Last Gun Alchemist

Even Agnes looked toward Ezra in suspense, wanting to know what he was about to say next.

Ezra calmly raised one hand toward the holographic screen behind them.

"Well, why don’t you all see for yourselves?"

As his words fell, he swiped his hand toward the screen.

The slide changed.

The image of the presentation topic vanished, replaced by a video.

It was the recording of their battle against the Elder Ghost Crawler.

The reaction was immediate.

The crowd had only just been listening to Ezra begin the explanation on the research they gained by supposedly going through inside the Black Zone. Some had believed him, while others had remained doubtful. After all, an Elder Ghost Crawler was not a creature that ordinary first-year students or even third-year students should have been able to face, let alone defeat and capture.

Now, however, they were about to see it with their own eyes.

The video began playing across the entire stadium.

At the same time, through the different broadcasting groups covering the tournament, the footage was also transmitted across Britannia to the people watching from their homes, workplaces, restaurants, and other places.

The first part showed the group discussing their strategy.

The audience watched the young students gather together as they decided how they would deal with the Ghost Crawler. From there, the footage moved to their journey into the Black Zone and their gradual advancement through the dangerous region.

The recording didn’t rush.

It allowed the viewers to follow the path that had eventually led them to the Elder Ghost Crawler.

Then the main battle appeared.

The students fought.

They ran, dodged, and supported one another as the enormous creature attacked them. Each of them played their part, and although there were moments where the danger became so great that some people in the audience unconsciously leaned forward in their seats, the group continued fighting until they finally managed to take down the Elder Ghost Crawler and capture it.

Of course, there were several cuts and edited parts throughout the footage.

Ezra had handled the editing himself.

He had removed unnecessary sections and arranged certain moments so the video would not drag on for too long and also for his own personal reasons.

Even so...

"Why does this look more like a movie than an actual life-and-death mission?"

Professor Kent said with a light laugh.

Most of the professors who weren’t on duty during the tournament were seated among the audience.

A few of them immediately turned toward him.

Although...

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

The editing had made the entire thing strangely enjoyable to watch.

However, that didn’t change what the children had actually gone through to make the footage possible.

They had truly entered the Black Zone.

They had truly fought an Elder Ghost Crawler.

And some of the scenes the audience were now watching had been moments where a single mistake could have cost one of the students their life.

Among the crowd, people occasionally laughed at parts of the video that had somehow turned out funny, especially when the reactions of the students were left untouched.

At other moments, however, the laughter disappeared.

Some viewers began worrying whenever one of the children found themselves in a dangerous position, especially during the more intense parts of the battle.

Even though everyone now knew that the students had survived, watching the fight unfold made the danger feel more real.

When the video finally reached its conclusion...

No one could deny it anymore.

They had truly taken down an Elder Ghost Crawler.

Ezra smoothly continued the presentation almost immediately after the video ended, preventing the crowd from spending too much time lost in the excitement of what they had just watched.

He explained the path of the Craft & Research Seekers and why the word Seekers had been included in the club’s name.

The club wasn’t only interested in creating things.

Its members were also people who sought answers.

They entered dangerous places.

They researched what others ignored.

They searched for knowledge hidden behind uncertainty and fear.

However, Ezra said nothing about the main study concerning life and death.

That part remained the club’s own hidden detail.

Not that it was hidden from the Academy’s main board.

A few minutes later...

"And some additional research we gained from actually facing the Ghost Crawlers."

Agnes took over.

Her voice was noticeably calmer than before.

Although nervousness still remained inside her, she had gradually settled down after spending so much time beside Ezra on the stage. As the clock continued ticking, she became more comfortable with the rhythm of the presentation.

They had already explained the small organisms living inside the Ghost Crawlers.

The audience had learned that some of the most dangerous organisms were those living within the creature’s saliva. Those organisms played a major role in making the Ghost Crawler’s saliva venomous.

Then...

"We discovered that the webs of Ghost Crawlers do not conduct heat or cold, which means that they don’t produce heat signatures you would normally be able to sense."

Ezra smoothly took over.

Agnes briefly glanced toward him.

Her transitions were still not as smooth as his.

Whenever she finished one explanation, Ezra would naturally continue from there and connect the next subject without making the presentation feel interrupted.

They continued presenting in that manner.

Agnes would explain one part.

Ezra would take over.

Then Ezra would return the presentation to her when it was time for her section.

The two gradually found their rhythm.

Finally...

"We will now present our exclusive prize catch from this research."

Ezra said.

He and Agnes moved away from the middle of the stage, standing a short distance apart.

The audience watched them.

Smoke began rising from the center of the stage.

At first, it was only a thin layer, then the middle section of the stage opened.

Mechanical movement echoed from beneath the ground.

Slowly...

Something began rising.

The exoskeleton body of the Elder Ghost Crawler was carried upward by the hidden platform.

The massive size of the creature immediately caused many of the Non-Alchemists among the Noble and Non-Noble audience to rise from their seats.

Their eyes widened as they stared at the enormous body.

