I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Elena’s laboratory.

A bright blue light erupted from a research table.

The ancient spell, tangled with various geometric patterns, was emitting a radiant blue glow.

How on earth could such a complex spell structure be used?

Elena propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Manifestation speed, manifestation power, spatial dominance.

These three elements expressing the strength of the spell were all overwhelming.

The ancients had used spells that were several times more complex and powerful than those of today.

“How could such an incredible civilization have perished…?”

Yet, the dark empire that remained only in legends had fallen.

Even with such overwhelming technological prowess.

Now, it had become a ‘wasteland’ teeming only with monsters.

What kind of incident happened in the past, I wonder?

“Perhaps…?”

The answer might lie within the ‘ancient spells’ scattered throughout various places.

Each ancient spell possesses the function of ‘characters’, and when combined, they form messages.

So, if we interpret those messages, we might uncover the truth about their demise.

And the moment we discover that truth, I might finally be freed from the vague anxiety that has always tormented me.

That odd fear that this world might also perish.

“It looks like I’ll be busy from now on.”

Thus, Elena began to devise a plan to discover more ancient spells.

And the first step of that plan was to explore the ‘magical anomalies’.

Because recent research had revealed that ‘ancient spells are connected to magical anomalies’.

“Hmm. Should I form a team…?”

However, studying magical anomalies was no easy task.

So far, only three magical anomalies had been officially discovered.

Gaining entry to these places was not easy, and escaping was even harder.

So much so, that among trained explorers, the saying “always avoid magical anomalies” had become common knowledge.

The only survivors who had escaped from magical anomalies had done so purely by coincidence, managing to flee through a string of luck.

“…But it’s not impossible.”

Elena had immense power.

After all, she had the backing of the Empire’s Princess.

Moreover, she had a valid reason.

Hadn’t she recently proven that ’emerald mana stones occur naturally in magical anomalies’?

Thanks to that, her relationship with the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom had improved.

So if she presented the prospect of extracting valuable resources like ’emerald mana stones’, she could garner support from the Empire.

Especially if she could convince the Emperor, who was showing strong resolve to conquer the wasteland, that exploring magical anomalies would be of great help—he would surely mobilize all his resources to support her.

“Sephilia.”

Thus, Elena called out to the princess lounging on the sofa.

At that, the previously dry-eyed princess’s eyes sparkled, and her ears perked up.

“Don’t you want to go on an exciting adventure with me?”

Adventure?

Sephilia shot up.

If there was something new to enjoy in her otherwise mundane life, she would embrace it anytime.

“Yes! If I’m with you, anywhere will do! When are we going? Where are we planning to go?”

Thud thud thud— the princess rushed over and stuck herself to Elena.

Elena chuckled and ruffled the princess’s hair.

Then she skimmed the world map laid out on the table, placed her finger on one specific point, and said,

“Here.”

“……….”

Sephilia shifted her gaze along Elena’s finger.

However, contrary to her earlier excited expression, the princess’s face gradually stiffened.

The place Elena had pointed to was none other than…

“This place…?”

“Yep. It’s one of the three great magical anomalies in the world. The ‘Sea Wall’.”

The Sea Wall.

As the name suggests, it is a massive wall built over the sea.

Giant waves reaching up to 200 meters were fixed in place, towering in the middle of the ocean.

“Are you seriously planning to go inside the wall?”

“Yes.”

The Sea Wall, which could leave one paralyzed in awe with its overwhelming terror just by looking at it.

Sephilia suddenly recalled a story she had heard as a child from an old woman about the wall.

If you pass through the Magentani Strait, where the most tumultuous waves in the world rage, and move towards its center, the waves would cease and the depth would swiftly become shallow.

Sailing on that calm sea for days, one would start to see a giant mountain looming through the mist, which was, in fact, a massive wave touching the sky.

And it surrounded the palace where the God of the sea dwelled— the ‘Sea Wall’.

A space of the gods where no human could enter.

Such fairy-tale-like tales flashed in her mind.

“That sounds fun!”

However, the princess’s heart raced.

Having been born with the ‘Curse of Magic’, she always longed for something new and thrilling.

In a world filled with tedium, there was nothing more intriguing than the three great magical anomalies.

“I just have to push for it, right?”

Just as expected.

The princess already knew the answer Elena wanted.

She wanted her to take the lead in this endeavor.

No one but someone of the princess’s standing would dare plan such a crazy venture.

“Yes. Can you do that?”

At Elena’s question, the princess beamed.

Her expression seemed to say, “If I do this for you, what will you do for me?”

Elena sighed and replied.

“I’ll grant you one wish for anything you want.”

The princess received a wish token.

