Chapter 628: The Duke of Ash Personal Gift

"The Duke has a gift for the children."

The moment those words spread through the hall, the people began whispering among themselves.

"I wonder what the gift will be."

"Do you think all the children will receive one?"

"I doubt that. Not everyone will receive a personal gift from the Duke."

"Then it will probably be Lady Vera and perhaps Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

"The Young Lord should receive one as well, though."

The conversations overlapped, with one person’s guess giving rise to another. Even those who had been discussing the earlier rewards turned their attention towards the Duke, curious about what he intended to offer the children.

They had already received the gifts prepared by the Family, including Ese, Mithril, and the General Prize. Those rewards alone were enough to satisfy many of the younger Alchemists, but a personal gift from Duke Valentine was an entirely different matter.

After all, he was the head of the Ashenlocke Family.

Whatever he chose to give would carry a meaning beyond its material value.

Some of the people expected the gift to be reserved for the most outstanding children, while others wondered whether the Duke would reward everyone who had participated in the Grand First-Year Combat Festival.

The fact that he had not yet explained his intentions only gave the gathering more reason to speculate.

"Vera Ashenlocke."

Valentine called her name calmly.

The conversations died down almost immediately.

Vera remained kneeling before him.

She raised her head slightly, her expression composed as she met the Duke’s gaze.

"Yes, Your Lordship."

"For ranking as the number one student of your Year, I award you something that has never been given to a Gun Alchemist, despite being permitted under a law established by the Sixth Duke of Ash."

Valentine looked across the hall as he spoke, allowing his words to reach the people gathered around him.

The whispers that had only just settled began to rise again, though this time they carried a different kind of curiosity.

A law established by the Sixth Duke of Ash?

Many of the adults present had studied the rules of the Ashenlocke House.

Those rules formed part of Britannia’s general laws, and any noble who wished to maintain their standing was expected to understand them.

Yet, the Duke’s statement left several people struggling to recall the particular law he had mentioned.

Some of the adults were already in their mid-forties or late fifties.

They had spent decades within the Family, and a few had studied its laws more than once. Even so, none of them could immediately determine what sort of reward Valentine was referring to.

Several Elders exchanged glances, their expressions revealing that they, too, were trying to understand the connection between the old law and Vera’s gift.

A reward that had never been given to a Gun Alchemist was no small matter.

It could be something exceptional, perhaps even something that would affect the way the Family developed its Gun Alchemy Path.

But, while the adults continued to wonder.

Vera had already begun to suspect what the Duke intended to give her.

She remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

"You created a firearm that completely breaks conventional logic."

Valentine continued speaking.

"Many people would have thought that the Stormpiercer was the only firearm capable of releasing a small amount of static electricity."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But your V-01 VOLT surpasses even the mechanics of the Stormpiercer."

His dull black eyes settled on Vera.

The V-01 VOLT.

The name alone was enough to remind those who understood the significance of the firearm that

Vera had accomplished something unusual.

The Stormpiercer was already a firearm in the Ashenlocke series capable of demonstrating what a firearm could produce, which is a phenomenon that ordinary weapons could not. Yet, Vera had gone beyond what people had come to expect from such a design.

Her creation had challenged their understanding of what a Gun Alchemist could achieve.

And Valentine had clearly taken notice.

"Normally, this firearm should be integrated into the Family’s firearm series, but I will not allow that."

He delivered the statement in the same calm tone.

For a moment, the people listening seemed unsure whether they had heard him correctly.

Then several pairs of eyes widened.

"What?!"

Elder Ivanhoe exclaimed before quickly closing his mouth.

Of everyone present, he appeared to be the most surprised.

His eyes remained fixed on Valentine, as though he were waiting for the Duke to explain why he had made such a decision.

A few Elders turned towards Ivanhoe.

They shared his surprise, but none of them seemed ready to put their thoughts into words.

The Family’s firearm series was an important matter.

A successful design could be studied, refined, and developed into something that benefited more than a single individual.

