Last Gun Alchemist

At the center of the Hall...

”Good morning, Lady Sasha.”

A young man dressed in a well-fitted suit lowered his head politely before the young woman standing in front of him.

He was a Mainline Young Noble of the Casper Count House and a Third-Year student of the Royal Academy.

His greeting was formal, as expected of someone raised in a Noble household.

He maintained a gentlemanly smile while waiting for her response.

”Good morning, Sir Adams Casper.”

Sasha Burnwick returned the greeting with a graceful curtsy.

Her movements were neat, and her expression remained pleasant as she addressed him.

She had been doing this for some time.

Ever since she arrived at the Grand Royal Hall, one young Noble after another had approached her.

Some greeted her before asking about the party, while others wasted little time explaining their intentions.

They wanted to know whether she had chosen a dance partner for any of the Dance Cores.

Sasha politely declined them all.

She was not rude about it.

She listened to their requests, offered a courteous response, and moved on whenever the conversation came to an end. Still, no matter how many young men approached her, none managed to obtain the answer they wanted.

The number of people coming to greet her was hardly surprising.

Sasha Burnwick was one of the Flowers of the Kingdom.

Her family also belonged to the Duke Houses, and her appearance and standing naturally drew attention from the young Nobles and Non-Nobles attending the party.

Some wanted the honour of dancing with her.

Others were simply looking for an opportunity to speak with a girl whose name was already well known among the Royal Academy students.

Unfortunately for them, Sasha did not seem interested.

After another young Noble left, one of the Highline Ladies of Burnwick standing beside her leaned closer.

”Lady Sasha, perhaps you should have accepted Sir Gale Winter’s request.”

Sasha glanced at her.

”I don’t feel like dancing today.”

Her answer was direct.

She did not even bother to consider the suggestion before turning her attention towards the people moving around the hall.

The music played softly in the background, and the voices of the guests blended together as more people arrived and greeted their acquaintances.

”But your mother, the Duchess, won’t be happy if she finds out you haven’t chosen more than five gentlemen to dance with.”

Another lady joined the conversation.

Unlike Sasha, she seemed worried about the consequences of refusing so many requests.

The Duchess had her expectations, after all. Sasha could not simply ignore them without someone noticing.

Sasha rested a finger against her chin.

”Maybe I’ll dance with my father.”

She paused briefly.

”Or perhaps even Ravenor.”

A faint grin appeared on her face.

The ladies around her exchanged glances.

They knew Sasha well enough to recognize that expression.

Whenever she smiled like that, it was difficult to tell whether she was being serious or had already thought of something troublesome.

Sasha, however, did not explain herself.

She simply continued looking around the hall as though she had said nothing unusual.

A short distance away...

Ravenor Burnwick was dealing with a problem of his own.

Several young ladies had gathered around him, each hoping to obtain a dance with him.

Some approached with shy smiles, while others spoke confidently, making their intentions clear without wasting time.

Ravenor refused them one after another.

His expression remained indifferent and calm.

He listened to their requests before declining, showing little interest in the attention he was receiving.

The number of girls surrounding him did not appear to bother him in the slightest.

Because he had already grown used to such situations.

Then, without any warning, a chill ran down his spine.

Ravenor’s expression barely changed, but his eyes shifted slightly.

Sasha...

He already knew who was responsible for the strange feeling.

His stepsister had a habit of coming up with ideas that could turn an ordinary day into a troublesome one. The problem was that she rarely considered the consequences for the people caught in her plans.

And Ravenor knew that he was often one of those people.

What is she planning now?

He turned his head calmly and glanced towards the area where Sasha stood.

She was surrounded by several people, making it difficult to see what she was doing. Even so, Ravenor could recognize her figure among the crowd.

He watched her for a moment.

Then he returned his attention to the young ladies waiting for his answer.

He had no intention of becoming involved in whatever his stepsister was planning.

At least, that was what he hoped.

Back where Sasha stood...

The young Lady of Burnwick had already begun examining her options.

”Hmmm...”

She placed her right hand beneath her chin and rested her left hand against her right elbow.

”Ravenor is too much of a big fish to catch.”

She said it casually, as though she were discussing the difficulty of catching an ordinary fish rather than referring to her own stepsibling.

The ladies around her stared.

A few narrowed their eyes, while another looked away for a moment as though she needed time to process what Sasha had just said.

Calling Ravenor a big fish was certainly an unusual way to describe him.

Not that she was wrong.

Ravenor was difficult to approach when he had no interest in something.

His calm expression and indifferent manner made it hard to tell what he was thinking, and he was not the sort of person who could be persuaded simply by repeated requests.

Sasha seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

She lowered her hand.

”Cyrus will be the best option.”

Her eyes sparkled.

”You called.”

A voice suddenly came from her right side.

