Last Gun Alchemist

When Ezra opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the pale ceiling of the infirmary.

He had spent an entire day inside the infirmary of the Black Zone Base.

The room was quiet compared to the chaos he had experienced inside the Black Zone, although it was still filled with the sounds of nurses moving between beds, the faint clinking of medical equipment, and the occasional groan coming from students who had yet to recover from their injuries.

A nurse stationed in the infirmary approached Ezra and checked his body immediately.

She carefully examined his bandages, checked his condition, and recorded his recovery statistics before finally stepping back.

"You are discharged, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke. Just make sure to rest well."

The nurse said calmly before leaving his side to check on the other male students who had also returned from the Black Zone.

Ezra looked around the infirmary.

Some students weren’t doing any better than him.

Several were heavily bandaged, with parts of their bodies wrapped in white cloth. Others remained unconscious on their beds while medical tubes fed them slowly through the process of recovery.

Still, they were alive.

That was what mattered.

Ezra slowly stood from his bed.

His body felt much better than it had when he first arrived, although some soreness remained beneath the bandages covering his body.

He reached into his Space Bag and took out a clean set of clothes.

He had kept them there as a failsafe in case he needed to change after an unexpected situation.

Ezra changed out of the patient clothes and put on his clean clothes.

Afterward, he checked his Starlix 11 to see how long he had been unconscious.

The time confirmed what the nurse had already told him.

He had been out for only one day.

Ezra glanced down at the bandages still wrapped around parts of his body.

They were only meant to remain there for the day, so he wasn’t particularly concerned.

Once he finished checking himself, Ezra left the infirmary.

He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lower floor.

The elevator descended with a soft mechanical hum.

When the doors opened on another floor, Samuel and Hugh stepped inside.

They had also been discharged around the same time.

The moment Samuel noticed Ezra, his face brightened.

"Hey, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Samuel waved at him with a pleased smile.

"Yo, Ezra."

Hugh also raised a hand in greeting.

"Good morning, seniors."

Ezra replied plainly, but he still showed the proper respect as he greeted them.

Hugh and Samuel looked at each other almost at the same time before they looked back at Ezra.

"Hahaha."

Both of them laughed lightly.

"As plain as ever."

Hugh pointed at Ezra with a smirk.

"We already went through hell together. You can at least relax in front of us."

Samuel said with a warm smile.

Ezra looked at him plainly.

He didn’t say anything.

Samuel’s warm smile slowly became awkward, because of the plain look of Ezra.

The elevator continued descending.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Then the doors opened.

They had reached the main floor.

"Guys!"

A bright voice immediately came from ahead.

Emily waved at them with a cheerful smile.

"Emily!"

Samuel’s warm smile returned instantly as he walked toward her.

Ezra looked in the same direction.

Agnes was pointing aggressively at Jeremy, her eyes almost looked as if she were crying and nagging at the same time.

Jeremy’s body was the most heavily bandaged among them.

He had to use a crutch just to stand properly for the moment.

Cold sweat ran down the side of his face as he laughed awkwardly while Agnes continued nagging at him.

"...And you thought that was a good idea?"

Agnes continued.

Jeremy’s smile became more strained.

Diane stood nearby with both arms folded.

She was also heavily bandaged.

Her eyes were closed, and judging by the way her head had tilted slightly forward, she seemed to be sleeping while standing.

Hugh looked around at everyone.

"It’s good we all made it back."

He said, looking toward Ezra with a simple smile.

Ezra looked back at him.

He didn’t reply.

Hugh simply turned forward with a helpless smile.

"Agnes, cut Jeremy some slack."

He shouted as he walked toward them.

Ezra looked around the place they were in.

The main floor of the Black Zone Base was filled with workers moving between groups of students.

Some were speaking with students who had just recovered from their injuries.

Others were checking medical records and recovery reports.

Several groups were meeting one another after receiving treatment, much like Ezra’s own group.

However, not everyone looked happy.

Some students sat quietly in corners with blank expressions.

Others stared at the floor while their friends spoke around them.

Judging from their expressions and injuries, whatever they had experienced inside the Black Zone had left more than just physical wounds.

"Ahh..."

Ezra exhaled softly.

