Last Gun Alchemist

Several more hours passed before the academy briefing finally came to an end.

After the professor finished explaining the point system and the basic rules governing life inside the Royal Academy, he stepped away from the podium with an unhurried pace.

The female professor standing beside him gently pressed the crystal sphere resting on its stand, and the enormous holographic display hovering above the stage gradually dissolved into countless tiny streams of blue light before disappearing completely.

The hall became noticeably quieter.

Many students closed the guidebooks on their hands, while others hurriedly scribbled down the last few notes they thought would be useful. Some looked overwhelmed by the amount of information they had received, whereas others wore eager smiles, unable to wait for their academy life to truly begin.

A few moments later...

Another female professor stepped onto the podium.

Unlike the previous instructors, she carried herself with a graceful elegance that immediately caught everyone’s attention. Although faint wrinkles around her eyes revealed that she was already an elderly woman, time had done little to diminish her beauty. Her posture remained perfectly straight, her academy robes fit neatly against her figure, and the calm confidence surrounding her made her look both approachable and incredibly strict at the same time.

Quite a number of the boys couldn’t help stealing another glance at her.

Some quickly looked away after being caught staring by their friends.

Others simply admired her openly.

"So, this is what a Royal Academy female professor looks like..."

One boy whispered to himself in amazement.

Another quietly nodded.

"She’s beautiful... but she also looks like the kind of instructor who would fail you without blinking."

His friend immediately shivered.

"I was thinking exactly the same thing."

The woman naturally ignored the reactions spreading through the hall.

She stood before the podium with both hands gently folded together.

"Good day... Children of Britannia."

Her voice wasn’t loud.

Yet it spread effortlessly throughout the enormous hall, instantly calming the remaining whispers.

"We will now begin the Royal Academy Anthem."

Her composed gaze slowly swept across every student seated before her.

"After that... the Royal Academy will officially welcome you as First-Year students."

The words alone caused excitement to quietly spread throughout the hall.

This was the final step.

Once it ended...

They would officially become students of the greatest academy in Britannia.

Following her instructions, everyone gradually rose from their seats.

The scraping of chairs echoed softly across the hall.

Some students instinctively adjusted their academy clothes.

Others smoothed out wrinkles in their shirts.

A few stretched their stiff shoulders after sitting through the lengthy briefing.

The professor calmly lifted the guidebook she was holding.

"Please open your Royal Academy Guidebook... to the second page."

She raised the open book just enough for everyone to clearly see the page number.

Immediately...

Hundreds of pages flipped almost in unison.

The soft rustling sound filled the hall.

Lucy quietly opened Ezra’s guidebook before handing it to him.

Ezra accepted it with a small nod.

Without another word...

Everyone began reciting the anthem together.

At first...

The voices sounded uneven.

Some students spoke too quickly.

Others hesitated while trying to follow the unfamiliar rhythm.

Gradually...

The countless voices blended together into one.

The anthem echoed throughout the Grand Hall with surprising harmony.

For several minutes...

Only the voices of Britannia’s newest generation could be heard.

Eventually...

The recitation came to an end.

Silence lingered for a heartbeat.

Then...

Applause erupted throughout the hall.

Students smiled at one another.

Some laughed softly in relief.

Others simply stood there, quietly taking in the realization that they had finally reached this point after years of preparation.

The female professor waited patiently until the applause died down.

Her serious expression remained unchanged.

"Congratulations... on becoming First-Year students of the Royal Academy."

Although her tone remained composed, a faint warmth could still be heard beneath her words.

"Your academy uniforms... along with the keys cards to your assigned residence... will be distributed outside by the Royal Academy attendants."

She gave a slight bow.

"That concludes today’s welcome briefing. I wish every one of you a successful academy life. Good day."

Without saying anything further...

She stepped away from the podium.

Immediately afterward...

Every student inside the hall respectfully bowed toward the Vice Head Master and the professors standing upon the stage.

Only after the instructors returned the gesture did the students begin leaving the hall in an orderly manner.

No one rushed.

Despite the enormous crowd, the movement remained surprisingly organized.

It was obvious that the Royal Academy had conducted these briefings countless times before.

Outside...

The spacious plaza before the Grand Hall had already been arranged into several different sections.

