Last Gun Alchemist

"And that’s the truth, Senior."

Ezra said flatly.

He looked at Leofirc as though the matter had already been explained, his plain black eyes carrying the same expression they usually did whenever someone asked him something whose answer seemed obvious to him.

"Then why am I seeing pictures and videos of you and Vera playing games together?"

Leofirc immediately held out his Zphone 14.

The screen was filled with pictures and short videos that had already begun spreading through the New Club’s Linsta page. There were images of Ezra and Vera standing beside one another, pictures of them playing different games, and even a few short recordings that had clearly been taken from a distance by people who had been following them around the Mix Arena.

The moment Ezra saw the screen, his eyes moved over the images before returning to Leofirc.

"Because we are moving around the Mix Arena playing games."

Ezra answered simply.

He was merely stating the obvious.

For a moment, the area fell quiet.

Leofirc stared at him.

Ezra stared back.

It was almost as though the two of them were having completely different conversations.

"Hey... that’s not a way to speak to one of your faction leaders."

A fellow upperclassman and friend of Leofirc suddenly spoke in a harsh tone.

His eyes narrowed as he glared at Ezra.

There were several friends of Leofirc standing behind him, and although some had originally come with him out of curiosity, the way Ezra continued answering so plainly had gradually made a few of them feel irritated.

"You think we are stupid?"

A female friend of Leofirc stepped forward.

She moved to stand in front of him and glared at Ezra.

"You think we wouldn’t know what you’re doing, Ezra Ashenlocke?"

"Of course, you are stupid."

Vera’s voice suddenly entered the conversation.

The words were spoken firmly.

And sharply.

The female upperclassman froze.

Vera took a step forward and moved in front of Ezra, her body naturally blocking part of his view as she faced the female student. Her dull black eyes rested on the upperclassman without any sign of hesitation.

"Really stupid."

The people around them became quiet.

Vera tilted her head slightly to the left.

"Mind-blowingly stupid, to the point that I’m beginning to wonder what type of war crimes your parents had to commit in order to get you into this academy."

Her voice remained calm.

And that somehow made the words hit even harder.

The female upperclassman’s face stiffened.

Several students nearby slowly widened their eyes.

Vera, however, appeared completely unaffected by the expressions around her.

She turned her dull gaze toward Leofirc.

"Leofirc, I have told you several times to watch the friends you follow."

Leofirc flinched slightly.

Even though Vera wasn’t shouting at him, he knew that tone.

It was the same tone she used whenever she had already decided that someone was being ridiculous.

"The type of friends and cliques you follow will continue to regress your brain."

Vera paused for a brief moment.

"Not like your brain hasn’t already regressed a million years backward."

She coldly finished her words before slowly straightening her head.

"What I do with anyone shouldn’t give you the right to harass my inventor, especially when I’m standing right here."

Her hand rose to her chest.

"What disrespect."

She spoke as though she had truly been offended by the entire situation.

Everyone froze completely.

The female upperclassman looked quietly at Vera.

Her mouth slowly opened.

The other friends of Leofirc stared at Vera with the same shocked expressions, and even some of them who had been glaring at Ezra a moment ago no longer knew what to say or do.

The students who had been sneaking around the area to watch Ezra and Vera also froze.

The crowd had been expecting an argument.

But none of them had expected Vera to suddenly turn the situation into an execution.

Some of the members of the Martial Strength Club looked at her with similar expressions.

Lyra and Nina, however, had completely different reactions.

Their eyes sparkled.

They looked at Vera with more open admiration.

Ezra’s plain eyes slowly moved toward Vera.

Is she actually angry?

He wondered.

However, he honestly couldn’t tell.

This was Vera he was thinking about.

Her words were always difficult to predict even when her face remained completely calm.

"Wait... Vera... I’m not trying to stop you from doing whatever you want to do."

Leofirc quickly said.

His voice had become nervous.

He had just realized that his friends might have actually annoyed Vera.

And he wasn’t happy about that.

"I just... want to know what relationship you and Ezra truly have."

He said in a quieter voice.

His earlier confidence had already disappeared.

"Oh... so you want to know Ezra’s and my true relationship?"

Vera replied.

She placed one of her fingers against her lips, acting as though she had suddenly become excited about answering his question.

Almost everyone around the area gulped.

The interest among the crowd immediately rose.

Even the people who had been casually passing by stopped walking.

The students who had followed Ezra and Vera throughout the Mix Arena leaned closer.

They wanted to know.

Everyone wanted to know.

Exactly what was Ezra Ashenlocke’s relationship with Vera Ashenlocke?

"We are..."

Vera opened her mouth.

She was about to speak.

"We are just simple business partners."

Ezra immediately cut her off.

His answer came so quickly that Vera turned her head toward him.

Ezra had sensed it.

His instincts had already warned him that Vera was about to say something really troublesome.

