I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Club Room.

Edgar was leaning against the wall, deep in thought for ten minutes straight.

He was struggling to come up with something that would receive positive feedback at this product review, as decent ideas just weren’t coming to him.

“Hmmm…”

At first, he considered a refrigerator.

The refrigerator in this place was clearly limited compared to modern high-tech refrigerators.

But compared to an air conditioner, its impact was significantly diminished.

In the first place, keeping food fresh wasn’t a concern for nobles; it was more of an issue for mere commoners or servants, so the nobles probably wouldn’t care about it at all.

Unless one was a fallen noble, the chefs at the mansion managed all the ingredients, so it wasn’t their area of interest.

“What discomforts do nobles face?”

Thus, Edgar began to ponder what might bother them.

Inventive creations typically arise from improving the small inconveniences of daily life.

“Transportation…?”

So he thought about modes of transportation.

Cars, motorcycles, trains, and such.

But they weren’t particularly necessary.

The teleportation magic was more than enough for them.

There was a reason why nobles still traveled by carriage.

“A pen?”

He started considering something trivial.

Currently, nobles were using quills and dipping them in ink to write letters, so wouldn’t they appreciate a fountain pen?

“No, that’s too ordinary.”

But a fountain pen was just too common.

It lacked the overwhelming impact of something like an air conditioner.

So what would be good then?

How about a gamer chair?

Creating an ergonomic design for a gamer chair might get some attention since the chairs in this world were merely wooden bases with a bit of leather added.

But this too was just so-so.

Given that nobles trained their bodies with mana, very few would complain about back pain.

“Microwave? Gas stove? Light bulb?”

He thought of various candidates afterwards, but they still seemed underwhelming.

The light bulb was already replaced by something called a ‘light magic device’, and microwaves or gas stoves were things chefs would probably like, not nobles.

“This isn’t easy.”

It felt like he was hitting a wall.

Knowing so much about modern innovations, it was frustrating that he couldn’t use any of it.

All because of the existence of magic and mana.

Due to these two factors, the science and technology had not developed, yet there were technologies that could replace or even surpass them here.

Moreover, the requirement to develop something “nobles would like” was a challenging condition.

If he were to base it on commoners, there would be plenty of items he could create.

“Sigh…”

Just then, a long sigh penetrated Edgar’s eardrums.

He wanted to sigh, but it was someone else who was letting out an earth-shattering sigh.

Edgar quickly opened his eyes to identify the culprit.

It was David.

The guy who had received a “General Physics” textbook as a gift from Edgar was now skimming through it, sighing heavily.

“David. Why the sudden sigh? Is there an issue with the textbook?”

With that, Edgar started to approach David with a smile.

At the same time, as he reached out his hand into the air, a bracelet appeared tearing through the air, beginning to form a gauntlet around his wrist.

“If you have any questions, just let me know. I’ll ‘personally’ teach you well.”

Kiiiiiing!

A radiant repulsor beam shone from Edgar’s palm.

David, who had inadvertently become the president of their club, broke out in a cold sweat as he gazed at the dazzling light.

A faint image of his past friend, Max, whom he had lost to that very light, flashed before him.

“W-Wait! It’s not like that! I, I didn’t sleep well last night and just sighed out of exhaustion! The textbook is fine! Hahaha!”

Thus, David hastily spun a few excuses.

Given Edgar’s not-so-pleasant mood, having him target you was not ideal.

“Hmmm. Is that so?”

Fortunately, Edgar seemed willing to let it slide, and he began retracting the light of the repulsor beam.

Then he focused his gaze on David’s arm and spoke.

“By the way, why do you keep scratching your arm? Are you the type to get hives when stressed?”

David had been persistently scratching his entire body, particularly his right arm, since before he came here.

When Edgar asked about it, David bit his lower lip and replied.

“No… it’s not like that. It’s because of mosquitoes.”

“…Mosquitoes?”

“Yeah. I got bitten by mosquitoes all night yesterday. My family doesn’t hire ‘Dream Guardians’ so…”

Dream Guardian?

Edgar tilted his head in confusion.

Getting bitten by mosquitoes was one thing, but to say it was because they didn’t hire “Dream Guardians”? What did that even mean?

When Edgar asked about it, David responded.

“Don’t you know what a Dream Guardian is? Oh… you might not know. You just became a… ahem. Count, after all…”

He paused, gauging Edgar’s reaction.

Finally, seeing Edgar look as if he wanted him to continue, he proceeded.