Dozens of academy attendants stood patiently behind long counters.

Neatly organized uniforms rested inside polished wooden boxes.

Beside them...

Small crystal cards bearing each student’s residence information had already been prepared.

Students naturally separated according to their designated categories.

Children from wealthy merchant and industrial families were directed toward one section.

Lower-ranking noble families formed another queue.

High-status nobles...including High-Ember Houses, Count Houses, Duke Houses, and the Royal Family...were guided toward separate counters prepared specifically for them.

The entire process moved with remarkable efficiency.

Beyond the distribution area...

Various academy vehicles patiently waited.

Noble-Class Steam Buses.

Noble Steam Carriages.

Royal Steam Carriages.

Royal-Class Steam Buses.

Every vehicle proudly displayed the crest of the Royal Academy.

Some buses had fixed routes leading toward specific residential districts.

The private steam carriages, however, could be hired by students wishing to travel independently, provided they could afford the cost.

Ezra quietly received his academy uniform and residence key card.

Lucy accepted her attendant identification card shortly afterward.

Neither of them lingered.

Together...

They made their way toward one of the waiting Noble-Class Steam Buses.

As Ezra stepped inside...

He immediately noticed several pairs of eyes turning toward him.

Unlike the buses reserved for higher-ranking nobles, this one mainly carried lower-ranking noble children alongside students from wealthy commoner families.

Recognition quickly spread.

"...Isn’t that him?"

A young girl sitting beside the window widened her eyes.

"The creator of the Phantom Rolls."

Her friend quickly leaned over for a better look.

"He actually rides the Noble Steam Bus?"

"I thought someone like him would travel by private carriage."

The first girl quietly shook her head.

"Who knows? Geniuses usually think differently."

Another student smiled faintly.

"Seeing him in person... he’s actually quite handsome."

Her friend glanced toward Lucy.

"And the maid behind him... Are you sure she’s really just a maid? She’s beautiful."

Another group quietly whispered among themselves.

"If I can become friends with Ezra Ashenlocke... my future connections would become much better."

"I heard House Ashenlocke personally credited him for the Colt 1911 and E-V 26 M.K.II."

Someone else sighed dreamily.

"I wouldn’t mind becoming his fiancée..."

The girl beside her immediately laughed.

"Pleasant dreams."

The surrounding students couldn’t help smiling.

Meanwhile...

Ezra calmly took one of the empty seats near the middle of the bus.

The conversations around him continued as though he couldn’t hear a single word.

Lucy quietly sat beside him.

She covered the small smile threatening to appear on her face.

Hearing everyone praise her master...

Somehow made her happier than she expected.

Outside...

The heavy steam engine rumbled to life and the bus slowly pulled away from the plaza.

Their journey toward the East Wing...

The Noble Steam Bus continued its journey through the Royal Academy grounds.

The further it traveled...

The more the students realized just how enormous the academy truly was.

The roads were broad and carefully paved with smooth stone, allowing Steam Carriages and Steam Buses to move freely without causing congestion. Every few hundred meters stood beautifully designed street lamps crafted from black steel, each one engraved with the crest of the Royal Academy.

Outside the windows...

Different sections of the academy slowly came into view.

Rows of elegant shops stretched along several streets.

There were bookstores displaying thick volumes on Alchemy, history, and engineering. Beside them stood cafés and high-quality restaurants where warm steam drifted through opened windows, carrying the rich aroma of freshly prepared meals.

The students could also see tailor shops that specialized in academy uniforms, weapon maintenance stores, and pharmacies filled with different grades of alchemical medicines.

The entire district felt like a city built solely to support students.

Not far from the commercial streets...

Several beautifully maintained parks spread across the landscape.

Small streams flowed gently through the middle of them, their clear water reflecting the pale winter sunlight. Elegant stone bridges connected one side of the parks to the other, while rows of tall trees stood quietly with thin layers of snow resting upon their branches.

The white snow made the scenery peaceful.

Several domesticated birds hopped across the frozen grass, while a few gentle deer wandered near the edge of one of the parks under the supervision of academy caretakers.

Many students couldn’t help but press closer to the windows.

"So beautiful..."

One girl whispered softly.

"I’ve never seen a school this big."

Another quietly nodded.

"It doesn’t even feel like an academy."

