Last Gun Alchemist

Chapter 297: Orientation Week XIV

Felix narrowed his eyes at Prince Tristin.

The corners of his lips twitched into a faint smile, though there wasn’t the slightest hint of amusement behind it. He leaned comfortably against the back of his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his fingers lightly tapping the polished wooden armrest.

"Would I ever lie about something this obvious?"

His voice was firm, carrying the confidence of someone who had witnessed everything with his own eyes.

The spacious reception room gradually became quiet.

Warm morning sunlight streamed through the tall windows, bathing the room in a soft golden glow.

Rich crimson curtains hung neatly on both sides, while expensive paintings of Felix himself and his mother decorated the walls. The scent of freshly poured fruit wine drifted through the air as several maids and butlers still quietly moved around the room, serving drinks and refreshments without disturbing the conversation.

Every servant understood their place.

They lowered their eyes, spoke only when necessary, and silently retreated after placing porcelain cups before their masters.

Prince Tristin didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, his calm eyes remained on Felix for several seconds before they slowly shifted toward Gareth.

The movement was subtle.

Almost everyone in the room overlooked it.

Gareth, however, noticed it immediately.

He calmly lifted the glass cup resting in front of him and took an unhurried sip. The fragrance of the colorless fruit wine rolled across his tongue before he gently lowered the cup back onto its saucer.

Then...

He nodded twice.

The gesture was small.

Yet it was enough.

"Tsk..."

Prince Tristin clicked his tongue.

His brows slowly drew together.

"My elder brother is going to be extremely annoyed when he hears about this."

A trace of irritation flashed across his usually composed face.

"He was already furious after learning that Vera and that Lowline worked on those firearms together."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"He only calmed down after discovering that Ezra merely assisted with the work."

As he spoke, Tristin’s eyes casually drifted toward Demond’s maid for the briefest moment.

The young maid immediately lowered her head further, pretending not to notice the prince’s gaze.

Felix quietly caught that small movement.

His own eyes shifted toward Gareth.

Gareth returned the look.

Neither of them spoke.

If the Second Prince truly learns how close Vera and Ezra are...

The exact same thought surfaced in both of their minds.

Neither needed to voice it.

The image of the Second Prince’s expression after hearing the complete truth was enough.

Gareth couldn’t stop a faint smile from appearing on his usually calm face.

It wasn’t because the situation amused him.

Rather...

He could already imagine Daniel Brittan’s temper exploding.

Felix quietly shook his head.

A helpless smile appeared for only a brief second before disappearing again.

Fortunately...

The others were too occupied with the conversation to notice the silent exchange between the two.

"So..."

Demond stretched lazily.

He rested one elbow against the soft feather mat beneath him while allowing his maid to gently support his head on her lap.

Instead of sitting on the chair like the rest, he had moved to the mat.

"What happened to that Maxwell brat?"

His eyes wandered toward Basil.

Basil blinked.

"...Why are you looking at me?"

He frowned as though he had just been accused of committing a crime.

Demond chuckled.

"Didn’t you proudly tell everyone that you sent a few boys to teach that commoner a lesson?"

He lazily picked another green grape from the silver plate beside him.

Before he could place it into his mouth, the maid sitting behind him gently took it from his fingers.

With practiced elegance, she peeled away the skin before carefully feeding it back to him.

Demond accepted it without the slightest embarrassment.

Almost as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Gareth looked toward Basil.

"I remember that as well."

His calm voice remained gentle.

"You were rather confident."

He folded his arms.

"So... How did it go?"

Felix also looked over.

Even Prince Tristin leaned back slightly, waiting for Basil’s answer.

Four pairs of eyes settled on him at the same time.

Basil immediately felt a strange pressure building around him.

He looked from one face to another.

Then...

His face darkened.

"...You bastards."

He pointed accusingly at every one of them.

"You already know what happened! So why the hell are you asking me? You just want another excuse to laugh at me!"

His voice grew louder with every sentence.

"I bragged about it on Tuesday! And it’s already Thursday! You shameless idiots!"

The room immediately erupted into laughter.

Demond almost rolled off the feather mat as he laughed.

Felix leaned back on the chair, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face.

Even Gareth, who rarely showed much emotion, quietly smiled into his glass cup.

Prince Tristin simply shook his head while letting out a soft laugh.

Basil clenched his fists.

"The stupid prick is doing perfectly fine!"

He gritted his teeth.

"He’s still walking around the academy with that annoying Commoner face of his!"

The more he spoke...

The angrier he became.

Without thinking...

Bang!

He slammed the glass cup in his hand onto the low wooden table.

The delicate cup shattered instantly.

Colorless fruit juice splashed across the expensive feather mat.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Felix slowly looked down at the ruined mat.