By integrating the V-01 VOLT into that series, the Family could potentially make use of Vera’s achievement as part of its wider development.

Yet Valentine had just declared that he would not allow it.

He did not concern himself with the commotion behind him.

Instead, he stretched his right hand towards Vera, who remained kneeling before him.

"Vera Ashenlocke."

His voice carried through the hall, drawing the attention of those who had begun whispering again.

"The V-01 VOLT that you created will become your signature Gun Alchemy."

He spoke without hesitation.

Once the words had reached everyone, the meaning of his gift finally became clear.

A signature firearm.

Vera would be allowed to retain the V-01 VOLT as her own exclusive creation rather than have it integrated into the Family’s general firearm series.

The distinction was significant.

The Family would not simply take the design and make it available for other Gun Alchemists to use.

The V-01 VOLT would remain Vera’s signature Gun Alchemy, marking the firearm as an achievement that belonged to her.

The whispers returned, spreading through the gathering.

"The Lady will have an exclusive firearm of her own?"

"Doesn’t that mean no other Gun Alchemist will be able to use the V-01 VOLT?"

"This is the first time a Gun Alchemist has received a reward like this."

"I remember a Steel Alchemist and a Glass Alchemist being given the same honour, but never a Gun Alchemist."

"But isn’t this bad for the Family’s overall growth?"

The last question drew a few murmurs of agreement.

Not everyone viewed the decision in the same way.

Some considered it an extraordinary reward for a talented young Alchemist, while others worried that keeping such a firearm exclusive to one person might limit its benefits to the Family.

The Ashenlocke Family had invested considerable effort in developing its firearms.

A design with the potential to change the Gun Alchemy Path could be valuable to more than its creator, and some of the adults could not help wondering why the Duke would willingly give up the opportunity to incorporate it into the Family’s series.

"Indeed. If you think that way, then you must not understand the law established by the Sixth Duke of Ash."

Another whisper rose among the crowd.

Those who understood the old rule were beginning to recognise the significance of Valentine’s decision.

The reward was surprising, but it was not without precedent under the law he had cited.

Even so, the disagreement remained.

Some people considered the award excessive, especially when the Family’s growth was already on the rise.

Others found it appropriate, believing that an achievement like Vera’s deserved to be recognized in a way that would distinguish her from other Alchemists.

Valentine paid little attention to what they thought.

His extended right hand moved away from Vera and towards another child.

"Ezra Ashenlocke."

Ezra remained on one knee as the Duke called his name.

"For your remarkable display in using the Law of Inversion to increase the power of a gun’s ammunition, I award you the right to one signature firearm as well."

Valentine spoke calmly.

The reaction was immediate.

More eyes widened, and several people looked towards Ezra in disbelief.

"He’s giving Ezra Ashenlocke one as well?!"

"Not only Lady Vera, but Ezra too?"

The surprise among the Highline Nobility was especially noticeable.

They had already heard the Duke announce an exceptional reward for Vera, whose V-01 VOLT had challenged the established understanding of Gun Alchemy.

Now Ezra was receiving a signature firearm of his own.

The reason was also clear.

His use of the Law of Inversion had demonstrated a new way to increase the power of a gun’s ammunition. It was not simply a matter of improving an existing firearm through ordinary means.

The application itself had caught the Duke’s attention.

Elder Ivanhoe looked towards Valentine with a more confused expression.

"We can’t allow that, can we?"

Elder Fredricks said with a displeased expression as he turned towards Ivanhoe

"A signature firearm for that child?"

Elder Branthwaite spoke with the same displeased expression.

He glanced at Fredricks as he continued, keeping his voice low enough that the conversation remained among those nearby.

"I can understand rewarding a genius like Vera. I mean, she created a gun that competed with Sun Alchemy."

His words reflected the distinction he had made between the two children.

Vera’s V-01 VOLT was an extraordinary achievement, and he could understand why the Duke would recognize it with such an exceptional reward.

But Ezra?

