Chapter 676: Weightless

Ezra straightened his back and settled properly on the throw pillow.

He adjusted his sitting position, making sure he wouldn’t lose his balance again.

"Focus, Young Alchemist."

Duke Valentine spoke firmly, his eyes resting on Ezra.

The words brought Ezra’s attention back to the Colt 1911 in his hands.

He had been so focused on examining the firearm that he had nearly forgotten how it had reached him in the first place.

Ezra lowered his gaze to the handgun.

His expression remained mostly plain, but a trace of surprise showed in his eyes.

"It’s weightless."

The words escaped him in faint shock.

When he had caught the Colt 1911, he had felt its weight.

The force behind its flight had nearly sent him rolling off the throw pillow, even though the Duke hadn’t used much strength to propel it towards him.

Yet now, the firearm felt almost as if he were holding nothing at all.

Ezra adjusted his grip, moving his fingers around the handle before raising the pistol slightly.

He could still feel its shape against his palms, but its weight was so close to nothing that it was difficult to compare it with an ordinary Colt 1911.

He examined the weapon again.

This is nothing like the level of lightness I can achieve with the Colt 1911 I create.

He had already made his own firearms lighter by changing the physical properties of the materials used for their components through his Gun Alchemy Circle conversion.

However, the result he was feeling now was on another level.

The Duke had achieved something Ezra couldn’t reproduce through his current method.

"Well, unlike you, who was able to achieve this with multiple Alchemy Symbols, I used a Master Symbol, which is basically... Concepts."

Duke Valentine explained calmly.

He rested his cheek against his right hand, with his elbow supported by his raised leg.

His gaze remained on Ezra as the young Gun Alchemist continued examining the Colt.

There was no need to hide the difference between their methods.

Ezra had managed to produce many remarkable results through his own understanding of Gun Alchemy.

The coating of bullets with the Law of Inversion was one example.

Another was his use of Overload to create a soundless firing order, a secret that the Elders and many Gun Alchemists had been keeping quiet about because Valentine had instructed them to do so.

Then there were his inventions.

The Black Magnetic Gloves were especially worth mentioning.

Duke Valentine watched Ezra turn the Colt slightly in his hands, examining its shape and balance.

This young Gun Alchemist’s mind seems to have no limits.

The thought came to him naturally.

As the Queen said, it truly is like an endless ocean.

Ezra’s creations had continued to surprise him.

Each time Valentine thought he had understood the young man’s abilities, another invention or technique revealed something new.

It was difficult not to wonder what else Ezra might accomplish in the future.

If only we had an Alchemist like him before the War of Aether.

Perhaps we wouldn’t have lost so many people because of the Ashenlocke family’s weakness.

His thoughts grew heavier.

The Duke’s gaze drifted away from Ezra for a moment.

The training ground remained as it had been, with the sandy floor beneath them and the distant sound of gunfire continuing from Veda’s side.

Yet Valentine was no longer thinking about the firearms.

I truly failed you, Mother.

He remembered his father, whose condition had completely deteriorated after losing the woman he loved.

Father became a ruined man after losing you.

Valentine’s fingers rested against his cheek.

His expression remained calm, but his thoughts carried a weight that had nothing to do with the Colt 1911.

He had seen what the loss had done to his family.

He had also seen how close the Ashenlocke House had come to falling apart.

But that would not happen again.

Now, I won’t let this family fall into ruin like how we almost ruin the family.

His gaze returned to Ezra.

I will make sure this family’s bright future blooms.

He had no intention of allowing the Ashenlocke House to suffer the same fate as those who had already fallen.

Whatever challenges awaited them, he would do everything within his power to protect the family.

Until the day I die, I will keep protecting them, just as you protected me.

An image crossed his mind.

It was a memory of a time when his family had been happy, when they could gather together and enjoy each other’s company without the burdens that had later fallen upon them.

The memory was brief, but it brought a faint smile to his lips.

"I wonder how Aurora would react to finding out that her daughter has found someone she likes."

He folded his arms and muttered the words to himself.

Ezra didn’t hear him.

The young Gun Alchemist was still focused on the Colt 1911, turning it slightly in his hands as he tried to understand how the Duke had achieved such a result.

He didn’t notice Valentine’s faint smile or hear his quiet remark.

His attention remained on the firearm.

"That’s enough."

Duke Valentine spoke calmly.

The Colt 1911 vanished from Ezra’s hands, breaking apart into fine dust that scattered through the air before settling towards the sandy ground.

Ezra watched the last traces disappear.

"Let’s begin your training, Ezra Ashenlocke."

The Duke of Ash remained seated as he spoke.

Ezra stood up immediately, brushing his hands against his training clothes before adjusting the fabric around his waist.

This was his first time receiving personal training from a Gun Alchemist who was completely out of his league.

He had already learned a great deal through his own experience, but there was a clear difference between learning through trial and error and being taught by someone who had reached a level far beyond his own.

Ezra was quietly interested in what he would learn.

He straightened his training clothes and faced the Duke, ready to begin.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out from Veda’s side.

The young lord was still undergoing his training, continuing his attempts to hit the required number of bullseyes while keeping the five Blacksteel boulders suspended around him.

Neither Ezra nor Duke Valentine paid much attention to the sound.

The Duke looked calmly at Ezra.

For a while, he said nothing.

Ezra waited without asking questions.

He had no reason to rush the conversation.