Then...

His gaze rose toward Basil.

"...Basil."

His voice remained surprisingly calm.

"That mat was imported from the Southern Continent."

A brief silence followed.

"It’s quite expensive."

Basil looked down.

Only then did he realize what he had done.

"...I’ll buy you another one."

He waved his hand dismissively.

Money had never been something he worried about.

Felix simply sighed.

"At least replace it with the same quality."

"I will."

Basil nodded immediately.

Only then did the atmosphere slowly relax again.

Gareth gently set his glass cup down before turning toward Prince Tristin.

"Your Highness. Have you learned anything about the Andraver person Maxwell mentioned?"

Curiosity finally appeared in his calm eyes.

"I asked my elder sister."

Prince Tristin replied.

Demond immediately smiled.

"The First Princess. The Minister of Information herself."

He stretched lazily again while looking toward the prince.

"Quite an impressive source."

Tristin gave him a deadpan look.

"Thank you, Demond... for pointing out something everyone here already knows."

Demond placed one hand over his chest dramatically.

"You are most welcome, my dearest prince."

The maid beside him quietly smiled before placing another peeled grape into his mouth.

Demond accepted it with complete satisfaction.

Felix couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.

"...You’re hopeless."

The room once again filled with relaxed laughter.

"So..."

Felix rested one arm on the table before looking toward Prince Tristin.

"What did your sister tell you?"

Prince Tristin let out a quiet sigh.

"She didn’t know who Andraver was either."

He lightly swirled the fruit wine inside his glass cup before taking a small sip.

"After looking into it herself, she only managed to uncover one thing."

He paused briefly.

"The information regarding Andraver is classified."

His brows slowly knitted together.

"And that’s the part that doesn’t make sense."

He placed the teacup back onto its saucer.

"My sister is the First Princess and she’s also the Minister of Information. If even she doesn’t have clearance to access those records..."

He shook his head.

"...then who exactly does?"

The room became noticeably quieter.

The cheerful atmosphere from earlier gradually faded as everyone began turning the matter over in their minds.

Felix slowly rested his hand beneath his chin.

His fingers gently rubbed against it as he organized his thoughts.

"Perhaps..."

His voice broke the silence.

"She already knows."

Everyone looked toward him.

"But someone ordered her not to disclose that information."

His eyes remained thoughtful.

"If the kingdom deliberately sealed those records, then even a Minister wouldn’t be free to reveal them without permission."

Demond stopped chewing the grape his maid had just fed him.

His playful expression became noticeably more serious.

"Are you saying..."

He leaned forward slightly.

"That Maxwell’s master is some important Alchemist whose identity the Kingdom is deliberately hiding?"

"It isn’t impossible."

Felix replied calmly.

"If the person truly holds that much value to Britannia, keeping his identity secret would actually make sense."

Gareth quietly nodded.

His calm gaze shifted toward Prince Tristin.

"Did you ask any upperclassmen? I’m sure someone from the older years would’ve investigated Maxwell already."

"I did."

Tristin answered immediately.

"My elder brother questioned one of his contacts within the Student Council."

He casually waved one hand.

"The report only said Maxwell visited the Vice Head Master’s office around the second day of Orientation Week. Nothing else useful."

Felix’s eyes narrowed.

"So..."

He slowly leaned back into his chair.

"That’s why he entered our classroom together with Instructor Kent."

The scattered pieces inside his mind gradually connected.

The timing...

The Vice Head Master’s office...

The classified information...

Everything pointed toward Maxwell receiving attention far beyond that of an ordinary first-year student and his even a Commoner not even a Non-Noble for the matter.

Across from him, Gareth quietly arrived at the same conclusion.

Demond’s relaxed smile also disappeared again as he silently pieced together the information.

Only Basil continued glancing between everyone with a puzzled look.

He knew they had reached some conclusion.

Unfortunately...

He hadn’t reached it with them.

Not wanting to be left behind, Basil quickly straightened himself.

"I also asked around too."

The others immediately looked toward him.

Waiting.

"My family’s upperclassmen investigated Maxwell as well."

Basil scratched the back of his head.

"But..."

He sighed.

"They couldn’t find anything useful either."

His shoulders dropped.

For once...

He actually looked defeated.

The room fell silent again.

If even the information networks belonging to House Evermont had failed...

Then this mystery runs much deeper than anything we expect.

Felix tapped one finger against the table.

"What about the Student Council President?"

He looked around the room.

"Do you think he knows who Andraver is?"

Demond suddenly chuckled.

"You people really enjoy making simple things complicated."

Everyone turned toward him.

Even Basil blinked in confusion.

Felix’s eyes widened almost immediately.

He now understood what Demond was implying before another word was spoken.

Across the table...

