Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra quietly stared at Vera through the holographic screen.

His expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.

On the other side of the call, Vera returned his gaze without saying a word. She tilted her head ever so slightly, her long black hair shifting gently with the movement. Her dull, fish-like eyes never left Ezra’s face, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Neither of them spoke.

The holographic screen remained suspended above the Starlix and Zphone, faithfully projecting both of their faces.

Silence settled between them.

It wasn’t an ordinary silence.

It was the kind that slowly spread to everyone nearby, making the people around them instinctively stop talking.

Across the table...

Lucy awkwardly moved her eyes back and forth between her master and Vera’s projection.

She picked up her spoon.

Lowered it again.

Picked it up once more.

In the end...

She quietly placed it back on the plate.

For some reason...

She simply couldn’t continue eating while those two kept staring at each other.

The atmosphere felt strangely heavy despite neither of them showing any emotion.

Unable to bear the awkwardness alone, Lucy secretly glanced toward Cyrus, hoping he felt the same discomfort.

Instead...

Cyrus calmly lifted his teacup.

He leisurely took another sip.

His expression remained relaxed from beginning to end, as though nothing unusual was happening.

Seeing that...

Lucy blinked.

How is Sir Cyrus drinking tea so peacefully...?

Doesn’t he feel this awkward atmosphere at all?

She couldn’t help wondering.

Finally...

Ezra broke the silence.

”Vera...”

”I’m listening.”

Vera replied immediately.

She leaned farther back into her chair, crossing one leg over the other while maintaining her usual composed posture.

Her eyes remained fixed on Ezra.

”I already told you.”

Ezra spoke in the same calm tone.

”I can’t dance. And besides...I’m not interested in dancing with anyone.”

His answer was straightforward. There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation.

”And I don’t care.”

Vera replied without missing a beat.

Her sharp voice carried through the holographic projection as naturally as if she were sitting across the table.

”Do I look like I care?”

She looked directly into Ezra’s eyes.

”No. I don’t, Ezra.”

She lazily pointed one finger toward the projection.

”All I care about... is you becoming my dance partner.”

She folded her arms before casually crossing one leg over the other again.

Her posture remained elegant despite how relaxed she looked.

”So... Stop acting like a baby. And learn how to dance.”

Lucy quietly lowered her head.

Lady Vera really says whatever comes to mind...

Across the table...

Cyrus hid his smile behind another sip of tea.

”...Yeah.”

Ezra answered after a brief pause.

”No.”

His reply was firm.

Simple and direct.

He didn’t leave the slightest room for negotiation.

Nor did he appear willing to give Vera’s proposal even a moment of consideration.

Vera quietly narrowed her eyes.

For several seconds...

Neither of them spoke again.

Then...

She slowly raised her left hand.

Instead of looking at Ezra, her attention shifted toward her fingernails.

Her slender fingers gently brushed across the black polish decorating them. Thin golden lines painted across the surface formed the shape of a blooming flower, catching the light whenever she moved her hand.

”Ezra...”

Her voice suddenly became softer, while still not looking at him.

Her blank eyes remained fixed on her nails as though she had become far more interested in them than the conversation itself.

”Have you noticed...how the girls in our year have been surrounding all the popular boys?”

Only then did she slowly lift her eyes.

Tilting her head slightly, she looked back at Ezra.

The movement was small.

Gentle.

Yet somehow...

The simple question immediately made the atmosphere feel different.

Lucy subconsciously straightened her back, while Cyrus also paused halfway through lifting his cup.

For the first time since the call began...

His attention shifted completely toward Ezra.

Ezra himself looked slightly puzzled.

”I’ve seen some of it.”

He calmly answered.

”But... What exactly are you trying to say?”

His thoughts immediately became more alert.

Ezra understood Vera well enough to know something.

She rarely asked meaningless questions.

Every sentence she spoke usually carried another intention hidden behind it.

The only problem...

Was that the person speaking happened to be Vera.

Trying to predict exactly what she planned next was rarely an easy task.

Sometimes...

Her train of thought jumped so far ahead that even Ezra struggled to follow it immediately.

