Last Gun Alchemist

Gwen quickly turned toward Lucy.

Her hands came together in front of her as she lowered her head deeply.

"Thank you, Lucy."

Her voice trembled with gratitude.

She bowed even lower, making Lucy panic almost immediately.

"Gwen, stop it."

Lucy hurried over and gently grabbed both of Gwen’s shoulders before helping her back onto her feet.

A helpless smile appeared on her face.

"We’re friends, remember?"

She looked directly into Gwen’s tearful eyes.

"When we were little...We always helped each other whenever times became difficult."

She smiled warmly.

"So now...It’s my turn to help you. Like old times."

After saying those words, Lucy subconsciously turned toward Ezra.

She had already opened her mouth to ask him something.

Before she could speak...

"I know what you’re about to say, Lucy."

Ezra spoke first.

His usual calm voice interrupted her thoughts.

Lucy blinked.

He looked at her with his dull black eyes.

"We’ll follow them."

His answer was as simple as always.

Without waiting for another response, Ezra casually threw away another white cloth he had just used to wipe his hands again.

Although he had worn gloves while treating Blake’s injuries...

Sweat had still gathered on his palms during the treatment.

The chilly breeze drifting through the alley quickly cooled his fingers.

He quietly rubbed both hands together in order to warm his hands before slipping his black gloves back on.

The familiar leather fit comfortably around his hands once again.

Lucy’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Really?"

The joy on her face was impossible to hide.

Gwen also stared at Ezra in surprise.

"You... you want to come with us?"

She looked back and forth between Lucy and Ezra.

Lucy immediately nodded with confidence.

"Don’t worry, Gwen."

She pointed at herself proudly before placing one hand on her chest.

"My Master and I will make sure both you and your Young Master return home safely."

Her bright smile naturally carried an indescribable sense of reassurance.

Seeing how confidently Lucy spoke...

Gwen slowly relaxed.

"...Thank you again, Lucy."

She smiled softly, then she respectfully turned toward Ezra.

"...And thank you as well."

She lowered her head once more.

"Master of my friend."

"It’s fine."

Ezra replied plainly.

He raised his head toward the evening sky.

The sun had already begun sinking beyond the distant rooftops.

The orange glow gradually faded beneath layers of gray clouds.

"It’ll be dark soon."

He calmly adjusted the cuff of one glove.

"Let’s leave."

"Oh..."

Gwen suddenly remembered something.

She looked helplessly at Blake lying unconscious on the ground.

"But...How am I supposed to carry the Young Master?"

Before she could continue worrying...

"Don’t worry."

Lucy bent down.

With one smooth movement, she lifted Blake onto her shoulder as though he barely weighed anything.

"I’ve got him."

A small smirk appeared on her face.

She clearly intended to show off a little.

Gwen’s eyes widened.

"...Lucy..."

She unconsciously whispered her friend’s name.

The girl she remembered...

Had always been physically weak.

Back then...

Even carrying a heavy bucket of water together required both of them when they had to clean the floors of the Red House Restaurant.

Yet now...

That same Lucy had effortlessly defeated five grown men...

And was currently carrying a teenage boy with one arm as though she were carrying a bag of clothes.

Gwen quietly stared at her.

For a brief moment...

She almost felt as though she were looking at a completely different person.

I wonder...

What exactly did you experience...To become this strong?

Lucy.

The thought quietly lingered inside her mind.

"Lead the way, Gwen."

Lucy’s cheerful voice pulled her back to reality.

"Okay."

Gwen quickly nodded.

She tightened the scarf wrapped around her shoulders before turning toward the street.

"This way."

Like that...

The four of them quietly left Cryden Town.

***

The journey back to Velcryon passed peacefully.

Blake remained unconscious the entire time.

Lucy carried him without the slightest complaint, while Gwen repeatedly glanced toward him with obvious concern.

Although the Baron House of Wellston stood within Velcryon...

It wasn’t located anywhere near the district where Ezra and Lucy had booked their hotel.

Instead...

It occupied one of the older noble districts on the outskirts of the city.

During the carriage ride...

Ezra quietly took out his Starlix.

Using the hotel’s customer service line, he sent a brief message explaining that neither he nor Lucy would be returning that night.

Since, their belongings still remained safely inside their room.

There was no need for unnecessary concern.

After sending the message...

He calmly returned the device to his pocket.

Several hours later...

The horse carriage gradually slowed before finally coming to a stop.

"We’re here."

Gwen softly announced.

Lucy carefully stepped down first before helping Blake remain balanced across her shoulder.

