Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra followed Veda to the cafeteria.

It was evening already. Most of the candidates had finished eating earlier, so the place was almost empty. Only a few caterers remained behind the serving counters, quietly cleaning dishes and arranging trays of food that had not been touched.

The two boys walked toward the center of the cafeteria.

They sat across from each other at a long wooden table.

The quiet felt strange after the tension that had filled the group these past days.

”So,” Ezra said, folding his hands together on the table, ”what did you want to talk about?”

Veda lowered his head slightly.

”First... I’m sorry about the trouble my group has caused you and the trouble they’re still causing you.”

He bowed his head properly this time.

Ezra looked at him for a moment.

”You really don’t need to apologize,” he said flatly.

”I’d be more shocked if none of them reacted like that. A friend just died, and it happened because I was the target.”

”But still,” Veda said quietly. ”They should know it was her choice. You didn’t force her to do anything.”

He tightened his fist for a moment.

”They just want someone to blame quickly. It’s easier to throw their anger at someone standing in front of them than to face the real person responsible.”

His fist tightened again.

”That bastard...”

He stopped himself.

He took a slow breath and released his hand.

”The second thing I wanted to say,” Veda continued, ”is thank you for not telling anyone about Lime’s betrayal.”

He smiled faintly.

Ezra leaned back in his chair.

”Like I’d even bother talking to anyone,” he replied.

”But what about Bobby? Are you sure he won’t say anything?”

”No,” Veda said, shaking his head. ”I made sure to grill him about it after he told me the whole story.”

He sighed tiredly.

”It was because of my poor leadership that Felix was able to plant a spy inside my group so easily and I’m sure there are more.”

He rubbed his forehead slowly.

Ezra watched him quietly.

He knew something Veda didn’t.

Felix wasn’t the only one who had spies.

Vera had far more, most groups had already been infiltrated without even realizing it.

”That’s why you didn’t let anyone know,” Ezra said.

”That’s one reason,” Veda replied.

”But the main reason is to keep the atmosphere in the group stable.”

He looked down at the table.

”If they knew someone inside the group betrayed us, the highlines would start suspecting the lowlines.”

He paused.

”Especially since Lime was a lowline.”

”And who knows... the other spy might actually be a highline.”

Ezra nodded slowly. ”True.”

”You know,” Veda said suddenly, smiling faintly, ”Aliya was my first supporter.”

”In the main house, I suffered a lot of bullying. From adults... and even from the other children.”

He chuckled quietly.

”Felix was the number one bully who made my life hell back home.”

Ezra blinked.

”Huh? Felix?”

”That was a dark time for me,” Veda continued.

”But I changed.”

He lifted his head and looked directly at Ezra.

”I couldn’t keep living like that.”

”And I didn’t want to see my cute sister suffer under the expectations the family forced on her.”

His voice lowered slightly.

”And I didn’t want to lose anyone again.”

Ezra listened silently.

”When I came back from my one-year training,” Veda continued, ”I had to fight a lot to prove my strength.”

”I needed the family to recognize me.”

”That was when Linda became my supporter and Nickolas returned as well. He had been a good friend of mine before my life turned into hell in that family.”

Ezra tilted his head slightly confused.

”Didn’t you say Aliya was your first supporter?”

”Shouldn’t that be Nickolas then?”

Veda smiled awkwardly.

”Well... Nickolas and I stopped talking after I was declared useless. Something about his parents not wanting to see him hang out with a loser life me” he laughed dryly.

The smile on his face looked forced.

”Aliya was originally part of Vera’s fan-girl group.”

”But one day she suddenly switched sides and started following me everywhere.”

He laughed softly.

”She kept saying I looked cool and badass”

Ezra chuckled quietly.

”Yeah... I can imagine her saying that.”

”She had a strange way of talking,” Veda continued.

”Sometimes she would be shy.”

”The next moment she would be arguing with me about why I always looked so tense, or why I never smiled back at her.”

He leaned back in his chair.

”She made that period, when I was trying to get the main house to acknowledge me, much more bearable.”

Ezra watched him quietly.

Listening to Veda talk about his past felt strangely familiar.

Before today, Ezra had assumed Veda lived a much better life than him.

But now...

He knew about the Twin Symbolism in Britannia very well.

He had suffered under it himself.

When Ezra was five, his intelligence had been discovered early.

At first, he was treated as the golden child of the family.

But then his sickness appeared.

