Last Gun Alchemist

After the Foreign Class finally came to an end, many students left their seats with pleased expressions, going to their friend group, still talking about everything Professor Donald had revealed about the world beyond Britannia.

For most of them, it was the first time they had received that much information about foreign nations in a single lesson.

Now...

The world they knew suddenly felt much larger.

"I didn’t know people from other parts of the world could have completely different ways of fighting."

"I wonder if they’re more developed than us."

"Obviously not. We definitely have better technology than them."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Hehehe..."

A mocking laugh suddenly came from nearby.

Felix and Desmond watched their fellow students with amused expressions, looking at them as if they were children who had just tasted sweets for the first time in their lives.

"They’re acting like babies."

Felix spoke without bothering to lower his voice, glancing toward several students who were still discussing Converted Essence and the foreign nations Professor Donald had mentioned.

His words immediately made some of them feel awkward.

A few conversations quieted down, while others continued after the students deliberately ignored him.

"It’s not really their fault."

Gareth replied calmly, wearing the same simple smile he usually had.

"Even though some of them are Nobles and Non-Nobles from wealthy families with long histories, their families don’t necessarily have enough authority to gain access to information like this."

Felix leaned back against his seat.

"My mum has already travelled to places like the Eastern Continent."

His voice carried obvious pride.

"She even visited our allied kingdom there for a Mission."

"You mean the Zenith Empire?"

Desmond asked from where he sat cross-legged on top of the joined long table, looking completely relaxed despite still being inside the classroom.

Felix nodded.

"You guys are just lucky because you have close relatives who are War Alchemists."

Tristin joined the conversation with a grin.

The injuries he had suffered during the Practical Test were already completely healed, and without the bandages covering his face, the prince had returned to his usual calm and confident appearance.

Desmond turned toward him.

"Says the prince who owns a lot of foreign goods."

His teasing reply immediately earned laughter from the boys and several students gathered around them.

Tristin simply shook his head with a grin.

On Ezra’s side of the classroom, a similar discussion was taking place.

The Ashenlocke row had become surrounded by students talking about what they had just learned, with Veda himself unexpectedly becoming the one who started one of the larger conversations.

"Do you guys think it’s possible?"

Veda leaned slightly against his desk.

"What if something like Ezra’s Phantom Rolls already exists in another nation far away from Britannia?"

That question immediately caught the attention of the students around him.

"That’s actually possible."

One student nodded thoughtfully.

"If other civilizations developed their own technology without us knowing much about them, then someone could’ve already invented something similar."

"But would it still work like the Phantom Rolls?"

Another student joined in.

"They might not even use Novarite or Crytalix as their source of energy."

"Exactly."

Another boy leaned closer.

"The professor already said their Converted Essence can work differently from Cognis, so their technology could be completely different too."

That thought quickly caused the conversation to branch into another topic.

"If that’s true..."

"What about combat?"

"Do other nations use firearms?"

"Maybe. Or maybe their weapons are completely different."

"What about close combat techniques?"

"Would they fight like we Britannian Alchemists?"

Questions continued passing around the group.

Ezra listened quietly.

Occasionally, someone directly asked him whether he believed another civilization could have created something similar to the Phantom Rolls.

Whenever that happened, he gave a short answer.

"Possible."

Or...

"I don’t know enough."

Most of the time, however, Ezra simply remained quiet and listened.

There wasn’t enough information available for him to make a proper conclusion.

Professor Donald’s introduction had only shown them how little they actually knew about the outside world.

Eventually, the second class of the day began, forcing the students to end their conversations and return their attention to their lessons.

Time continued moving as it always did.

One class followed another.

One day followed the next.

Until Friday finally arrived.

Apart from their first General Class of the day, which covered Intermediate Biology, the rest of their schedule was different.

Today was the day many first-year students had been waiting for.

Their first official club activity.

After Intermediate Biology ended, students left the main academy buildings and headed toward the nearest Mini-Streamliner stations.

The compact Streamliners quickly filled with students from different years, at different districts of the Royal Academy, and before long, they began travelling toward the Mix Arena.

By the time Ezra’s group arrived, the Mix Arena was already lively.

Students moved across its wide grounds in different directions, no longer dressed in the standard academy uniform they usually wore during lessons.

Instead, they had changed into the outfits belonging to their respective clubs.

Different club emblems could be seen stitched onto jackets, shirts, coats, and training clothes, making it easy to tell where most students were heading.