Ezra quietly followed.

The moment his feet touched the stone pavement...

His eyes naturally moved toward the estate before him.

The Baron House of Wellston.

At first glance...

It still possessed the appearance expected of a noble residence.

Tall stone walls surrounded the estate.

Iron gates marked the entrance.

The mansion itself stood proudly beyond the front gardens.

Yet...

The signs of decline had already begun revealing themselves.

Even from outside.

Only a single guard stood watch at the main gate.

He leaned against a worn wooden spear instead of a standard polished military weapon commonly issued to noble guards.

The uniform he wore had clearly been repaired several times.

When he noticed Lucy carrying Blake...

His expression instantly changed.

"You... Young Master!"

The guard rushed forward in panic.

His footsteps echoed loudly across the stone road.

Before anyone could explain...

He immediately lowered his spear toward the group.

"Who are you people?!"

His voice thundered through the entrance.

"What have you done to the Young Master?!"

His grip tightened around the wooden shaft.

Veins bulged along his arm.

His eyes burned with both fear and anger.

"You filthy dogs from Baroness Orvain!"

He shouted furiously.

"How dare you attack our Young Master!"

The sharp tip of the spear pointed directly toward Lucy.

"The Lord only told them to come after him! And him alone!"

His breathing had already become uneven.

"How dare you..."

"Wait! Wait!"

Gwen hurriedly stepped between both sides before the misunderstanding worsened.

She raised both hands.

"Uncle Pear."

Her voice carried obvious urgency.

"They’re not enemies."

She smiled gently despite her exhaustion.

"They saved both the Young Master and me."

Pear froze.

"...Gwen."

The tension gradually disappeared from his body.

His spear slowly lowered, then he released a long breath.

"...I’m sorry."

He bowed respectfully toward Ezra and Lucy.

"I acted too hastily."

Lucy quickly waved both hands.

"It’s alright."

She smiled politely.

"You were only doing your job."

Pear nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for understanding."

He quietly walked to the gate and pushed open the iron gates before stepping aside.

"Gwen will take you to meet the Lord, while the other servants will take care of the Young Master once you’re inside."

Behind them...

The horse carriage quietly departed after receiving its payment.

Throughout the entire exchange...

Ezra remained silent.

His attention had never been on the misunderstanding itself.

Instead...

His black eyes slowly moved around the estate.

He quietly observed everything surrounding him.

Every detail.

Every sound.

Every movement.

The moment they entered the estate grounds...

He had already begun piecing together the condition of Baron Wellston.

Only one guard remained at the entrance.

That alone already revealed part of the family’s situation.

As they continued walking through the stone pathway...

Ezra subtly expanded his hearing.

Footsteps.

Conversations.

Doors opening.

Kitchen sounds.

The number of voices reaching his ears...

Was far below what a Baron household should normally possess.

They must have dismissed many of their servants...

Probably to reduce expenses.

His thoughts remained calm.

His gaze drifted toward the gardens.

The grass had grown unevenly.

Several flowerbeds had begun drying out.

Even the decorative trees looked neglected.

Normally...

A noble household employed gardeners to maintain every corner of the estate.

Here...

That responsibility had clearly become a luxury.

The deeper they walked...

The more obvious the family’s financial decline became.

As they stepped inside the mansion...

The first thing that greeted them was silence.

The place felt unusually spacious.

Not because the mansion itself was particularly large...

But because so many of the things that normally gave a noble residence its dignity were no longer there.

The walls remained standing proudly.

The polished stone floor was still clean.

The chandeliers still hung from the ceiling.

Yet...

The expensive paintings that usually decorated noble halls were gone.

The antique statues had disappeared.

Several display shelves stood almost empty, leaving only faint marks where valuable ornaments had once rested.

Even the luxurious furniture expected inside a Baron’s residence had been replaced by simpler pieces.

The mansion still possessed the structure of nobility...

But much of its soul had already been sold away.

Lucy quietly looked around.

Her eyes moved from one empty corner to another.

She had entered a few noble houses, and even their own mansion carried an atmosphere of wealth that this place no longer possessed.

The difference was obvious.

Ezra continued to silently observe everything as well.

Every missing ornament...

Every empty display...

Every corner that should have contained expensive decorations...

They all quietly painted the same picture.

This family truly stood on the brink of ruin.

However...

One question quietly remained inside Ezra’s mind.

What exactly happened...

...for a Baron House to become buried beneath debt?

It wasn’t something that happened overnight.

A noble family possessed businesses...

Land...

Political influence...

Connections...

