Last Gun Alchemist

The journey back to Steelhaven was as peaceful as every other trip Ezra and Lucy had taken together.

The train glided steadily across the rails, producing a gentle rhythm that echoed softly through the luxurious VIP cabin.

Outside the wide glass window, fields, forests, and small cities quietly passed by one after another beneath the afternoon sky.

Inside the private compartment...

Silence reigned.

Ezra sat beside the window with one leg crossed over the other.

His pitch-black eyes quietly watched the scenery disappear behind the speeding train.

Opposite him...

Lucy struggled to stay awake.

Her eyelids repeatedly became heavy before she forced them open again.

She stretched slightly before rubbing both eyes with the back of her hand.

"Mm..."

A small yawn escaped her lips.

She immediately covered her mouth.

The previous few days continued replaying inside her mind.

The infiltration.

The hidden organization.

Gwen’s betrayal.

The battle inside the construction base.

Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t truly had the chance to rest.

Now that everything was finally over...

The exhaustion she had been suppressing gradually caught up with her.

The gentle rocking of the train only made it worse.

Her head slowly tilted to one side.

Then she forced herself awake again.

She blinked several times.

"No..."

she whispered to herself.

"I can’t sleep yet."

Even so...

Her eyes continued fighting against her.

Ezra quietly glanced toward her.

His expression remained unchanged.

He didn’t say anything.

He simply looked back outside.

Although his eyes remained fixed on the passing landscape...

His thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

The hidden organization.

Their leader.

The conversation inside the construction base.

Every word spoken there quietly replayed inside his mind.

Their discipline.

Their retreat.

The way they abandoned Terenza without hesitation.

None of it resembled an ordinary criminal group.

Instead...

It looked like an organization that had existed for a long time.

One built around strict objectives mixed together with personal emotions.

"..."

Without warning...

A different reflection from the normal one appeared across the train window.

Ezra didn’t move.

He simply continued looking ahead.

Within the glass...

Another Ezra quietly stared back at him.

The corners of the reflection’s lips slowly lifted into a twisted grin.

"So..."

The reflected Ezra spoke.

"You’re really just going to leave things like that?"

His voice sounded identical.

Only...

It carried a trace of mockery.

The same strange figure Ezra had seen during his Trial inside the endless black room.

The reflection slowly leaned closer.

"You already know they aren’t ordinary."

"They’re dangerous."

"And you’re simply going to ignore them?"

"I mean... didn’t they try to kill you?"

Ezra remained silent.

His breathing didn’t change.

Neither did his expression.

The train continued moving at a smooth, fast speed.

The reflection patiently waited.

Finally...

Ezra answered inside his own mind.

The Kingdom created those problems.

His eyes remained on the window.

So, they should solve it themselves.

His thoughts stayed calm.

Without any excitement or anger.

He wasn’t a hero.

He had never planned to become one.

There were countless hidden dangers scattered throughout Britannia.

If he involved himself in every one of them...

He would never reach his own goals.

And even the reflection wasn’t insinuating on that...

The reflection quietly smiled.

Then...

It slowly disappeared.

Only Ezra’s real reflection remained inside the glass.

Several days later...

After changing trains more than once and passing through several major transport stations...

Ezra and Lucy finally returned home.

The Steam Carriage they hired stopped in front of the mansion.

The driver carefully unloaded their luggage before respectfully taking his leave.

Lucy immediately walked toward the entrance.

The moment she unlocked the front door...

Creak...

The wooden door slowly opened.

A familiar smell greeted them.

Lucy instinctively smiled.

"We’re finally home..."

She stepped inside.

Then...

Her smile froze.

"...or maybe not."

She blinked twice.

A thin layer of dust covered nearly every visible surface.

The furniture.

The shelves.

Even the polished wooden floor had lost its shine.

The mansion had only been left alone for a short period.

Yet...

Without anyone living inside it...

Dust had quietly claimed every room.

"Ahhh..."

Lucy sighed helplessly.

