I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Hmm··· Ugh···!”

In the head professor’s research room.

Elena kept sighing heavily.

Her research results were simply not showing.

Eleven ancient formulas sprawled across the table.

Finding the correlation between these formulas was her research project.

Having traveled the world and studied ancient formulas, she realized there was some connection between each formula.

“There must be a meaning behind this···.”

And that correlation was characters.

Characters that contained a specific meaning.

However, figuring out that meaning was no easy task.

The ancient formulas were encrypted.

No, rather than encrypted, they were tangled up in a complex way.

If it were encrypted, understanding a specific pattern might have solved all the formulas, but each formula had different encrypted patterns, making her head throb.

In simpler terms, Elena’s research was like unlocking each ancient formula, which had its own unique lock pattern.

“Phew··· I need a smoke.”

Yet, despite repeating this laborious task, Elena couldn’t give up on this research.

The secrets of the world.

The eleven ancient formulas she had interpreted so far were the ‘Book of Truth’ that contained the world’s secrets.

As a formula enthusiast and a wizard seeking the truth, interpreting ancient formulas was almost a mission for her.

“Sister.”

At that moment.

A clear voice calling Elena pierced through.

Turning her head, she saw Sephilia sprawled on the sofa, looking utterly bored.

She glanced at Elena and said,

“Why do you keep saying you need a smoke? You don’t even smoke, sister.”

So that was what it was about.

Elena chuckled softly and replied,

“Just. It feels like I’d feel refreshed if I smoked.”

“…Uh… You’ve never even smoked, right?”

“Yeah. Weirdly, I crave a smoke? But actually trying it seems bad…”

Sephilia looked at her as if she found her absurd response unbelievable.

Elena often had such quirky moments.

After all, they had known each other for a whopping 13 years.

‘The more I know her, the more mysterious she gets. Well, that’s what makes her fun.’

But even so, the princess liked Elena.

The fact that she craved a smoke yet didn’t smoke,

The fact that she missed her beloved cat, Wyoyong, but just left him at the mansion,

The fact that she had become cruel and vicious like someone else after the Great War seven years ago,

Yet afterward, she returned, constantly crying and falling into depression. Everything about her was endearing.

Strangely, she didn’t feel boring like others.

She was someone always wished to see again, someone who would always want to spoil her.

‘Is she the only one like that now…?’

And recently it felt like someone else like that had appeared.

Edgar Fix, the first commoner to be granted the title of Count.

She couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable liking for him, just like with Elena.

She wanted to poke at him, to see how he would react.

“Hey, you’re not thinking something strange again, are you? If it’s something that I can’t handle, I won’t let it slide.”

At that moment, Elena narrowed her eyes and shot Sephilia a piercing glare.

Usually clueless, but at times like this, she saw right through her.

I guess that’s what 16 years of knowing someone does.

Sometimes she really felt ghostly.

“I’m so bored~~~~”

Eventually, Sephilia, unable to mess with Edgar Fix, flopped down on the sofa again.

Her sister was too busy with research to play with her, and she was too scared of her sister’s restrictions to bully Edgar Fix.

Though she had royal blood, she was essentially raised by Elena, making her Elena’s subordinate.

‘I need some entertainment.’

But she was a princess.

A princess with the powers of Ma’an.

No human could stand above her, rendering all human relationships monotonous.

Aside from Edgar Fix and her sister, no matter how brilliant the genius was, it couldn’t satisfy her heart.

‘Okay, as long as I don’t stir up trouble, it’s fine.’

So the answer ultimately was Edgar Fix.

One of the few who wouldn’t bore her.

The princess began to devise a plan with a mischievous smile.

***

I pondered for a while.

What should I do with these guys coming at me headfirst?

“Ah!”

In the midst of this, a good idea popped into my head.

A good solution where both sides could win.

“What’s your name again?”

So I asked the guy in front of me for his name.

The one sticking close to Max, giving me a tough time like Max did.

“I, I? D-D-David… David Arsen.”

The guy’s name was David Arsen.

For some reason, I felt a sense of déjà vu with that name; he was one of the guys who flopped alongside Max in the first evaluation.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and said,

“Then you should be the president.”

“…Huh?”

“The club president. You should be the club president.”

“…?”

He looked at me with a baffled expression, as if he didn’t understand a thing.

I felt an explanation was necessary.

“So what I want is your ‘labor’, you see? That’s why I want to create a club. Get what I mean?”

“…?”

To put it simply, I wanted to make a club to make him work for me.

But for some reason, he still showed the same reaction, not grasping my words at all.

David, along with the others who came to me headfirst, were looking at me with puzzled expressions.

I didn’t expect them to be this dimwitted.

I mean, if they had been quick-witted, they wouldn’t be dumb enough to antagonize me without knowing the situation.

“Phew. Let me be straightforward. I want to make you all work for me. But I can’t just make my fellow cadets work for me, can I? So I want all of you to join the club. That way, I can make you work under the pretense of club activities.”

“…”

Upon understanding my words, the cadets stared at me in shock, as if to say, ‘Is this really your character?’

Soon, one guy, looking quite angry, spoke up.

“W-What? How could that be fair? You can’t just make us work! You mentioned you’d spare us earlier! Now you’re arbitrarily—!”

“Arbitrary? That would be you.”

“Uh?”

“You’re the one who threw a fit just to escape the situation. You didn’t even genuinely apologize. You just want to be free from this fear of possibly facing my wrath. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

The guys fell silent, their faces showing their frustration.

Because I had hit the nail on the head.

“So I’m simply proposing a deal. I’ll spare you in exchange for your labor.”

The guys were clenching their fists, shifting their eyes around.

Finally, one of them pointed at me and shouted.

“Th-That’s an unfair deal!”

“Unfair?”

I shot a questioning glance at the guy, and he retorted,

“How can we trust that you’ll spare us if we join? You could just make us work and then throw us away!”

Ah, that’s what he meant.

A quite valid point, but still, it shows how short-sighted he was.

“Looks like I have to explain everything in detail, huh?”

“…Huh?”

“Let me explain. First, the reason you want my pardon is twofold. First, you want to be free from the fear of getting slapped by me. Second, you need my pardon so you won’t face pressure from your family since I’ve become a Count and your family heads put pressure on you.”

At that moment, I was at the center of the shifting power dynamics.

Not only had I received the title of ‘Savior’ from the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom, but I was also recognized for my diplomatic achievements, being granted the title of Count, allowing me to step into the noble society.

So the nobles were eager to establish ties with me.

The fathers of those wannabe tough guys who headed to me, too, were probably trying hard to connect with me.

‘But this foolish kid made it all difficult.’

Yet, what is this?

His child must have ostracized Edgar Fix?

I can easily guess what reaction the father must have had towards him.

He must have yelled at him, saying he had to get my pardon no matter what.

“…”

Thus, those wannabe tough guys are silently chewing their lips.

Because I’ve pointed out their hidden motives for wanting my pardon.

“So I’m giving you a chance. An opportunity to join the same club as me. If you report to your fathers that you were in the same club as me, how do you think they’ll react?”

“…Oh!”

“Right. They’d probably calm down a bit. And they’d encourage you to invite me to your family’s mansion one way or another since they’d want to establish a relationship with me.”

“…”

The guys nodded honestly.

Then one of them raised his head and asked.