Sasha turned her head.

”Cyrus?”

Her eyes widened slightly when she found him standing beside her.

She had not noticed him approaching, and neither had the other ladies surrounding her.

Cyrus wore his usual relaxed expression, as though appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a crowded hall were an ordinary thing to do.

Sasha stared at him for another moment.

Then her eyes narrowed.

”Don’t tell me you’ve been using Cognis concealment this whole time to hide your presence from everyone?”

Cyrus raised his right hand and scratched the back of his head.

”I love being unnoticed.”

He laughed lightly.

”Haha... Haha...”

His laughter did little to make his explanation convincing.

Sasha looked at him as though he had just admitted to doing something foolish.

”Just say you’re scared that no girl will ask you for a dance because of your little ruined reputation.”

She placed her right hand against her face and shook her head dramatically.

”And after I worked so hard to groom you...”

She drew out a sigh.

”I have failed as a loving mother.”

A few of the ladies standing around her looked at one another.

One of them pressed her lips together, trying not to react to the ridiculous exchange.

Cyrus, however, had no intention of letting Sasha have the last word.

He lowered his hand and looked at her with his scarlet eyes.

”Says the girl who’s shockingly shy about asking the one person she should have asked to be her dance partner.”

Sasha’s expression froze.

For a brief moment, she simply stared at him.

Then her eyebrows drew together.

”Huh? Me? Shy? What are you even talking about?”

Cyrus’s lips curved into a smug smile.

”Don’t deny the truth, S...asha.”

He deliberately stretched out her name, clearly enjoying her reaction.

Sasha’s eyes narrowed further.

Before she could answer, one of the Ladies of Burnwick stepped forward to defend her.

”Hey, Sir Cyrus! Lady Sasha can never be shy!”

Another girl immediately joined in.

”How can Lady Sasha of all ladies, a Flower of the Kingdom, be shy about asking a gentleman to be her dance partner?”

A third lady pointed an accusing finger at Cyrus.

”Stop looking for trouble, Sir Cyrus!”

”Just leave if you’re here to cause trouble for our Lady!”

The girls spoke one after another, their expressions growing more annoyed as Cyrus continued smiling at Sasha.

They had no intention of allowing him to embarrass their Lady in front of everyone.

Sasha was a Flower of the Kingdom, and they considered the idea of her being too shy to approach a gentleman almost absurd.

Cyrus raised both hands.

”Calm down, ladies.”

He wore an innocent expression, although the smile on his face made it difficult to believe that he had no idea what he was doing.

”I even thought you girls would be interested in knowing what kind of person Sasha might actually have an interest in.”

The ladies fell silent.

Their annoyed expressions twitched.

One girl slowly lowered her pointing hand.

Another leaned forward slightly, while a third glanced at Sasha before returning her attention to Cyrus.

The change was immediate.

A moment ago, they had been ready to chase him away.

Now, their curiosity had begun to get the better of them.

Cyrus noticed.

Of course, he noticed.

He lowered his hands and walked around the girls standing in front of him, moving towards the space behind a few of them.

He kept a comfortable distance from Sasha while positioning himself where the ladies could hear him clearly.

”You might not know this, but your Lady actually said she would marry somebody.”

His voice became softer.

The words were spoken lightly, but they had the exact effect he wanted.

The girls straightened.

Their eyes widened, and several of them turned towards Sasha.

A marriage?

Lady Sasha, said she would marry someone?

The thought alone was enough to make them forget their earlier annoyance with Cyrus.

Sasha, meanwhile, had begun moving towards him.

”Cyrus, you...”

She stopped herself for a moment, clearly trying to decide how to respond without drawing more attention.

”What do you think you’re saying?”

Sasha finally spoke, pointing at Cyrus.

Cyrus took a small step backwards.

”She was just a child back then.”

He spoke as though he were explaining something entirely harmless.

The girls of Burnwick turned towards Sasha with curious eyes.

Some looked surprised, while others seemed to be waiting for her to deny what Cyrus had said.

Sasha quickened her steps.

”Don’t listen to him.”

Her voice carried a note of embarrassment.

Unfortunately, that only made the girls more curious.

Because, if Cyrus were lying, why was Sasha reacting this way?

Cyrus glanced at the approaching Sasha and moved a little farther away, maintaining the distance between them.

”You know what she said to me when I reminded her of that situation?”

He kept his voice light and soft.

The ladies gulped.

Their attention was now completely focused on him.

Whatever Sasha had said in the past, Cyrus clearly remembered it. And judging by her reaction, she had no desire for him to repeat it in front of everyone.

Sasha’s face began to warm.

”Cyrus!”

She tried to close the distance between them, but he continued speaking before she could stop him.

”She said...”

Cyrus paused briefly, making sure the girls were listening.

”He looked weak all those times, and I was just playing with him then, but now...”

