The Grand Mage's Visit
It was the perfect news, yet it hit like a bolt from the blue. Edgar Fix had already left. He hadn’t even tried to plead his case. Who just walks away that cleanly? ‘What kind of person is this neat?’
Thinking from his perspective, it was only natural he’d feel wronged. From Edgar Fix’s point of view, he had simply shown goodwill. If it had been her, she would have at least offered some defense. ‘The reason I used the forge was for this cat…’
At that moment, Ed’s final words resurfaced. So did the memory of how she had shut his mouth when he tried to explain himself. Elena let out a deep sigh.
‘Still… if he leaves like this…’
It was a disaster. A talent of that caliber was someone she should be begging to stay, not letting slip away. Of course, the academy’s standard for selecting a blacksmith was strictly “how quickly can they mass-produce standard equipment,” but someone of his skill could easily handle that as well. After all, he was the one who had completed a custom biomechanical prosthetic for Waeyong in just a few hours. There was no need to look further. Edgar Fix had to become the master of the forge.
“I will revise the bidding schedule.”
And so, Elena decided to change the plan. She couldn’t afford to let Edgar Fix fail like this.
“Pardon? Right now?”
A few professors looked visibly flustered by the sudden change. They had originally planned to select the final candidate today.
“Yes. Instead of today, we will determine the final bidder next Wednesday.”
Even though she knew it would invite complaints from the faculty, Elena pushed the revision through. At the very least, she wanted to give Ed another chance to prove himself.
“Hmm… Are you revising it because of applicant number 27?”
“If that’s the case, I must express my regret. Delaying the entire schedule for a mere blacksmith?”
“I agree. Isn’t he just a commoner who makes training equipment? Giving him a spot seems excessive. I’m concerned that too much manpower and effort is being wasted on these lower-class individuals.”
As expected, quite a few voices of opposition rose. They were mostly old-timers who looked down on her for being a half-blooded commoner noble, or those who resented the fact that the youngest among them held the position of chief professor. The same people who had always clashed with her were now throwing obstacles in her path again.
CRACK!
So Elena decided to do what she did best: overwhelming violence.
The professors who had voiced their complaints were now breaking into cold sweats as they stared at the chairs crushed by her telekinesis.
“Mere blacksmith? Do you understand how critical equipment is for the students’ safety? In the event of an accident, it is the equipment that protects them.”
Elena spoke calmly while waving her hand once more.
CRACK— CRACK— CRACK—
The chairs twisted into grotesque shapes.
“Furthermore, the schedule will be kept to a minimum. We will first select the final two candidates here, then I will personally invite one additional person from outside for the final evaluation.”
Elena clenched her fist as she spoke. The steel chair exploded with a BANG!, sending fragments flying in every direction. The roar was like a grenade detonation. Yet despite hundreds of steel shards bursting outward, not a single person was injured. That was because Elena’s monstrous skill allowed her to perfectly control every last piece.
Finally, her low voice rang out.
“Does anyone have an objection?”
“······.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The rural village of Greta. The home of James’s forge was currently in complete chaos. The reason was simple: none other than Elena von Illide Rosario—a grand mage, the princess’s mentor, and the chief professor of the Imperial Academy—had come in person.
“G-Great Mage Elena, it is an honor to meet you!”
The village chief of Greta was deathly pale. Very few people could remain composed in front of someone capable of single-handedly destroying an entire kingdom.
Yet Elena simply smiled gently and said,
“Thank you for the warm welcome. I didn’t intend to cause such a commotion. It seems I’ve troubled you unnecessarily.”
Elena had unintentionally thrown the village into an uproar. In truth, she had visited while concealing her identity. She had removed all imperial crests and noble symbols before entering the village.
“N-Not at all! Troubled? You are welcome here anytime!”
Unfortunately, her identity had already been exposed. The village chief had recognized her instantly, even though she had half-hidden her face with a hood.
“Do we… know each other?”
Elena felt a small flicker of doubt. If someone could recognize her from just the lower half of her face, they must have seen her before. The chief’s answer was exactly what she expected.
“…Yes. The truth is, I am a former mage from the Magic Corps who retired four years ago. Seven years ago, during the Great War… I saw you, Lady Elena.”
