Last Gun Alchemist

Chapter 292: Orientation Week IX

Ezra and Cyrus slowly walked toward the entrance of the club building, while Lucy quietly followed a step behind Ezra, keeping the same respectful distance she always maintained inside the academy.

The three of them stopped beneath the signboard hanging above the entrance.

The sign was painted in simple white and navy-blue colors. There were no extravagant decorations or golden borders like the prestigious clubs nearby. Its appearance was plain, almost modest, yet the bold words written across it immediately caught their attention.

Craft & Research Seekers.

Ezra quietly read the words before speaking.

"So..."

His calm eyes remained fixed on the sign.

"It’s a combination of both."

His voice was as flat as ever, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking.

Before anyone could reply, a passing upperclassman carrying a stack of recruitment flyers noticed the three standing there.

"Hey, Juniors!"

He waved at Ezra and Cyrus with a friendly smile as he continued handing flyers to nearby first-years.

"If I can give you one piece of advice..."

He pointed toward the entrance of the club.

"Don’t go in there."

Another upperclassman from the same club laughed as he overheard the conversation.

"He’s right. You already saw what happened earlier."

He chuckled before lowering his voice slightly.

"The supervisor of that club... isn’t exactly in his right mind."

"I’d rather recommend any other club than experience Professor Nine’s madness."

The two upperclassmen laughed together before turning back toward the passing students, enthusiastically promoting their own organization as if nothing had happened.

Cyrus watched them leave before turning toward Ezra.

"So..."

He slipped both hands into the pockets of his academy trousers.

"Should we just head somewhere else?"

Ezra didn’t even look at him.

"Are you getting cold feet?"

His question came as calmly as always.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

"Do I look like someone who’d get scared because of a professor?"

His relaxed smile never disappeared.

Lucy, however, couldn’t help speaking.

"But..."

She looked between the two boys.

"Didn’t both of you see what happened earlier? The professor almost chased those first-years across the entire Mix Arena."

She still remembered the old man storming out with that bottle of chemicals in his hand.

Anyone else would have turned around immediately.

By the time she looked back toward Ezra...

He had already placed his hand on the door.

Without saying another word...

He pushed it open.

Lucy blinked.

"...Master."

She sighed quietly before following him inside.

Cyrus simply laughed under his breath.

"I guess that’s our answer."

He stepped in after them.

Unlike the other club boots they had visited throughout the morning...

The Craft & Research Seekers Club felt strangely quiet.

There were no students standing proudly outside the entrance shouting advertisements.

No security members controlling long queues.

No flashy demonstrations to attract curious first-years.

Only a handful of members wandered around the nearby pathways, politely handing flyers to anyone interested before pointing them toward the building.

The difference was obvious.

This club wasn’t trying to impress people.

It simply waited for those who were willing to walk inside.

The moment the three stepped through the entrance...

A chilly breeze drifted across the room.

It wasn’t naturally cold.

It came from the surroundings themselves.

The air carried the faint smell of chemicals mixed with preserved biological samples.

Rows of thick glass containers stood neatly along the walls.

Inside them floated strange biological organisms that Ezra had never seen before.

Some looked like oversized insects.

Others resembled marine creatures despite having visible skeletal structures unlike anything found in ordinary textbooks.

Several shelves displayed carefully preserved animal skulls.

Nearby...

Bone fragments from different species had been arranged according to size and structure.

Every specimen carried a small handwritten label explaining its origin and classification.

The laboratory-like atmosphere immediately separated the club from every other craftsmanship organization they had visited.

Even the temperature inside felt several degrees colder than outside.

Ezra quietly reached into his space bag.

He removed a small metal case.

Opening it with practiced movements, he took out three pale-red tablets before placing them into his mouth.

He swallowed them without hesitation.

Cyrus watched the entire process.

"...You’re taking medicine?"

He sounded genuinely surprised.

Ezra calmly closed the case before putting it away.

"I simply dislike the cold."

His answer remained short.

The Heat Stimulating Pills quickly began spreading warmth through his body.

The uncomfortable chill disappeared almost immediately.

"Oh."

Cyrus nodded.

His eyes lingered on the space bag where Ezra placed the metal case back into for another second before looking away.

Useful...

He silently thought.

Before the conversation continued...

A familiar female voice reached them from deeper inside the building.

"We have visitors."

The three turned.

Walking toward them was the same second-year student who had dragged Professor Nine back into the club earlier.

Unlike before, she now wore a bright welcoming smile.

"Welcome, First Years."

She greeted them politely.

However...

The moment she came closer...

Her smile froze for half a second, then her eyes slowly widened.

She looked at the academy crests embroidered on their uniforms.

Then at their faces.

Then back at the crests again.

"You..."

She pointed toward Ezra.

"You’re Ezra Ashenlocke."

Before anyone answered...

Her finger shifted toward Cyrus.

"And you’re Cyrus Burnwick."

Finally...

Her attention landed on Lucy.

She immediately recognized the maid uniform.

Although she knew Lucy was someone’s attendant...