Even after seeing the creature through the video, watching its actual body rise in front of them was completely different.

Some young children sitting beside their parents couldn’t even continue looking at it.

The appearance of the Elder Ghost Crawler was too frightening for them.

Several of them hid against their parents.

The enormous body cast a shadow over part of the stadium.

The entire arena became quieter as people continued staring at it.

Ezra and Agnes stood beneath the attention of the crowd.

"This concludes our presentation."

The two bowed.

For a brief moment, the stadium remained quiet.

Then applause erupted.

The crowd clapped loudly for the presentation.

Many of them had genuinely enjoyed learning about the Elder Ghost Crawler.

Its life cycle.

Its habitat.

The organisms living within it.

And the many things that made the creature so dangerous.

Professor Liliana walked back onto the stage with a pleased smile.

"Thank you, members of the Craft & Research Seekers, for giving us such a lovely presentation."

She spoke with her usual elegant smile.

After reaching the center of the stage, Liliana raised her head and looked toward the massive body of the Elder Ghost Crawler.

The mechanical gears beneath the stage began moving again.

The platform that had carried the creature upward slowly descended.

The Elder Ghost Crawler’s body gradually disappeared beneath the stage as the mechanism lowered it back down.

Liliana turned toward the audience.

"So, let’s hear what our dear judges have to say."

She pointed toward the three judges seated at the front of the center stage.

"Craft & Research Seekers."

The first judge, Professor Donald Joan, looked genuinely impressed.

"Your dedication toward this research was clearly shown through the determination you displayed in capturing this creature in perfect condition. I’m truly proud of you students."

He applauded them and applause from the crowd rose as well.

Ezra and Agnes politely bowed their heads.

The camera then shifted toward the second judge.

The applause of the crowd settled.

Professor Esther Kane looked at them calmly.

"I’m more concerned about how amazing their club outfits look."

Her comment caused several people in the audience to blink.

Ezra looked at her.

Agnes also stared.

Professor Esther continued as though she had said nothing unusual.

"It’s the best club outfit I have seen among all the club outfits presented so far, and..."

She raised the paper quill-pen in her hand and pointed it toward Ezra.

"Ezra Ashenlocke, haven’t you considered entering the modeling field? I know you’re a young Craftsman and a Combat Alchemist, but I believe you would also fit well in the fashion industry."

Professor Esther smiled warmly.

Ezra remained quiet for a moment.

Then he nodded once.

"I will take note of that, ma’am."

Professor Esther’s smile became slightly brighter.

Applause rose again by the crowd in the stadium for a while before it settled.

"Well, that’s an interesting review, I guess."

Professor Liliana said.

Her expression looked a little awkward as she turned toward the final judge.

Professor Greg Mark.

"The research was beautifully presented. I would also say that it is one of the best presentations since the club tournament began, although there are still more club presentations coming, so I won’t get too excited yet."

He calmly looked at the two students.

"I don’t have much more to say than that."

"Thank you, judges."

Professor Liliana turned toward Ezra and Agnes.

"You can now take your leave, and keep an open mind for the results."

She gave them a thumbs-up.

Agnes blinked before smiling.

Ezra simply nodded.

Applause rose again as the two stepped down from the stage and left.

Professor Liliana then proceeded to say some few playful words about the Corpse of the Elder Ghost Crawler before calling the next club.

Almost an hour passed.

"Ahhh..."

Agnes walked back into the club tent alongside several excited first-years.

Her shoulders were finally beginning to relax now that the pressure of standing before the entire stadium had disappeared.

"I’m really t—"

She was about to finish her sentence.

"Good job!"

The other club members inside the tent suddenly rushed toward her.

They had all watched the presentation, and they had seen how well Ezra and Agnes had performed.

"Let me rest!"

Agnes pushed through the excited group.

At that moment, her mind was completely drained.

She had been nervous before the presentation.

Then she had spent twenty minutes standing before the Queen (who she couldn’t see), the Royal Family, powerful Nobles, Non-Nobles, professors, judges, and countless other people.

Now that it was finally over, all she wanted was to sit down.

"Don’t worry."

A female second-year quickly brought a chair toward her.

"For now, you will be treated like a queen."

She said with a pleased smile.

Agnes’s eyes immediately sparkled.

"Really?"

Her expression changed.

"Then I won’t be polite."

She sat down comfortably and leaned back against the chair.

Her entire body relaxed.

"But, where is Ezra Ashenlocke, though? He should have returned with you, Agnes."

The female second-year asked with a curious expression.

Several other club members also looked toward her.

"Ah, Ezra..."

Agnes remembered.

"He left with Lady Vera Ashenlocke and his maid. There was also a boy I didn’t know, but it turned out that he is a relative of the head of Bremer & Steel, Mrs. Rena Bremer."

Agnes still sounded amazed.

She found it strange that someone could randomly meet an important person like Rena Bremer out of nowhere.

For Ezra Ashenlocke, however...

That sort of thing seemed to happen rather often.

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