Having something in mind she wanted, the princess’s lips curled into a smile.

She had a premonition that fun things would soon multiply.

***

Monday, Second Class: ‘Origins and History of Spells’.

The classroom was noisier than usual.

Thanks to a mysterious woman.

A beauty with lush green curly hair and golden eyes.

This stunning beauty, who naturally drew the attention of others, entered the classroom with a very graceful stride.

-Oooh. Who’s that?

-Was there someone like that in this class?

-So pretty!

She was beautiful enough to rival Enya or Isabella.

The students began to speculate about the identity of this suddenly appearing stunning woman.

Seeing her head directly towards Edgar, they thought she might be a daughter of some high-ranking marquess or count trying to ask him out.

After all, it had become common to witness girls asking Edgar on dates.

“Charlotte, you look amazing today.”

But.

The moment Edgar uttered the name ‘Charlotte,’ all the students in the classroom couldn’t help but doubt their ears.

That nerd who always radiated a gloomy vibe near Edgar had transformed into such a beautiful woman?

“I… I’m glad… I was a bit worried…”

But judging by her way of speaking, it definitely seemed to be Charlotte.

Her habit of fidgeting with her hands humbly and not making eye contact with others was something everyone knew about Charlotte.

-Wow, should I try asking her out?

-At that level, I should have treated her better a long time ago.

-What a hidden gem.

Once the mysterious woman’s identity as Charlotte was confirmed, various murmurs filled the room.

The male students licked their lips at the sight of her still shy demeanor, while several female students began to gossip about how she had suddenly become pretty.

“Wow- is this a joke? I thought I was watching a horror show, but she looks decent now?”

Among them was also Charlotte’s first love.

A scoundrel noble who had triggered her insecurity.

He was the eldest son of Count Kratz, and he had been waiting for the day he could make Charlotte, who had declared they could no longer be friends, regret it.

After all, he had become the laughing stock among his friends for being dumped by a girl who was nothing but the daughter of a family on the decline.

-Hehehe! You always said you could eat and toss whenever, huh? What’s going on now~?

-Kratz was boasting about his fame yesterday, and today he got dumped by a girl like her.

Having boasted about his good fortune the day before, he now found himself dumped.

Kratz still remembered the humiliation he had experienced that day.

Thus, upon spotting the still awkward Charlotte once more, he wanted to find ways to torment her.

So she would never dare to act confidently again.

-Ed…! Please take care of her!

But by Charlotte’s side stood the supernova known as Edgar Fix.

In addition, it seemed the daughters of dukes were also showing interest in Edgar Fix.

Kratz had no choice but to wait for the opportunity.

Until Charlotte either fell out of Edgar’s circle or was abandoned.

“Now, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

But seeing Charlotte’s reappearance today, he changed his mind.

With beauty of that caliber, it wouldn’t be bad to have her as his mistress.

After all, being the daughter of a declining family, they would probably be pleased if he took her in.

His family, the Kratz family, was known as one of the representative wealthy families in the southern Empire.

‘There’s just one thing that bothers me…’

However, one thing nagged at him, which was the reason for being dumped six years ago.

He had thought everything was going smoothly, so why had Charlotte suddenly rejected him?

The atmosphere had been good, and she had clearly shown signs of affection towards him.

‘…Who cares.’

There was no answer to be found by dwelling on it.

After all, just because he had had her once, didn’t mean he couldn’t have her again.

Building rapport by complimenting her beauty as he had before would surely be easier than pie.

Maybe she would even welcome back the one who had once had a fling with her.

“…I have something I want to give you.”

But in an instant.

Charlotte’s mood shifted.

At the moment she handed Edgar her cherished notebook, she appeared so confident that one might mistake her for someone else.

[Wishing for success in your recordings]

And seeing the note addressed to Edgar, she smiled brightly.

She had heard from Fix that Charlotte had peeked at her recording journal.

It was a mystery why she had only skimmed through her journal, but the way she presented such a grand gift suggested she had realized something about herself.

“Thanks. I’ll use it well. Smells nice.”

Edgar smiled as he accepted Charlotte’s recording journal.

At this, Charlotte nodded brightly, while Isabella wore a tense expression.

She suddenly recalled the doll she had given her.

‘W-Why…?!’

And Enya was panicking.

Why did Edgar seem happier than when he received a limited edition Baldoray bromide?

Perhaps, as a scholarly type, Edgar preferred gifts that aided in his research?

She had thought he would value the bold bromide symbolizing unyielding love more!

-Puff!

At that moment.

Elena, the professor teaching ‘Origins and History of Spells,’ walked in.

Using her unique spell, ‘Spatial Transition’.

She always appeared in her classes using this spell.