She wasn’t sure whose.

Lucy gracefully performed a proper maid’s bow.

Her movements were smooth and practiced.

"Greetings."

She spoke respectfully.

"I am Sir Ezra’s attendant."

The upperclassman’s eyes grew even wider.

"...Seriously?"

She looked back and forth between the three.

"Two members from Duke Houses... and one attendant... actually walked into our club?"

Her excitement became impossible to hide.

She almost looked happier than when students came to register.

A calm voice suddenly interrupted her enthusiasm.

"Senior Latisha."

A young man walked over with his arms folded across his chest.

His expression remained indifferent.

"Why are you making it sound as though our club belongs to commoners?"

Latisha scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"That’s not what I meant."

The young man ignored her explanation.

His gaze shifted toward Ezra.

"I understand being surprised by Ezra Ashenlocke’s presence."

He nodded once.

"The entire kingdom has been talking about him for months."

His eyes then moved toward Cyrus.

"But... I don’t really understand being surprised by him."

Cyrus quietly looked back.

The young man rested a finger against his chin as if seriously thinking.

"Isn’t he known as... The average Burnwick?"

He tilted his head.

"I think some people even call him... the Wax Candle Light of Burn."

Latisha immediately frowned.

"Kane Casper. That’s rude. You know you’re saying this right in front of him."

Kane merely shrugged.

"I’m only repeating what everyone already says."

His tone carried no hostility.

It sounded more like he was stating a commonly accepted fact.

Cyrus smiled calmly.

"He’s not wrong."

Lucy instinctively looked toward him.

She couldn’t understand how someone could remain so calm after hearing those words.

There wasn’t even the slightest anger on Cyrus’s face.

It was almost as though he’d heard them countless times before.

Ezra calmly stepped forward before the atmosphere became any more awkward.

"Could you explain what this club actually does?"

His question smoothly shifted everyone’s attention elsewhere.

Latisha blinked.

Then lightly laughed at herself.

"Right. I completely forgot."

She straightened her posture before spreading both arms toward the spacious laboratory around them.

"Welcome... to the Craft & Research Seekers Club."

A proud smile appeared on her face.

"Just like our name suggests... our members are divided into two main fields. Craftsmen. And researchers."

She pointed toward different work areas inside the building.

"Although... There are also members who excel in both."

Ezra slowly looked around once more.

His eyes paused on another row of preserved skeletal samples.

"So... You do have quite a number of members."

"Of course."

Latisha placed a hand over her chest.

"This club has existed for many years. When I first enrolled in the Royal Academy... It was already here."

Her voice naturally carried pride.

She gestured toward several shelves displaying awards, framed certificates, and photographs of past graduates.

Unlike the luxurious displays inside the Grey Craft Club...

These awards looked simpler.

Yet each one reflected years of steady achievement.

"We may not be the flashiest club."

She smiled.

"But we’ve earned our place. Our graduates have gone on to become respected craftsmen, researchers, doctors, engineers, and craft biased alchemists throughout Britannia. We’ve never fallen behind the academy’s top clubs."

Cyrus quietly observed the room before speaking.

"...It still feels like the club is declining."

Latisha hesitated.

Before she could answer...

Kane spoke first.

"Not really."

He folded his arms again.

"If this club was actually declining... I wouldn’t have joined."

He nodded once, clearly agreeing with his own reasoning.

Latisha laughed awkwardly.

"I suppose that’s one way to put it."

She rubbed the back of her head.

"The real issue... is simply that our new supervisor..."

She smiled helplessly.

"...has a rather unique personality."

Just then....

"LATISHA!"

Professor Nine’s loud voice echoed from deeper inside the laboratory.

"Have the new first-years arrived yet?"

"Yes, Professor!"

Latisha immediately raised her voice.

"I’ll bring them in now!"

She turned back toward the three visitors with the same bright smile.

"Alright, special first-years..."

Latisha clapped her hands together with a bright smile.

"Let’s head inside."

Ezra nodded once before following after her.

Cyrus casually slipped both hands into his trouser pockets again and walked behind Ezra, while Lucy quietly followed at her master’s side, carefully taking in every corner of the unfamiliar club.

The deeper they walked into the building, the more the atmosphere changed.

The reception area slowly gave way to what looked less like a club and more like a research laboratory.

Large wooden tables filled the room, each one covered with different pieces of equipment.

Glass beakers.

Flasks.

Metal instruments.

Bone samples.

Small mechanical devices.

More strange organisms floated inside sealed glass containers filled with transparent liquid, while neatly labeled specimen jars occupied shelves that stretched almost from the floor to the ceiling.

Bookshelves packed with thick research journals lined the walls.

Some books looked so old that their leather covers had already begun to crack.

Unlike the other craftsmanship clubs, there were almost no decorative ornaments here.

Everything served a purpose.

The room valued research over appearance.

Eventually, the group stopped before another work area.

Professor Nine Declan stood there with his back facing them.

His entire focus rested on a microscope placed on a sturdy laboratory desk.