If the Duke needed a moment to decide where to begin, he could wait.

"I don’t have anything to teach you about firearms, since you basically know more about them than I do."

Valentine spoke honestly.

"Unfortunately, I’m not involved in creating new guns. If Val were here, he would be the best person to train you."

He didn’t try to hide his limitations.

Ezra had already demonstrated that his knowledge of firearms went beyond what Valentine could teach him in that area, and pretending otherwise would serve no purpose.

"So, your training will focus more on using your firearms to strengthen your personal martial arts."

The Duke’s words became more direct.

He raised his right hand and pointed his index finger towards Ezra.

"Watching your martial arts, it’s obvious that you’re using something very different from the Ashenlocke Steel Sutra."

Ezra remained still, listening.

The Ashenlocke Steel Sutra was not the method he relied on for all his movements.

His own martial arts had developed along a different path, and Valentine had noticed that difference while watching his fights.

"And your martial arts make you one of the best martial artists I’ve seen, except for the people I’ve met in the Zenith Empire. Although..."

The Duke placed his right hand against his chin, considering his next words.

"Your martial arts are quite close to the level of a top ordinary human martial artist in that empire."

He spoke thoughtfully.

It wasn’t an insult.

Valentine was comparing Ezra’s skill with the standards he had encountered elsewhere, and the fact that he made the comparison at all showed how closely he had studied the young man’s performance.

Ezra listened without interrupting.

Valentine had already watched recordings of several of his matches.

He wasn’t making his judgment from a single fight or a brief demonstration.

"I’ve already watched your best matches. The one against the Lady of Drakes, the son of Vivian Derlis, Lyra, and that boy who used the Golden Flames."

He listed the names of Ezra’s toughest opponents during the Combat Festival.

Each match had shown a different part of Ezra’s abilities.

Some had forced him to rely on his martial arts, while others had required him to use his firearms and Alchemy together.

The Duke had taken the time to examine those battles.

"You showed glimpses of using Alchemy Levitation and your firearms alongside your martial arts. But the problem is that you haven’t made it a consistent method in your fights."

Valentine lowered his hand from his chin.

"And you’re good at multitasking, even at the Adept Alchemist rank."

He explained his observations plainly.

He wasn’t praising Ezra merely to make him feel good.

He pointed out the areas where the young Alchemist had performed well, then explained where his approach still had weaknesses.

Ezra looked at him with his usual expression.

Outwardly, he appeared as calm as ever. Internally, however, he felt a faint surprise.

He hadn’t realized that one of his mistakes was how inconsistently he combined his Tai Chi Art with his Gun Alchemy during the Combat Festival.

He had thought about his weapons, his Alchemy, and the way he moved during those fights.

But he hadn’t fully considered how often he had failed to bring all those elements together when the opportunity was there.

Now that the Duke had pointed it out, Ezra began reviewing the matches in his mind.

Against Willow Derlis...

He recalled the fight and considered how he had handled the situation.

He hadn’t used the method.

The realization came without much difficulty once he looked at the match from that angle.

He had relied on other ways to handle the battle, even though he could have integrated his martial arts and firearms more effectively.

Then he thought about Maxwell.

There had been parts of that fight when he had also failed to use the same method.

Ezra’s gaze lowered slightly as he reviewed the memories.

There were several moments throughout the Combat Festival when he could have combined his techniques but hadn’t done so.

It wasn’t that he lacked the ability to use them together.

The problem was that he hadn’t made their integration a consistent part of his fighting method.

He had treated them as tools he could draw upon when needed, rather than as parts of a single approach.

That was the weakness Valentine had noticed.

Ezra understood the point.

His thoughts moved towards what he could achieve if he corrected it.

He imagined combining the fluid movements of his Tai Chi Art with the control offered by Alchemy Levitation.

Instead of merely moving his own body while handling a firearm, he could control his movements and the position of his weapons as part of the same sequence.

His body would move.

His firearms would move with him.

And his control over Alchemy Levitation could allow him to manipulate their positions while he continued fighting, rather than treating each action as a separate task.

He could already picture how the method might work in combat.

The idea was worth exploring.

"So, now..."

Duke Valentine spoke again, his tone turning serious.

"I want you to completely integrate all your techniques into your Alchemy Strategy."

He pointed towards Ezra once more.

Ezra nodded.

He understood what the Duke wanted him to work on.

It wasn’t about learning an entirely new martial art or replacing his existing techniques.

He needed to bring what he already knew together and make better use of it during a fight.

Valentine lowered his hand and gestured towards the Servants watching from a distance.

A group of Servants of Ash bowed in response before leaving the training ground.

Their footsteps faded as they entered the nearby building.

A short while later, they returned carrying a crate filled with short, fully made Blacksteel rods.

The Servants carried the crate carefully, keeping it level as they brought it towards the training area.

The rods shifted slightly against one another with a muted clatter.

A butler stepped forward and turned towards Ezra.

"Please come this way, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

He extended his hand towards the room where Ezra would train.

Ezra nodded politely before following him.

The butler led him inside, with the Servants carrying the crate behind them.

Once they entered the room, a maid approached the wall and switched on the lights.

The room brightened.

Ezra looked ahead and saw numerous poles arranged across the floor.

They had been set out for balance training, with enough space between them for someone to move through the arrangement.

He studied the layout, taking in the positions of the poles as he stepped farther into the room.

This was where his training would begin.