Last Gun Alchemist

He looked at Ezra before lowering his gaze to the stone floor beneath his feet.

His fists tightened more.

"I wanted to blame the Family itself..."

His voice became heavier.

"...for creating such a stupid trial in the first place."

He gritted his teeth.

"I wanted to blame everyone."

He slowly raised his head, his eyes carrying emotions he had been suppressing for a long time.

"I wanted to blame every single person who could still smile and celebrate as though nothing had happened...while there are families like ours..."

He paused.

"...still mourning."

Silence settled over the courtyard.

Even the gentle sound of the fountain seemed quieter than before.

"I hate all of it..."

He said through clenched teeth.

After a long pause, he slowly exhaled.

"But...There isn’t anything I can do."

His shoulders gradually relaxed.

"I can only accept reality. I..."

He stopped halfway.

The words simply refused to come out.

His father gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

The simple gesture carried far more comfort than any words could.

The middle-aged man looked at Ezra.

"Ezra, right?"

He asked quietly.

"I’ve read a lot about you in Aliya’s diary. And Young Lord Veda has also told us quite a few things about you."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Your personality really is..."

He searched for the proper words.

"...unique."

He chuckled weakly.

"It’s so calm...that it’s honestly infuriating."

He lowered his head again.

"When I first heard about everything...I couldn’t help feeling that you didn’t care about her at all. That she died...for absolutely nothing."

His voice trembled slightly.

He closed his eyes, then slowly shook his head.

"But...I know it wasn’t your fault. You’ve already suffered enough yourself. You even lost your own parents not long ago. I know...It wasn’t your fault."

He slowly brushed his hair backward before letting out another long breath.

Ezra quietly listened until the man finished speaking.

Only then did he answer.

"I’m sorry."

His voice remained as plain as ever.

Yet...

For some reason...

Nobody felt those words lacked sincerity.

The man slowly looked up.

His eyes closed again for a brief moment before opening again.

Ezra calmly continued.

"Your daughter...was a proper noble lady."

He paused.

"She might have been goofy, and nosy."

Veda blinked.

Aliya’s father slowly moved his head, looking at Ezra.

Her mother, who had been desperately holding back her tears, looked directly at Ezra.

Even her brother quietly stared at him.

"She was always trying to involve herself in things that had nothing to do with her."

As Ezra spoke...

Scenes from the Fourth Trial quietly surfaced within his mind.

The battles.

The conversations.

The countless moments they spent together.

Everything appeared vividly before him.

Perhaps...

It was because of his extraordinary memory.

Every scene still felt as though it had happened only yesterday.

"She nagged a lot."

He continued.

"But...Whenever the team needed someone...she was always ready to step forward."

He looked toward Aliya’s family.

"She dreamed of becoming someone capable of advancing her Alchemy Path. She even wanted to combine that dream with her mastery of the staff."

He paused again.

"And... She was surprisingly popular."

The moment those words left his mouth...

Aliya’s father suddenly laughed.

It wasn’t loud.

Just a quiet laugh escaping before he could stop it.

Her remaining brother laughed as well.

Veda couldn’t help smiling.

"That’s definitely Aliya."

He nodded.

"She somehow became friends with almost everyone both lowlines and highlines."

He folded his arms.

"Can you even imagine... She was actually two-timing me."

He pouted dramatically.

"She kept telling me I was the only one she had eyes for, but then she somehow managed to fall head over heels for Ezra. I’ve never understood how her heart works."

"I can."

Her mother laughed through her tears.

While wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, she smiled warmly.

"That really does sound like Aliya."

The atmosphere gradually became lighter.

Not because everyone had forgotten their grief.

But because, for the first time since arriving...

They were remembering Aliya’s life instead of only remembering her death.

"Ah..."

The remaining brother suddenly let out a long breath.

He lightly slapped both of his cheeks.

"That’s enough."

He forced a brighter smile onto his face.

"We’ve met the person we wanted to meet."

He looked toward his parents.

"And... He’s not a bad person."

He gently placed both hands on their shoulders.

"We should move forward."

He smiled.

"What would my other brothers say if they saw their parents looking like this?"

His attempt at cheering everyone up wasn’t perfect.

It was obvious he was forcing himself.

Yet...

That only made his smile feel more genuine.

He slowly turned toward Ezra.

"Thank you."

His voice carried none of the hostility from earlier.

"Thank you...for remembering my sister. And... for staying beside her until the very end."

He lowered himself into a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Ezra."

Seeing him bow...

Both his father and mother also bowed deeply.

Ezra quietly narrowed his eyes.

His blank black eyes rested upon the family.

Then...

He bowed as well.

"It’s fine."

He replied calmly.

