I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Regeneration of the territory inhabitants.

It was an idea I got from a random comment that Enya let slip, but the more I think about it, the more revolutionary it seems.

If we upgrade the workers from the start, the efficiency of their work would skyrocket, after all.

“Let’s push this forward right away!”

I thought of something fun and exciting; why would I hesitate?

I immediately went to Elena and told her that I had chosen a territory.

The territory of Arjie, rich in mines.

It’s optimized for both building factories and securing coal.

“Arjie’s territory… that’s not a bad choice. But have you decided who your guardian will be?”

However, there was one more thing I had to do.

That was choosing a guardian to help manage the territory.

This was a test of my insight and political philosophy, meant to gauge the royal family’s intentions.

Depending on who I chose as a guardian, they could get a rough idea of the power structure I envisioned.

“I’ll think about it for a moment.”

So, I pondered.

Who should I choose as my guardian?

‘…Elmar Family.’

In the end, the Elmar Family seemed appropriate.

I didn’t want the Empire’s power structure tilting too heavily to one side.

To maintain a balance of power, I needed to pick the relatively weak Elmar Family among the Grand Duke Families.

Because Adela chose a commoner for her husband, she doesn’t have a strong support base.

‘Besides, there’s a chance for a marriage alliance.’

Also, the only eligible member of the Elmar Family is Lucas.

Adela, Lucas’s mother, was an only daughter, meaning there are no cousins to represent for an alliance.

So, choosing the Elmar Family as my guardian = marriage alliance, which means I wouldn’t end up being a married man.

I could still leave room for other families to make their move.

“Master, I will choose Lady Adela Elmar as my guardian.”

Thus, I shared my thoughts with Elena.

Elena thought about the meaning of my choice for a moment and then smiled softly.

“So you’re trying to maintain balance? The Elmar Family would merely mean a temporary alliance.”

“Something like that.”

“Hehe. My disciple is clever, is he? You’ll link up with the Grand Duke Family but still leave some leeway.”

“Thanks to your teachings, Master.”

“Heh. I’m not that sharp with schemes. I’m more of an emotional type.”

Elena said this and stood up.

Then she left, saying she would discuss it with the princess and report to the royal family.

…Now it’s time to cultivate my territory.

***

News that Edgar had chosen Adela Elmar as his guardian spread like wildfire throughout the Empire.

As a result, the nobles displayed a variety of responses.

“Well, he’s clever enough.”

First, the Northern Duke, Adrian Graham, was admiring Edgar’s moves.

By choosing Adela, he managed to avoid tipping the scales of power too heavily.

This was maintaining neutrality while still increasing his own value.

With the Eastern Duchess as a guardian, yet still a man without a marriage partner.

He really was a man of nonsensical value.

Looks, height, brains, ability, reputation, wealth, connections.

He was perfect in every aspect—a top tier bachelor.

All the nobles of the Empire would still be drooling over Edgar.

“I… was too hasty.”

On the other hand, the Western Grand Duke, Ireya Cruel, was rubbing his temples.

He couldn’t shake the thought that if he had been more proactive in his approach when he met Edgar, he might have been chosen as a guardian instead.

“…That was a misstep.”

He had underestimated Edgar’s value.

If only he had waited a bit longer and acted cautiously.

He approached first at the optimal time, but what he did was the worst action.

Not only did he press Edgar to keep a suitable distance from Enya, but he even made the blunder of saying he would make her a concubine if there was any thought of a connection with her.

To a genius unprecedented in history!

If anyone found out he made such a comment, the Cruel Duke would surely be clicking his tongue at how out of touch he had become.

“We still have our chance.”

Meanwhile, Claire of the Bernhardt Family viewed this as an opportunity.

The possibility of a marriage alliance was still open.

“…”

However, the person involved had little to no interest.

Throughout the talk about a marriage alliance, Claire looked indifferent.

“I’m not interested.”

And it was only natural, for Claire had no feelings for Edgar.

Up until now, she had only followed him out of curiosity—she found his type interesting and wanted to observe him.

Above all, Edgar seemed like a typical playboy no matter how you looked at him.

He was kind to all the women who approached him, but ultimately selected none of them.

He gave enough leeway to confuse them, but when it came down to getting closer, he would subtly pull back.

This was one of the classic signs of a playboy.

“But to call him a playboy… feels a bit odd.”

However, there were so many strange points that made it odd to confirm him as such.