She dropped her luggage beside the living room sofa before placing both hands on her waist.

"We’ve only been gone for a little while..."

She looked around the room.

"...and the entire place already looks abandoned."

Ezra calmly placed his own luggage beside hers.

His eyes briefly swept across the living room.

The layer of dust.

The untouched furniture.

The quiet atmosphere.

Everything looked exactly as expected.

And to him...

This was something he didn’t like in the slightest.

"Let’s clean first."

His voice remained calm.

"Then we’ll unpack."

Lucy immediately nodded.

"Okay."

She rolled up her sleeves.

"I’ll handle the living room."

Ezra turned toward the kitchen.

"I’ll get the cleaning equipment."

The kitchen remained just as they had left it.

After opening one of the storage cabinets...

Ezra quietly gathered several cleaning cloths, buckets, brushes, and dusters before carrying everything back into the hallway.

Lucy had already begun dusting the shelves.

Small clouds of dust floated into the air every time she wiped another surface clean.

Sunlight shining through the windows made every floating particle clearly visible.

The quiet mansion gradually became lively again.

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the halls.

Buckets filled with water were carried from room to room.

Furniture was carefully wiped clean.

Curtains were opened.

Fresh air slowly flowed through the mansion.

Rather than working separately...

The two naturally moved from one room to another together.

Neither needed to discuss what to do next.

They had lived together long enough to understand each other’s rhythm.

After finishing the living room...

They cleaned the dining area.

Then the guest rooms.

The hallways.

The study.

Every corner of the mansion gradually regained its former appearance.

Only one room remained.

The Steam Engine Core Room.

Ezra quietly entered.

The gentle mechanical hum greeted him immediately.

Pipes stretched across the walls.

Pressure gauges remained stable.

The polished brass components reflected the warm light hanging from the ceiling.

He carefully inspected every connection.

The pressure.

The steam flows.

The safety valves.

Nothing had changed during their absence.

Satisfied...

He performed a small maintenance inspection before quietly leaving the room.

By the time every room had finally been cleaned...

The sun had already begun setting beyond the city skyline.

Lucy stretched both arms above her head.

"Mmmm..."

She let out a long breath.

"I’m exhausted."

Even though she complained...

A satisfied smile remained on her face.

The mansion finally felt like home again.

Ezra quietly looked around.

The polished floor reflected the evening light.

The furniture was spotless once more.

Every room had regained its usual warmth.

Only then did he finally nod.

"Good."

Without another word...

He picked up his luggage and calmly headed upstairs.

Lucy smiled helplessly.

She quietly carried her own luggage upstairs.

At last...

Both of them returned to their rooms.

For the first time since leaving Steelhaven...

They could finally enjoy a proper rest inside their own home.

The following days inside the mansion gradually returned to their usual rhythm.

The excitement of Velcryon slowly faded into memory as Ezra and Lucy settled back into the quiet life they had built together in Steelhaven.

Every morning...

Before the sun had fully climbed above the city, Ezra was already awake.

The first thing he did wasn’t to bathe or head into his workshop.

Instead...

He trained.

The cold morning air filled the backyard as he began with simple stretches before moving into a series of physical exercises. Push-ups, squats, pull-ups, sprint drills, and endurance training followed one after another without interruption.

His breathing remained steady throughout.

Every movement was controlled.

Every action had a purpose.

Ezra wasn’t trying to become physically powerful through muscles alone.

He was training his body to become a stable foundation capable of supporting higher levels of Cognis.

Once his body was properly warmed up...

He moved toward the next stage of his routine.

Center of gravity training.

Very thin iron poles of different heights had already been arranged throughout the backyard.

These thin poles were made by Ezra after he returned back from Velcryon...

They were so thin that it really couldn’t be easily seen by the eyes if they looked from afar.

Ezra calmly stepped onto the first one.

His feet remained planted while his body leaned in different directions, forcing himself to maintain perfect balance despite the unstable footing.

