I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Waaaaaah─!”

Thousands of angry crowds poured into the castle of Arjie.

The castle built on the blood and sweat of the people.

The castle’s gatekeepers were brutally beaten to death without a chance to defend themselves.

They tried to open the magical barrier late, but Edgar’s web shooter ensnared their movements.

“Destroy everything!!!”

The crowd began to vent their anger that had accumulated over the past few years.

Government officials who came to collect taxes and demanded bribes.

The guards who harassed village women.

The high-interest moneylenders who bankrupted countless villagers.

Even the storytellers who spread slanderous rumors and baseless hatred.

All of them gathered at the castle of Arjie.

However, the moment they opened the magical barrier, they were trapped in Edgar’s genetically modified webs and were mercilessly beaten to death by the crowd.

“Kill them!! Sweep them all away!”

Thus, the castle of sins was crumbling.

Inside, the retainers indulged in group drug sex.

Devil Church followers were being served by women bought with money at a table laden with extravagant dishes.

Gamblers were betting on death matches with slaves, and so on.

The corrupted humans were being swept away.

Sometimes by Edgar’s repulsor beam.

Sometimes by the furious beatings of the crowd, their skulls crushed and life snuffed out.

“Uuugh… P-please, spare me…”

Of course, there were some innocent victims.

Ordinary citizens who fell into slavery because they couldn’t repay their debts.

Fortunately, Edgar was careful to distinguish between targets of anger, and the crowd, influenced by Edgar, did not lose their reason while venting their suppressed rage.

They knew the difference between those who should be punished and the victims.

“Go back to your homes.”

As the revolution was nearing its end.

Edgar released all the innocent.

He also gathered the corpses left around the castle and burned them, while collecting all the valuable items that seemed worth something into the courtyard.

All to sell for cash.

“Gric.”

“Yes, Lord Fix.”

“If we distribute all the food in the warehouse, it should last us at least a week. Issue an official notice to distribute food to all villagers in the territory.”

“Yes!”

Afterward, Edgar instructed Gric to distribute the food.

It was to give hope to the villagers who had suffered from poverty and hunger for so long.

The hope that they could now live without starving.

“I’ll be back in three days.”

With that, Edgar left Gric in charge of the food distribution, departing somewhere to seek help for the territory.

‘Adela.’

And Edgar was headed to the place ruled by the eastern empress.

In other words, the eastern territory governed by House Elmar.

***

“Hmmm…”

Empress Adela Elmar of the East.

Still possessing her beautiful looks, she was seriously scanning reports.

The state of the territory that Edgar would govern was dire.

“It seems he has no interest in the lives of the villagers… How could such a foolish person…?”

Former lord Arjie Bellamy.

He could be considered a historical villain.

So fixated on filling his own pockets that the lives of the villagers were of no importance to him.

“I chose the wrong territory.”

Kroto, Arjie, and Egwu, who were executed in the Dwarf Kingdom.

Edgar chose the territory of Arjie among these three.

And according to the investigation, Arjie’s territory was the worst.

Every villager was gasping in hunger and poverty due to the former lord’s tyranny, and many villagers had turned into bandits.

Now, the only industry Arjie’s territory boasted was the entertainment district.

Women who were once ordinary wives and daughters began to sell their bodies for money.

“Strange religions are spreading too…”

Moreover, it didn’t stop there.

The new religion known as the Council of Salvation.

Something felt suspicious about the movements of that religion.

The period when the lives of the villagers deteriorated rapidly oddly coincided with the time when the religion spread.

There was a constant suspicion of organized movements, thoroughly planned.

Further investigation was necessary.

“Well, there’s plenty of room for me to intervene.”

Nonetheless, Adela smiled.

With the territory in such a mess, she now had a lot to do.

Now that she was appointed as the guardian of Edgar Fix.

She would surely gain far greater benefits in the future by bestowing as many favors as possible upon him.

Edgar Fix was a man worth such an investment.

“I can intervene in everything from the territory’s reforms to its operation.”

Adela raised the corners of her mouth.

Now that it had come to this, she felt the need to instill her House’s management philosophy into Edgar.

If their operating know-how and philosophy were somewhat aligned, it would make it easier to build friendly relations and form alliances in the future.

Though a marriage alliance might be difficult at the moment, if they shared the same management philosophy, there might come a time when their hearts would connect and future generations would unite.

-Knock. Knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

It was Head Maid En.

“Lady, Count Fix wishes to see you.”

And she brought the news that Edgar Fix had come to visit.

Adela raised the corners of her mouth and replied to the head maid.

“Show him to the parlor. I will come shortly.”

“Yes.”

The sound of the head maid’s footsteps faded away.

Adela smiled and tapped her fingers on the table.

The fact that Edgar Fix had come meant he was definitely seeking advice regarding the problems in the territory.

He was probably wracking his brain over the territory’s conditions by now.

“I guess I’ll have to teach him a thing or two.”

No matter how brilliant Edgar might be, in the end, he was of common origin.

It was hard to assume that he possessed the virtues of a gentleman, no matter how exceptional his individual abilities were.

Leading a crowd and managing a territory were distinct realms after all.

“Hehe…”

Thus, Adela stood up and put on her coat.

After casually brushing aside her flowing blonde hair, she sent her attendants back.

Tonight, there was certainly a lot to discuss with Edgar, just the two of them.

***

In the parlor.

Adela was looking at Edgar with a surprised expression.

It was because he had brought news that was completely opposite to her expectations.