"It’s like we are in another city."

Lucy also looked outside with sparkling eyes.

Everything she saw made her curiosity grow stronger.

Ezra, however, quietly observed the surroundings without saying anything.

His black eyes calmly memorized the layout of the roads, the positions of important buildings, and the general structure of the East Wing.

Old habits never disappeared.

Whenever he entered a new environment...

He subconsciously began mapping it inside his mind.

Nearly an hour later...

The Noble Steam Bus finally entered the East Wing residential district.

The scenery gradually changed.

Instead of shops and commercial buildings...

Elegant houses began appearing on both sides of the road.

Each residence possessed its own fenced compound, carefully maintained gardens, and paved walkways leading toward the entrance.

The architecture remained consistent throughout the district, giving the entire neighborhood a refined appearance without making every house look exactly the same.

One after another...

Students stepped off at their designated stops.

Eventually...

The bus stopped for the third time.

"This is your stop."

The driver announced calmly.

Ezra stood up carrying his luggage.

Lucy quickly picked up her luggage before following behind him.

The two stepped off the bus together.

The vehicle slowly pulled away before disappearing farther down the road.

For a brief moment...

The surroundings became unusually quiet.

Ezra lifted his head and looked toward the residence assigned to him.

Compared to the mansion inside the Ashenlocke Estate...

It wasn’t particularly large.

However...

Its design carried a quiet elegance that immediately stood out.

The exterior walls were built from polished gray stone, while the roof combined dark slate with finely crafted black steel decorations. Large glass windows reflected the afternoon sunlight, and a neatly maintained flower garden surrounded the front pathway despite the light layer of snow resting upon the ground.

Without needing anyone to explain...

Ezra could already tell this residence ranked among the better houses within the East Wing.

The neighboring residences possessed almost the same level of quality.

Together...

They gave the district the appearance of an estate reserved for wealthy families.

For a brief moment...

The scenery reminded Ezra of the luxurious residential neighborhoods from his previous life’s world.

The modern architectural balance...

The carefully selected colors...

The spacious layout...

Even though this world relied on steam technology rather than electricity, the atmosphere felt surprisingly familiar.

Ezra quietly picked up his luggage before walking toward the entrance.

He removed the crystal key card from his pocket.

Click.

The lock emitted a soft mechanical sound.

A moment later...

The front door slowly unlocked.

Lucy followed closely behind him.

The moment they stepped inside...

Both quietly looked around.

The interior matched the elegance of the exterior.

Warm lighting illuminated the entrance hall.

The wooden floor had been polished until it reflected the light above.

Near the entrance wall...

A circular temperature gauge had been installed.

Small engraved numbers surrounded its edge while several brass buttons rested beneath it.

The current indoor temperature was clearly displayed.

If the occupants wished to increase or decrease the room’s warmth...

They only needed to adjust the control buttons surrounding the gauge.

Lucy immediately became very interested.

Unlike the one back at home... the setup wasn’t like this, instead you had to set the system inside the Steam engine core room itself.

"So, this controls the entire heating system?"

She carefully examined it.

"The Royal Academy really prepared everything for us."

The entrance naturally connected to the guest living room.

Comfortable sofas surrounded a polished wooden tea table.

A large Zphone Glass Television had already been installed against the opposite wall, its sleek design blending naturally with the room’s elegant decoration.

The curtains matched the room perfectly, allowing warm sunlight to pass through while keeping the cold outside.

The atmosphere immediately made the place feel like a home rather than temporary student housing.

The two quietly walked through each room.

The dining area...

The kitchen...

The bathrooms...

The bedrooms...

They inspected everything carefully.

The house contained only two bedrooms.

One belonged to Ezra, and the other had been prepared specifically for his academy attendant.

Each room contained its own private bathroom and toilet.

Everything had been arranged thoughtfully.

However...

There was one thing Ezra cared about more than anything else.

He walked directly into the bathroom.

Ezra calmly turned the valve.

A few seconds later...

Warm water flowed steadily from the faucet.

He quietly watched it for a moment.

Only after confirming everything worked properly did he nod once.

Although he already knew the academy houses provided hot water...

Seeing it personally gave him peace of mind.

After they finished inspecting the house...

Lucy immediately entered the kitchen.

Only then did she realize another problem.