Even with several people entering the room, he didn’t react.

His eyes remained fixed on the tiny glass slide beneath the microscope lens as though the outside world no longer existed.

"Professor."

Latisha spoke politely.

She pointed toward Ezra and Cyrus.

"The first-years are here."

Professor Nine slowly raised one finger without lifting his head.

"One moment, Latisha."

His voice remained calm, though his attention never left the microscope.

"I’ve almost finished."

Nobody interrupted him again.

Instead...

Everyone quietly waited.

Kane casually walked toward a nearby display table and began checking several mechanical models arranged for visiting students, making sure nothing had been misplaced during the day.

Lucy quietly wandered a few steps away.

Her curious eyes slowly moved from one specimen jar to another.

Every shelf contained something she had never seen before.

Some preserved creatures possessed wings but no feathers.

Others had skeletal structures unlike any animal she had ever read about.

Her curiosity quietly grew.

Ezra remained where he stood.

His arms folded across his chest.

His expression didn’t change.

His black eyes just calmly swept across the little laboratory.

He observed every piece of equipment.

Every workstation.

Every display.

Eventually...

His gaze settled on Professor Nine.

Even while waiting...

Ezra continued gathering information.

Cyrus stood quietly beside Latisha.

Unlike his usual relaxed posture, he simply watched the professor with mild curiosity.

For someone everyone kept calling eccentric...

The old man hadn’t wasted a single second acknowledging them.

Time slowly passed.

Only the faint bubbling of chemicals...

The occasional conversations of first year and upper class students outside the club boot...

And the quiet ticking of a nearby mechanical clock filled the silence.

Finally...

"Ah..."

Professor Nine let out a long breath.

A satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.

"They’re growing nicely."

He gently adjusted one of the microscope’s knobs before stepping back.

Only then did he finally lift his head.

His eyes landed on the group that had patiently waited for him all this time.

"You finally finished, Professor."

Relief was obvious in Latisha’s voice.

She smiled before immediately beginning the introductions.

"This is Ezra Ashenlocke..."

She gestured toward Ezra.

"The creator of the Phantom Rolls."

Her hand then moved toward Cyrus.

"And this is Cyrus Burnwick. Oh..."

She quickly remembered someone else.

Turning toward Lucy, she smiled.

Lucy immediately straightened into a proper maid’s posture the moment Professor Nine looked in her direction.

"And she’s Sir Ezra’s personal attendant."

Professor Nine quietly looked at each of them.

His eyes moved from Ezra...

To Cyrus...

Then to Lucy...

Before returning to Ezra once again.

He didn’t speak immediately.

Instead, he lowered his head slightly while rubbing his chin.

"An Ashenlocke..."

He muttered softly.

"And a Burnwick... Standing together inside my club boot... That’s unusual."

His eyes shifted toward Ezra again.

"The creator of the Phantom Rolls... Hmm... Quite interesting."

Then his attention returned to Cyrus.

"So... Burnwick."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Are you a craftsman... or a researcher?"

He spoke more to himself than anyone else.

Several thoughts seemed to pass through his mind at once.

His fingers continued rubbing his chin absentmindedly.

Then...

Almost without warning...

He suddenly looked up.

His eyes shone behind his glasses.

"So."

A bright smile spread across his face.

"Would the two of you like to join our club?"

The question came so suddenly that even Latisha blinked.

Ezra and Cyrus exchanged a quiet glance before looking back at the professor.

Cyrus was the first to speak.

"...Isn’t that a rather fast question?"

He sounded more amused than surprised.

Professor Nine frowned.

"So... You don’t intend to join?"

His tone immediately became sharper.

"Then why did you enter my club?"

Ezra answered calmly.

"We came to look around first."

His expression remained unchanged.

"We haven’t decided which club to join yet."

"Look around?"

Professor Nine repeated the word.

He spread both hands toward the surrounding laboratory.

"You may certainly look around. But..."

He slowly turned in place, gesturing toward every corner of the room.

"You’ve already seen our displays. Our little research. Our workshop quality and some of our specimens on display in this boot."

He looked directly at Ezra.

"Isn’t that already enough to decide whether this place interests you?"

Silence filled the room.

Ezra quietly looked back at him.

Cyrus did the same.

Neither answered immediately.

Professor Nine stared at the two boys for several seconds.

Then...

He sighed heavily.

"Argh..."

One hand moved to his forehead as he slowly shook his head.

"Why..."

He muttered under his breath.

"...do I always have to explain this from the beginning?"

Latisha smiled awkwardly.

Kane simply folded his arms as though he had seen this scene many times before, even though he just joined them today.

Professor Nine adjusted his glasses.

When he raised his head again...

The playful impatience from a moment ago had disappeared.

In its place was the excitement of a researcher speaking about the subject he loved most.

His eyes became noticeably brighter.

"This club..."

He began slowly.

"...is dedicated to the study of life."

He paused just long enough for his words to settle.

Then a faint smile appeared beneath his glasses.

"And..."

His voice carried unmistakable passion.

"...the study of death."