Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra narrowed his eyes at Vera once again.

The expression wasn’t dramatic.

It was simply the small reaction he always gave whenever Vera started saying things that sounded completely ridiculous while acting as though they were perfectly normal.

Unfortunately...

Vera completely ignored his gaze.

"Back to our main conversation."

She folded her arms.

Her posture remained relaxed as she sat in her chair.

"So basically..."

Vera continued speaking as though she hadn’t just declared her love for his mind a few moments ago.

"An Elder found out about the situation through a friend who works closely with the person connected to the Royal Line."

She crossed one leg over the other.

"The friend informed the Elder because he wanted to use the opportunity to gain an advantage and increase the chances of getting you to favor his company during future contract discussions before the Auction Event was held."

Her tone remained casual.

As though she were discussing ordinary business matters.

"But the whole argument started because that greedy old trash they call my grandfather claimed that you should have handed the rights over to the Main Family."

Lucy immediately frowned.

Vera adjusted her sitting posture slightly before continuing.

"He argued that you should have informed the Family craftsmen about the invention from the beginning."

She waved a hand lazily.

"Then the craftsmen would handle the production process, release it to the world under the Family banner, and everyone would celebrate it as an Ashenlocke invention."

The words left her mouth so casually that one would think she was talking about a minor disagreement.

But both Lucy and Ezra immediately understood what those words actually meant.

It was theft.

Simple and direct.

Elder Fredricks had intended to steal Ezra’s work.

Lucy’s eyes twitched faintly.

The more she listened, the angrier she became.

While her Master had been spending sleepless nights creating the Phantom Rolls...

While he had traveled all the way to Northwick and worked tirelessly preparing for the Auction Event...

People back at the Estate had already begun discussing how to take everything away from him.

Her hands slowly tightened.

The more she thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

"He made a huge fuss and demanded that you be called back immediately."

Vera rested her cheek against her palm.

"Although many people opposed him because of how ridiculous he sounded, the situation involving the firearm contracts made everything much more complicated."

She shrugged.

"All the Elders and most of the higher figures in the Family started agreeing that the Family should take control over your decisions."

Her blank eyes settled on Ezra.

"But luckily for you..."

Vera pointed at herself.

"I saved the day."

She nodded confidently.

"Aren’t I amazing?"

Lucy blinked.

There it was again.

That strange confidence that somehow sounded both serious and sarcastic at the same time.

"Ezra."

Vera leaned forward slightly.

"You should praise me for this."

She paused.

Then shook her head dramatically.

"Ah. I forgot, you are allergic to praising people."

A long sigh escaped her lips.

"My poor maiden heart."

She placed a hand against her chest.

The expression on her face never changed.

Which somehow made the performance even more ridiculous.

Ezra simply stared at her.

His black eyes remained completely emotionless.

For several seconds...

Neither of them spoke.

Finally...

"I’m going to sleep."

Ezra spoke.

His tone was flat as always.

The sentence landed like a hammer.

Lucy immediately lowered her head.

She knew exactly what that meant.

Master had officially decided to stop entertaining Vera.

"Then good night, Inventor."

Vera replied instantly.

Without waiting for another word...

The holographic screen vanished.

She had already ended the call.

The room became quiet.

Both Ezra and Lucy stared at the empty space where the holographic image had been floating moments ago.

She hung up before I could.

Ezra thought silently.

Not that it mattered.

It was simply an observation.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

He stood up.

Then turned toward Lucy.

"Good night."

His voice remained calm.

Lucy immediately bowed.

"Oh... okay. Good night, Master."

She waved lightly before leaving the room.

The door closed behind her.

Soon...

The Guest House became quiet.

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning arrived.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains.

Ezra opened his eyes and immediately noticed a message waiting on his Starlix.

The sender...

Vera.

The message contained the location of her castle and instructions for where he and Lucy should meet her.

Today would be the official preparation for the firearm presentation.

After getting ready, Ezra and Lucy headed toward the dining hall of the Guest House.

Several professional chefs worked inside the kitchen area.

The smell of fresh bread, roasted meat, eggs, and tea filled the air.

Servants moved between tables with practiced efficiency.

The Guest House itself resembled a high-class hotel.

Although it wasn’t comparable to the Noble-Class accommodations they had experienced in Northwick, it still far exceeded the standards of most noble residences.

After all...

This section was designed for guests important enough to be welcomed by the Main Family.

The truly luxurious residences existed deeper within the Estate.