Suddenly, blue smoke would waft over the podium, the space would tear, and Elena would emerge.

What a grand entrance befitting a Great Mage.

“Oh, kids, I’m not late, am I?”

However, she bore a somewhat comical aspect for a great mage.

With her disheveled hair and weary eyes.

She had been absorbed in her research and rushed over after a quick nap.

“Yawn. I’ve been reviewing for 30 minutes. The assistant will distribute today’s materials.”

She said that and disappeared again using the Spatial Transition spell.

And she soon reappeared with a bewildered-looking assistant.

Gazing at the assistant’s expression, it was clear she had kidnapped him with the spell.

“Assistant, as we discussed last time, please explain things to the kids~ See you later.”

-Puff!

Leaving the assistant to handle the work, Elena vanished in an instant.

The assistant, left in shock, sighed deeply and shook the handouts he was holding.

“You heard? I’m going to pass out the documents, so each student sitting in the front row, please come up.”

***

When Elena reappeared, she looked polished.

She had supplemented her lack of sleep a bit and used cleaning magic.

Nevertheless, her lesson lived up to its reputation for high quality.

She explained the information about the ancient spells she had diligently researched in a way that the students could easily understand.

“As you can see, the spells of the Dark Empire— that is, ancient spells— vastly surpass modern spells. The three essential elements of spells: manifestation speed, manifestation power, spatial dominance are all superior to previous spells.”

Elena explained like this, painting an image in the air.

She illustrated the extraordinarily difficult spell ‘Virtual Space Creation’ as if a child were drawing.

“Now, this is the ancient spell, and this is the modern spell. Quite the difference, right?”

She illustrated both spells as if drawing holograms in the air.

Thanks to her intuitive explanation style, the students easily grasped the differences between the two spells.

“Now, let’s look at the next spell.”

Continuing on, Elena introduced the ancient spells she had discovered, deconstructing how the spells operated one by one in an easy-to-understand manner.

By the end of the lesson—

“Recently, I discovered something amazing.”

She revealed new information about ancient spells, the highlight of this lesson.

That ancient spells were related to magical anomalies.

“…So, I’m currently recruiting participants for the expedition. Of course, since you’re still students, you won’t be able to participate directly, but you can observe closely.”

Meaning she was forming a team to uncover ancient spells and would allow 20 academy students to participate as observers.

Training successors by allowing them to witness the entire process firsthand was the best way.

“Magical anomalies…!”

And the students’ reaction was explosive.

Some students were excited by Elena’s words that simply sparked their curiosity, while others were thrilled by the thought of achieving such a monumental accomplishment as ‘expedition to magical anomalies’.

“It’s clear just from your expressions. But make sure to think it through. It’s an expedition that could potentially be deadly.”

Nonetheless, Elena emphasized the dangers of this expedition.

She explained in detail how many people had gone missing during expeditions into magical anomalies and how those surrounding monsters posed high risks, raising their awareness.

As the excited atmosphere settled, Elena surveyed the tense faces of the students before making her proposal again.

“If you still plan to participate, raise your hands. Anyone interested in the expedition?”

However, despite Elena’s stern warning, the majority of students raised their hands.

Of course, among those students was Edgar, along with several others following him.

“…Hmm. If there are this many applicants, I suppose we’ll need to hold a selection competition.”

In a situation where 80% of the classroom had expressed their willingness to participate,

To take 20 out of them, there was no choice but to compete based on their skills.

Thus, Elena announced the schedule for the selection competition.

“We need to get permissions from your guardians, so bring a consent form. Only those who bring the consent form will participate in the first and second selection process. The first round will be held a week from now. And the second round will be held two weeks later, so prepare well.”

Having finished her announcement, Elena opened the floor for questions.

Some students inquired about the rules for the selection competition, and Elena answered succinctly with the word ‘unlimited’.

In other words, it meant they should prove their skills using all the means at their disposal.

“Well then, see you in a week.”

-Fwoosh!

With that, Elena transformed into blue smoke and vanished.

Edgar sat in deep thought, gazing at the podium where Elena had disappeared.

Because an unexpected event of ‘expedition to magical anomalies’ had occurred.

Such a thing had never happened in all the previous rounds.

They had never managed to uncover the secret behind the ‘emerald mana stones’ and failed to expose the connection between magical anomalies and ancient spells.

“The future is changing.”

Another timeline was being created.

The story was branching off into a different path than the one he had followed so far.

Was this truly the best outcome?

“I can just make it the best.”

There was no need for deep contemplation.

As always, he just needed to give his best in whatever task was given.

Thus, Edgar rose from his chair and began to brainstorm new functions.

Specifically, the ‘submersible function’ of his suit.