Last Gun Alchemist

The mysterious man standing at the center of the group slowly shifted his gaze from Gwen to Lucy.

A faint sigh escaped his lips.

"I’m sorry, Gwen."

His tone was calm, almost sympathetic.

"It seems she has already been brainwashed."

He clicked his tongue lightly before shaking his head.

"I don’t know what that boy did to her, but... tch."

Gwen frowned.

Her fingers slowly curled into fists.

That Ezra...

The hatred she had barely managed to suppress surfaced again.

It wasn’t because he had defeated the organization’s plans.

It was because, in her eyes...

He had stolen Lucy away from her.

"Why are we still waiting?"

Terenza glanced impatiently between the mysterious man and the guards surrounding them.

Her slight fear had already begun turning into frustration.

"They’re just children."

She sharply pointed toward Lucy.

"Shoot her."

The order echoed across the clearing.

Immediately...

Gwen turned toward Terenza.

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

The look she gave the Baroness carried open displeasure.

Yet...

No one moved.

No guard raised his trigger.

No one even answered Terenza.

Instead...

Every pair of eyes quietly shifted toward the destroyed section of the base.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness.

One figure stumbled out first.

"Lucy!"

Blake shouted as he hurried toward her.

His breathing was uneven.

His clothes were covered with dust from the collapsed workshop.

The moment he saw the dozens of Kalthoff Repeaters aimed toward the group...

His body froze.

He stumbled to a stop behind Lucy.

His hands immediately began trembling again.

His breathing became shallow.

His terrified eyes slowly drifted toward Gwen.

"Gwen..."

His voice came out almost like a whisper.

The girl quietly looked back at him.

No expression appeared on her face.

"Sir Blake..."

Lucy slowly stretched one arm across his chest.

"You should run back."

Her eyes never left the guards.

Neither fear nor panic could be seen on her face.

Only calm.

Blake stared at her.

His mind became completely blank.

How?

How?

How can she continue to stay so calm?

He remembered everything that had happened only moments ago.

Ezra.

Gena.

Both of them had reacted exactly the same way.

When the Bone Alchemists appeared...

Neither of them ran.

Neither of them hesitated.

Neither of them allowed fear to control their movements.

They simply stood their ground.

Ready to fight.

Is it because they’re Alchemists?

Is becoming an Alchemist even enough to change someone this much?

The question echoed inside Blake’s mind.

But...

He immediately rejected that answer.

Because deep down...

He knew it wasn’t true.

At the end of the day...

Ezra and Gena were still children.

Children around his own age, and even if Lucy was much older than him.

They laughed.

They argued.

They teased one another.

Yet...

When danger appeared...

Their composure became something he couldn’t understand.

Seeing that level of confidence in someone his own age...

Felt almost unreal.

"I..."

His lips trembled.

"I can’t."

His voice shook honestly.

"I..."

He looked down at his own legs.

"I can’t even move."

Lucy glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

A helpless smile briefly appeared.

She gently shook her head.

Without saying another word...

She looked back toward the armed group ahead.

Her posture remained firm.

Even if every rifle there fired together...

She still intended to stand in front of Blake.

The mysterious man quietly watched everything.

One corner of his mouth slowly lifted.

"So..."

He spoke calmly.

"Even if you’re an Alchemist... you still intend to face this many people alone?"

"I’ll take my chances."

Lucy answered without hesitation, her voice remaining steady.

"Hm..."

The mysterious man chuckled softly.

"Your master..."

He slowly pointed toward the destroyed workshop.

"...and that young girl are probably struggling for their lives right now."

His smile widened slightly.

"And here you are... risking your own life to protect this weak little Noble."

His eyes briefly shifted toward Blake.

"You really are going to make your dear Gwen cry."

Lucy didn’t answer.

Her brown eyes quietly locked onto his.

The calm inside them gradually became colder.

The mysterious man slowly raised one hand.

The surrounding guards immediately tightened their grips on their Kalthoff Repeaters.

One after another...

The muzzles aligned perfectly with Lucy.

Behind him...

Gwen slowly closed her eyes.

Her fists tightened until her nails dug into her palms.

She couldn’t bear to watch.

No matter how much she had tried convincing herself otherwise...

Lucy was still the closest friend she had ever had.

The thought of seeing her riddled with bullets...

Made her chest ache.

The mysterious man’s raised hand slowly began descending.

Then...

It suddenly stopped halfway.

"...Oh?"

His brows rose slightly.

A whistle escaped his lips.

"Well, well, well..."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"You two actually defeated those experienced Rogue Alchemists."

