Last Gun Alchemist

The next day began quietly, almost too quietly.

The early light stretched across the castle walls, brushing over the stone surface and the wooden structures they had built over the past few days. One by one, the members of the group woke up and returned to their assigned duties without needing to be told.

They were now on the fourth day of the first week.

The thought of the second wave still lingered in their minds, but it no longer pressed as heavily as before. The constant work, the sound of tools, and the sight of their fortress becoming stronger had dulled that anxiety into something smaller—something easier to ignore, at least for now.

Ezra stood among the trap team, assigned to supervise them. Although he didn’t just watch, he chose to work with them to make the job move smoothly and fast.

He pointed out where to adjust the angles of the stakes, where to deepen the holes, and where to reposition certain traps so they would work more efficiently.

Some people didn’t like it, they didn’t like the fact that they had to take instructions from him.

Their expressions showed it—the slight frowns, the silent resistance in their movements, but none of them said anything out loud.

Because Veda had given him authority and no one wanted to be the one who disrupted the group’s coordination.

So, they followed and because of that...The work did progress faster.

Under Ezra’s supervision, the traps were completed on all sides of the castle, each one placed carefully, each position thought through.

Afterward, copies of the trap layout were distributed to everyone in the group.

The paper passed from hand to hand.

Some studied it seriously, others memorized it quickly.

Because one mistake...One wrong step...Could get them killed by their own defenses.

Meanwhile, the burial team had finally finished.

Every single Silverback Dire Wolf corpse had been buried.

The battlefield outside the castle, which once looked like a place of slaughter, now appeared calmer.

Still scarred, but quieter.

The weapons were also ready.

All of them.

Positioned, maintained and ready for action.

The only thing left was the boulders.

Later that afternoon, Ezra led the scout team out once again.

They had returned earlier with only a small number of boulders, as the mountain near Henry’s castle side had already been stripped of most usable ones.

So, Ezra took them to a new location, the place he had discovered earlier during his scouting and, as expected...There were complaints.

”Why is he leading us again?”

Linda’s voice cut through the group as usual.

Her irritation was clear, she didn’t even try to hide it, well she never did. But this time...

No one could really support her.

The others were too tired, too focused and beginning to get too aware of what was coming.

At this point, Ezra’s indifference to their glares and words had made arguing with him feel pointless.

Veda stepped in and scolded Linda firmly.

His voice left no room for argument and eventually...She gave in.

By the end of the day, they completed their task.

The required number of boulders had been gathered.

Each catapult was assigned ten boulders.

Two catapults were placed at the front sides of the castle—the main battlefield, one was placed at the back, where Ezra was stationed; the GPMG stood at the center of the front, like the core of their defense.

Everything was in place and just like that...

The day ended.

The next day came. The fifth day.

”Yaaawwwn...”

A boy from the AK-47 squad stretched his arms, covering his mouth as he yawned while standing at his post.

”We’ve been watching since morning,” he said, glancing at the boy beside him.

”It’s already afternoon.”

”Yeah,” the other replied, his eyes still scanning the distance.

Up in the tower...

Veda stood with Nickolas, Linda, Tracy, Mariam, and a few others.

All of them watched in silence.

Waiting.

”Do you think the second wave will begin today?” Linda asked, leaning slightly out the window.

She signaled to the boy below who was using binoculars, to scan the outpost of the battlefield.

The boy crossed his arms and shook his head.

Nothing.

Linda clicked her tongue and turned back, shaking her head.

”This is getting stressful,” Tracy sighed, leaning against the wall.

”Not knowing when it will happen... and we still have so many daysss left in this trial.”

Nickolas crossed his arms.

”Honestly, we should just relax and recover our Cognis fully,” he said.

”Like Ezra mentioned... it might happen in the middle of the second week.”

”Ugh, that boy again,” Linda muttered, giving him a side glance.

”I’m just saying,” Nickolas replied awkwardly.

Veda stood quietly, watching as Linda and Nickolas argued back and forth, their voices rising and falling in short bursts, while Tracy occasionally added a comment here and there, pushing the argument forward like she was feeding fire into dry wood.

None of them were really angry, it just looked like it. Although the tension behind their words felt like something else entirely.

”Sir Veda, what do you think?” a boy asked from the side, his voice carrying a bit of hesitation, like he didn’t even expect a real answer.

Veda didn’t respond immediately.

He looked at them for a moment, then shifted his gaze toward the distance outside the tower window.