Sometimes he stood on one leg.

Other times, he closed his eyes entirely.

The exercise looked simple.

In reality...

It demanded complete control over every muscle in his body.

Only after finishing that did he begin a quick moment of circulating his Cognis.

Thin streams of Cognis flowed quietly through his veins.

Again.

And again.

He carefully guided the energy through every pathway inside his body, increasing both the speed and precision of the circulation.

There was no rush.

Every cycle strengthened his control a little more.

Meanwhile...

Lucy had already entered the kitchen.

The pleasant aroma of breakfast slowly filled the mansion.

She prepared everything before calling Ezra inside.

Once breakfast was ready...

She didn’t return to resting.

Instead...

She joined Ezra outside.

Although she wasn’t following the exact same training routine...

Ezra had created one that suited her own strengths.

The two occasionally sparred.

Sometimes with wooden practice weapons.

Sometimes completely barehanded.

Every single match ended the same way.

Lucy lost.

Not because she was weak.

But because Ezra constantly found flaws, she didn’t even know it still existed.

One morning...

She confidently rushed toward him with her dagger.

Her movements were much smoother than before.

Her footwork had improved.

Her attacks flowed naturally.

She truly believed she had finally closed part of the gap between them.

Yet...

Ezra calmly shifted half a step sideways.

Her dagger missed.

Before she could recover...

One finger lightly tapped the center of her forehead.

"...Dead."

Ezra calmly said.

Lucy froze.

Then...

She lowered her dagger before letting out a helpless laugh.

"I really thought I had you that time."

She rubbed her forehead where Ezra had touched her.

Ezra simply looked at her.

"You committed three mistakes."

Lucy immediately became serious.

"What were they?"

"You focused too much on my weapon."

He answered plainly.

"You ignored my feet."

He continued.

"And... your breathing changed before your attack. You basically tend to stray of observation while fighting a lot, Lucy."

Lucy’s eyes widened slightly.

She hadn’t even noticed.

From that day onward...

She began paying far more attention to the smallest details during combat.

After their morning training...

The two returned inside.

They enjoyed breakfast together before taking a short period of rest.

Once that was over...

Their real work began.

Ezra headed straight toward his study.

The large desk inside was already covered with neatly arranged blueprints, calculations, and countless pages copied from his Book of Memories.

One firearm after another filled the pages.

Some were handguns.

Others were rifles.

Shotguns.

Machine guns.

Precision weapons.

Every design represented knowledge from his previous life.

However...

Knowing how a weapon looked wasn’t enough.

He now had to transform every design into an Alchemy Circle suitable for himself.

Since improving his understanding of Alchemy Circle conversion...

Ezra had begun rebuilding every firearm he could from the ground up.

His goal wasn’t simply to recreate modern weapons.

His goal was to create weapons that could naturally exist within Britannia’s Alchemy system.

And also to increase his Gun Alchemy’s for the Binder and Adept rank.

This meant...

Every gun required countless revisions.

Every Alchemy Circle had to match the materials.

The Cognis consumption.

The firing mechanism.

The internal reinforcement.

Nothing could be ignored.

Hour after hour...

Ezra quietly remained inside his study.

His pen continuously moved across the paper.

Sometimes he erased entire sections.

Other times...

He rewrote an entire page after discovering a better conversion method.

Only after spending nearly half the day working on theory...

Did he finally enter the workshop.

Unlike the study...

The workshop was filled with the sounds of metal.

Steam.

Tools.

The smell of heated steel.

Here...

Theory became reality.

Using ordinary craftsmanship...

He manually started working on recreating some firearm he had successfully formulated.

Alongside those weapons...

He also designed smaller support equipment.

Simple gadgets.

Compact mechanical tools.

None of them appeared particularly impressive.

Yet...

Each one served a purpose.

Some reduced the amount of Cognis required during battle.

Others increased battlefield efficiency.

Some existed purely to improve survival.

To Ezra...

Every small advantage mattered.