“Y-you, uh… you swept away the castle…?”

Edgar’s shocking first words.

To casually sip tea and then say “I just swept the castle away” was astonishing.

“…Huh.”

This was an utterly unexpected statement.

She thought he would express concerns about issues within his territory or consult about a plan to resolve a problem.

But to say he had just swept the castle away from the very beginning?

What on earth was this man talking about?

“I sparked a revolution. The steward was exploiting the villagers intentionally. I led around 3,000 people and executed all of the steward’s accomplices.”

Every word he spoke was surprising.

It was so absurd that it almost made her laugh.

At the same time, Adela could realize that she had underestimated Edgar.

He was a man of a different caliber.

“Right. A man should know how to solve problems.”

Edgar Fix proved his worth once again.

Adela looked at him with a pleased expression.

If only he were ten years younger, he would be a prime candidate for a marriage alliance; it’s a pity the timing didn’t match.

“I plan to abolish the old order and establish a new one. I need Elmar’s help.”

Then Edgar finally revealed the main point.

He explained the reason for his visit.

“I need food, manpower, and equipment.”

What Edgar was requesting now was his resources.

In other words, it was a demand for people and food.

Adela raised the corners of her mouth and asked for guarantees and compensation for this.

“I have none. But wouldn’t our relationship become a bit closer?”

Edgar boldly replied that there was none.

He had asked to open someone else’s storeroom without any assurance or compensation.

What kind of unfair request is this?

“Hehe. How amusing.”

But that made her like him even more.

That assertive attitude of making demands as if it were a given.

The confident smile spreading across his beautiful face.

Is this how a man falls for a beautiful woman?

She found it hard to maintain her rationality given the charm radiating from him.

“He knows he has no choice but to give.”

However, in this case.

Catering to Edgar’s requests was undoubtedly the right decision a hundred times over.

Even if she wasn’t captivated by his charm, it was something that had to be done.

Because what Edgar requested were things that other noble houses could provide too.

“This is the opportunity coming to me first.”

In other words, this was Edgar giving her an opportunity.

An opportunity to invest heavily in the guaranteed investment subject known as Edgar Fix.

“He has a good grasp of his own value.”

As a result, Edgar did not beg humbly.

He had the attitude of “If you want to give, then give, if not, that’s fine.”

“Hehe. Yes. As I am also the guardian of Lord Fix, it is only natural that I provide supplies for the reconstruction of the territory. What’s the exact scale?”

Thus, Adela promised support and asked for the exact numbers.

However, Edgar’s response was unexpected once again.

“How could I dare to make demands? I will accept whatever Lord Elmar provides.”

He had turned it into “You present your offer.”

In other words, it meant he was going to watch how much sincerity she would show.

“Ah, this man. Is he quite a piece of work?”

With that, Adela couldn’t help but smile subtly at Edgar.

She prided herself on being a master of strategy in confrontation, yet this man was playing at a level above hers.

He always stumped her with unexpected answers.

“Have you eaten?”

Adela then tried to change the subject lightly.

How much she would invest in this man would require more conversation to think over carefully.

“No. I came in a hurry and just started to feel hungry.”

“Then how about a meal? We can enjoy a light drink together.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

And Edgar gladly accepted Adela’s meal proposal.

Adela promptly called for a servant to prepare the meal, leading Edgar not to the Great Hall but to her personal office.

It was a more suitable space for one-on-one conversations than the Great Hall, where the entire family gathered around a massive table.

“Here’s a welcome drink.”

Thus Adela and Edgar lightly sipped wine while chatting amicably.

As they moved from hors d’oeuvres – soup – appetizer – salad – to the main course, the depth of their conversation grew deeper.

They spent time hearing about Edgar’s thoughts and management philosophy in detail.

‘I’m getting greedy.’

The more Adela heard about Edgar’s plans, the more she became enchanted by his ideas.

The most successful modern ideologies and political philosophies were fresh stimuli and a new conceptual knowledge for Adela.

She found Edgar’s sense of justice very intriguing.

‘He reminds me of…’

The husband who completely changed her life.

Adela suddenly saw her dead husband in Edgar.

Both men had the same attitude, with a conviction that naturally inspired respect.

“Ahem.”

Just then, as the conversation between Edgar and Adela was reaching its peak.

Lucas, who had recently returned home for the weekend, came looking for Adela.

He was now standing in front of Adela’s office, adjusting his clothes neatly and clearing his throat.

He couldn’t let his respected mother see him in a disheveled state.

“Please inform them.”

“Yes.”

Thus, after tidying himself up, Lucas instructed a servant to announce his arrival.

Eventually, the servant waiting at the door informed Adela that Lucas had arrived.

“Lucas? Let him in.”

With that, Adela’s voice permitted Lucas to enter.

Lucas stepped through the open door while asking about his mother’s well-being, and secretly planning to flaunt his training accomplishments, feeling thrilled.

“Lucas, a welcome guest has arrived. Come sit with us.”

However, when he stepped through the door, he encountered an unexpected guest.

Edgar was already seated at the table, having a meal.

“…?”

Moreover, his mother was inebriated.

Two bottles of the finest wine had been emptied, and her face was quite flushed.

Nevertheless, Lucas found it strange.

‘Why didn’t she clear her head? She should be able to expel the toxic elements…’

Because his mother, a skilled alcohol mage, could refrain from getting drunk at any time.

In other words, she was enjoying the drink.

‘…Could it be?’

The way his mother looked at Edgar was anything but ordinary.