Vera quietly nodded to herself.

Then...

She smiled.

It wasn’t a wide smile.

Only the faintest curve appeared at the corner of her lips.

”I’m sure...You’ll enjoy experiencing that life from now on.”

She straightened her posture.

The playful expression disappeared almost instantly, replaced by one that looked strangely professional.

The change was so smooth it almost felt rehearsed.

The moment those words reached Ezra...

Everything clicked.

The earlier question.

Her unusually calm attitude.

The background behind her.

It all connected.

His eyes narrowed.

”You’re inside the News Club’s studio.”

He stated plainly.

Vera blinked once.

”Why would you think that, Ezra?”

She answered in the same sharp tone.

”I was already beginning to suspect something.”

Ezra ignored the question and continued speaking.

”Since this morning...Not a single girl has approached me asking to be her dance partner.”

He looked directly at Vera.

”I thought you might have something to do with it. But I wasn’t certain. Until now.”

He calmly pointed toward the holographic screen.

”And knowing you...I’m certain you’re calling because you’re about to do something troublesome. And the background behind you tells a lot about where you are.”

Silence followed.

Then...

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Vera slowly applauded.

A faint smile appeared on her face again.

”I’m very proud of you, Ezra.”

She nodded once.

”You always figure things out.”

Without saying anything else...

She stood up gracefully.

Her movements remained composed as she quietly walked toward the microphone positioned at the center of the room.

As she moved...

The holographic camera automatically followed her.

The changing angle finally revealed more about the room surrounding her.

It was the News Club’s broadcasting studio.

Diane lay curled up comfortably on one of the couches, sleeping so peacefully that the commotion around her didn’t seem to matter in the slightest.

Not far away...

Nina stood discussing something with several News Club members, who felt nervous by Vera and Diane’s sudden presence.

Leaning against one wall...

Zack folded his arms across his chest.

His expression remained calm as he silently observed the room.

Standing beside him was his attendant.

The butler maintained perfect posture with both hands neatly folded before him, patiently waiting without making a sound.

Ezra quietly watched everything through the projection.

He already had a very bad feeling about what Vera intended to do next.

Vera gently wrapped one hand around the microphone.

Then...

Instead of standing behind the desk...

She casually sat halfway on top of it.

Seeing she was ready...

Nina reached toward the control panel.

With a single press of a button...

The academy-wide broadcasting system came to life.

A sharp squeal suddenly burst from the academy’s broadcasting system.

The sound echoed through the speakers mounted along the walls of the academy buildings, carrying across the courtyards, gardens, stone pathways, and every corner of the first-year district.

Students who had been chatting, walking, practicing their dances, or enjoying their free time instinctively stopped what they were doing.

Many looked around in surprise.

”Hmmm... Hmmm...”

Vera’s voice echoed from the speakers.

As always...

It sounded dry, calm, and completely emotionless.

The students exchanged puzzled looks.

”Isn’t that coming from the News Club?”

”I thought they weren’t broadcasting until tomorrow.”

”Wait...I know that voice.”

More and more students stopped where they were.

Whispers quickly spread through the academy like a ripple moving across still water as everyone tried to figure out why the academy-wide broadcast had suddenly been activated.

”Hmm... Testing.”

”Testing.”

Vera’s plain voice echoed once more from every speaker.

At the same time.

On the pavilion beside the park...

Sasha’s interview was nearing its conclusion.

Most of the girls had already finished their interviews, leaving only the final ten candidates waiting patiently for their turn.

Just as Sasha was about to question the next girl...

Vera’s voice echoed from the nearby speakers.

Sasha paused.

The cheerful smile on her face slowly faded as curiosity replaced it.

What’s she up to now?

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Not far away...

Ravenor also lifted his head toward one of the speakers.

His expression also became thoughtful.

Unlike most of the students around him...

He knew exactly what kind of person Vera was.

She wasn’t someone who would make an academy-wide announcement without a reason.

Which meant...

Whatever she was about to say probably wouldn’t end peacefully.

The girls gathered around the pavilion also began whispering among themselves.