While Ezra remained buried inside research...

Lucy returned to her own training.

After everything that had happened in Velcryon...

She completely abandoned the pride she had quietly begun developing.

Her battles against Ezra had reminded her of something important.

She was still lacking.

Far too much.

She returned to the basics.

Again.

And again.

She practiced her footwork until her legs became sore.

Repeated the same dagger combinations hundreds of times.

Improved the speed at which she could throw and retrieve her Stiletto needles.

Refined the flow of her Steel Alchemy.

Each movement became cleaner than the last.

Her greatest focus...

Was control.

As a Novice Steel Alchemist...

She wanted to manipulate steel faster.

Create it more efficiently.

Shape it with greater precision.

If she could master that...

She would be capable of challenging ordinary Binder Rank Alchemists without being completely overwhelmed.

She didn’t dream of winning every fight.

She simply wanted to survive long enough to protect the person she served.

Thus...

The mansion quietly settled into its peaceful rhythm.

Morning training.

Breakfast.

Research.

Crafting.

Combat practice.

Dinner.

Sleep.

Day after day...

Week after week...

Months quietly slipped away.

Eventually...

Ezra looked at the neatly stacked firearms surrounding his workshop.

Some made from Alchemy, others made Manually.

A considerable portion of his planned Binder Rank arsenal had finally been completed.

Satisfied...

He moved on to the next stage.

The Sixth-grade Ese.

The precious reward he had obtained during the Trial of Steel.

This time...

He locked himself inside his room.

The curtains remained closed.

No disturbances.

No unnecessary conversations.

He quietly sat cross-legged on the floor.

The Ese rested before him.

His breathing gradually slowed.

His thoughts became empty.

He entered complete meditation.

His goal...

Was simple.

Advance further toward becoming a Binder Rank Alchemist.

Several Months Later...

While Ezra remained completely isolated...

Britannia exploded with news.

The long-awaited Phantom Rolls officially entered the market.

Within a single day...

The entire Kingdom erupted into excitement.

Noble families from every major city rushed to secure orders.

Unfortunately...

Its price alone prevented most people from even dreaming about ownership.

Only High-Ember Noble families...

All the way to Duke Houses...

Could comfortably afford even the standard Noble Edition.

The Eclipse officially released two models.

The Noble Phantom Rolls.

And...

The Royal Phantom Rolls.

Despite the astonishing price...

Sales shattered every previous record in Britannia.

Orders poured in from every direction.

The first wave of profits exceeded Thirty Thousand Dals, becoming one of the greatest commercial successes in recent history.

Yet...

That wasn’t the only shock awaiting Britannia.

Almost immediately afterward...

Duke House Ashenlocke announced two brand-new firearms.

The legendary Colt 1911.

Alongside the improved Bake 1945 – E-V 26 MK.II.

The announcement struck the entire Gun Alchemist community like a thunderbolt.

Military divisions.

Royal Armories.

The Armies of every other Duke House.

Every craftsman hurried to study the released articles.

The improvements shown by both firearms completely changed how many Gun Alchemists and Gun Craftsmen viewed pistol development.

The first production batch alone generated over Twenty-Six Thousand Dals.

An astonishing amount that nearly rivaled the Phantom Rolls itself.

Soon afterward...

Another announcement spread across Skynet.

The Weapon Development Credits

Vera Ashenlocke and Ezra Ashenlocke

The Kingdom immediately became noisy once again.

Ezra...

The creator of the Phantom Rolls.

Now stood credited for another revolutionary firearm alongside Vera.

Many people immediately believed he had helped House Ashenlocke escape the stagnation that had held back their weapon development for years.

Naturally...

Not everyone agreed.

Many argued that because the innovation involved firearms...

Vera must have been the true creator while Ezra merely assisted.

Others strongly rejected that claim.

According to Ezra’s supporters...

The boy who revolutionized Britannia’s transportation industry was more than capable of creating revolutionary firearms as well.

Before long...