Some groups disappeared into large buildings surrounding the Mix Arena.

Others headed toward the smaller sections.

The larger and more established clubs had been granted private buildings by the academy, with some of those structures being large enough to resemble miniature shopping complexes or small company headquarters.

Smaller clubs weren’t given that luxury.

Most of them operated from individual rooms provided by the academy.

Among the larger buildings stood the clubhouse belonging to the Craft & Research Seekers Club.

Ezra walked toward it with Cyrus beside him.

Lucy followed closely behind, naturally remaining near her master’s side.

As they approached the building, Lucy raised her head.

"Wow."

Her eyes moved from one end of the structure to the other.

"This looks impressive."

The clubhouse was built mainly from stone, with its tall structure and older architectural design making it stand apart from several of the newer buildings around the Mix Arena.

"Yeah."

Cyrus nodded in agreement.

"It looks cool."

"It just gives off old vibes. Nothing much."

A familiar voice came from behind them.

Kane Casper walked past the three without slowing down.

Cyrus immediately looked at him.

"But those old vibes make me think about all those ancient castle theater movies I’ve watched."

He raised both fists excitedly, moving them slightly as though he were already imagining himself inside one.

Kane stopped for half a second.

He looked back at Cyrus.

"Weird."

That was all he said.

He walked toward the entrance, scanned his Student ID against the security device, and the large door opened for him.

Kane stepped inside without another word.

Cyrus watched him disappear.

"He’s no fun, right, Lucy?"

He turned toward Lucy as though they had suddenly become comrades against Kane’s lack of enthusiasm.

Lucy nodded seriously.

"Yes."

Ezra glanced at both of them with his usual plain expression.

He said nothing.

Instead, he walked toward the entrance, scanned his Student ID, and entered the clubhouse.

Seeing him leave, Lucy and Cyrus quickly followed.

Cyrus scanned his Student ID.

Lucy used her Attendant ID.

The door opened once more.

The moment they entered...

Lucy’s eyes brightened.

The interior was far larger than she had expected.

Glass displays occupied different sections of the wide hall, and unlike the smaller specimens that had been shown at the club booth during recruitment, the things preserved here were much larger.

Some displays contained complete skeletal structures.

Others contained preserved biological samples.

One of the largest displays immediately caught Lucy’s attention.

Inside stood the preserved skeletal structure of an adult Aurelion Eagle.

Its massive wings had been arranged outward, showing the full width of the creature’s frame, while its golden eyes had somehow been preserved and remained positioned within the skull.

Lucy stared upward.

"Damn..."

Her eyes moved across the hall.

"This place looks like a museum."

She turned slowly, only to notice the skeletal remains of another apex monster preserved behind a different glass display.

"It reminds me of the Glass Museum we went to in Northwick."

Lucy looked toward her master.

Ezra didn’t answer.

His attention had already been taken by something else.

A large display stood several meters away.

Inside it were multiple skeletons arranged according to size.

Ground Apes.

Ezra’s black eyes remained fixed on them.

The display showed their growth cycle, beginning with the smaller classifications and gradually increasing until his gaze finally reached the enormous skeletal structure towering above the others.

A Colossal Ground Ape.

For a brief moment, the clubhouse around Ezra seemed to fade from his attention.

Memories surfaced.

The Fourth Trial.

The Hell Maze.

Then...

The Fifth Trial.

Tower Defense.

Images of massive stone-skinned bodies charging through the battlefield passed through his mind.

The sounds.

The attacks.

The pressure of facing creatures that could crush young Alchemists beneath their toes or feet or bodies if they made even one mistake.

Ezra’s expression remained unchanged.

His gaze slowly moved downward.

Beside the display stood a black board with silver writing engraved across its surface.

Names.

Students who had captured and brought back the bodies used for the display.

Ezra quietly read several of them.

The Ground Ape skeletons weren’t the only things displayed throughout the hall.

There were also inventions.

Most weren’t completely original technologies.

Instead, they were recreated versions of existing devices that previous club members had rebuilt using different materials, structures, and construction methods.

One particular invention quickly gathered several first-years around it.

It was a Streamliner.

Except...

Parts of the vehicle had been recreated using can sealings.

Cyrus stared at it.

Lucy leaned closer to the display.

Several other first-years gathered around them.

"This is impressive."

Maxwell’s golden eyes moved across the construction with open amazement.

"It is."

Cherry nodded beside him.