Gareth quietly smiled to himself.

He had reached the same conclusion.

Prince Tristin looked between the three of them.

"...What?"

He frowned slightly.

"What am I missing?"

Demond lazily stretched before speaking.

"We’re asking the wrong generation."

His tone remained as casual as ever.

"We’ve been investigating through students, we’ve questioned upperclassmen and we’ve even involved the Student Council."

He shrugged.

"But if Andraver belongs to an older era...None of them would know much obviously."

Felix nodded.

"Exactly."

His eyes brightened slightly.

"We need to ask Alchemists from the older generation. Not students, but people who were already making names for themselves before we were even born."

Prince Tristin slowly nodded.

"That actually makes sense."

He couldn’t help smiling faintly.

"So that’s what you were getting at."

Demond grinned.

"Sometimes... I’m smarter than I look."

Felix snorted.

"That doesn’t happen often."

Laughter spread around the room once again.

Even Basil joined in this time.

The heavy atmosphere from moments ago gradually disappeared.

Basil suddenly clapped both hands together.

"Enough of all this."

A wide grin spread across his face.

"We’ve solved today’s mystery. So, let’s eat and drink. Thinking too much is exhausting."

Felix rolled his eyes.

"You only said that because you don’t want to think anymore."

"Exactly."

Basil answered proudly.

The others burst into another round of laughter.

The servants quietly refilled empty glass cups while maids placed more fresh snacks onto the table.

Soon...

The conversation shifted away from politics.

The young heirs began sharing the amusing incidents they had already experienced during their first few days inside the Royal Academy.

Some spoke about how they messed with their classmates.

Others complained about potential strict instructors.

Occasionally, laughter echoed throughout the luxurious residence, making them seem less like heirs destined to shape Britannia...

And more like ordinary boys enjoying one of the final peaceful days before academy life truly began.

***

On the Same Day in Ezra’s Residence...

Unlike the lively atmosphere inside Felix’s residence...

Ezra’s home remained peaceful.

As the morning sunlight quietly filtered through the curtains, filling the study with a gentle warmth.

The room was silent except for the soft sound of turning pages.

As always...

Ezra followed the routine he had maintained for years.

He began his morning with physical exercise, pushing his body through its daily training before washing away the sweat with a bath.

After breakfast...

He headed directly into the study.

Books already covered most of the large wooden desk.

History of the Royal Academy.

Information regarding the academy facilities.

Anything that could prove useful...

Ezra intended to understand before the academic year officially began.

This had been his plan from the beginning.

To finish reading every important book before classes started.

Preparation had always been one of his greatest strengths.

Lucy entered the study not long afterward.

Having already completed her morning chores, she quietly carried several books in both hands before taking her usual seat across from Ezra.

The young maid didn’t complain.

It was Ezra who had instructed her to study everything she could about the Royal Academy.

Just in case.

Whether that knowledge became useful or not...

It was always better to be prepared than caught unaware.

So...

The two spent nearly the entire day inside the study.

Neither disturbed the other.

Only the occasional sound of turning pages broke the peaceful silence.

Fortunately...

Today was one of the academy’s designated free days.

According to the Orientation Week schedule the first-year students had received...

Monday had been the official Royal Academy briefing, where every new student gathered to receive their first introduction to academy life.

Tuesday, the second day of Orientation Week...

The first-year students officially reported to their assigned classroom for the first time.

There, they met their main instructor, completed the registration of their Student Identification Cards, and were introduced to the First-Year Academy Quarter before beginning their first guided tour of the academy grounds.

Wednesday, the third day...

The tour continued.

The remaining areas of the First-Year Quarters were introduced, allowing the new students to gradually familiarize themselves with the enormous campus. Before the day ended, information regarding the upcoming Club Hunting event was also announced.

Thursday, the fourth day...

The long-awaited Club Hunting officially began.

Students spent the entire day visiting countless clubs, listening to introductions, watching demonstrations, and deciding which clubs would shape a large part of their academy lives.

Friday, the fifth day...

A rare day of rest.

The academy deliberately gave every first-year student time to recover after several busy days of activities.

Saturday, the sixth day...

Although still considered a free day, many students would once again gather within the academy grounds.

The reason was simple.

The Welcome Party was approaching.

Those who had yet to secure dance partners would have one final opportunity to do so before the celebration.

Finally...

Sunday, the seventh day.

The Welcome Party for every first-year student.

A gathering meant to celebrate the beginning of their lives at the Royal Academy.

Only after that event...

Would the true academy session officially begin.

Ezra quietly reviewed the entire schedule in his mind before slowly closing the last book on his desk.

The soft sound echoed faintly throughout the peaceful study.

He had finished everything he planned to study for today.

Outside the windows, the afternoon gradually slipped into evening.

