Last Gun Alchemist

"The Mindset of an Alchemist is built from how you use your brain."

Vice Headmaster Godwin Fraser began his speech in a calm tone.

He didn’t need to raise his voice. Since a microphone was already in his hand, and the sound of his voice carried clearly through the entire Grand Hall.

"Not with brute strength, but with the mind."

He paused.

His royal-blue eyes moved across the hundreds of students sitting before him before he continued.

"Alchemy Strategy comes from the total analysis of how much Cognis is required when performing a single Novice-rank Alchemy, or how much Cognis goes into a single enchantment. You still have to consider the materials you use, how much Cognis is required to manipulate those materials, your Alchemy Circle, and even sometimes, your environment."

Godwin slowly raised one hand.

His fingers moved as he spoke, as if he were arranging invisible pieces in front of himself.

"Everything has to be put into one consideration and turned into a single strategy for every combat-based Alchemist."

The students continued writing.

Paper Quill-pens moved across pages.

Others typed on holographic keyboards, their fingers moving quickly as they tried to keep up with the lecture.

Ezra was among them.

His eyes remained focused on Godwin while his Tablet Quill-pen moved across the screen of his Zphone Tablet, recording the points he considered important.

"The same is true for Craft-Based Alchemists."

Godwin paused again.

He looked across the hall and noticed several students still writing.

"They work with calculations, chemical property reactions, and even considerations of biological ecosystems. Their minds are always working."

He raised one hand toward the holographic screen.

"Let me give you an example."

Godwin swiped his hand.

The first slide disappeared.

A new image appeared across the large blue holographic screen.

It was the Phantom Rolls.

Several students immediately recognized the vehicle.

Godwin looked toward the image.

"The creator of this beautiful Vehicle."

He said calmly.

The moment those words were spoken, many students turned their heads toward Ezra.

Ezra remained seated around the middle section of the hall.

He didn’t react.

His attention was still on his Zphone Tablet as he continued typing down several of the points Godwin had made.

Beside him, Lucy slowly looked around.

Her expression became slightly embarrassed as she noticed so many people looking at her master.

She lowered her head a little.

Ezra, however, didn’t seem bothered.

He simply continued writing.

Godwin continued.

"He didn’t just create the Phantom Rolls with the mindset of simply bringing the beauty of a Royal and Noble feeling to a Vehicle."

The Phantom Rolls remained displayed above him.

"He also considered the calculations behind reducing the cost of fuel, the speed at which the Vehicle could travel, and even the strength of the exterior body against constant wind pressure."

Godwin moved his hand again.

"There were a lot of calculations behind this creation, all of them coming from the simple idea of making an exterior body that truly embodies beauty."

The students continued listening.

Some looked toward Ezra again.

Others returned their attention to the holographic screen.

Godwin swiped his hand.

The slide changed.

"In all of this, we can come to the conclusion that life is all about calculation."

He paused.

"At least, that is the key point behind being an Alchemist."

Godwin pointed toward the holographic screen.

A graph appeared.

It showed the planned schedule of a normal student’s daily life inside the Academy.

"Even now, you have to calculate how you want to spend your time in this Academy."

Godwin said.

"Your class time, break time, study time, hanging-out time, training time, personal study time, and all the other periods of your day."

He moved his hand toward the graph.

"Every part of your life is planned with calculation."

Some students nodded in agreement.

Godwin continued.

"And this same calculation of your life schedule continues even when you’re studying, or when you’re deciding how to converse with your fellow students."

He smiled faintly.

"Perhaps you don’t want to reveal too much because you want to hide your true nature from your friends, or perhaps you want to appear as a likable person within your clique."

A few students immediately shifted uncomfortably.

Some looked toward their friends.

Others pretended to be completely focused on their notes.

Godwin didn’t point anyone out.

He simply continued.

"It goes further and further like that, with everything eventually falling under one rule."

He stopped speaking.

The entire hall became quiet.

Godwin looked across the students.

The students and attendants answered together.

"Calculation."

Their voices echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

Godwin nodded.

"Exactly."

He turned back toward the holographic screen.

"Which stems from the fact that we Alchemists see the world as a formula."

His voice became slightly more serious.

"Our belief is that everything in the world revolves around formulas, and with that ideology... every philosophy is derived from breaking down and understanding the formulas behind them."

The atmosphere inside the hall changed.

The students were no longer simply listening to another lesson.

They were beginning to understand the deeper meaning behind Godwin’s words.

Paper Quill-pens continued moving across jotters.

Fingers moved across holographic keyboards.

Some students paused their writing for a few seconds because they were trying to understand a particular point before recording it.

Ezra’s eyes remained fixed on Godwin.

He continued writing.

The more Godwin explained, the more the lecture shifted away from simple Alchemy knowledge and toward the way an Alchemist should think.

It wasn’t only about knowing how to use Cognis.

It wasn’t only about creating an Alchemy Circle.

It wasn’t even only about understanding materials.

An Alchemist had to look at the world and understand the formulas hidden within it.

That was the mindset Godwin was trying to teach them.

Hours passed.

Eventually, the conference came to an end.

Before leaving, the students were given an opportunity to ask questions.

Several hands immediately rose.