”Honestly...” he said slowly, his voice calm but heavy, ”all we can do is wait.”

”And keep waiting.”

There was a small pause after he spoke, like the words themselves carried weight.

Then he turned and walked out of the tower.

The others looked at each other briefly before following behind him without saying much.

Only Mariam stayed behind, as she was still assigned to the control room.

At the back of the castle...

Ezra sat on his beach chair, leaning back slightly, one leg resting over the other while holding a pair of binoculars up to his eyes.

The wind brushed lightly against his clothes.

The field ahead was quiet, too quiet.

”Anything?” one of the girls assigned to his side asked, her voice low but tense.

She wasn’t looking at him, her eyes were fixed on the distance.

”No,” Ezra replied calmly. ”Nothing yet.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than the answer itself.

Behind them, the others sat in a loose circle.

A deck of cards lay between them.

They were playing, laughing sometimes and talking lightly, but...It didn’t feel real. In a way, there was a sense of force in their mood.

”Ann, come join us,” one of the boys called out, waving a card in his hand.

Ann turned toward them slowly, her brows furrowed.

”Why are you all acting like this?” she asked, her voice edged with frustration.

”How can you guys be so relaxed?”

The boy didn’t even look up.

”Who said we’re relaxed?” he replied, picking a card carefully from his hand.

”We’re all anxious.”

”That’s why we’re playing.”

He placed the card down, soft and controlled.

Like he was trying not to think too much.

Ann stared at them, her eyes widening slightly, she couldn’t understand it or maybe...She understood it too well., but was afraid if she tried to relax. What if we lose our guard because of relaxing?

”He’s right,” Ezra said.

He lowered the binoculars slowly and placed them into his space bag beside him.

Then he turned his head slightly to look at her.

”Right now... it’s a battle of the mind.”

He raised one finger calmly pointing it on the side of his head.

”It’s about whether you let the pressure of not knowing when the second wave will begin break you... or not.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out his jotter, opening it while leaning back again.

”You already know how important an Alchemist’s mental state is.”

”If your mind breaks first...”

”Your body will follow.”

He didn’t look at her as he spoke.

”If we don’t learn to relax now...”

”When the second wave actually begins...”

”We won’t last.”

The wind passed through them again.

Cold, quiet.

”So go,” he added. ”Relax and be alert. It will be hard, but that’s the only thing we can do.”

Ann stood still for a moment.

Her fingers clenched slightly; her chest felt tight. Like something was pressing against it from the inside, but she couldn’t argue.

Because she knew...He was right.

She exhaled slowly, then walked toward the group and sat down with them to join into the game.

The day passed quietly, then the next, then the next.

Everything stayed calm, too calm and that calm...Started turning into something else, by the time everyone realized it, the third day of the second week had arrived and the pressure had fully set in.

It was no longer something at the back of their minds.

It was everywhere, in their movements, in their breathing, in the way they looked around.

”Sir Veda... things aren’t looking good,” Tracy said.

Her voice was quieter than usual.

Veda sat on the barricade, looking out at the distance. Unlike the other’s he looked more relaxed, but his eyes...They told a different story.

He was watching everything and he could see it clearly, his people were slowing down.

Their movements lacked sharpness.

Some forgot simple instructions, some stared too long at nothing, some couldn’t sleep at night. Some woke up suddenly, sweating, breathing hard.

Some had nightmares...Dreams where the wave came suddenly, where they died before even reacting.

Some people laughed too much. Some stayed too quiet and some... were already breaking.

Veda turned his head slightly.

”I know.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead slowly.

Then...

Something clicked.

A memory of a lesson. Something his master once told him.

His eyes widened slightly.

”Why didn’t I think of this sooner...”

He suddenly slammed his hand against the stone barricade.

The sound echoed, then he jumped down.

”Tracy...gather everyone.”

”Everyone?” she asked, startled by the sudden change in his tone.

”Yes.”

His voice carried energy now. ”Everyone.”

”...Okay,” she replied, though there was a hint of unease in her eyes.

Veda ran up toward the tower. ”Mariam!”

”Eh...”

Mariam quickly stood up from the bench, startled.

She had been watching him through the window just moments ago in a daze, but now his suddenly here.

Wasn’t he just outside?

Her mind lagged behind for a second, she quickly adjusted the rumple on her skirt and shirt.

”Come down with me. Now.”

”But I have to watch...” Before she could finish...

Veda grabbed her hand.