"Your daughter saved my life. I owe your entire family a great debt."

Beside him...

Veda also lowered himself into a bow.

"I owe your family a debt as well." He spoke sincerely. "I failed as a leader to properly protect everyone in my group, and it’s my fault the tr..."

The family immediately raised their heads.

"No, Young Lord!"

They hurriedly spoke.

Panic filled their expressions.

Veda slowly straightened himself before shaking his head.

"I insist."

His gentle smile disappeared.

"It isn’t only your family. I owe every family that lost a child during the Trial."

He looked toward the distant sky.

"I carry every one of those debts. And...I’ll spend my life repaying them."

He bowed once again.

This time...

Aliya’s family didn’t try stopping him.

Instead...

All three of them smiled helplessly.

"Thank you..."

They spoke together.

"Young Lord."

Aliya’s father smiled proudly.

"It truly is a blessing...to have someone like you as the future head of this Family."

His gaze then shifted toward Ezra.

"And you...The young craftsman with incredible talent."

He smiled warmly.

"It was good meeting you."

He turned toward his family.

"Let’s go."

His wife and son nodded.

The three of them walked away first to find the eldest son who had left earlier.

Ezra and Veda quietly watched until their figures completely disappeared beyond the stone corridor.

Only then did Veda finally speak.

"I honestly didn’t expect you to say all of that."

He continued staring in the direction they had left.

Ezra also looked ahead.

"Do I really look like a wicked...or heartless person?"

He asked plainly.

Veda smiled.

"No."

He answered softly.

"I guess...I still have a long way to go before I completely understand you."

Before Ezra could reply...

Ping.

Ping.

A notification echoed from both of their devices.

Ezra took out his Starlix 11.

Veda took out his Zphone.

Both quietly read their respective messages.

Ezra immediately put his device away.

"I’m leaving."

He casually waved.

Veda smiled and returned the gesture.

"Okay."

He quietly watched Ezra walk away before turning toward another corridor himself.

The message Ezra received had come from Vera.

She simply wrote:

’Come back to the Council Hall. Elder Ivanhoe is looking for you.’

Jewel_of_Ash

When Ezra returned...

The once crowded Council Hall had become much quieter.

Most of the nobles had already left.

Only Vera, Nina, Elder Ivanhoe, and several members of Ashcraft remained, discussing documents spread across a large table which was were Vera’s Zphone tablet was placed for the holographic presentation.

"Greetings, Elder."

Ezra bowed politely.

"Ezra."

Ivanhoe smiled broadly before placing a firm hand on Ezra’s shoulder.

"The firearms were really outstanding. I have to say it again."

He laughed heartily.

"Thank you."

Ezra bowed once more.

Ivanhoe sighed.

"Honestly...I’d rather keep you in Ashcraft permanently than let you disappear into the Royal Academy where all those monsters gather."

He laughed again.

"But if I actually tried doing that...I’m certain several Elders would skin me alive."

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Elder."

Vera looked at him.

"I believe that wasn’t merely a joke."

Ivanhoe coughed awkwardly.

"I was only thinking about it. Not planning it."

He quickly corrected himself.

"Anyway...Vera has already transferred every document Ashcraft needs."

The members of the Ashcraft packed the documents on the table together and placed them into their space bags.

"But..."

He pointed toward both of them.

"Like the Duke ordered. You’ll still have to work alongside us during production. We’ll also be documenting every stage before officially publishing the innovations across Britannia."

A confident smile spread across his face.

"It’ll let everyone know...that the Ashenlocke Family has returned."

"So, that means I have to stay here for a while longer."

Ezra looked at Elder Ivanhoe with his usual blank expression.

"Exactly how long are we talking about?"

Although his tone remained flat as always, the reluctance in his voice was obvious enough that everyone present could hear it.

Ivanhoe laughed heartily.

"Don’t worry."

He waved his hand with a bright smile.

"From today onward, you’ll be staying in the best Guest House inside the Estate."

He folded his arms proudly.

"The place has its own private training ground where you can exercise whenever you want. There are workshops, gardens, a quiet reading room, and plenty of other facilities meant to help people relax after training."

He chuckled.

"So don’t think of it as extra work. Think of it as another vacation."

He pointed at Ezra with an amused smile.

"It’ll make up for the vacation you missed."

Ezra silently listened until Ivanhoe finished speaking.

Then he nodded once.

"...Now you have my full attention, Elder."

He replied in his usual calm tone.

Ivanhoe burst into laughter.

"I knew that would work."

"Shameless."

Nina muttered while folding her arms.

She looked at Ezra with obvious displeasure.

"You don’t even try to hide it."

Ezra glanced at her once.

