Last Gun Alchemist

"Alright, this is the end of our class."

Professor Kent spoke calmly as he looked across the training ground at the exhausted students seated on their throw pillows.

"Finally..."

The moment those words left his mouth, many of the students immediately relaxed where they sat. Several let out long breaths of relief, while others simply leaned backward with tired expressions, feeling as though a heavy weight had finally been lifted from their minds.

"Class is over."

"I’m exhausted."

"You do realize you only have a ten-minute break before your next General Studies class, right?"

Professor Kent narrowed his eyes on them.

"Who cares?"

Several students answered without hesitation.

"At least we get to relax our minds for a little while."

Bess Ashenlocke said with a drained expression as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

The exercise of repeatedly visualizing and de-formularizing Alchemy Circles had consumed far more mental energy than many of them expected. Even though their bodies remained perfectly fine, their minds felt unusually tired, as if they had spent hours solving countless difficult formulas without stopping.

"Weaklings."

Professor Kent commented plainly.

His words immediately earned him several annoyed stares.

Some students clicked their tongues, while others looked as though they wanted to argue back.

Unfortunately...

None of them dared.

No matter how wealthy their families were, or whether they came from Baron, Low-Ember, High-Ember, Viscount, Count, Duke, or even Royal Houses, openly disrespecting a Royal Academy Professor was another matter entirely.

Especially someone like Professor Kent.

A Royal Alchemist apprentice under the Solar Branch.

The students could only mutter among themselves while slowly standing from their seats, preparing to leave the training ground.

Then...

"I’m giving you all an assignment."

Professor Kent said casually.

The movement across the training ground stopped almost at once.

Many students slowly turned toward him.

"You all, are to de-formularize thirty Novice-rank Alchemies and submit them before our next class."

As he spoke, Kent calmly reached into his coat, took out his familiar black shades, and wore them as though he had just announced something completely reasonable.

"Come on, Professor..."

A male student complained helplessly.

"Can’t we have just one class without homework?"

"Exactly."

Another student quickly joined in.

"There are other first-year students who don’t even have to do this assignment."

"That isn’t fair."

"Yes... yes..."

More voices immediately followed.

Some sighed dramatically, while others looked at Kent with hopeful expressions, genuinely believing they might be able to convince him.

"Hmmm..."

Kent placed a hand beneath his chin and pretended to think seriously.

"You know..."

He slowly nodded.

"Perhaps you’re right."

The moment those words came out, hope immediately appeared on countless faces.

Several students even smiled.

Ezra quietly watched Professor Kent.

His expression remained as plain as ever.

He’s definitely not agreeing.

He thought to himself with complete certainty.

Sure enough...

"Then let’s increase it."

Kent smiled pleasantly.

"Make that fifty de-formularized Novice-rank Alchemies to be submitted before our next class."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then...

"What?!"

Dozens of students froze.

Some stared at Kent with widened eyes.

Others looked as though they had just heard the worst possible news.

Even those who had remained quiet until now couldn’t hide their disbelief.

Professor Kent looked completely satisfied.

"Let’s go, Karla."

He adjusted his shades before turning around.

Karla let out a helpless sigh.

"I honestly feel sorry for them."

She murmured softly before following after him.

"You’re sure he isn’t a sadist?"

Ezra said quietly while narrowing one eye toward Professor Kent’s retreating figure.

His tone remained calm, but there was genuine suspicion in it.

A few rows away, Nina and Lyra happened to hear him.

The two girls exchanged a glance.

Then both silently nodded in agreement.

They honestly couldn’t argue with that statement.

Then...

"Who said that?"

Professor Kent suddenly stopped walking.

He sharply turned around.

His ears had clearly caught Ezra’s quiet comment.

Unfortunately for him...

Ezra had already disappeared into the crowd of departing students.

Not only Ezra.

Many students had already taken advantage of the distraction to hurriedly leave the training ground before Kent decided to increase the assignment again.

"Tsk."

Professor Kent clicked his tongue.

"Slippery fellow."

He adjusted his shades once before continuing on his way.

Behind him, Karla couldn’t help laughing softly.

The image of Ezra quietly escaping before Kent could catch him was simply too amusing.

***

"I still can’t believe you actually called Professor Kent a sadist."

Cyrus laughed lightly as the two boys walked through one of the long hallways inside the main academy building.

