Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra stared at Vera for a moment before speaking.

”You could use the body structure of a submachine gun instead,” Ezra suggested.

Vera turned her head slightly and looked at him.

”Like the Blowback SMGs or the Open-Bolt SMGs?” she asked.

”I would prefer the Blowback SMGs. That would work best,” Ezra pointed out calmly.

Vera didn’t answer immediately.

She turned her head and stared at the bookshelf beside her. The rows of books stood quietly under the afternoon sunlight that entered the library through the tall windows. Dust drifted slowly through the air, glowing faintly as the light touched it.

She thought for a while.

”Yeah... I would just have to adjust the barrel so it remains around the same size as the Acu-Vector Mk.I.,” she finally concluded.

”You could also make both,” Ezra added.

Vera glanced back at him.

”Remodify the Acu-Vector Mk.I. with the Striker-12 structure, but that version would rank much higher,” he explained. ”Then for the Blowback structure, you could reduce the needles in each shell to about thirty. That way the barrel size wouldn’t be affected too much.”

”True,” Vera replied.

Then she turned toward him again.

”Now about that Kel-Tec PMR-30,” she said.

”What exactly did you do to make it feel so light in your hand?”

She raised her hand and demonstrated the way he had held the gun earlier.

”With one hand,” she continued, copying the movement he had used during the fight.

”And you fired it repeatedly without using Cognis to strengthen your grip or arm.”

She lowered her hand slightly.

”Normal revolvers feel heavier the more you use them. Every recoil adds strain. After a while it becomes annoying just holding them, let alone firing continuously.”

She paused.

”The same problem exists for most guns.”

Ezra stared at her quietly.

She was correct.

If he hadn’t learned about the Kel-Tec PMR-30 and the polymer materials used to manufacture it in his previous life, he probably wouldn’t have thought about altering the physical properties of steel to mimic that material.

Like he had learned before, Binder-rank Alchemists were capable of altering the physical properties of materials during alchemy.

But it wasn’t something that could be done blindly.

The Alchemist needed a deep understanding of the material he was trying to imitate.

Without that knowledge, the alchemy would fail.

If a Binder-rank Alchemist tried to mimic a polymer without understanding why polymers were light, the altered structure would collapse.

In most cases the final weapon would degrade into a Zero-grade result.

The afternoon sunlight stretched across the library floor. The quiet room smelled faintly of old paper and wood.

”The frame is made from polymer,” Ezra finally answered.

Vera repeated the unfamiliar word slowly.

”Polymer...”

She looked at him again.

”What exactly is that?”

Ezra glanced toward the sunlight spilling through the window before answering.

”In simple terms, a polymer is a material made from long repeating molecular chains.”

Vera blinked once.

”That explanation means nothing to me.”

Ezra expected that response. So, he simplified it.

”Imagine a necklace.”

Vera frowned slightly.

”A necklace?”

”Yes.”

”The beads represent small individual molecules.”

Ezra made a small motion with his fingers, as if lining objects together.

”When those molecules connect repeatedly, they form a chain.”

”One chain is already strong.”

”But thousands of chains linked together create a polymer structure.”

Vera watched his hand movements carefully.

”So... it’s basically a material made from repeating pieces.”

”Yes.”

”Think of it like threads woven together to form cloth.”

”Except the threads exist at the molecular level.”

Vera leaned back slightly.

”And this material replaces metal in your gun?”

”In some parts,” Ezra replied.

”Especially the frame.”

Vera looked mildly amused.

”So, you replaced metal with something softer.”

Ezra shook his head.

”That’s a common misunderstanding.”

”Polymers are not always soft.”

He continued calmly.

”High-performance polymers can be extremely durable.”

He began listing the properties one by one.

”They are lightweight.”

”They resist corrosion.”

”They do not rust.”

”They absorb shock and vibration better than steel.”

Then he tapped the wooden table once.

”And most importantly...”

”They can flex without breaking.”

Vera narrowed her eyes slightly.

”So instead of cracking under stress...”

”...they bend.”

”Yes.”

”That makes them very useful in firearms.”

”The recoil energy spreads through the frame instead of damaging it.”

Vera stayed silent for a moment.

Then she asked the obvious question.

”How are these... polymers created?”

Ezra answered immediately.

”Through a process called polymerization.”

He paused briefly.

”Small chemical molecules called monomers react together.”

”The reaction bonds them into long molecular chains.”

”The process can involve heat, pressure, catalysts, or chemical reactions.”

He shrugged slightly.

”In short...”

”You force simple molecules to join into long structures, and those structures create a new material.”

Vera stared at him quietly.

”You’re telling me you performed alchemy based on a material manufactured from molecular reactions.”

”Yes.”

She laughed softly.

”That sounds absurd and it would definitely cause you to use a bit more of your Cognis.”

Ezra didn’t argue.

Vera thought for a moment, slowly digesting everything he had explained.

From what he described; it should have been nearly impossible.

The materials available in the marketplace for Gun Alchemists were mostly wood and steel bars.

There were no polymers or plastic materials.

She glanced back at him.

”So how did you manage to alter the steel bar to replicate the physical properties of the polymer?”

Ezra answered calmly. ”You know that Binder-rank Alchemy allows limited restructuring of matter and I’m close to forming my second star.”