Those places weren’t accessible to ordinary visitors, and Lowlines of the family.

After breakfast...

The two boarded a Mini Steam Carriage.

The journey toward Vera’s castle took several hours.

The Main Family Estate was simply that large.

Different districts passed by outside the windows.

Workshops.

Training grounds.

Gardens.

Residential compounds.

Small Industrial facilities.

The scenery constantly changed as the carriage traveled deeper into territory reserved for the Mainline.

Eventually...

They arrived.

Lucy looked out the window.

Then blinked.

The castle before them wasn’t simply large.

It was strange.

Several maids stood outside waiting patiently.

As though they had been expecting their arrival for quite some time.

"Greetings, Mr. Ezra."

The three maids bowed gracefully.

"Greetings."

Ezra returned the greeting politely.

Lucy bowed as well.

The maids immediately led them toward the entrance.

As they walked through the grounds, Lucy finally understood why the maids had been waiting outside.

The entire front courtyard was a maze.

Not a decorative maze.

An actual maze.

Rows upon rows of flower gardens formed twisting pathways that stretched throughout the grounds.

Roses.

Lilies.

Hydrangeas.

Countless flowers bloomed along the winding paths.

The design was beautiful.

And completely inconvenient.

A person unfamiliar with the layout could easily spend an entire day wandering inside.

A very Vera-like decision.

Ezra immediately came to that conclusion.

Only someone like her would intentionally turn the entrance to her own residence into a puzzle.

Eventually they entered the castle.

The interior carried the same luxurious atmosphere expected from a Mainline residence.

Expensive antiques decorated the halls.

Paintings lined the walls.

Crystal lamps illuminated the corridors.

After walking through several hallways, they finally reached the main living room.

A large holographic screen hovered above the fireplace, which played soft orchestra music that drifted through the room.

The atmosphere felt peaceful.

"Please have a seat."

The senior maid bowed.

"I will inform the Lady that you have arrived."

After she left, another maid approached Ezra.

"What would you like, Sir?"

"I’m fine for now."

Ezra replied.

"Understood."

She bowed once before returning to her position.

Ezra’s gaze shifted toward one particular couch.

A very large couch.

Expensive.

Luxurious.

Clearly custom-made.

For some reason...

It reminded him of his own favorite couch.

Although this one was larger and made from more expensive materials.

So, Vera has one too.

The thought crossed his mind.

The observation amused him slightly.

Not that it showed on his face.

A few minutes later...

"Hello, Inventor."

Vera entered the room.

She walked directly toward her couch.

Then sat down in her usual spot.

Several servants followed behind her carrying folders and a work tablet version of the Zphone franchise.

The materials were carefully placed on the table.

One of the folders was handed directly to Ezra.

"That contains the complete schematics for both the Colt 1911 and the Modified Baske 1945."

Vera pointed lazily.

"Although you should probably rename the Baske."

Ezra opened the folder.

His eyes moved across the documents.

Every page.

Every diagram.

Every note.

During their previous meeting at the Trial Base library, they hadn’t only discussed his future plans regarding his parents.

They had also discussed the firearm presentation.

Initially...

Vera’s only intention when she brought up the conversation was for Ezra to reveal the newly modified Baske.

That alone would have been enough to shake the Ashenlocke Family.

After all, the improvements made to the weapon were significant enough to attract attention from every major firearms division within the Family.

However...

Ezra eventually decided it would be better if both of them revealed the project together.

The reason was simple.

Although Vera’s contribution wasn’t as large as his own, she had still helped during the final stages of the modification process and had participated in refining several parts of the design.

More importantly...

Doing it this way reduced the number of eyes that would be focused solely on him.

Ezra had no intention of becoming the center of every conversation inside the Main Family.

Too much attention only created unnecessary problems.

Especially when he still possessed more firearms from his previous world.

The Glock.

The Kel-Tec.

And other weapons that should not logically exist in Britannia.

If he suddenly started using those weapons openly in the future, questions would naturally arise.

People would become suspicious.

Where did those firearm concepts come from?

How was he creating weapons so different from the standards of the kingdom?

That was why Ezra introduced the Colt 1911 into the plan.

It was the perfect bridge.

A weapon advanced enough to pull the Ashenlocke Family away from their dependence on revolvers while still remaining believable within the technological progression of Britannia.

It would serve as the first step toward a new generation of Novice-Rank firearms.

A weapon capable of breaking the chain of tradition that had quietly restrained the Ashenlocke’s’ development for decades.