What is the usual reason for playboys?

Isn’t it to snatch away the opposite sex they find wasteful to date?

Yet in Edgar’s case, rather than snatching, he would help instead.

With his looks and talents, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be tramping around with multiple women, but he never behaved recklessly.

What kind of person could be like that?

‘His personality doesn’t seem flawed in any way.’

Additionally, Edgar’s personality was too perfect.

He was bold yet cautious, had a lot of talents but never flaunted them.

However, when it was time for confidence, he was more dignified than anyone.

He felt like a character made by a god who dumped all the stats into one.

‘He’s not like Lucas either…’

On the surface, he seemed flawless, but inside he carried an insecure side like Lucas.

Claire liked Lucas.

She found him adorable, struggling to hide his own weakness.

She felt sympathy for that, which developed into a somewhat special feeling.

Everyone praised Lucas as a perfect man, but to Claire, he was merely cute.

‘But Edgar Fix…’

It felt like he was simply born that way.

From the start, he felt perfectly designed as if there was a blueprint.

Especially during this first evaluation match, Claire was convinced.

Excluding Isabella, Edgar Fix was already the strongest student in the Academy.

And once Edgar found a means to counter the Graham family’s mental attacks, he would undoubtedly become the ultimate student.

‘What could Edgar possibly desire…’

Claire loved observing people.

That was why she found Enya, the most immature character, appealing.

There was a certain refreshing taste to her.

Sometimes, she felt like biting her.

Part of her wanted to tease her as well.

However, when she looked at Isabella, her heart sank.

She had been the kindest among our group, but she completely changed when she took on the mission of the Graham family.

On the other hand, watching Lucas who desperately showed off was both pitiable and adorable.

‘Yeah, for others, desires reveal their personalities…’

In this way, Claire could gauge personality through the desires of others.

Enya, who lived with pride, had the desire to always be the best.

Isabella had the desire to fulfill the Graham family’s destiny.

Lucas had the desire to hide his frailties.

Thus, depending on desires, goals are born, and to fulfill those goals, the neural networks are reorganized, creating a unique character.

She too developed a voyeuristic nature through the desire to also decipher others.

‘But what about Edgar Fix?’

She didn’t know.

What could his desire be?

What kind of desire was brewing within him to present such a perfect appearance in every aspect?

“Hmmm…”

Claire’s worries grew deeper that day as well.

***

[Jack Dionel]

Lucas was facing his father’s gravestone for the first time.

It bore the name of the person who created his other half, yet Lucas hadn’t once been curious about it until now.

He had been living with a deep-seated inferiority complex about his commoner lineage for a long time.

“Dear, I’m sorry to take so long. Isn’t he handsome? He’s our son.”

At that moment, Adela introduced Lucas to her husband’s grave.

She was sitting in front of the grave, kneeling and folding her hands in a gesture of respect, without anyone telling her to.

Lucas looked at his mother’s demeanor with complicated feelings, then opened his mouth.

“Mother, it’s a bit presumptuous of me, but could you please rise? Aren’t you the head of the family?”

Lucas followed Adela to accept his roots.

However, he felt uncomfortable with his mother’s attitude.

No matter how much of a husband he was, his mother was the Empress of the East and the head of the Elmar Family.

Yet here she was, kneeling and humbly folding her hands before the grave of a commoner.

From Lucas’s standpoint, who respected his mother deeply, it could not help but feel uncomfortable.

“Lucas.”

At that moment, Adela softly called Lucas’s name.

She remained kneeling at her husband’s grave.

“You know, everyone in the world disparaged your father.”

“…”

Lucas suddenly recalled his childhood.

The time when he was mocked as the son of a rapist.

During that time, everyone had insulted Adela’s husband.

Once, Adela was known as one of the most beautiful women in the Empire, so those harboring fantasies about her had insulted the dead man by calling him names.

Rapist, murderer, big-nose, jutting jaw—various baseless rumors circulated.

“If I don’t do it, who will lift up your father’s spirit? I only feel pity. If he had survived and returned with me, he would have been spared such insults…”

His mother seemed to be depicting the past with sad eyes.

However, even after hearing Adela’s explanation, an uncomfortable feeling still lingered within Lucas.

Perhaps it was because he had not recognized his father as a commoner for so long.

‘…No.’

No.

This was a misunderstanding of the social hierarchy.

His father was merely a lucky mercenary who caught his mother’s eye, while his mother was the head of a noble family.