His voice carried a playful, almost romantic tone as he repeated her words.

”He’s strong and powerful, almost like Ravenor, and he even beat Vera to snatch the Heir title from her.”

He rubbed his shoulder while moving with exaggerated caution, as though he were a sneaky person sharing a secret he should not have revealed.

The girls stared at him.

Then they looked at Sasha.

The meaning behind his words was clear enough.

Lady Sasha Burnwick had once viewed someone as weak, but her opinion had changed after seeing how strong he had become.

And she had apparently admitted that she wanted to marry him in the past.

Cyrus was enjoying himself far too much.

”CYRUS!”

Sasha shouted his name.

Her right hand curled into a fist, and she swung it towards him.

The movement was quick.

Her shoulder turned with the punch, and her fist travelled straight towards Cyrus before she could stop herself.

Bam!

The sound of a fist colliding with something echoed through the nearby area.

Several guests turned their heads.

A few people paused in the middle of their conversations, wondering what had happened.

One of the young Nobles even took a step aside to get a better view.

However, once they realized it was only the Burnwick siblings playing around, most of them returned to their conversations.

Such scenes were not unusual among people who knew one another well.

Sasha, on the other hand, was not in the mood to laugh.

”You...”

She stared at Cyrus in disbelief.

Her fist had been caught.

Cyrus held it effortlessly in one hand, his face carrying a mischievous grin.

He had stopped her punch without appearing to struggle at all.

He leaned closer.

”I’m a higher rank in our Year than you, Sister.”

His scarlet eyes narrowed with amusement.

”Which means I’m smarter... and I’m Better... Hehehe.”

He whispered the last part into her ear before laughing mockingly.

Sasha’s expression changed.

The embarrassment on her face gave way to anger, and she stared at him as though she were considering several ways to make him regret his words.

Cyrus noticed the change.

His smile faltered.

”I will kill you.”

Sasha’s voice was serious.

There was no playful tone in her words, and the look in her eyes made it clear that she was no longer interested in continuing their little exchange.

Cyrus froze.

Shit.

He had gone too far.

He released her fist at once and began backing away.

Then he turned and hurried off.

Sasha followed immediately.

”Damn it! Why did you decide to wear a ladies’ suit instead of a ball gown?”

Cyrus complained as he increased his pace.

His walk turned into a light jog.

He glanced over his shoulder to check how close Sasha was.

Only to see she was already coming after him.

Sasha cracked her knuckles.

”I guess my luck struck gold today.”

Her voice was soft, but the smile on her face did not look reassuring.

”Just come to this Lady, and we’ll settle things the old way.”

She continued after him, her steps quick and steady as she moved through the crowd.

”Never!”

Cyrus refused without hesitation.

He slipped past a group of Nobles, turning his shoulders to avoid bumping into them.

”Sorry.”

He continued moving.

”Excuse me.”

He passed another group, careful not to collide with anyone standing in his way.

The guests he passed looked at him in surprise.

A few stepped aside, while others turned to see who was following him.

Sasha remained close behind.

She was not slowing down, and the distance between them continued to shrink.

Cyrus glanced back again.

His expression tightened.

Why is she so persistent?

He had only wanted to tease her a little. He had not expected her to chase him through the middle of the party.

Still, he could not help feeling that the trouble was worth it.

Sasha was getting closer.

”I got you!”

She stretched her hand forward, reaching for him.

At the same time, the other Ladies of Burnwick who had been standing with Sasha began following them.

Unlike their Lady, they were not burning with anger.

Their curiosity had simply become too strong to ignore.

They wanted to know who Sasha had been talking about.

And Cyrus had not finished explaining himself.

”You think so?”

Cyrus answered with a faint smirk.

Just as Sasha was about to catch him, he swiftly changed his position. He turned away from her path, moving aside at the last moment.

”Huh?”

Sasha’s hand closed on empty air.

She had already committed to the movement. Her body continued forward even after Cyrus was no longer standing in front of her, and she found herself passing the spot where he had been.

Cyrus moved to her left side.

Then, with a smooth motion, he lowered his body into a bow like a butler presenting a delivery.

”CyEz service presents its delivery.”

His voice was calm.

Sasha’s eyes widened.

”Ah!”

She made a small sound as she lost her balance.

Her feet moved to recover her footing, but she had been moving too quickly to stop herself in time. Her body tilted forward, and her arms shifted as she tried to keep herself from falling.

Then a hand caught her around the waist.

”Safe.”

Veda’s voice sounded beside her.

He had caught Sasha before she could hit the floor.

For a moment, Sasha remained still, her body supported by his arm.

The sudden change left her unable to respond immediately.

Then she looked up.

Veda was holding her securely by the waist, preventing her from falling in front of the guests.

Sasha’s face turned completely red.