His weak constitution slowed his physical growth.

The moment that happened...

His father decided he was the wasted twin, from that day on, Ezra was treated like a bastard in his own home.

Even though he still showed talent during shooting practice.

Even though he defeated both his brother and his instructor in marksmanship.

His father never acknowledged him.

That was why it had been so easy for them to use him.

To sacrifice him.

To save Zara.

After all, in their eyes...

Ezra had never truly existed.

Listening to Veda now, Ezra realized something.

Their lives were not so different after all.

Even though Veda had supporters, even though his siblings still stood beside him, even though Vera and him competed for the heir position without hatred.

Still...

The foundation of their suffering was the same.

Ezra shook his head slightly and smiled.

”What a trashy family this is.”

The words slipped out of his mouth.

Veda laughed quietly.

”You can say that again.”

”Honestly,” he continued, ”my main reason for fighting for the heir position is to change the cruel nature of this family.”

”And maybe... even the cruel nature of Britannia itself.”

He sighed.

”You might not know this, but the life ordinary citizens live in this kingdom is worse than you can imagine.”

”Compared to them, even a lowline noble lives like a king.”

He looked frustrated.

”I hate the current state of this country.”

”I never agreed with the Trial in the first place.”

”I even argued with the elders and my father about it.”

He laughed bitterly.

”But at the end of the day, what does a child’s opinion matter to them?”

”My plan was simply to help as many people as I could.”

”After all... the idea for this Trial was based on the training I went through with my master.”

”The elders thought that since I improved so much through life-or-death training, the same method could be used to develop everyone else.”

He shook his head slowly.

”But not everyone is built for that kind of life.”

”Not everyone can maintain their sanity.”

”I had time to prepare myself. Time to build my resolve, but the others were thrown into this hell without even choosing it.”

”But the Trial does have its uses,” Ezra said quietly.

”Even if it’s annoying to admit.”

Veda nodded.

”Yeah... that’s true.”

He stood up.

”Well, thanks for listening to me.”

He smiled.

”I don’t know if you plan to leave the group after this... but if you do, I’ll understand. I’ll respect your choice.”

Ezra stood up as well.

”Nah,” he said casually.

”I told you already, I’m fine. I didn’t join your group to participate in group activities.”

”I joined to make sure Felix doesn’t try anything while we’re not in a Trial.”

”So, at the end of the day, I still need to stay in your group and honestly... I don’t care what the others think.”

Veda smiled.

”Alright.”

He waved slightly and left.

Ezra remained seated for a few moments before returning to his room to prepare for the next day.

***

Morning came quickly.

Ezra completed his usual routine.

Exercise.

Shower.

Then he headed straight to the library.

He placed the book he bought from the marketplace on the table.

Then he pulled several Alchemy books about Binder-rank guns from the library shelves.

After that, he unfolded a large sheet of paper.

It contained the schematic layout of the remodeled Baske he had begun designing after returning from the Trial.

He arranged everything neatly on his usual seat.

Then he began flipping through the book until he reached the section describing the Baske 1945.

”What’s with all these piled-up books?”

Vera’s voice suddenly drifted across the table.

Ezra didn’t look up; he didn’t even react to her sudden appearance. ”You’re really good at hiding your presence,” he said while reading.

”Well,” Vera replied casually, ”I am a Binder-rank Alchemist.”

She leaned forward slightly and looked at the book.

Then she noticed the schematic paper.

”Isn’t that the Baske 1945?” she asked.

”Yes,” Ezra answered.

Still reading.

”So, you’re remodeling it.”

She leaned closer, examining the drawing.

”I was also adjusting the Baske 1945 design and trying to create a new type of gun suitable for the Adept Rank.”

She sighed.

”But it’s difficult to make everything work together.”

Then she looked at him again.

”I was shocked when I saw your handgun during the Trial, it had more bullets than normal.”

”What was that?”

”How did you make a magazine that holds that many bullets?”

”What material did you use? The gun looked very light in your hands.”

Her questions came rapidly.

”I want to know.”

Ezra finally looked up.

He stared at her curious face.

”If I tell you,” He said with a smirk, ”you’ll owe me.”

Vera gasped dramatically and covered her mouth.

”Don’t tell me...”

”You want my body.”

”You pervert.”

Ezra looked at her with a completely dry expression.

”Do you want to know or not?”

Vera looked disappointed.

”What a shame.”

”I would have accepted that request.” She sighed theatrically.