He walked toward the group.

Before they could leave, however, they still had one more thing to do.

They had to discuss the details of their time inside the Black Zone with a staff member stationed at the Black Zone Base.

One by one, each member of the group gave their account of what had happened.

They explained their movements.

They described the Ghost Crawler habitat.

They reported the Elder Ghost Crawler.

They also explained a bit about the battle and the damage caused inside the habitat.

The staff member recorded everything carefully.

The information would later be given to the team responsible for entering the habitat, reviewing the area, and cleaning up the damage caused during the battle.

There was also another reason for the investigation.

With the Elder Ghost Crawler dead, the Young Ghost Crawlers were in danger of dying out completely.

The team needed to preserve as much of the remaining population as possible.

After the reports were finally completed, the group was allowed to leave.

Finally, they stepped outside the Black Zone Base.

A Steam-Bus was waiting outside.

It was meant to carry the students who were ready to return to the academy.

Agnes looked at the vehicle.

Her expression immediately became dissatisfied.

"They couldn’t even give us a Noble Steam-Bus."

She complained as she stepped inside.

"Now... Now... Agnes, at least we are getting a free ride."

Jeremy said gently as he followed behind her, leaning on his crutch.

"Our group work definitely has to be the one picked for our club’s presentation."

Samuel said to Emily.

Emily placed both hands behind her back while listening with a warm smile.

Hugh calmly entered the Steam-Bus next.

Ezra was about to step inside when a quiet voice came from behind him.

"You clearly knew about the Illusion when the others were taken."

Diane’s voice was low enough that only Ezra could hear her.

She was still standing behind him.

Her eyes remained closed.

Ezra turned his plain black eyes toward her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"What about you?"

Ezra asked.

He already knew the answer.

Diane’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"Let’s keep this as our secret from the others."

She said softly.

Diane walked past him and entered the Steam-Bus.

Her eyes still remained closed as she moved toward her seat.

Ezra watched the faint smile on her face for a moment.

He didn’t say anything.

He simply turned around, entered the Steam-Bus, and took his seat.

After all the students had sat down, the Steam-Bus finally began moving.

Their destination was the Mix Arena.

Hours passed as the Steam-Bus traveled along the road.

Outside the windows, other vehicles passed by, along with several other Steam-Buses carrying students and citizens toward different parts of the city.

The city gradually became busier as they moved closer to their destination.

Even the sky wasn’t empty.

Dirigibles floated through the air, moving toward the Royal Academy airport.

Their large bodies drifted above the city while smaller flying machines moved around them.

Eventually, the Steam-Bus reached the Mix Arena.

The students stepped out one by one.

Ezra’s plain black eyes moved across the now very busy streets of the Mix Arena.

The area was far more active than before.

Many clubs were already decorating their club buildings while preparing their club booths for the coming Club Tournament.

Tables were being carried outside.

Displays were being arranged.

Signs were being placed above entrances.

Students moved through the streets while carrying materials from one place to another.

The entire area looked much livelier than it had when they were preparing for the First-Year Club Hunting.

Ezra and the others walked into the crowd of noisy working students.

As they moved through the streets, several students glanced toward them.

Their bandages made them stand out.

Most people could already guess where they had gone to end up looking like that.

The group eventually reached the Craft & Research Seekers Club building.

Jeremy suddenly raised his voice the moment he entered.

"Guess who is back, babies!"

He shouted brightly.

He spread his arms as he looked toward his students.

An upperclassman from the same year glanced at him.

"Oh... Jeremy."

The upperclassman said plainly before turning his back toward him and continuing to point at the first-year students.

"Put that decoration over there."

He directed them toward one of the displays.

Jeremy’s smile froze.

The entire reception hall was busy with movement.

Club members were carrying displays out of the old storage room and moving them into the reception hall.

The older displays were being taken toward the club booth, where they would be used as sale displays during the upcoming tournament.

Students were moving in every direction.

Nobody paid Jeremy any attention.

Jeremy’s face slowly fell.

"No one cares?"

He looked down, pretending to wipe away a tear.

"You assholes are heartless."

His voice carried across the busy reception hall, but nobody seemed particularly interested in answering him.

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