Last Gun Alchemist

Like that, the first proper club activities finally began.

At least, that was the case for many of the other clubs throughout the Royal Academy.

For clubs like the Craft & Research Seekers, things were still moving at a slower pace for the first-years, since most of them had only just joined and didn’t understand enough about the club’s work to be thrown directly into the same activities as their seniors.

So, while the second and third-years worked in the laboratories, cold storage, butchering rooms, and other sections of the clubhouse, the first-years continued learning through recorded videos and explanations.

Hours passed that way.

By the time the bell announcing closing hours finally rang throughout the academy, many students were already tired from the long day.

The Mix Arena gradually became crowded as students poured out from different clubhouses, some leaving together with friends and club members, while others met with their attendants before returning to their residences.

Ezra didn’t waste any time once the activities ended.

He left the Craft & Research Seekers clubhouse with Lucy following several steps behind him, while Cyrus walked outside with them.

Vera, who would normally have found some reason to walk over and tease Ezra before leaving, didn’t do so today.

She left quickly with Diane.

The two girls apparently had something they needed to handle before returning to their residences, so Vera only disappeared into the crowd with Diane beside her.

Cyrus was in a similar situation.

Once they had moved far enough from the clubhouse, he slowed his steps.

"This is where we part, Ezra... and Maid."

Cyrus spoke calmly as he stopped.

Both hands remained inside the pockets of his club trousers.

Ezra stopped as well.

Lucy quietly stood beside her master.

"My stepsister is dragging me into the faction she joined today. So, I have to meet her now."

Cyrus released a tired breath as soon as he mentioned it.

His shoulders dropped slightly, making it obvious that he wasn’t particularly excited about whatever awaited him.

"You didn’t receive any faction recruitment letters?"

Ezra asked plainly.

"Nope."

Cyrus shook his head without looking bothered.

Then he shrugged.

"Those Faction Board members don’t know peak when they see it."

"..."

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly at him.

"I see."

Cyrus looked back at Ezra.

"What about you?"

"I did receive some."

Ezra answered without much change in his expression.

"But I haven’t given myself the time to look through the factions that sent their letters to me."

His tone made the whole matter sound far less important than it probably was.

For many students, receiving recruitment letters from academy factions would have been something worth discussing immediately.

Ezra had simply left his own letters untouched.

"I guess I’ll check them today or tomorrow."

He added casually.

The way he said it almost made joining a faction sound no more important than deciding which meal he wanted for dinner.

Cyrus stared at him for a moment.

Then he gave up trying to understand why Ezra treated things like this so casually.

"Alright, then."

He raised one hand.

"See you tomorrow... or in school."

Cyrus gave them a lazy wave before turning and walking away.

"Bye, Mr. Cyrus."

Lucy bowed politely before raising her hand and waving after him.

Ezra simply waved once.

Then he turned as well.

"Let’s go."

Lucy immediately followed.

The two made their way toward the nearest Mini-Streamliner station, where several students were already waiting.

They boarded one heading toward the First-Year Academy Quarter.

Once they arrived, Ezra and Lucy transferred to the Noble Steam Carriage that Ezra had already hired before coming to the Mix Arena earlier that day.

Their destination was simple.

Ezra’s residence in the East Wing.

By the time they arrived home, the evening had already settled properly over the academy.

Ezra and Lucy first went to freshen up after spending most of the day outside.

Once Lucy finished, she headed toward the kitchen and began preparing their night meal, while Ezra eventually entered his study.

He had originally considered checking the faction recruitment letters that evening.

However, once he sat down and looked at the unfinished assignments waiting for him, that idea disappeared almost immediately.

Tomorrow.

Ezra quietly pushed the faction matter aside.

He first completed the remaining assignment he hadn’t managed to finish yesterday.

The room remained quiet while he worked.

His pen moved steadily across paper, occasionally stopping whenever he needed to think through an answer before continuing.

Once the final assignment was finished, Ezra didn’t immediately leave his desk.

Instead, he brought out his study materials for the courses he had attended throughout the week.

One after another, he reviewed them.

General lessons.