The sunlight faded little by little as the warm orange glow beyond the glass slowly gave way to the darker shades of approaching night.

One after another, lamps throughout the residence were switched on.

Servants quietly completed their remaining duties before returning to their own quarters.

The peaceful residence gradually settled into silence.

With nothing more left to study...

Ezra decided to spend the rest of the evening doing something he hadn’t done in quite some time.

Self-Analysis.

He quietly carried a flat throw pillow to the center of his room before sitting down upon it.

His legs naturally folded beneath him.

His back remained perfectly straight.

His breathing slowed.

Lucy had already retired for the night after finishing her own studies and daily work.

The entire residence had become unusually quiet.

Only the glowing light of the lamps resting on the nearby table and the wall keep his room illuminated with light.

Its gentle light spread across the room, reflecting beautifully against the polished tiled floor.

The reflection was so clear that Ezra could vaguely see himself staring back from beneath his feet.

His black eyes quietly rested upon that reflection.

His thoughts gradually drifted inward.

A lot has happened since I left the Trial Base...

He calmly reviewed everything that had happened over the past several months.

Not because he enjoyed reminiscing.

But because reviewing the past often allowed him to better prepare for the future.

The first memory that surfaced was the Judgment Order.

The Sterling Family.

That mission had ended exactly as he intended.

The head of the Baron House had fallen.

The revenge he craved for was finally quenched.

Naturally...

The matter didn’t end there.

The remaining Mainline members of House Sterling still existed.

His uncles.

His aunts.

His grandparents.

Anyone connected to the Mainline bloodline could still choose revenge.

There had always been that possibility.

However...

Ezra already understood how much damage the unveiling party had caused them.

Their authority had collapsed.

Their influence had weakened dramatically.

Combined with the power and legitimacy of the Judgment Order...

The remaining members no longer possessed the confidence to openly seek revenge.

At least...

Not for now.

Even if they did...

Ezra wasn’t particularly concerned.

In fact...

A small, almost invisible smile appeared within his thoughts.

He had actually hoped they would make the first move.

If they attacked him openly...

He would possess every legal reason necessary to eliminate every remaining threat once and for all.

Unfortunately for him...

They never took the bait.

His thoughts quietly shifted to the next event.

The Phantom Rolls.

Which was all for gaining wealth and little fame he needed for his stable life and Royal Academy preparation.

Following that...

Him and Vera had revealed both the Clot 1911 and the E-V 26 MK.II to the family.

Those inventions alone would continue strengthening House Ashenlocke for years to come as well as give him the excuse to make use of his hidden guns without getting suspected.

Then...

Velcryon.

The moment that memory surfaced, Ezra’s eyes became noticeably calmer.

The events inside Velcryon were far more troublesome than he had originally anticipated.

Ezra slowly raised one hand before his face.

His calm black eyes rested upon the faint streams of Cognis flowing beneath his skin.

Thin strands of pale energy quietly traveled through the veins of his hand like gentle currents moving beneath clear water.

He could clearly feel the flow.

Every movement of Cognis originated from the same place.

His Mind Realm.

Closing his eyes...

His consciousness gradually descended inward.

The familiar darkness quietly welcomed him.

Then...

The stars appeared.

Two brilliant stars floated peacefully within the vast emptiness.

The first star had already been completely formed.

It radiated with remarkable stability, releasing an endless stream of Cognis before drawing it back into itself in a continuous cycle.

Around its surface, pale clouds of gaseous Cognis slowly drifted outward before being absorbed once again.

The cycle never stopped.

It resembled the calm breathing of a living organism.

Nearby...

The second star quietly floated beside it.

Unlike the first...

It remained incomplete.

More than half of its structure had already formed, its shape becoming clearer than ever before.

Even so...

The remaining portion still required a tremendous amount of Cognis before it could finally be completed.

My current Cognis Pool...

Three hundred and seventy-nine.

Ezra calmly evaluated his own condition.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of excitement.

Only analysis.

With the Sixth-Grade Ese I took...

And my understanding of Gun Alchemy...

I could have broken through to the Adept Alchemist Rank already.

But...

His thoughts paused there.

Then...

The memory of when he was cultivating with the Ese, he drank back in his home in Steelhaven surfaced once again.

The pain he felt.

It hadn’t simply been uncomfortable.

It had been unbearable.

Every moment of that cultivation felt as though his body and mind were being torn apart before slowly rebuilding themselves.

Even now...

His body hadn’t completely absorbed the power contained within the Sixth-Grade Ese.

Approximately sixty percent of its Cognis still remained unrefined.

That was precisely why...

The fully formed first star continued releasing soft clouds of gaseous Cognis before quietly drawing them back into itself over and over again.

*********************************************************************

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