”Just follow me,” he said, smiling.

Mariam froze. Her face turned pink instantly, her thoughts scattering

”Okay...” she replied softly, her voice much lower than usual.

Veda leaned closer slightly. ”Huh? Is something wrong?”

That only made it worse, her face flushed deeper.

”No...no! Nothing!”

She waved her hand quickly, then tightened her grip slightly on his hand.

”Let’s go.”

”Alright,” he replied.

By the time Veda and Mariam got down from the tower, Tracy had already gathered everyone together.

The entire group stood in the open space within the castle walls.

The air felt heavy.

Not because of heat, the weather was cold, but because of the quiet pressure and anxiety that sat on everyone’s shoulders, pressing against their chest making breathing feel... slightly harder than it should be.

”What’s going on?” one girl whispered to the person beside her, her voice low and uncertain.

”Sir Veda called everyone,” a boy replied just as quietly.

Around them, people murmured.

Confused, concerned and worried.

Some crossed their arms, some looked around too much and some just stood still, waiting...Like something bad was about to happen.

Ezra stood a little away from the center.

His arms folded; his posture relaxed.

The five people assigned to his side stood near him.

”You guys look... fine,” a boy said as he walked toward them, his eyes scanning their faces with slight disbelief.

Compared to the rest of the group...

They really did look different.

Less tense, less shaken.

The five exchanged looks.

Then chuckled lightly.

”Well...” one of them said, scratching his head, ”we have someone to thank for that.”

All five of them glanced at Ezra.

At the same time, their thoughts drifted back to the past few days.

The card games, the way Ezra had joined them suddenly...Then won every round without effort, the way he provoked them especially the boys, pushing them into climbing races. Making them compete, making them move, making them think.

Not giving them even a second...To sit still and let their thoughts sink too deep, even during patrols, he made them stay sharp, then switched it into something else.

Games, challenges, even assembling revolvers under pressure.

At the time...It felt annoying, but now...It made sense.

At the end of the day...What they needed wasn’t rest.

It was a distraction, something to keep their minds from turning against them and that was exactly what Veda had just realized.

”Everyone.” Veda stepped forward into the center of the crowd.

His voice was loud.

Clear enough for everyone to hear him, his voice cut through the murmurs instantly.

All eyes turned to him.

”Let’s fight.” He smirked.

For a second...Silence.

Then confusion spread across the crowd.

Fight?

The word echoed in their heads.

Some frowned, some blinked and some straightened up slightly.

”What I mean is,” Veda continued, noticing their reactions, ”we’re going to hold a sparring contest.”

”Just friendly matches. No serious injuries.”

He gestured with his hand.

”Fight as much as you want,but within limits.”

He paused briefly.

”You win by pinning your opponent to the ground...Or knocking them out of the ring.”

He signaled to Linda.

She immediately stepped forward and began drawing a large circle on the ground using a spear.

Hearing this, something began to change.

Slowly, very slowly.

The heavy air...

Shifted.

The pressure didn’t disappear, but it began to crack.

Just a little.

Excitement began to slip through.

”Sir Veda!” a boy shouted, raising his hand quickly.

”Can we use guns? Alchemy? Cognis? Weapons?”

”NO,” Veda replied immediately. ”Hand-to-hand only.”

”Ohhhh...”

The crowd grew louder.

More voices, more movement, more energy.

”Is there any prize?” a girl asked, raising her hand with a small smile forming on her face.

”A prize...” Veda repeated, looking around at everyone.

This time...

He could see it, their eyes.

They were no longer dull.. Everyone was now brimming with excitement.

”If you win...” He paused.

Then smiled slightly.

”The person you defeat will serve you for a day.”

A beat.

”That applies to everyone.”

His gaze swept across the crowd.

Stopping briefly at the highlines.

”Even me.”

For a moment, silence came again.

Then...

The crowd exploded.

Voices rose instantly, excitement burst out like something that had been trapped for too long.

People laughed, some shouted, some immediately began pushing forward.

The tension...The fear...The quiet pressure that had been choking them...

It didn’t disappear, but now...They had something to push against it.

Something to release it, something to fight back with.

”Okay!” Linda shouted, already holding a jotter in her hand.

”Line up if you want to participate!”

She stood at the front, writing down names as people rushed forward.

The line formed quickly.

Almost everyone wanted in, because for the first time in days...They weren’t waiting anymore.

They were doing something and that alone actually made all the difference.