The debate spread across every corner of Skynet.

Supporters of Vera.

Supporters of Ezra.

Neither side showed any intention of backing down.

Discussion posts appeared one after another.

Some people analyzed every article released by House Ashenlocke.

Others compared the engineering philosophies behind the Phantom Rolls and the newly revealed firearms.

Soon...

The debate evolved into a full-blown online war.

Ezra’s admirers firmly believed that the young inventor deserved most of the credit.

After all...

He had already proven himself by creating the Phantom Rolls, a vehicle that had completely changed Britannia’s transportation industry.

If someone like him contributed to the development of the Colt 1911 and the Bake 1945 – E-V 26 MK.II, then it wasn’t surprising that the weapons would become revolutionary.

Meanwhile...

Vera’s supporters fiercely rejected that argument.

They insisted that firearm development had always been the specialty of the Ashenlocke Family.

Among the younger generation...

Vera had already displayed extraordinary talent long before Ezra became famous.

According to them...

Ezra had simply assisted her.

Every new discussion only created another argument.

Thousands of comments flooded Linsta official page of Ashenlocke.

People quoted engineering reports.

Others argued over the released production articles.

Some even compared previous inventions to determine who deserved greater recognition.

Unfortunately for Ezra’s supporters...

Vera’s fanbase was simply too large.

Years of recognition as the Ashenlocke Family’s greatest young Gun Alchemist had earned her countless admirers throughout Britannia.

No matter how fiercely Ezra’s supporters argued...

They were gradually overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

The debate eventually tilted in Vera’s favor.

Even then...

Ezra’s name continued appearing in almost every major discussion surrounding modern firearm development.

Before the Kingdom had enough time to settle down...

Another announcement exploded across Britannia.

This time...

It came from Silver Wheels.

The company publicly released a mysterious advertisement announcing an upcoming invention.

One statement immediately caught everyone’s attention.

"A creation worthy of standing beside the Phantom Rolls."

That single sentence was enough to ignite another wave of discussion.

Silver Wheels had always competed against The Eclipse for many years.

The rivalry between the two companies wasn’t a secret.

They challenged one another in nearly every major engineering field.

Although The Eclipse had recently gained overwhelming momentum because of the Phantom Rolls...

No one dared underestimate Silver Wheels.

If they publicly claimed to possess something capable of rivaling the Phantom Rolls...

Then there was a very high chance they truly had something extraordinary prepared.

People throughout Britannia eagerly began speculating.

What was it?

Another Steam Carriage?

A new engine?

Some completely different invention?

No one knew.

The company refused to reveal anything else.

Instead...

They simply released a short promotional advertisement on their Linsta official page.

The response was immediate.

Within a remarkably short period...

The advertisement surpassed Ten Million Views.

More than Eight Million Likes followed.

Hundreds upon hundreds of comments continued appearing every minute as people desperately tried guessing what Silver Wheels planned to unveil.

The excitement only continued growing.

Ironically...

The person responsible for creating all this competition...

Knew absolutely nothing about it.

Ezra remained completely isolated inside his mansion.

His focus never shifted from meditation, Alchemy, and preparation for the Royal Academy.

The outside world continued changing without him.

Eventually...

December, arrived.

The final month of the year.

A season where one Chapter quietly came to an end while another patiently waited to begin.

Across Britannia...

Cities became decorated for the year’s closing celebrations.

Markets grew busier.

Factories worked day and night to meet increasing demand.

Noble Houses finalized their yearly reports while countless young students anxiously prepared for the beginning of Royal Academy life and other academy life.

Far away from Steelhaven...

Beyond mountains and rivers...

Inside the territory known as Stonefall...

One of Britannia’s largest cities stood proudly beneath the winter sky.

Grandford.

Deep within that city...

The Grand Council Hall of House Evergrey remained brightly illuminated despite the late hour.

A massive circular chamber stretched before the gathered nobles.

Dark polished stone formed the walls.

Tall pillars supported the high ceiling.