The boy’s use of the Law of Inversion had certainly attracted attention, yet the decision to grant him a signature firearm as well was difficult for some of the Elders to accept.

"Ye—"

Fredricks began to reply.

But before he could finish, Valentine’s voice carried across the hall again.

"That is the reward for the new form of Law of Inversion utilization."

Despite the growing noise, the Duke continued without raising his voice.

The people who had been whispering gradually turned their attention back towards him.

Whatever their personal opinions, they knew better than to disregard the words of the head of the Ashenlocke Family while he was making an official announcement.

Valentine looked at Ezra with his indifferent black eyes.

"For assisting me with the enlightenment I gained to break through into this new Alchemist rank, I award you a second signature firearm."

His tone remained straightforward.

The hall fell quiet.

This time, the silence came more quickly, as though the people present needed to hear the statement once more before they could accept what it meant.

The Duke had already awarded Ezra the right to one signature firearm for his new application of the Law of Inversion.

Now he was granting him another for the assistance he had provided in helping Valentine gain the enlightenment needed to break through into his new Alchemist rank.

The two rewards had been given for different reasons.

And together, they amounted to something few people would have expected.

Two signature firearms?

The thought crossed the minds of many people in the hall.

Some looked at Ezra, while others turned towards the Duke, searching his expression for any sign that he might be making a joke.

But Valentine’s face remained unchanged.

He had made his decision.

"From these awards, both you and Vera will have to produce a second model of the firearms that will become your signature Gun Alchemy for the Family. That is what Law 682 of the Ashenlocke rules, which is also part of Britannia’s law, requires."

Valentine shifted his gaze between Vera and Ezra.

The statement added another part to the arrangement.

Their signature firearms would remain their own, but the law also required them to produce a second model for the Family.

The reward did not mean that the Ashenlocke Family would be left with nothing from their achievements. Rather, it recognized the creators while still requiring them to contribute to the Family’s development.

Valentine looked at the two children.

"Do you accept?"

"Yes, Duke."

Ezra and Vera answered at the same time.

Their voices were calm and clear.

"We humbly accept your gift."

Both children lowered their heads a little further, tightening their right hands against their chests as they made their acceptance known.

Neither attempted to add anything to the moment.

There was no need.

The Duke had presented the terms, and they had accepted them. Whatever work lay ahead in developing the required second models, they would deal with it when the time came.

"Good."

Valentine gave a simple response.

With the matter settled, he turned away from the children.

"Eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves."

He spoke calmly as he began walking towards the entrance of the hall.

Stoke Ashforge followed him, and the Head of the Servants of Ash went after them.

The Duke’s departure marked the end of his part in the ceremony, though the gathering itself was far from over.

The Duchesses and the Duke’s other children remained behind.

As Valentine left, the conversations that had been held back during his announcement gradually returned.

Voices rose from different parts of the hall, and people began turning towards those standing beside them to discuss what they had just witnessed.

The atmosphere became lively once more.

Of course, the Duke’s personal gifts quickly became the main subject of conversation.

Many people were still struggling to understand why he had chosen to grant such exceptional rewards to Vera and Ezra.

A signature firearm was already an extraordinary honour for a Gun Alchemist, yet Ezra had been given the right to two.

The announcement had surprised even some of the Elders, who had initially questioned whether the rewards were appropriate.

Still, others had little difficulty understanding the Duke’s decision.

Vera and Ezra were not ordinary young Gun Alchemists.

They were the only two Gun Alchemists to have created phenomena that challenged the established understanding of their Path.

Vera had developed the V-01 VOLT, a firearm whose capabilities surpassed what many had expected from a weapon like the Stormpiercer, which was way above the rank of the VOLT.

Ezra, meanwhile, had demonstrated a new application of the Law of Inversion that could change how the power of a gun’s ammunition was enhanced.

Their achievements were different, but both had the potential to change the direction of Gun Alchemy.

And the Duke had recognized that potential.

If anyone deserved such a reward, then it had to be those two.