"Hehe..."

His laughter continued.

"I didn’t call him a sadist though."

Ezra replied flatly.

"I only asked whether he was one."

Cyrus blinked.

Then he laughed even harder.

"That’s basically the same thing."

Students passed them from time to time as the two calmly made their way toward their next General Studies class.

Compared to the noisy training ground they had just left, the academy corridors felt much more peaceful.

Then suddenly...

"Something big is happening near the General Studies classrooms!"

A male student shouted while running past them with several friends.

"Seriously?"

"Hurry!"

The group immediately rushed toward the direction of the commotion.

Their hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Not only them.

Another group came running from the opposite direction.

"It’s over there!"

Someone shouted.

"Come on!"

More students hurried past Ezra and Cyrus, their expressions filled with curiosity.

The sudden movement naturally drew everyone’s attention.

Even students who had originally been walking calmly slowed down to watch the growing crowd.

"What do you think happened?"

Cyrus asked while watching another group run by.

Ezra quietly looked toward the direction everyone seemed to be heading.

He didn’t reply, because it had nothing to do with him in the first place.

"It’s the Ashenlockes!"

A female student’s excited voice echoed through the hallway.

"And Lady Vera is leading them!"

Another girl added while running after her friends.

Ezra and Cyrus looked at each other.

Silence lingered for a brief moment.

"Want to go, see?"

Cyrus asked.

Ezra nodded once.

"Let’s go."

His voice remained calm.

However, a trace of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

Although...

He already had a rough idea of what Vera and the other Ashenlocke members were probably doing.

Seeing is better.

***

A short distance away from the General Studies classroom...

Two noble Houses stood facing one another.

Calling it a confrontation, however...

Would have been giving the Evergrey’s too much credit.

It wasn’t an even clash.

Not even close.

"Ehhh..."

Vera looked thoughtfully at Grace Evergrey before speaking again in her usual dry tone.

"I don’t think I’m speaking to a deaf person."

She tilted her head slightly.

"So, you must be mute."

She paused for only a moment.

"But then... your mouth moves, and your tongue clearly works."

Another pause.

"So how exactly are you mute?"

Her pitch-black eyes remained fixed on Grace.

"Or... are you simply dumb?"

Her words came one after another without changing expression.

Every sentence landed like another invisible stab.

"Is this really what the Evergrey’s have become?"

Vera asked plainly.

Grace couldn’t even bring herself to meet Vera’s gaze.

Neither could Grant.

The rest of the Evergrey students lowered their heads as well.

Many of them still looked battered.

Bandages wrapped around several arms.

Healing patches remained attached to bruised faces.

Some still walked with slight discomfort.

It wasn’t because the Royal Academy doctors lacked the ability to completely heal them.

Quite the opposite.

Louis Evergrey had personally instructed the doctors not to fully restore the injured members of his House.

To him...

Their current condition was punishment.

They had failed a mission that should have been simple.

With the number of Evergrey members and allies gathered together...

Louis had believed defeating Veda Ashenlocke should have been guaranteed.

Instead...

They had failed.

Miserably.

"Let me go!!"

A familiar voice suddenly echoed from the distance.

It sounded panicked.

And it was getting closer.

"I already heard every detail from my little brother."

Vera said calmly without taking her eyes off Grace.

"Your family really went out of its way to rough up Fay."

She briefly looked toward Fay, who stood safely among the gathered Ashenlocke students.

Nina remained beside her, glaring at Grace Evergrey without trying to hide the hostility in her eyes.

She wasn’t the only one.

Zack quietly stared at the Evergrey’s.

His calm gaze carried the same feeling one would have while looking down at an insect crawling beneath their feet.

Henry and Bess wore similarly cold expressions.

Neither of them intended to hide their displeasure.

Page.

Linda.

Nickolas.

Tracy.

Priscilla.

Nate.

All of them stood silently behind Vera.

No one spoke.

Yet the pressure created by the gathered Ashenlocke family alone was enough to make several Evergrey students unconsciously lower their heads even farther.

"I said let me..."

Bam!

A figure suddenly flew through the air.

Arelo crashed heavily onto the ground.

At almost the same moment, the gathered Ashenlocke students calmly stepped aside, creating a path for his body to slide to the center of their formation.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Felix and Gareth finally appeared.

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