"Impossible!"

Terenza shouted.

Her face immediately lost all color.

The second mysterious man’s eyes also widened.

Neither of them had expected those two Rogue Alchemists to lose.

Heavy footsteps echoed once again.

Ezra calmly walked out from the darkness of the collapsed workshop.

Dust covered parts of his coat.

Yet...

His expression remained exactly the same.

Beside him...

Gena lazily rolled one shoulder while stretching her sore arm.

Her forehead still carried the small wound from the earlier battle.

"Master."

Relief quietly appeared inside Lucy’s eyes.

The tension she had been holding onto slowly eased.

Ezra walked forward without rushing.

His footsteps echoed softly across the clearing.

Then...

He stopped.

"You already know this isn’t worth it."

His calm voice broke the silence.

His emotionless black eyes rested directly on the mysterious man.

The mysterious man quietly returned the stare.

Neither spoke.

As the air itself seemed to become heavier.

Even the guards unconsciously held their breath.

Terenza looked back and forth between the man and Ezra.

Confusion completely filled her face.

Why...

Why isn’t anyone speaking?

Why does it suddenly feel as though the entire battlefield belonged only to those two?

Finally...

Ezra calmly lifted one hand, pointing directly at Terenza.

"All I want..."

His voice remained flat.

"...is her."

Terenza’s pupils shrank.

"...and her alone."

The mysterious man slowly rubbed his chin.

"Hmm..."

He looked genuinely thoughtful.

"After thinking about it a little more..."

He slowly turned toward Terenza.

A gentle smile rested on his face, making it impossible to tell what he was truly thinking even though his face was even covered.

"Like the young inventor said..."

His eyes briefly shifted toward Ezra before returning to the Baroness.

"...we can’t afford to kill them."

He spread his hands casually.

"Not only would it attract too much attention, but with the firepower we currently have..."

He glanced toward the inner section where the bodies of the Rogue Alchemists would be lying inside the destroyed workshop.

"...it won’t be enough to stop these young Alchemists."

He sighed lightly.

"So..."

The smile on his covered face remained as calm as ever.

"I’m afraid this is where our partnership comes to an end."

"What?"

Terenza instinctively took two steps backward.

Her face became completely pale.

She stared at him as though she had misheard everything.

"W-What did you just say?"

The mysterious man didn’t answer immediately.

He simply looked at her.

"This is where our partnership ends."

His tone remained steady.

Almost indifferent.

The words struck Terenza harder than any weapon could have.

"WHAT?!"

Her scream echoed across the construction site.

"Are you insane?!"

She pointed wildly at him.

"After everything I’ve done for this organization! I gave you money! I covered your tracks! I even risked my family! I..."

"Baroness."

A cold voice interrupted her.

Terenza sharply turned.

Gwen looked back at her without the slightest trace of pity.

"Would you shut your trap for once?"

Her voice was calm.

Almost mocking.

"Can’t you see?"

A faint smirk slowly appeared on her face.

"We’ve been using you from the very beginning."

Silence immediately followed.

Terenza stared at Gwen.

Her lips slowly parted.

"...Using me?"

She whispered.

Her mind refused to accept it.

She had believed she was working alongside a powerful group of allies.

People who respected her.

People who shared her goals.

Yet...

From the beginning...

She had simply been another pawn.

Before she could speak again...

Several metallic clicks echoed around her.

Click.

Click.

Click.

One after another...

Several guards calmly turned their Kalthoff Repeaters away from Ezra’s group.

The muzzles slowly pointed toward Terenza instead.

Within seconds...

She found herself completely surrounded.

The people she had trusted were now aiming their rifles at her.

Her breathing immediately became uneven.

Her knees lost their strength as she collapsed onto the dusty ground.

"N-No..."

Her eyes darted from one guard to another.

"This... this has to be a joke."

She forced out a nervous laugh.

No one laughed with her.

"Did you honestly believe..."

Gwen slowly folded her arms.

"...that our organization would willingly work with a Noble?"

Her eyes were filled with disgust.

"Especially someone like you."

Every word felt like another knife sinking into Terenza’s heart.

She lowered her head.

Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

"So... I was nothing... to any of you."

Before Gwen could answer...

"That’s enough."

The second mysterious man calmly placed one hand on Gwen’s shoulder.

"There isn’t any point wasting more time."

His tone remained practical, because he wasn’t interested in humiliating Terenza any further.

"She still helped us accomplish our objective."

He glanced toward the leader.

"Let’s go."

The leader gave a small nod.

Without another word, the second mysterious man turned around and walked toward one of the waiting Steam Trucks.