”Why is Lady Vera using the school’s speakers?”

”Is something important happening?”

”Did the News Club start early?”

”Did she join the News Club?”

Curious gazes shifted from one another to the speakers overhead.

Then...

Vera finally spoke again.

”My dear first-year beauties.”

Her voice remained perfectly calm.

There wasn’t the slightest excitement in her tone, making the greeting somehow feel even more unusual.

Across the academy...

Almost every first-year girl immediately paid attention.

Many instinctively stopped walking.

Others looked toward the nearest speaker.

Even students who had been in the middle of conversations quietly fell silent.

”I will be revoking my ban on approaching Ezra Ashenlocke for the remaining time we have today.”

She spoke as naturally as if she were announcing tomorrow’s weather.

”So... Ladies. You are now free to approach him and ask him to be your dance partner.”

Back inside the News Club studio...

Vera slowly turned her head toward the holographic screen projecting Ezra’s image.

Ezra’s face remained as expressionless as ever.

At least...

That was how he appeared on the outside.

However...

Vera knew him well enough to notice the subtle signs.

His eyes had become just a little colder.

The faint tightening around his brow.

The almost invisible pause in his breathing.

All of it told her exactly what was happening inside his mind.

He was getting annoyed.

Seeing that...

A faint smile quietly appeared on Vera’s lips.

It wasn’t a large smile.

Just enough to show that she found the situation amusing.

”Have fun, ladies...”

She paused briefly before looking directly at Ezra through the holographic screen.

”...and Ezra.”

Without waiting for a reply...

She calmly stepped away from the microphone.

Nina immediately reached over the control panel and switched off the broadcasting system.

The speakers across the academy fell silent.

Vera returned to the table where she had left her Zphone 14.

She picked it up.

Without another word...

She ended the call.

The holographic screen hovering above Ezra’s Starlix instantly disappeared.

For a brief moment...

An unusual silence settled over the entire first-year academy district.

It wasn’t because there were no students.

It was because everyone was processing what they had just heard.

At the same time.

Inside the cafeteria...

Cyrus quietly turned toward Ezra.

Across from him...

Lucy also looked at her master.

Neither of them spoke.

The same thought quietly surfaced in both their minds.

I don’t know why...

But this feels dangerous.

”...Ahhh...”

Ezra let out a long, exhausted sigh.

He slowly closed his eyes before rubbing the center of his forehead.

He could already picture what was about to happen.

No...

He didn’t need to imagine it anymore.

He could hear it.

The hurried footsteps echoing from a far distance through the cafeteria corridors.

The scraping sound of chairs being pushed backward all at once.

The excited voices rapidly grew louder.

Even several girls who had been peacefully eating inside the cafeteria were already standing up.

One after another...

They turned toward Ezra’s table.

Some had already started walking.

Others had begun hurrying over.

Ezra quietly rubbed his forehead again.

The annoyance on his face became just a little more obvious.

She really went this far...

Ezra quietly rubbed his forehead once more.

The faint annoyance on his face became a little more obvious.

I’m certain...

This was her backup plan from the very moment she decided to place that ban.

He let out another quiet sigh.

He should have expected it earlier.

Vera rarely did anything without preparing for every possible outcome.

If one plan failed...

She always had another waiting.

Just as that thought crossed his mind...

”Sir Ezra!”

A clear voice suddenly called out.

A young Non-Noble girl hurried to the side of the table where Ezra, Lucy, and Cyrus were having lunch.

She stopped beside Ezra before quickly bowing.

Her cheeks were slightly red with nervousness.

Even so...

She gathered her courage.

”Sorry to disturb your lunchtime...”

She took a small breath before stretching one hand toward him.

”But...Please...Will you accept this humble girl’s request to become your dance partner?”

She squeezed her eyes shut after speaking, as though she had already prepared herself to be rejected.

Before Ezra could even respond...

”NO!!!”

Another girl suddenly pushed her way over from the opposite side of the table.

She pointed directly at Ezra without the slightest hesitation.

”Sir Ezra! Please choose me instead!”