"...Master."

She looked around helplessly.

"The kitchen is almost empty."

Aside from the steam cooker already installed by the academy...

There was almost nothing else.

A cold storage cabinet stood neatly in one corner.

Beside it rested an ordinary food storage cupboard.

Everything else...

Had to be purchased separately.

Lucy quickly found paper and began writing a shopping list.

Cooking utensils.

Ingredients.

Cleaning supplies.

Basic seasonings.

Kitchen tools.

Several household necessities.

The list continued growing.

When she finally finished...

She looked at Ezra.

"We should buy everything today."

Ezra glanced at the paper before nodding once.

"Let’s go."

Soon afterward...

They hired a Noble Steam Carriage.

The coachman drove them through the academy’s commercial district, where they spent the next several hours purchasing everything on Lucy’s carefully prepared list.

By the time they finished...

The sky had already begun turning orange.

The winter sun slowly descended toward the horizon.

Lucy stepped down from the carriage carrying several shopping bags.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"The number of things inside that shop was incredible."

She couldn’t stop talking.

"I’ve never seen so many different kitchen knives before. And those cooking utensils... They were beautiful."

Ezra stepped down beside her carrying the heavier supplies.

"But they were expensive."

He replied in his usual calm tone.

Lucy laughed awkwardly.

"...That’s true."

The two slowly walked back toward their residence.

Lucy happily continued talking about everything they had seen inside the marketplace.

Most of the conversation came from her, while Ezra quietly listened, only replying whenever it was actually necessary.

As they approached their house...

Another student happened to leave the neighboring residence.

It was Cyrus.

Music plugs rested comfortably inside his ears as soft orchestral music played quietly.

One hand remained inside his coat pocket while the other closed his House door.

The stone fence separating the neighboring residences wasn’t particularly high. So, the distance between them wasn’t far either.

If either side had looked over...

Their eyes would have met naturally.

However...

Neither of them did.

Lucy remained busy explaining how beautifully crafted the kitchen knives were.

Ezra quietly listened beside her.

Meanwhile...

Cyrus remained completely immersed in his orchestra music.

Without paying attention to his surroundings...

He boarded the Noble Steam Carriage waiting outside his residence.

The carriage departed shortly afterward.

Neither side realized...

That they had just passed their future neighbor.

After entering the house again...

Ezra and Lucy immediately began arranging everything they had purchased.

Kitchen utensils found their proper places.

Storage shelves gradually filled.

The new household supplies were organized one after another until the previously empty house finally began feeling lived in.

Satisfied with the arrangement...

Lucy tied her apron around her waist.

"I’ll start preparing dinner."

She smiled before entering the kitchen.

The quiet sounds of cooking soon echoed throughout the house.

Meanwhile...

Ezra walked into the study.

Unlike the living room...

This room already contained several books arranged neatly upon the shelves.

Most of them covered the history of the Royal Academy.

Others introduced famous graduates, important landmarks across the academy grounds, and biographies of distinguished scholars who had once studied there.

Ezra slowly scanned the titles.

Then...

His attention shifted toward the empty spaces remaining on the bookshelves.

Without hesitation...

He reached into his space bag.

One book after another appeared in his hands.

Most were references he had brought from the Ashenlocke Estate.

Advanced engineering texts.

Alchemy theory.

Historical records.

Military development.

Firearm design.

Novice rank Guns.

Binder rank Guns.

And Adept rank Guns.

He quietly arranged every volume with great care.

Each category occupied its own section.

Every book aligned perfectly beside the next.

A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Thank the Scholars... that I decided to bring these."

He murmured quietly to himself.

The study finally felt complete.

Just as he placed the last book onto the shelf...

Knock.

Knock.

Gentle knocks sounded from the doorway.

"Master..."

Lucy’s warm voice came from outside.

"Dinner is ready."

Ezra glanced once more at the completed bookshelf.

Then he nodded.

"Okay. I’m coming."

He left the study and quietly joined Lucy for dinner.

After the meal...

He returned to the study once again.

This time...

He opened the Royal Academy Guidebook.

Because tomorrow...

Orientation Week would officially begin.

And before taking his first step inside the Royal Academy...

Ezra intended to understand every rule, every facility, and every opportunity the academy had prepared for its first-year students.