The rear container had already been opened.

He stepped inside as though boarding an ordinary carriage.

The mysterious leader remained standing for another moment.

His eyes slowly swept across Ezra’s group.

A smile gradually appeared beneath his mask.

Finally...

His gaze settled on Ezra.

"Until next time..."

He lifted one hand in a casual wave.

"...Inventor."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of hostility in his voice.

If anything...

It sounded more like someone saying goodbye to a person they expected to meet again.

Then...

He stepped into the rear compartment of the Steam Truck.

The heavy metal door slowly swung shut behind him.

At the same time...

The remaining guards began withdrawing with remarkable discipline.

Each guard moved toward their assigned Steam Truck in orderly fashion.

Even after suffering heavy losses...

Their retreat remained organized.

Ezra quietly watched everything.

His black eyes calmly followed their movements, not making any attempt to stop them.

Not because he couldn’t.

But, because there wasn’t enough value in chasing them now.

The last person remaining outside...

Was Gwen.

She stood beside the truck for several seconds.

Her eyes quietly searched until they found Lucy.

The two girls simply looked at one another.

Neither smiled.

Neither waved.

No words were exchanged.

Because there was nothing left to say.

The memories they had shared beneath the old stone bridge...

The cold winters.

The stale bread.

The laughter.

The promises.

Everything belonged to the past now.

Slowly...

Gwen lowered her eyes as she climbed into the rear compartment.

The door closed behind her.

Moments later...

The Steam Trucks rumbled to life.

Steam burst from their exhaust vents as the engines roared.

One after another...

The vehicles rolled away from the ruined construction site.

Dust rose behind their wheels.

Within minutes...

The entire convoy disappeared into the darkness beyond the forest road.

Silence gradually returned.

Only the ruined base remained.

Broken iron beams.

Collapsed platforms.

Scattered machinery.

Bodies lying motionless beneath twisted steel.

And standing within the aftermath were only Ezra...

Lucy...

Gena...

A still-shaken Blake...

And...

The devastated Baroness Terenza Orvain.

Lucy quietly watched the direction the convoy had disappeared.

Then she slowly turned toward Ezra.

"Master..."

She hesitated for a moment.

"Is it really alright... to let them leave like that?"

Ezra looked at her.

His expression remained exactly the same as always.

Lucy immediately became a little awkward beneath his emotionless stare.

She scratched her cheek while avoiding eye contact.

Ezra finally answered.

"That’s..."

He paused briefly.

"...too much trouble."

His voice remained completely flat.

Lucy blinked.

Then...

She couldn’t help laughing.

A helpless laugh escaped her lips.

"Seriously..."

She shook her head.

"That’s such a Master answer."

Only Ezra could dismiss an entire hidden organization with the words...

’Too much trouble.’

Not far away...

"Ahhhhh..."

Blake let out a long sigh.

His tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Now that the danger had truly passed...

His body slowly began calming down.

Although...

His legs were still trembling slightly.

Meanwhile...

Terenza remained sitting on the dusty ground.

She stared blankly ahead.

Everything she had worked toward...

Had disappeared in a single night.

"You’ve..."

She laughed weakly.

"...got to be kidding me."

She slowly shook her head.

"I funded this entire operation... I risked everything... and they’re just going to abandon me?"

Her breathing became uneven again.

"What kind of joke is this?"

She clenched handfuls of dirt.

"This... this doesn’t make any sense."

Her eyes gradually became empty.

"What... am I supposed to do now?"

Suddenly...

"ORVAIN!"

Gena’s furious voice echoed across the ruined construction site.

She strode toward the kneeling Baroness with unwavering purpose.

Each step carried the anger she had been holding back ever since learning the truth behind Mina’s tragedy.

Terenza instinctively looked up.

The moment her eyes met Gena’s...

The fear she had barely managed to suppress returned all at once.

"Wait..."

Terenza hurriedly raised both trembling hands.

"I-I can explain."

She quickly nodded her head as though agreeing with everything before anyone had even questioned her.

"Y-Yeah... just like those people said..."

Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"I was being used."

She pointed weakly toward the direction the Steam Trucks had disappeared.

"I wasn’t the one who planned everything. I... I..."

She desperately searched for more excuses.

Anything.

Anything that might save her life.

She no longer cared about her dignity as a Baroness.

She simply wanted to survive.

But before another word could leave her mouth...

Gena suddenly seized the front of Terenza’s expensive dress.

The fabric tightened around the Baroness’ neck as Gena effortlessly pulled her off the ground.

Their faces were only inches apart.