The chief’s voice trembled as he recalled that time. The emotion he felt back then had been pure terror. Terror toward an ally. Every time Elena waved her hand, dozens of enemy heads had exploded entirely. Faced with such overwhelming power, the chief had lost all will to fight. It hadn’t been a war—it had been a massacre. There had been no need for him to step forward at all.
“Ah… seven years ago…”
Elena’s expression grew complicated as she remembered that period. It was the war that had elevated her to this position, yet it remained a dark chapter of her life she desperately wished to erase.
“Seven years ago… then we were comrades-in-arms. It’s nice to meet you again, comrade.”
Elena smiled softly and wiped the awkward look from her face. At the same time, she extended her hand toward the chief, offering a handshake.
“Ah, yes!”
The chief hurriedly wiped the sweat from his palm and bowed deeply before grasping her hand. Tremble tremble tremble… The faint shaking of his hand did not escape Elena’s notice. She gave a bitter smile and gently released his hand, clearing her throat to change the subject.
“Ahem. In any case, that’s all in the past. The truth is, I came to this village to meet someone.”
Elena immediately stated her purpose. The chief nodded and asked who she had come to see. When she said she was looking for Edgar Fix, the chief gave a faint smile and replied,
“Ah, you mean Ed? Ed went with James to observe the equipment bidding competition…”
Two days. It had been two days since Ed and James left for the bidding review, yet they still hadn’t returned to the village. They were taking their time, enjoying the journey back.
“I see. Do you know when they might return?”
“Hmm… They should arrive tomorrow. They planned to resume ‘custom orders’ starting tomorrow.”
Custom orders? Elena asked what that meant. The chief explained it was something like “Ed’s talent donation,” then stood up and brought over an object.
“This is the item I commissioned as a custom order. Ed made it himself.”
The chief showed her the object with a gentle smile. By now, his trembling had completely stopped. Elena observed him with intrigued eyes. Simply changing the topic to ‘Edgar Fix’ had completely transformed the man’s demeanor.
“What is this? I’ve never seen anything like it…”
“Hmm… According to Ed, it’s called a ‘keyboard.’”
“A keyboard?”
“Yes. See these keys with letters engraved on them? You insert a blank sheet of paper into the keyboard and press the keys—”
Click.
“—and the letters are printed onto the paper. To think a boy so young would invent something like this… It’s incredible. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to write my short story collection much more easily.”
The chief spoke proudly as he continued tapping the keyboard. The sentence ‘Pretty amazing, right?’ was instantly engraved onto the blank paper.
Elena, now clearly interested, asked the chief,
“May I try using this?”
“Of course! Here, sit down and give it a try.”
The chief stood and offered her his chair. Elena sat down and typed out the first thing that came to mind.
"I am Elena von Illide Rosario. Grand Mage."
She had typed it using the hunt-and-peck method. After checking the completed sentence, Elena’s face turned red. It sounded like she was bragging about herself.
“C-Can this be erased?”
“Of course. That key over there is called backspace. Press it and the ink disappears.”
Just as the chief said, the sentence vanished. Elena grew excited and typed out several more sentences, only to erase them immediately, embarrassed that her inner thoughts were being exposed.
“This is fascinating. You’re saying Edgar Fix made this himself?”
“Yes. He crafted it by hand.”
Elena stroked her chin. It was a truly ingenious and excellent device. Most of all, the keyboard layout was both scientific and ergonomic. It was clear he had put serious thought into making it as comfortable as possible for the user. A smile spread across Elena’s lips.
‘Edgar Fix…’
She liked him. He was a blacksmith who truly understood people’s hearts. He was the complete opposite of the greedy imperial blacksmiths.
“He really is a wonderful boy. Even with talent like this, he doesn’t crave money. I feel so bad that I end up giving him extra. He barely charged the villagers anything either.”
The chief added that although Ed had done the custom work for free at first, people later felt grateful for the performance of the equipment he made and insisted on paying him. The more Elena heard praise for Ed, the more guilty she felt.
‘Did I misunderstand a child like this? He must have fixed it out of pure goodwill.’
The image of Edgar Fix’s handsome face clouded by a shadow rose in her mind. It was a shadow she herself had created through misunderstanding. She wanted to meet him as soon as possible and clear it up.
“By the way, where is the inn? I’d like to stay the night.”