Compared to how tense she usually became around large crowds, she appeared noticeably more relaxed.

Because there weren’t many first-years inside the club.

More importantly, Maxwell was standing close beside her.

That alone seemed to give her enough comfort to remain calm.

A familiar dry voice suddenly came from the entrance.

"I told you this place was more amazing..."

Vera walked inside.

Her black eyes calmly swept across the hall before shifting toward the girl beside her.

"...Icy."

Diane entered with her.

"I also like the weather..."

A faint smile briefly appeared on Diane’s face, but it vanished almost as quickly as it came.

Several first-year boys noticed it.

And a few upperclassmen entering from the deeper section of the clubhouse noticed it too.

More than one face immediately reddened.

Diane didn’t seem to notice.

"The cold makes me want to sleep peacefully."

She raised one hand and covered her mouth as a soft yawn escaped.

The cold she was feeling didn’t come from the weather outside.

Cooling devices had been installed throughout the reception hall to maintain the temperature required to preserve the biological specimens displayed there.

Although, there wasn’t actually a reception counter or office inside the hall to make it a true reception hall.

The entire space was simply filled with displays, preserved specimens, recreated inventions, and the steady flow of cold air.

"First-years, please gather around!"

Latisha Grey’s voice suddenly rose above the conversations.

She stood farther inside the hall with a pleasant smile, raising one hand to catch everyone’s attention.

The first-years who had been wandering between the displays gradually began moving toward her.

"Let’s join them, Cherry."

Maxwell pointed toward the gathering area.

Cherry immediately tightened her fingers around his sleeve.

"Was this club always this crowded?"

Her eyes moved toward the growing number of students, and the comfort she had shown earlier slowly began disappearing.

"But most of them are upperclassmen."

Maxwell gave her a helpless smile.

Before he could encourage her again, his eyes happened to move toward two girls walking toward the gathering crowd.

Vera.

Diane.

Maxwell’s expression immediately brightened.

"It’s you two!"

His voice came out louder than he intended.

Vera and Diane stopped.

Both girls turned toward him.

Their expressions were almost equally plain.

The sudden shout also attracted the attention of several first-years and upperclassmen, with most of the boys looking between Maxwell and the two girls with questioning expressions.

"Does he know them?"

An upperclassman quietly asked a first-year standing nearby.

"No way."

The first-year answered with complete certainty.

"He’s just a commoner. How would he know them?"

Several Nobles and Non-Nobles nearby seemed to share that thought.

Even now, many of them still hadn’t fully accepted Maxwell’s presence among them.

He was a commoner.

No powerful family.

No known background.

No respected surname.

The only thing supporting his position among these students was his identity as the disciple of an Alchemist all of them had never even heard of.

Diane stared at Maxwell for several seconds.

Then she slowly turned toward Vera.

"Do you know him, Vera?"

"..."

The question struck Maxwell harder than any insult from the surrounding students.

His body visibly flinched.

Vera stared blankly at Diane.

"Why are you asking me that kind of question, Icy?"

"Because you’re the one with a lot of friends, though."

Diane replied as though she were simply stating an obvious fact.

Vera’s expression didn’t change.

"Speaking to people doesn’t mean you know them."

Her reply came quickly, carrying the same dry certainty she used whenever explaining something she considered obvious.

"An interaction can last a few seconds or a few minutes. You need to communicate with someone for at least several days before you can even consider remembering their face."

Diane quietly stared at her, then she nodded.

"I see."

She looked as though Vera had just taught her something genuinely useful.

A few students around Maxwell immediately began snickering.

"So, he’s just trying to look cool knowing our Britannia Flowers."

"Hehe..."

"Lame."

The laughter spread.

Cherry lowered her eyes.

She felt bad for Maxwell.

She wanted to defend him, but the words refused to come out.

Besides, she hadn’t even been there when Maxwell supposedly met Vera and Diane.

All she knew was what Maxwell had excitedly told her after the Practical Test.

He had found new rivals.

"Wait, wait..."

Maxwell quickly raised both hands.

He wasn’t particularly bothered by the mocking laughter.

What embarrassed him was something completely different.

Why are these two acting like we didn’t almost fight?

He looked between Vera and Diane.

"Remember?"

His voice became slightly nervous.

"We almost fought during the Practical Test, but the timer stopped us."

Diane continued staring at him through her tired eyes.

Several seconds passed.

Then...

She slowly tilted her head.

"Oh..."

A trace of realization finally entered her sleepy expression.

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