.

He was thinking about the work showcased behind the black curtain, wondering if he could simply copy that technology.

“Humans are not trustworthy.”

Magrian had effectively deemed the Empire an enemy.

Thus, his invitation to Edgar to this place was by no means out of goodwill.

It was merely a ploy to copy the technology of the one who had gained a significant reputation.

“If we fall behind in technology to the Empire, it cannot happen.”

In short, inviting Edgar was due to sensing a crisis.

The Dwarf’s technology, which he had believed could never be caught up with even in a hundred years, had completely shifted due to the emergence of a single human.

Thus, he had to uncover that guy’s technology by any means necessary.

To copy that technology, he could make all kinds of arrangements.

If needed, he could offer rewards, titles, and immense wealth.

If they could avoid falling behind in technology to the Empire, Magrian thought he would do anything to keep up.

“Nice to meet you. I am Edgar Fix.”

At that moment, Edgar’s presentation finally began.

The politically crafty dwarf like Magrian focused his gaze on Edgar’s technology, while the smiths, who genuinely wanted to conceal their tech advantages, looked at Edgar with eyes full of anticipation.

“Kuhuh, this must be quite nostalgic.”

The trio from Kroto, sitting in the front row, were eagerly watching the podium.

They had heard rumors that Edgar would present a video honoring their achievements at this exhibition.

“Well, the dwarves did owe me quite a bit.”

Forty years.

The past forty years had been more than enough time for them to forget the sins they had wrought.

No, the trio, who were over sixty years old, were glorifying their past.

In any case, their vile methods had made their family prosper.

Indeed, they were the esteemed elders of a successful count family in the Empire.

The three, now elevated as valiant defenders against the monster wave at the dwarf borders, had earned immense wealth and honor, gaining the respect of the Empire’s knights.

Thus, when reflecting on their lives, they were under the delusion that they had lived magnificently and proudly.

They had lived a life of fitting the process into the result.

Just as the Kroto trio were self-adoring and glorifying their past,

“First, before I begin my presentation, I must ask for your understanding.”

Suddenly, Edgar voiced a remark full of questions.

He uttered a request for understanding before unveiling his item.

Just what kind of item made him ask for understanding?

“Now, the weapon I will present is not one that I created. It is merely a repaired weapon from another.”

“······.”

·····He just said he repaired someone else’s item?

A silence fell.

Then, uproar ensued.

The distinguished guests in the audience each threw out critical remarks about Edgar’s statement.

It was an outrageous thing.

How could someone bring another’s object to this sacred Ironhammer awards ceremony?

Even more so, to brazenly claim it was merely a minor repair while standing there!

“Indeed, humans will be humans! He should be taken down!”

A few zealous dwarves insisted that Edgar must be dragged down since he could not tarnish the sacred exhibition.

However, King Magrian of the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom awaited Edgar’s next words with a stiff expression.

He thought that this wise human boy would not do something foolish that would lead to self-destruction.

As expected, Edgar’s next words were enough to calm this uproar.

“But I am not ashamed. Rather, it was an honor to restore this weapon to its original form. Because the weapon I restored is the divine sword ‘Guide of Emotions.'”

With those words, Edgar dramatically pulled back the black curtain.

Before everyone’s eyes, the magnificent divine sword displayed in a luminous glass case revealed itself.

The first sword to use emotions as an energy source, the sword that slayed the ancient nightmare, Bayater!

The masterpiece created by Dagran forty years ago had finally returned to the dwarves.

Suddenly!

King Magrian shot up from his seat.

Simultaneously, most of the dwarves who knew about the divine sword also stood up.

They rubbed their eyes as if they had seen a ghost or squinted to verify whether what they saw was indeed reality.

No one had expected such an item to appear at such an unexpected moment, leaving all the dwarves with no choice but to respond this way.

It was then that Edgar spoke again.

“The divine sword ‘Guide of Emotions.’ I have named this divine sword ‘Restored Honor’ and submitted it for this exhibition because this sword contains the truth about tarnished honor.”

The truth about tarnished honor.

Everyone knew who it referred to without needing an explanation.

Dagran and Reina.

The story of the two who met their deaths in a manner utterly incomprehensible forty years ago.

“····Damn. This is different from what we discussed, isn’t it?”

And that went for the Kroto trio too.

The heinous deeds they committed forty years ago.

Memories of those sins began flooding back, and a cold sweat started to bead.

“Um, hold on····.”

They needed to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Having accumulated wealth through all sorts of vile means, their instinct for crisis was sharp.

The Kroto trio hurriedly rose from their seats, attempting to escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

But at that moment.

A powerful force pressed down on them, forcing them to sit back down.

The telekinesis of Elena was weighing them down.

“Ugh! Huuh···!”

“This stage is set for you. Please watch until the end.”

No matter how much they tried to channel mana, they couldn’t resist that overwhelming power.

The cold gaze of the Great Mage staring down at them.

‘This is bad···.’

The Kroto trio sensed it.

This time, they had seriously misstepped.

They realized that all of this had been orchestrated to punish them.

At length, Edgar continued his explanation to the bewildered audience.

“It must be confusing. This divine sword was corrupted into the cursed sword Black Jade, and I couldn’t revert it no matter what.”

Saying this, Edgar slowly walked forward.

All eyes were on him.

“But with the help of the Great Mage Elena, I was able to achieve it. With the assistance of the greatest interpreter of spells in this world.”

The audience inferred from Edgar’s ensuing words.

The reason the divine sword had fallen to the cursed sword was deeply related to “spells.”

It was no wonder that even the Great Mage Elena was involved.

“Yes. As you all have guessed, the reason the divine sword became a cursed sword is indeed due to spells. The ‘thought’ spell with powerful resentment and hateful memories.”

The thought spell.

A spell imbued with the combination of emotion and memory.

When Edgar mentioned “thought spell,” the dwarves easily realized whose memories and emotions were intertwined with the divine sword.

Reina.

The beautiful knight Reina, Dagran’s wife, and the owner of the divine sword.

Her memories and feelings had tainted the divine sword, turning it into a cursed sword.

But why?

Edgar began to explain the reason.

“You must have many questions in your mind. What exactly happened, that the sword’s owner holds such intense resentment? To find the answer, we need to go back to forty years ago. Through the memory embedded in this thought, we must see the ‘truth’ of that day. So I’ve prepared this for you.”

Edgar said, signaling.

At that moment, James, who had been waiting backstage, began to play the projector, while Enya and Clarice infused mana to activate a specific spell.

Then, the “illusion” and “super-sensory” spells drawn in advance by Elena activated, completely transforming the space.

The very memory of Reina began to unfold.

“All of you need to do is follow the memory of a human knight who loved one dwarf. Let us begin.”

Edgar said, stepping back behind the stage.

And then, on the massive screen in front, the video started to play.

It was Reina’s memory.