It struck him as incomprehensible that the head would kneel before the grave of a mercenary.

“Ha ha. You have a look of disbelief.”

At that moment, Adela turned to Lucas and said that.

Her gaze seemed to understand his feelings.

Eventually, Lucas laid bare his honest feelings.

“…Isn’t there a noble’s law and common sense? If another noble saw you like this… there might be rumors. Your status and authority are absolute. You are the duchess of the East, after all.”

Adela Elmar.

The Empress respected by the nobles of the Eastern region.

It was beyond Lucas’s comprehension that such a figure would kneel before the grave of a mere mercenary.

Finally, Adela responded.

“Ha ha, you seem to be uncomfortable with me lowering myself.”

“…Yes.”

Lucas respected his mother.

Not just for her role as a mother, but as Adela Elmar, an outstanding sorceress and brilliant ruler leading her family.

“But Lucas, this is the right thing to do. To me, your father is heaven.”

“…?”

Yet, this mother called her commoner husband heaven.

As Adela looked at Lucas, who seemed dazed, she spoke.

“I was able to achieve greatness because your father’s philosophy and beliefs took root in me. I respected him and wanted to serve him as closely as possible.”

“…”

“To form an ideal family, a wife should obey her husband and do her best to realize his ambitions. If a wife feels reluctance in taking on that role, it’s a sign that she has chosen the wrong man for marriage. It shows a lack of discernment in choosing a partner.”

Lucas froze.

To think that his phenomenal mother, such a grand empress, was such a subservient woman.

“Therefore, Lucas, this mother found the right husband. I have been following your father’s will and beliefs until now. Your father is my spouse. Thus, remarks that belittle him are like insults directed at me.”

Lucas nodded.

He realized just how firm his mother’s beliefs about his father were.

“Lucas, a man is a conqueror. And a true man must be capable of conquering everything about the woman he desires: body, mind, and spirit. All of it.”

Lucas felt a sense of detachment.

The more he listened to his mother, the more he felt that his father wasn’t just a commoner.

‘Edgar Fix…’

And Lucas thought of Edgar.

The conqueror his mother spoke of completely matched Edgar.

As evidence, Enya was completely conquered by him.

She couldn’t stop gushing about Edgar all day, spouting strange terms like ‘Entropy’ and ‘Quantum Jump’ that she learned from him.

It was proof that her mind had been completely colored by him.

“…So, is Edgar Fix also a conqueror?”

However, Lucas was curious about his mother’s thoughts.

He had heard today that Edgar chose her as a guardian, which kept nagging at him.

“…He’s a conqueror too. Though young, the spirit within him is anything but ordinary. There must be many women who want to be conquered by him. So keep him close. He will surely provide you with a good stimulus.”

Adela smiled gently, saying he would serve as a good stimulus.

However, Lucas found himself feeling anxious about all the wrong possibilities.

What if Edgar and his mother grew closer?

***

That night.

Lucas had a strange dream.

It was a dream where his mother, still possessing the beauty of her twenties, remarried Edgar and was living a newlywed life.

-My husband… ♥ Are you here?

In the dream, his mother welcomed Edgar.

She knelt down, hands folded elegantly as she did.

-Is Lucas asleep?

-Hehe. I just checked on him ♥

His mother was hanging Edgar’s coat and chatting with a charming smile.

Thud. Thud. Thud. His heart raced.

Cold sweat broke out, and his back was damp.

-You’ve got a lot of tension in your muscles. I’ll help you relax ♥

-Haha. Please do.

The intensity was gradually rising.

He felt a surge in his stomach like he was about to vomit.

What kind of absurd dream was this?

“Oh, no!!!”

In the end, Lucas woke up from his dream.

To see family members in such an intimate situation in a dream was a sight he could not handle physiologically.

“Haha… What a ridiculous dream.”

Lucas wiped the cold sweat and forced a laugh.

There’s no way something like this could happen.

“It was just a dream…”

Lucas brushed it off as a mere nightmare and lay back down.

But for some reason, he couldn’t fall asleep through the night.

***

Currently, I am in the Arjie territory.

I’m here to take a look around the territory where I will be living.

“There’s no need to show my face.”

However, I won’t reveal my identity.

Observing the place as a new lord is fundamentally different from just passing through as a commoner.

I plan to gauge the true situation of this place from the perspective of the territory inhabitants.

“Well then, shall we go?”

I intend to start with the red-light district.