Alchemy-related subjects.

His optional courses.

Anything he felt needed another look was given one.

He continued studying until later that night.

However, unlike his usual routine, Ezra didn’t remain awake until one o’clock.

He had several things planned for tomorrow, and wasting the morning because he had refused to sleep at a reasonable time would only make those plans more troublesome.

So, sometime around eleven, close to midnight, Ezra finally stopped.

He organized the books on his desk, prepared what he needed for the next day, and went to bed.

For him...

That counted as sleeping early.

***

Morning arrived.

Ezra woke and went through the routine his body had already become accustomed to.

His morning exercises came first.

After that was his gym routine, where he worked through the physical training he had planned for the day.

Then came his Tai Chi practice.

His movements remained controlled as he moved from one form into another, allowing his breathing and body to settle after the harder exercises.

Only after completing everything did he freshen up and have breakfast with Lucy.

Today was a general free day for all students.

Ezra already had somewhere important to visit.

The Royal Academy’s Main Administrative Center.

More specifically...

The academy’s main library.

Ezra and Lucy left the East Wing after breakfast and boarded a Noble Steam Carriage heading directly toward the Administrative Center.

The journey took some time.

As they moved deeper into that part of the academy, the buildings outside gradually changed.

The student quarters and familiar school structures gave way to something much larger.

By the time the Noble Steam Carriage finally slowed and stopped, Lucy had already moved closer to the window.

The carriage door opened.

Ezra stepped outside first.

Lucy followed.

The moment her shoes touched the ground, she raised her head.

Her eyes widened.

"Wow..."

Lucy slowly turned around.

Towering structures of stone and glass surrounded them from different directions, some rising high enough that she had to tilt her head farther back just to properly see their upper floors.

The morning light reflected across broad glass surfaces, while stone sections gave the buildings a heavier and more official appearance.

Wide roads passed between the structures, filled with Steam Carriages, Mini-Streamliners, students, workers, academy staff, and visitors.

Even without knowing exactly who owned or operated each building, Lucy could already tell one thing.

This place was far beyond what most people would simply call luxurious.

"Even the tall buildings in Northwick aren’t as beautiful as these."

Lucy said as she continued looking around.

Her head turned from one side to another while she hurried after Ezra, afraid she might lose him if she became too distracted by the view.

Ezra didn’t show nearly the same reaction.

He walked forward with his usual plain expression.

Still...

His black eyes moved across several buildings.

He could appreciate the design.

The structures were arranged well, and the further they walked, the more obvious it became that the Administrative Center hadn’t been designed only to look impressive.

Security was everywhere.

Academy guards stood at several checkpoints positioned along the roads and entrances leading toward important buildings.

Some remained near the main pathways, while others were stationed beside doors or inside reception areas.

And those were only the security measures that were easy to see.

Ezra’s gaze moved toward one of the street lamps.

A small recording device had been fitted into it.

He looked toward the edge of another building.

Another one.

Then another.

Recording devices had been placed throughout the Administrative Center, positioned along street lamps, walls, entrances, corners, and both the outside and inside sections of important buildings.

There were also Cognis fluctuation sensors.

Those devices were meant to detect sudden changes in Cognis pressure, especially when an Alchemist released a level of Cognis high enough to trigger the security system.

And judging from what Ezra could see...

Those weren’t the only security measures present.

There were more advanced systems built into the area.

Some were visible.

Others weren’t.

The deeper they moved, the more checkpoints they passed.

Eventually, Ezra and Lucy reached the reception building that all students and visitors had to pass through before entering the more restricted areas of the Administrative Center.

The inside was already crowded.

Students from different years stood in long lines, while visitors from different parts of Britannia waited in separate columns.

Some appeared to be nobles.

Others were Non-Nobles whose clothing and attendants made it obvious that they weren’t ordinary citizens.

Academy staff moved between different sections, helping direct people toward the correct reception lines.

Behind a long counter sat a row of receptionists.

Ezra joined one of the lines with Lucy.

Despite the number of people waiting, the line moved quickly.

One person stepped forward.

Their reason for visiting was recorded.