Unlike the first girl...

She had no intention of speaking politely or slowly.

She immediately got straight to the point.

Then another student stepped forward.

Then another.

And another.

Within only a few breaths...

More girls began gathering around the table.

Each one tried to speak over the others.

”Sir Ezra! Please dance with me!”

”I asked first!”

”No, I did!”

Lucy rapidly moved her eyes from one side to the other.

Every time she looked in one direction...

Another girl had already appeared from somewhere else.

The crowd continued growing.

The once peaceful section of the cafeteria was quickly becoming surrounded.

Then...

Lucy’s ears twitched slightly.

She heard something else.

Footsteps.

Lots of them.

Her eyes suddenly widened.

They weren’t coming from inside the cafeteria.

They were rushing in from outside.

Fast.

Very fast.

The sound of dozens of shoes striking the academy floor echoed through the hallway leading toward the cafeteria entrance.

”I heard he’s in the cafeteria!”

A girl’s excited voice rang out from the corridor.

Almost immediately...

Several more voices followed.

”Sir Ezra!”

”Sir Ezra!”

”Sir Ezra!”

The excited shouts drew even more attention.

Students throughout the cafeteria instinctively turned toward the entrance.

Some stood from their seats just to see what was happening.

Others hurried away, not wanting to get caught in the incoming crowd.

Watching the situation unfold...

Cyrus slowly placed his teacup back onto the table.

A helpless smile appeared on his face.

”...Yeah.”

He looked toward his teacup.

”You need to run.”

His tone remained calm, but there wasn’t the slightest doubt in his words.

Having grown up watching countless girls surround his stepbrother Ravenor...

Cyrus knew exactly how troublesome this situation could become.

He had personally witnessed Ravenor being cornered more times than he could count.

The noise.

The excitement.

The constant requests.

Even standing nearby was enough to give someone a headache.

Because of that...

He understood one thing better than most.

This wasn’t simply a crowd of enthusiastic girls.

This was a genuine disaster waiting to happen.

”Sir Cyrus...”

Lucy called softly.

She looked just as helpless.

Then she pointed toward the chair directly across from them.

”...Master is already gone.”

Cyrus blinked.

Only then did he lower his eyes toward Ezra’s seat.

It was empty.

The plate remained on the table.

The Starlix had disappeared.

But Ezra himself...

Was nowhere to be seen.

”...”

Cyrus couldn’t help smiling bitterly.

He really didn’t hesitate.

Around the table...

The girls also finally noticed.

”Sir Ezra is gone!”

One of them cried out in disbelief.

”What?”

”When did he leave?”

”How?”

”I didn’t even see him move!”

”He ran!”

One girl immediately shouted while pointing toward the cafeteria entrance.

”Use your Cognis to search for him!”

”We only have today!”

The girls instantly became even more restless.

Several rushed toward the exits.

Others immediately activated their Cognis, hoping to locate Ezra before someone else found him first.

Voices overlapped one after another until the entire cafeteria became filled with excited shouting.

To an outsider...

The scene looked almost unbelievable.

Young ladies who were expected to approach a gentleman with elegance, grace, and proper etiquette had completely abandoned those formalities.

Some were calling loudly.

Others were pushing through the crowd.

A few even began organizing themselves into different directions in hopes of cutting off Ezra’s escape routes.

From the outside...

It looked chaotic.

Almost ungraceful.

But the truth was much simpler.

Every one of those girls understood Ezra’s value.

Although he was publicly known as only a Lowline member of House Ashenlocke...

Everyone also knew he possessed extraordinary talent.

His inventions.

His achievements.

His growing recognition within Britannia.

Everything pointed toward one possibility.

His position within the Ashenlocke family would continue to rise.

Perhaps not today.

Perhaps not tomorrow.

But eventually.

Because of that...

Many of the girls had no intention of letting this rare opportunity slip away.

Even something as simple as sharing a dance with him...

Or exchanging a brief conversation...

Would be enough to create a connection with someone who might one day become one of Britannia’s most influential figures.

For many of them...

That alone made today’s chance worth chasing with everything they had.