Godwin answered some of the questions while others were passed to the professors standing around the sides of the hall.

The students continued listening until the final questions had been answered.

Then the Vice Headmaster finally prepared to leave.

Before everyone departed, the students stood together and recited the School Anthem.

Afterward, they recited the Kingdom’s Anthem.

The voices of thousands of first-year students filled the Grand Hall.

Once the final words ended, everyone began leaving the hall calmly.

The large doors opened, allowing the students to move back into the Academy grounds.

"Wow, this is the first time I’ve spent a whole eight hours in a hall studying."

A male student looked completely amazed at himself.

He rubbed his eyes as he walked with the group.

He seemed almost surprised that he had managed to stay awake for the entire conference.

"Well, it was a preaching done by an Elder Scholar."

A female student walking beside him replied proudly.

"That alone makes it worth spending eight hours listening."

More conversations followed as the students left the Grand Hall.

Many of them discussed the conference and the things they had learned.

Some talked about the concept of calculation.

Others discussed the Phantom Rolls example.

A few were already thinking about how they could apply the mindset to their own Alchemy studies.

The crowd slowly moved through the Academy corridors.

Then, among the many conversations, a slightly familiar female voice came from behind Ezra.

"Ezra Ashenlocke."

Ezra was walking with Cyrus.

Cyrus had both hands behind his head as he walked comfortably, looking much less tired than most of the students around him.

Lucy walked slightly behind Ezra.

She was also talking about the lecture, explaining how much she had enjoyed it and how much the words of Elder Godwin had made her think.

And even the fact that she felt her Cognis grow due to getting enlightened

Ezra listened quietly.

As usual, he only replied when he felt there was something worth saying.

The group suddenly stopped.

Ezra turned around.

Cyrus tilted his head slightly.

"Grace?"

He looked confused.

An Evergrey was approaching Ezra.

His eyes moved toward Ezra suspiciously.

"I’m also as surprised as you."

Ezra said plainly.

He already knew why Cyrus was looking at him like that.

"You can’t blame me, though..."

Cyrus narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Vera made a declaration against the Evergrey’s, and you’re already breaking that rule."

Ezra narrowed his eyes back at him.

"You’re making it sound like she’s the one who isn’t coming to meet me."

His tone remained plain.

Cyrus paused.

He didn’t immediately have an answer.

Lucy, however, became slightly more alert as the approaching Evergrey came closer.

She clearly wasn’t pleased.

Grace continued walking until she reached the place where the three of them were standing alone.

Several students passing through the corridor noticed the meeting.

Some slowed their steps.

Others glanced over their shoulders.

A few quiet whispers began spreading through the nearby students.

An Ashenlocke and an Evergrey were standing together.

That alone was enough to attract attention.

Ezra didn’t seem bothered by it.

He looked toward Grace.

"Good afternoon, Miss Grace Evergrey."

He greeted her politely.

Lucy bowed properly like a maid.

However, unlike her usual simple smile and friendly expression, her face remained neutral.

Her eyes stayed on Grace for a moment before she straightened.

"Good afternoon, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Grace returned the greeting politely.

Her expression remained calm.

"Yo, Grace."

Cyrus waved lightly.

Grace turned toward him.

"Yes..."

She gave a small nod.

"Greetings, Sir Cyrus Burnwick."

She greeted him before quickly turning her attention back toward Ezra.

She had clearly come here to speak with him.

But before she could say anything...

"Isn’t it risky for an Evergrey to be talking to an Ashenlocke openly?"

Ezra asked.

His tone remained flat.

"Or are you trying to put me in trouble with Vera?"

Grace paused.

Ezra’s plain black eyes quietly observed her reaction.

She didn’t become angry.

She didn’t look offended.

Instead, Grace calmly raised one hand and gave a small wave.

"No... no way."

A simple smile appeared on her face.

"We are in an Academy where interaction should be possible even though our families are rivals, don’t you think so, Ezra Ashenlocke?"

She raised one eyebrow elegantly as she looked at him.

Ezra remained quiet for a moment.

Then he answered.

"This Academy is a battlefield itself."

His voice remained plain.

Grace’s smile didn’t disappear.

"But you are talking with me, even though you say that."

She replied calmly.

"And even though many misunderstandings can come from this conversation."

Ezra looked at her.

Grace’s posture remained relaxed.

She didn’t appear to be hiding anything, and she wasn’t acting as though she had come here with hostility.

"It’s because I don’t see a problem with that."

Ezra replied flatly.

Grace let out a small sigh.

"Well, that’s good to know."

She sounded relieved.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

The students passing by continued watching from a distance, but Grace didn’t seem concerned about their attention.

Then she looked directly at Ezra again.

"Ezra Ashenlocke, would it be possible to meet with me as well as my elder brother, Louis Evergrey?"

She asked softly.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Grace continued before he could answer.

"He’s a huge fan of your work, which you must have seen when he mentioned your name during the Silver Wheels vehicle release and how much you inspired his work."

She paused.

Her fingers moved slightly against the side of her dress.

For the first time since approaching Ezra, she appeared somewhat embarrassed about what she was about to say.

"And..."

Grace hesitated.

Her voice became quieter.

"I really want to get to know you."

She said it in a lighter and softer tone.

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