The crest of House Evergrey had been carved into the floor beneath the enormous round table occupying the center of the hall.

Seated around it...

Were the High Board Nobles.

The Elders.

Senior advisers.

And...

At the head of the table...

The Count himself.

The atmosphere remained heavy.

No one smiled.

No one wasted words.

"It seems..."

One elderly man finally broke the silence.

"...House Ashenlocke has stumbled upon a rather fortunate stroke of luck."

His tone sounded calm.

Yet...

The faint mockery hidden beneath his words didn’t escape anyone present.

Another elder slowly spread his hands.

His brows remained tightly knitted together.

"They’ve gone years without producing anything capable of shaking Britannia."

He frowned.

"And now... They suddenly release two revolutionary firearms?"

His fingers lightly tapped the table.

"I still don’t understand it. Where did the idea of placing a magazine inside a pistol even come from?"

The frustration in his voice became harder to hide.

Another elder quietly nodded in agreement.

Many of those present had asked themselves the exact same question.

"The intelligence report does mention something."

One of the female elders calmly spoke.

She gently adjusted the documents resting before her.

"It claims the concepts originated from the younger generation."

Several people exchanged glances.

Immediately afterward...

One of the High Board Nobles picked up a Zphone Tablet resting beside him.

His fingers lightly moved across the screen.

Several commands flashed.

Moments later...

He pushed the tablet toward the center of the enormous round table.

A soft mechanical sound echoed.

As a blue holographic projection slowly rose into the air.

Two figures materialized above the table.

Vera Ashenlocke and Ezra Ashenlocke.

The life-sized projections slowly rotated for everyone to observe.

"Ezra..."

One of the High Board Noblewomen quietly studied the young boy’s image.

"I saw him personally during the Auction."

Her voice remained thoughtful.

"He carried himself remarkably well. There was nothing childish about him."

She slowly folded her arms.

"To be honest...He appeared surprisingly competent."

After speaking...

She looked around the table.

"What do the rest of you think?"

A High Board Noble immediately snorted.

"He’s only a Lowline Noble."

Disdain filled his voice.

"No matter how talented he appears... he’s still only a Lowline."

Another High Board Noble immediately disagreed.

"Lowline or not..."

He pointed toward Ezra’s projection.

"That boy created the Phantom Rolls."

His words caused several elders to quietly nod.

No one could deny that achievement.

Even those who disliked House Ashenlocke remained silent.

Innovation of that level couldn’t simply be ignored.

Soon...

Several High Board Nobles began quietly discussing Ezra among themselves.

Some believed his reputation had become exaggerated.

Others believed Britannia had only witnessed the beginning of his potential.

Throughout the entire discussion...

One person remained completely silent.

The Count.

He calmly observed every opinion without interrupting.

Only after the room gradually fell quiet...

Did he finally speak.

"The real question..."

His deep voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.

"...isn’t whether Ezra Ashenlocke possesses talent."

He rested both elbows upon the round table.

His fingers slowly intertwined beneath his chin.

Cold eyes quietly swept across every noble seated before him.

"The real question... is what our next course of action should be."

The room immediately became silent.

"The Duke House, supporting us..."

His calm voice continued.

"...has already begun expressing disappointment."

He slowly leaned back in his chair.

"The longer House Ashenlocke continues producing innovations... the weaker our own position we just managed to begin growing, becomes."

His sharp gaze gradually hardened.

"We cannot continue watching from the sidelines."

Every noble inside the chamber straightened slightly.

The Count’s expression remained completely emotionless.

"We must act."

His voice echoed steadily throughout the Council Hall.

"We will strip House Ashenlocke of its standing."

He slowly looked around the round table.

"And... House Evergrey will reclaim its rightful place. As the strongest Gun Alchemist family in Britannia."

No one spoke.

Because everyone present understood...

This meeting wasn’t merely discussing competition anymore.

It marked the beginning...

Of House Evergrey’s move against House Ashenlocke.