“A Dream Guardian is, um, you know… they’re the ones who protect us from mosquitoes while we sleep. They deal with those nasty mosquitoes for eight hours straight, so their pay is ridiculously high.”

In other words, a special profession that fights mosquitoes?

What a ridiculous job exists!

When Edgar questioned why such a profession came to be, David seemed taken aback by his ignorance.

“…What are you saying? Dream Guardians aren’t some ‘ridiculous’ job. They’re awesome beings who protect clients from mosquitoes!”

“…?”

David’s defense of Dream Guardians seemed overly passionate.

Is fighting off mosquitoes such an admirable task?

Sensing something off, Edgar started asking about the mosquitoes in this world.

What are their characteristics, and what symptoms arise from their bites?

David scratched his right arm with a serious expression and said.

“They’re really nasty little pests. Probably the number one monster hated around the world? They’re tiny enough that they’re invisible to the eye, yet they’re incredibly fast, making them hard to catch. On top of that, they’re tough enough that you can’t kill them with normal physical force.”

As he continued listening, Edgar began to nod in agreement.

Mosquitoes that were smaller, faster, and tougher than those in his original world? This was shocking beyond comprehension.

Furthermore, they had a greedy appetite for mana, so instead of stopping after one bite, they would suck until their bellies were full.

Also, if you got bitten by those things, the itch would linger for half a day, which is why Dream Guardians were in such high demand.

“Then there’s also the mana mutation disease issue. It caused a huge uproar about thirteen years ago.”

Mana Mutation Disease.

One of the contagious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, it was the worst illness that contaminated the mana receptors in the human body.

A disease nobles, who valued mana, would tremble in fear over.

Since a disease that contaminated the mana receptors could not be cured with healing magic either.

“At that time, the price of Dream Guardians skyrocketed. If you messed up and caught mana mutation disease, your spellcasting output and accuracy would be ruined.”

David shuddered as he recalled how the price of Dream Guardians had shot up tenfold back then.

Edgar, curious about their general hiring costs, asked, and David replied that, according to the standards of that time, hiring one would cost around four million Orden.

“Well, that’s worth it. Dream Guardians use their whole bodies to attract mosquitoes with their mana alignment to protect clients. So even if it’s expensive, they pay for it. They could end up as mana crippled for just four million Orden if they aren’t careful.”

That made sense indeed.

Four million Orden per day was a crazy price, but it was a risk allowance for the Dream Guardians.

A hazard allowance backed by their very ‘mana abilities’.

“…But there’s something strange about this.”

However, as he listened, he found some parts hard to accept.

If what David said was true, then Dream Guardians should be able to handle mana, but in this world, only nobles could manipulate it.

When Edgar pointed this out, David nodded and replied.

“Well, that’s true. But there are also those who are more desperate for money than mana. Like fallen nobles or those who were once nobles.”

…Those who were once nobles.

Edgar recalled Kroto, Egu, and Arji, who had recently lost all their status and become slaves.

In the entirety of the Empire’s centuries-long history, countless families had been degraded to the level of slaves or commoners like them.

“By the way, Ed, have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?”

At that moment, David asked Edgar with a face that seemed to question how he didn’t know this.

Without a Dream Guardian during this sweltering summer, getting bitten by a mosquito was inevitable.

“Yeah. I’ve never been bitten.”

However, Edgar was okay without a Dream Guardian.

His lodging was already completely prepared against mosquitoes.

“Good thing I prepared thoroughly.”

Edgar had a deep hatred for mosquitoes.

Thus, he installed an electric mosquito net instead of a regular one, and in addition, he modified his bedroom to use a plasma mosquito net while sleeping.

As a result, during this time of year when mosquitoes were most active, Edgar was able to sleep comfortably.

“Uh, how did you not get bitten? You surely didn’t hire a Dream Guardian!”

And seeing David’s frantic face as he asked for his secret, Edgar decided on the theme for this product review.

It would be ‘mosquito eradication.’

***

“Well then, I hope you do well tonight. I really hope you keep my bedroom safe.”

In a softly illuminated room.

Charlotte nodded vigorously as she listened to a middle-aged man’s request.

Now that mosquitoes were starting to buzz around again, she couldn’t afford to mess up her first start in this high-paying part-time job called ‘Dream Guardian.’

She needed to do everything in her power to ensure not even a single mosquito breached her defense, spreading word-of-mouth among the nobles.

That way, she would be able to secure the tuition and living expenses for the next semester and attend the Academy with Edgar.

“Mosquitoes, I will kill you!”

Charlotte clenched her fists, eyes blazing with determination.