Then...

He simply looked away.

It was as though she hadn’t spoken at all.

That reaction made Nina click her tongue in annoyance.

"Hmph."

She muttered under her breath.

Ivanhoe continued smiling.

"We should finish everything within a month."

He turned toward the members of Ashcraft standing nearby.

"Everyone, gather around. We’ll begin preparing the production schedule immediately."

The craftsmen quickly surrounded him taking out jotters to take notes of his instructions while discussions immediately began.

Some started talking about material preparation.

Others discussed production speed.

Watching the busy scene before him...

Ezra quietly lowered his eyes toward the polished tiled floor.

I still have to trace the black market.

And...

There are still many firearms I need to recreate before entering the Royal Academy.

So, after this one month, I need to get back home to fully begin preparations.

His thoughts slowly wandered.

Time...

Suddenly felt much shorter than before with the year counting down.

"We’ll be working together again, Inventor."

Vera’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ezra slowly lifted his head.

She was looking directly at him with those familiar blank black eyes.

"I’m certain you’re excited."

She spoke in her usual quick yet perfectly calm manner.

"Aren’t you?"

She tilted her head.

"Yes. You definitely are. Of course, you are."

Her face remained completely expressionless.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint that she was joking.

Yet...

That somehow made her words even more ridiculous.

Ezra quietly stared at her, choosing not to answer.

Silence became his response.

Seeing that...

Vera lightly nodded.

"I understand."

She said as though she had received the answer she wanted.

"Well...I’m leaving."

She casually turned around.

After taking a few steps, she stopped.

Without looking back...

"Greet your maid for me, Inventor. I’ll see you soon."

She lazily raised one hand and waved before continuing toward the exit.

Nina turned around halfway.

She stretched out her tongue at Ezra.

"Hmph."

Only then did she quickly run after Vera.

Zack simply glanced once toward Ezra adjusting his glasses.

Without saying a single word, he quietly followed the two girls.

Soon...

Their figures disappeared beyond the large entrance of the Council Hall.

Ezra remained standing for another moment.

Only after the discussions behind him grew louder did he quietly leave as well.

He walked through the nearly empty hall.

Most of the nobles had already departed.

Only servants remained, busily cleaning tables, organizing documents, and restoring the Council Hall to its usual state.

After walking for a short while...

Ezra finally found Lucy.

She was sitting on a chair beside one of the pillars.

No...

She wasn’t exactly sitting anymore.

Her upper body completely collapsed onto the table before her.

Her face rested against the wooden surface while both arms hung lifelessly to the sides.

She looked as though every bit of energy had been drained from her body.

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Did you become lazy...after enjoying too much free time?"

His calm voice reached her ears.

"Huh..."

Lucy slowly raised her head.

Her eyes looked sleepy.

She rubbed them several times before finally recognizing the person standing before her.

"Master..."

She yawned softly.

"The presentation is over already? How did it go?"

"It went well."

Ezra answered simply.

"We’re heading back."

"Finally..."

Lucy smiled weakly.

Her shoulders immediately slumped again.

"I’m so tired..."

She slowly stretched both arms above her head before letting them fall.

"I had so much work to do today."

She sighed dramatically.

"I baked pastries...even though I only recently learned how to bake, I’m not even perfect at it."

She counted with her fingers.

"I also had to prepare drinks. Help arrange the dining tables where we placed the snacks, and every single time someone walked across the section assigned to me...I had to clean the floor all over again."

She puffed out her cheeks.

"I think I cleaned that same section more than twenty times today."

She stretched again.

Her whole body looked completely worn out.

"Master..."

She looked at Ezra with watery eyes.

"Please carry..."

Smack!

Before she could finish speaking...

Ezra flicked her forehead.

A crisp sound echoed through the quiet hallway.

"Ouch!"

Lucy immediately jumped to her feet.

Both hands quickly covered her forehead.

She looked at Ezra with teary eyes.

"That hurts!"

Ezra remained completely unmoved.

"I’m leaving."

He calmly turned around.

Without waiting...

He began walking away.

"Master!"

Lucy hurriedly grabbed her space bag before chasing after him.

"Wait for me!"

She quickly caught up beside him.

"At least indulge me this once."

She pouted while lightly rubbing the sore spot on her forehead.

"I really worked hard today."

Ezra continued walking.

He didn’t answer.

Not even a single word.

Lucy stared at him for several seconds.

"...Ah..."

She let out a long sigh.

"The silent treatment again."

She smiled helplessly before quietly following beside him.

"I really did work hard though..."

She mumbled to herself.

Even so...

She never once slowed her footsteps.

She already knew her master well enough.

Even if he refused to answer...

He was still listening.

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