Dust still drifted through the ruined construction site as the wind blew strands of Gena’s hair across her face.

Her white clear eyes no longer held their usual playful confidence.

Instead...

They burned with restrained fury.

"Cut the bullshit."

Her voice came out low and cold.

Every word carried enough pressure to make Terenza’s body tremble.

"AHHH!"

Terenza screamed instinctively.

The fear she felt now was completely different from before.

The young girl standing before her...

Wasn’t simply the daughter of Baron Miles.

She wasn’t just another pampered Noble child either.

The person looking into her eyes now...

Felt terrifying.

Almost as though one wrong word would be enough for Gena to crush her throat without hesitation.

"P-Please..."

Terenza’s lips shook violently.

"Please..."

She could no longer think of any excuses, with reality finally catching up to her.

The organization had abandoned her.

Her plans had collapsed.

And no one was coming back to save her.

Tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks.

They dripped onto Gena’s hand before falling onto the dusty ground below.

Gena simply stared at her.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of sympathy inside her eyes.

Only disappointment.

Only anger.

Only years of frustration.

Deep inside...

A single thought repeatedly surfaced.

Kill her.

End everything here.

End the revenge you have carried in your heart for so long.

Just one punch, Gena.

That was all it would take.

The thought tempted her more than she wanted to admit.

Yet...

She couldn’t.

No matter how much she wanted to.

Killing a Noble under Britannia’s laws carried only one punishment.

Death.

Even worse...

To prove that her actions had been justified would require exposing the existence of the hidden organization.

And that was exactly what Ezra wanted to avoid for now.

Those were the conclusions she and Ezra had reached during their brief discussion before coming outside to meet Lucy and Blake.

Gena slowly gritted her teeth.

The anger inside her chest refused to settle.

After several seconds...

She finally spoke.

"I’m not the person you should be apologizing to."

Her voice remained firm and cold enough to send another chill through Terenza’s body.

"You are going to confess every crime you’ve committed."

She tightened her grip slightly.

"The agreement you forced those Baron families to sign..."

She looked directly into Terenza’s frightened eyes.

"...you’re going to admit that it was fraudulent. And every coin you stole... you’re going to return it."

Terenza’s mouth slowly opened.

She stared blankly at Gena.

"I..."

Her shoulders slumped.

"I’ve already lost everything too."

Her voice sounded broken.

"There... There isn’t any way I can repay all of that money."

She laughed weakly.

It couldn’t even be considered a laugh anymore, when it sounded closer to someone crying.

Gena’s expression didn’t change.

"You don’t have the right to complain."

Her fingers tightened around Terenza’s collar.

The expensive cloth wrinkled beneath her grip.

"AHHH!"

Terenza hurriedly nodded.

"O-Okay! Okay! I’ll do it! I’ll do everything!"

She spoke so quickly that several words blended together.

"I’ll confess! I’ll repay them! Just...Please stop!"

Gena continued staring at her.

"You can spend the rest of your life repaying that debt. I don’t know how my father intends to handle your punishment."

She spoke each sentence slowly.

Giving Terenza enough time to understand every word.

"But one thing is certain. You... and your husband...will bear the consequences of everything you’ve done."

Terenza lowered her head.

She no longer had the courage to look into Gena’s eyes.

Gena continued.

"There is something else."

Her tone became even colder.

"Your brother."

The moment those words were spoken...

Terenza’s body stiffened.

"You will personally report him to the State Alchemists."

Her breathing gradually became heavier.

"For what he did... to Mina."

The image of her smiling friend immediately surfaced inside Gena’s mind.

The girl who had once laughed so brightly.

The girl whose future had been destroyed.

Gena’s throat tightened.

Her voice slowly began breaking despite her efforts to remain composed.

"You will confess everything. You will tell them every crime he committed. And..."

She paused briefly.

Her eyes became slightly red.

"...you will cut him off from the Orvain family forever."

The last sentence almost came out as a whisper.

Not because she lacked confidence.

But, because years of bottled-up frustration and grief were finally beginning to leave her heart.

Justice.

After all this time...

Mina would finally receive the justice she deserved.

"I..."

Terenza sobbed loudly.

"I’ll do it. I’ll do everything. Sub... Sub..."

Her entire body shook uncontrollably.

"Just..."

She pressed both palms together in desperate pleading.

"Please... don’t kill me."

The proud Baroness who once looked down on everyone around her had completely collapsed.

Tears streamed endlessly down her face.

Her nose ran freely as she cried without caring how disgraceful she looked.

She no longer resembled a Noble.

She looked like nothing more than a terrified woman desperately begging to keep her life.