So, before she could create another problem for him, he answered himself.

The moment he spoke, however, many of the people among the onlookers suddenly felt dissatisfied.

Their faces showed it.

Some frowned.

Others clicked their tongues.

Several people had been waiting for a much more interesting answer.

Just business partners?

That is all?

"Just business partners, huh."

Leofirc said quietly.

His violet-purple eyes slowly darkened.

"So even until now... you still want to keep tricking me, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Ezra blinked.

Leofirc looked disappointed at him.

"Veda told me you were a good person, but I didn’t know you were this much of a conning person."

"Conning?"

Ezra tilted his head.

His eyes remained plain as he looked at Leofirc.

He clearly wasn’t lying.

Yet Leofirc simply wasn’t ready to believe him.

"So, you were a conning person, Ezra."

Vera suddenly said.

Ezra turned toward her.

Vera had widened her dull black eyes and raised her hand close to her mouth again, acting as though she had just discovered something shocking about him.

Ezra plainly looked at her.

She’s clearly out to make things worse.

"I challenge you, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Leofirc suddenly spoke.

Ezra turned back to him.

And this idiot is playing right into her hand.

The crowd also reacted.

"Challenge?"

That same thought appeared in the minds of almost everyone listening.

A challenge?

For what?

"A musical duel."

Leofirc stepped forward.

The people around him slowly became quiet again.

"We are both Nobles, and even if you are a Non-Noble... they usually train their children to play the piano or another musical instrument."

He spoke calmly.

"So, it’s fair if we go through with a musical duel. That way, no one can say I’m bullying you."

His words settled among the crowd.

For a brief moment, people simply stared at him, then the area suddenly became noisy.

"A music duel?!"

"This is getting more interesting!"

"Sir Leofirc Hawthorne against Ezra Ashenlocke!"

"A battle for Lady Vera’s heart!"

"Huh?"

Ezra looked at Leofirc.

His expression somehow appeared even plainer than before.

"A duel for what?"

He didn’t remember agreeing to anything involving Vera’s heart.

"If I win, you will confess that you’re hiding your true feelings and honestly tell me how you feel about Vera."

Leofirc pointed at Ezra with confidence, thoughtless of how Ezra felt about his challenge.

"And you’ll stop playing the innocent card, making Vera think you’re a safe person to be close to when you’re clearly acting as though you don’t have feelings for her."

Leofirc’s words caused another wave of whispers.

Several people immediately began discussing the matter.

"So, Ezra Ashenlocke was actually using that method to get close to Lady Vera Ashenlocke."

"I always knew it."

"What a conning act."

"And he always acts so plain that it’s difficult to tell what his true hidden intentions are."

"Isn’t that cowardly?"

"What are you guys even saying?"

A student immediately spoke in Ezra’s defense.

"Ezra Ashenlocke would never do that."

The onlookers began arguing among themselves.

Some believed Leofirc’s words.

Others thought the entire situation was ridiculous.

The members of the Martial Strength Club simply stood around and watched the scene with increasing interest.

One club member suddenly came running over with another member.

Both of them were holding snacks.

"I came as fast as I could when you texted me."

The first student said.

"I was told something interesting was happening in front of our club booth."

He then handed the senior club member a small plate containing a piece of vanilla ice cream cake.

The senior club member accepted it.

She took a quick bite.

"This is getting really interesting."

She said excitedly while continuing to chew.

Ezra looked at Leofirc.

The crowd waited.

Then...

"No."

Ezra answered plainly.

"No?"

Leofirc looked confused.

Several people among the crowd had the same expression.

"I’m not going to duel you for no reason, Senior."

Ezra answered firmly.

He turned around.

Then he simply began walking away.

The people around the area watched him leave.

Leofirc stood where he was.

His face filled with disbelief.

"You’re just going to leave like that?"

He asked.

Ezra continued walking, ignoring him completely.

Leofirc looked even more confused.

The same went for the onlookers.

All of them stared at Ezra.

"A normal gentleman would have accepted this challenge, even if it sounds absurd."

Vera’s voice reached him.

Ezra stopped.

His foot remained slightly raised before slowly returning to the ground.

He turned his head.

Then he looked at her.

"Well, you aren’t a normal gentleman, so I understand, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Vera looked at him.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Normally, Ezra would have simply ignored her and continued walking.

But...

His thoughts suddenly changed.

Can’t I gain something from this?

Ezra slowly turned back toward Leofirc.

"On second thought."

Leofirc frowned slightly as he watched Ezra return.

Ezra stopped in front of him.

"I will accept your duel."

The crowd immediately became excited again.

However, Ezra continued before Leofirc could react.

"But since I have nothing to gain from this in the slightest..."

His plain black eyes rested on Leofirc.

"You have to offer something appealing to me, Senior."

Ezra said calmly.

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