Their identity was checked.

Then they were allowed through or directed elsewhere.

Before long, Ezra reached the front.

"Good day, student of Royal."

A female receptionist greeted him with a professional smile.

"Good morning."

Ezra replied politely.

Lucy bowed properly beside him.

"Good morning."

The receptionist looked between them before returning her attention to Ezra.

"Please state what you intend to do in the Administrative Center today."

"I’m going to the library and shopping."

Ezra answered plainly.

"Okay."

The receptionist immediately began typing.

Her fingers moved across the device in front of her with enough speed that Lucy briefly watched them.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The information Ezra had given her appeared on the screen almost immediately.

It didn’t even take the woman two full seconds to finish entering everything.

She looked up again.

"Will it be you and your maid?"

The receptionist asked politely, still maintaining her professional smile.

"There are sections of the library where student attendants aren’t permitted to enter, sir."

Ezra glanced toward Lucy.

Lucy didn’t appear bothered.

"She can stay in the sections she’s allowed to enter."

Ezra looked back toward the receptionist.

"So, yeah. It’ll be both of us."

His black eyes remained plain as he spoke.

"Okay, then."

The receptionist entered several additional details.

Once she finished, she pointed toward a crystal-clear, flat glass device resting on the counter.

"Please scan your IDs."

Ezra took out his Student ID.

Lucy did the same with her Attendant ID.

They placed them over the scanner one after another.

Beep.

The clear glass glowed green.

Several pieces of information appeared on the receptionist’s screen.

She checked them.

A few seconds later, a small machine beside her activated.

A printed pass came out.

"Here you go."

The receptionist picked it up and extended it toward Lucy.

"Thank you."

Lucy accepted the pass with both hands and gave another polite bow.

The receptionist looked toward Ezra.

"Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke, you’re free to go."

She gestured toward the passage beyond the reception area.

Ezra nodded lightly.

"Thank you."

Then he and Lucy moved away from the counter.

Even after passing through the main reception building, they hadn’t reached the library yet.

The Main Administrative Center was simply too large for that.

So, they still needed to board another Mini-Streamliner.

Ezra and Lucy followed the directions provided on their pass and made their way toward the nearest station.

After a short wait, they boarded.

The Mini-Streamliner carried them deeper into the Administrative Center, passing several larger buildings before eventually reaching the area containing their destination.

Lucy stepped out beside Ezra.

Then she looked forward.

The Royal Academy’s Central Library stood ahead.

However, Ezra didn’t immediately walk toward it.

His eyes moved toward another building positioned almost directly opposite the library.

The bookstore.

That was their first destination.

After all, Ezra hadn’t come here only because he wanted to explore the Central Library.

There was a particular book he had been instructed to purchase.

He and Lucy crossed toward the bookstore.

Once inside, Ezra immediately began looking for it.

Gill Kane’s Philosophy on General Alchemy.

The book Professor Kane had instructed his students to buy.

However, Ezra had no intention of purchasing only that.

Since he was already here, he wanted to find additional materials that could help him with the optional courses he had selected.

Especially...

Alchemy Circle Conversion.

That course had already caught his attention, and relying only on whatever information he received during class didn’t feel enough.

If there were books capable of helping him understand the course better, then Ezra wanted them.

His attention eventually shifted toward Lucy.

He hadn’t forgotten about her either.

Lucy was still a Novice Alchemist.

And she had progressed far enough that she wasn’t exactly struggling at the beginning of the Alchemist rank anymore.

In fact, she was already close to the point where she could begin moving forward.

What she needed was a small push.

Enough growth and understanding to finally begin constructing her second Star and advance toward the Binder Alchemist rank.

For that reason, Ezra also began searching for books concerning metallurgy.

Not only basic information about metals, but materials that could teach Lucy more about combining different metals and steels, their properties, and how those combinations could improve her understanding of the Alchemy she already performed.

If she could deepen that knowledge...

Perhaps that small push she needed wouldn’t remain small for much longer.

Ezra’s black eyes moved across the bookstore shelves.

Looking at the different books to choose from.

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