Vera tilted her head slightly.

”I know that.”

”I also know that you must fully understand the properties of the material you want to imitate.”

She leaned forward slightly.

”I like the polymer concept. So, please explain how you did it.”

Ezra spoke slowly.

”Steel is a crystalline metal. Its atoms form rigid lattice structures.”

”That’s why steel is strong but brittle under certain stresses.”

Vera nodded.

”So, you destroyed that structure.”

”Not exactly,” Ezra replied.

”I rearranged it.”

He continued calmly.

”I used alchemy to break the rigid metallic bonding structure.”

”Then I reorganized the internal arrangement into long flexible chains instead of a crystalline lattice.”

Vera’s eyes widened slightly.

”You forced metal atoms into chain-like structures.”

”Yes.”

”Similar to polymer molecular chains, but not identical.”

”Because the base material remained metallic.”

Vera leaned forward now.

”So, what did that achieve?”

Ezra explained.

”The resulting material kept some of steel’s durability.”

”But it gained several polymer-like properties.”

He counted them on his fingers.

”Reduced weight.”

”Shock absorption.”

”Flexibility and resistance to structural cracking.”

Vera stared at him.

”That means the gun frame becomes lighter and more stable during firing.”

”Correct.”

”The recoil spreads through the frame.”

”So, the weapon remains stable even during rapid fire.”

Vera leaned back slowly.

”And you did all that... with a steel bar.”

”Yes.”

She stared at him for several seconds.

Then she smiled slightly.

”You realize something, right?”

Ezra didn’t respond.

Vera rested her chin on her hand again.

”If the other Alchemists discover your polymer concept and how you altered steel to imitate it...”

Her smile widened slightly.

”...your guns won’t be the only things becoming dangerous.”

Ezra didn’t react.

He simply looked toward the bookshelves again.

”I know.”

His expression made it clear he already understood that risk.

”But you trust me enough to tell me all of this?” she asked with a smirk, tilting her head slightly.

A strand of her hair slipped down and covered part of her face.

Ezra leaned closer.

”I don’t trust you, but I’m very sure you won’t reveal any information about this.”

He paused.

”Because you understand what the ignorant adults in this family would do with that knowledge and you aren’t the type to steal credit from another person work.”

Then he moved his face slightly closer to hers.

”And that’s because you’re the type of person who keeps interesting things to yourself.”

Vera smiled.

”Well, every Alchemist should have one or two secrets and I’m sure everything you just told me...”

”...is only a small fraction of yours.”

She stretched her arms and crossed her legs.

”But what exactly do you want from me,” she asked, resting her cheek on her hand, ”that would make you answer such a big question of mine?”

”Correction.” Ezra raised a finger and pointed it at her.

”You have two things to do for me.”

He adjusted his seat slightly, turning his body to face her directly. The wooden chair creaked quietly against the floor as he leaned closer across the table.

”First,” he said.

”When this trial ends, I want you to help me obtain the supply of some highly protected materials.”

His voice dropped lower.

”Materials someone with my status would never be able to acquire easily.”

He leaned closer so that only she could hear him.

Especially with what I plan to do after I leave this place.

Ezra kept that thought to himself.

Vera listened without interrupting.

”That would be a little bit difficult,” she said after a moment. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs slowly as she thought about it.

”But after this trial ends...”

She adjusted the glasses resting on her nose.

”...with the ranking I’m likely to obtain, acquiring those materials and sending them to you secretly shouldn’t be impossible.”

Her tone sounded calm, as if he had simply asked her to fetch a book from the library.

”Second.”

Ezra’s eyes met hers again.

This time his expression was different.

The calm look he normally wore became colder.

”I need help finding a legal way to kill a certain group of people.”

His voice remained steady, but the words carried a quiet weight behind them.

For a brief moment, the air between them grew still.

Vera sat up straight.

Then her lips slowly curved into a smile.

”Ha... haha.”

She laughed softly; the sound quiet enough that it wouldn’t disturb anyone else in the library.

”That can be arranged.”

She looked directly into Ezra’s eyes.

”And I believe everything will work out perfectly in your favor.”

Her smile deepened slightly.

”Especially considering the condition they’ll see you in when this trial ends.”

Ezra didn’t ask what she meant.

Vera was a sharp one. So, it was understandable that she would immediately know the group of people Ezra referred to.

”Alright,” Ezra said quietly.

”Then that’s settled.”

He closed the rough jotter on the table with a soft thud.

His eyes drifted toward the tall windows of the library. The afternoon light had already begun to fade, stretching long shadows across the floor and bookshelves.

”It’s getting late.”

He began gathering the papers scattered across the table, sliding them neatly back into his space bag.

Vera stood up as well.

The chair legs scraped lightly against the floor.

”Ezra,” she called.

He paused and looked at her.

For once, Vera’s expression looked a little softer than usual.

”Just make sure you survive this trial and after that...”

She gave a small wave.

”...live the life you want to live.”

A faint smile appeared on her face as she turned away.

Then she walked toward the library exit, her footsteps echoing softly across the quiet room.

Ezra remained standing for a moment.

He watched her back as she disappeared between the shelves.

The library returned to silence.

After a few seconds, he looked down at the table again and continued packing his things.

When he finished, he quietly left the library as well.