For all of that to crumble into bankruptcy...

Something significant must have happened.

Ezra remained deep in thought until hurried footsteps echoed from one of the corridors.

Two elderly female servants rushed toward them.

The moment they saw Blake unconscious over Lucy’s shoulder, both women’s faces immediately turned pale.

"You... Young Master!"

They hurried forward.

Without wasting another second, Lucy carefully lowered Blake into their arms.

The two elderly women thanked her repeatedly before quickly carrying the unconscious young master deeper into the mansion.

Gwen followed closely behind them, helping support Blake while giving Lucy one last grateful look.

At the same time...

An elderly male servant approached Ezra and Lucy.

His posture remained straight despite his age.

He respectfully lowered his head.

"Welcome."

His voice sounded gentle.

Ezra simply gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile...

Lucy politely returned the greeting with a proper bow.

"Please..."

The elderly servant extended one hand toward another corridor.

"Follow me to the waiting room."

He spoke respectfully.

"The Lord will certainly wish to personally thank both of you after hearing what happened."

"Okay."

Lucy answered with a cheerful smile.

Before following...

She glanced toward Ezra.

She immediately noticed his eyes quietly wandering throughout the mansion once again.

He wasn’t simply looking around.

He was observing.

Every detail seemed to enter his mind.

Without saying anything...

Ezra calmly began walking toward the waiting room.

Lucy quietly followed beside him.

Several moments later...

The elderly servant stopped before a wooden door before gently pushing it open.

"This is the waiting room."

He stepped aside.

The two entered.

The room looked almost identical to the entrance hall.

Simple.

Quiet.

Almost empty.

Several sofas surrounded a plain wooden table.

Aside from a few ordinary decorations...

There was very little else inside.

Everything that normally gave a noble waiting room its luxurious atmosphere had disappeared.

The expensive carpets were gone.

The decorative antiques had vanished.

Even the paintings hanging on the walls looked few in number.

Lucy slowly looked around.

She couldn’t help quietly sighing.

"...These people must really be doing everything they can just to survive this debt."

Her voice carried genuine sympathy.

Ezra calmly walked toward one of the sofas before sitting down.

His posture remained relaxed.

Then...

He looked toward Lucy.

"Pop quiz."

He spoke in his usual flat tone.

Lucy’s eyes immediately brightened.

She hurried behind the sofa before leaning slightly closer toward him.

A playful smile spread across her face.

"I like pop quizzes."

She replied happily.

Ezra turned his head slightly.

His calm black eyes met hers.

"What situations..."

He asked.

"...can lead to a Baron-class noble family going bankrupt?"

Lucy tilted her head thoughtfully.

A few strands of her dark-brown hair slipped forward beside her cheeks as she quietly thought about the answer.

"Well..."

She slowly leaned back again.

"I think...The first possibility would be investing in a business that completely fails."

She raised one finger.

"If they lose too much money...It could seriously affect the family’s finances."

Ezra silently listened.

Lucy continued thinking.

"Hmm..."

She lightly placed one finger against her lips.

"Another possibility..."

She looked upward.

"...would be if another noble family...Or maybe a powerful Alchemist...Attacked them."

She raised a second finger.

"If they spent all their money trying to recover afterward...I think that could ruin them too."

She looked back toward Ezra.

Her expression almost seemed to ask whether her answer made sense.

"Continue."

Ezra replied calmly.

Lucy nodded.

"The third..."

She raised another finger.

"...would be excessive spending."

She counted carefully.

"Then...Loss of their main source of income. Family disputes. Legal penalties too."

She paused briefly.

"I think those could also weaken a noble family."

Finally...

She raised one last finger.

"Oh, and...Debt with extremely high interest."

She nodded once, satisfied.

"I think those are the biggest reasons a Baron Family could fall into decline."

Ezra remained silent for several moments.

Then...

He finally spoke.

"Out of everything you listed..."

His voice stayed calm.

"Your friend specifically mentioned debt."

He looked directly at Lucy.

"What does that tell you?"

Lucy folded her arms.

She quietly thought about it for several seconds.

"It feels suspicious."

She slowly waved one hand while organizing her thoughts.

"A Baron Family shouldn’t fall into overwhelming debt unless something major happens."

She frowned slightly.

"If they weren’t terrible at investing...Or if something unusual didn’t happen...I don’t think it should reach this level."

She looked toward the closed door of the waiting room before lowering her voice.

"...Doesn’t that mean...the Baron himself might actually be the problem?"

She asked carefully, making sure no one outside could overhear their conversation.