At the same time...

The existence of the Colt 1911 would create a foundation that made future handguns appear less unusual.

Once semi-automatic pistols became accepted by the Family, the appearance of weapons such as the Glock or Kel-Tec would no longer seem impossible.

People would simply view them as newer evolutions and even the same as the Colt 1911.

Not impossible creations.

"It’s accurate."

Ezra closed the folder after reviewing several pages.

His voice remained as flat as ever.

No excitement.

No surprise.

Just a statement.

"Well."

Vera leaned comfortably against the couch.

"You did give me copies of the complete layouts."

Her black eyes remained fixed on him.

Then she casually gestured toward one of the maids standing nearby.

The maid immediately bowed.

"Yes, Lady Vera."

"Turn it on."

The maid obeyed without hesitation.

A moment later...

The Zphone-sized work tablet resting on the table emitted a faint glow.

Numerous holographic screens materialized above it.

One after another, presentation slides appeared.

The Colt 1911.

The Modified Baske 1945.

Their schematics.

Alchemy circles.

Performance outputs.

Projected production values.

Everything had already been arranged neatly.

The amount of preparation was obvious.

"This makes things easy."

Ezra moved his hand through the air.

The holographic slides responded instantly.

One screen disappeared.

Another appeared.

His eyes carefully examined every page as he reviewed the information.

"You did the invention."

Vera pointed toward him.

"I handled the presentation."

She paused.

Then tilted her head slightly.

"Am I not a team player?"

The words sounded playful.

The expression on her face, however, remained completely blank.

Lucy stood nearby.

Watching the exchange.

She had reached the point where she could almost hear Vera’s teasing even when her face showed absolutely nothing.

"It will be an easy presentation, to be honest."

Vera waved her hand lazily.

The slides shifted automatically.

"I’m sure the moment those Elders and higher-ranking members see all of this..."

She pointed toward the schematics floating above the table.

"They’ll start drooling over the increase in military strength and profits."

Her voice remained calm.

Yet her words were brutally honest.

The Ashenlocke Family wasn’t simply a noble house.

It was an industrial powerhouse.

The moment they saw the benefits these firearms offered, they would immediately begin calculating combat value, production value, and financial value.

"But in the end..."

Ezra finally looked up from the holographic screens.

"What exactly are we gaining from all of this?"

He crossed one leg over the other.

His gaze settled on Vera.

"Do you want money?"

Vera asked immediately.

"No."

Ezra replied without hesitation.

Money had never been his primary objective.

Not this time.

He raised a finger.

"The first thing I want is a degree of backing."

His black eyes remained calm.

"Which also means a little acknowledged status within the Main Family."

He raised a second finger.

"The second..."

His voice paused.

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Then he lowered his hand.

"You already know that one."

Vera stared at him.

Several seconds passed.

Then she nodded.

"Yes."

She understood immediately.

There was no need for further explanation.

After all, she was one of the very few people who knew the true reason behind many of Ezra’s actions.

"It’s certain this presentation will help achieve your goal."

Her tone carried confidence.

She stretched out her hand.

A maid immediately stepped forward and handed her a pair of glasses.

Vera placed them on her face.

The atmosphere around her subtly changed.

The playful attitude disappeared.

Work mode.

"Now then, Inventor."

She adjusted the glasses.

"Let’s get to work."

The full revision process officially began.

For hours, the two carefully reviewed every aspect of the presentation together.

The firearm designs.

The internal mechanisms.

The Alchemy circles.

The ammunition systems.

The Alchemy circles for the bullets plus bullet holders.

The projected outputs.

The performance statistics.

The production theories.

The manufacturing explanations.

Every section was reviewed thoroughly.

Occasionally, Vera made adjustments.

Occasionally, Ezra added additional notes.

Several new explanations were inserted to make certain concepts easier for the Elders to understand.

The process continued throughout the day.

Fortunately, most of the difficult work had already been completed long ago.

The presentations were already prepared.

The schematics were complete.

The firearms themselves already existed.

Ezra had created the Alchemy circles long before this meeting.

He had already used the Colt 1911 personally in combat.

Although the Modified Baske hadn’t been field-tested in the same way, its design and calculations had already been finalized.

By evening...

The preparation was complete.

Just as Ezra had predicted from the beginning.

The entire preparation process ended on the same day it started, with everything already ready long ago.

All that remained now...Was showing it to the Ashenlocke Family.