Last Gun Alchemist-Chapter 85: Fifth Trial—Tower Defense Part Nine

Ezra climbed the narrow stone stairs slowly, the sound of his boots making faint echoes against the rough walls of the castle. His face remained expressionless as usual, showing almost nothing of what he was thinking. When he reached the top floor, he saw Veda already standing there.

Veda was surrounded by several members of his group, including Nickolas. He was speaking to them seriously, pointing toward different directions outside the castle walls while giving instructions about the tasks they needed to complete next.

The others listened carefully before nodding and leaving to carry out their assigned duties.

Only when the group finally dispersed did Ezra walk closer.

"So," Ezra said calmly, stopping a few steps away from Veda, "what do you need me for?"

"Yeah, it’s about the traps," Veda replied, rubbing the back of his neck while glancing toward the field outside.

Ezra raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What about them? You want me to set them up?"

He looked at Veda with a dry expression.

"I’m actually surprised you didn’t think of using traps earlier. I thought you might have forgotten about them completely."

Veda laughed awkwardly, though it sounded slightly forced.

"Well... I didn’t forget," he replied. "It’s just that most of the points we had were already used."

He began counting with his fingers as he explained.

"We spent a lot on materials for alchemy, some equipment for daily survival, and a few weapons."

He sighed.

"So, there wasn’t much left to buy equipment for proper traps."

Ezra stared at him quietly for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head.

"Well then," he said, "what equipment did you manage to get in the end?"

Veda thought for a moment.

"We got some ropes," he said while raising one finger.

"And I think we also bought some fuel that could work for fire traps."

He paused again.

"...That’s about it."

"I see."

Ezra stepped closer to the stone barricade and leaned forward slightly.

From there he could see the open field surrounding the castle. Several members of the group were dragging the bodies of the Silverback Dire Wolves across the ground toward the burial pits they had dug earlier.

The grass was flattened in many places where the battle had taken place.

After watching the scene for a moment, Ezra spoke again.

"We can cut down some logs from the nearby forest and sharpen them into spikes," he said calmly.

"Then we dig holes all around the front of the castle walls and plant those spikes inside them."

He turned slightly toward Veda.

"Similar to the traps I placed behind the castle on the first day."

Veda nodded immediately.

"Right, like the ones you set up at the back."

He crossed his arms while imagining the layout.

"That would definitely work."

Then he suddenly added another idea.

"I was also thinking... Since we have some flammable liquid, we could pour it over the boulders and light them on fire before launching them at the monsters with the catapults."

Ezra slowly turned his head toward him.

"And set the entire battlefield on fire along with the monsters?" he asked flatly.

Veda froze for a moment before letting out another awkward laugh.

"I was joking," he said quickly.

But then his expression became serious.

"Still... if only we had explosives like the ones you used one the second day, we could build some powerful traps with them."

"True," Ezra replied with a small nod.

At that moment...

"Sir Veda!"

Linda’s voice suddenly echoed from the staircase.

She quickly climbed the remaining steps and appeared on the castle’s second floor.

The moment she saw Ezra standing beside Veda, her expression changed immediately. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glared at him.

Then, just as quickly, she turned back to Veda and replaced that expression with a bright smile.

Ezra didn’t react at all.

He simply looked at both of them quietly.

"Where are we going to store all our things?" Linda asked.

Her tone carried a hint of concern.

"You know we’ll need our space bags to carry the boulders for the catapults. We can’t just leave our personal supplies with random people."

She crossed her arms slightly.

"That would be too risky."

Veda nodded in understanding.

"We’ll store everything inside the tower control room," he said, pointing behind him.

"I’ll stay there with Mariam and guard everyone’s belongings."

Linda relaxed slightly.

"Okay," she said with a nod.

"I trust you."

Veda then turned back toward Ezra.

"So, what’s your plan for the traps?"

Ezra answered immediately.

"I’ll draw a layout showing where each trap should be placed. If everyone works efficiently, we should be able to set the entire front field with traps before the second wave arrives."

"Thanks," Veda said sincerely.

He tapped Linda lightly on the shoulder.

"Let’s go."

Linda was still staring at Ezra with irritation.

"What traps are you guys talking about?" she asked while walking beside Veda.

Ezra didn’t bother answering.

He simply watched them walk toward the tower control room.

After they disappeared inside, Ezra turned around and began walking back toward his tent.

He needed a quiet place to start drawing the trap layout.

The rest of the day passed with everyone working tirelessly.

Some members continued removing and burying the bodies of the Silverback Dire Wolves.

Others worked with joint alchemy, maintaining their weapons.

The sounds of metal being cleaned and sharpened filled the air.

They inspected their AK-47s, Big-4barrel revolvers, Acu-Vector Mk.I. weapons, swords, spears, and other equipment.

At the same time, they produced additional bullets to refill their ammunition supplies.

Meanwhile, the scout team left the castle to negotiate with Henry’s group for access to the nearby mountain where large boulders could be gathered.

Time moved slowly.

Eventually Ezra finished drawing the trap layout and brought the sketches to the tower control room for Veda.

After handing them over, he returned to help the others bury the remaining wolf corpses.

Even though everyone was busy working, a quiet anxiety remained in the air.

The second wave could arrive at any time.

Because of that, several members were assigned to act as watchers, standing on high ground and scanning the distant horizon carefully.

Fortunately, Ezra’s prediction turned out to be correct.

The second wave did not arrive that day and gradually, people began to relax.

When evening approached, the group that had been burying wolves finally returned inside the castle walls.

The work was far from finished—the number of dead wolves was enormous, but they had made steady progress.

Everyone looked exhausted.

Most of them immediately went to wash the dust and damp soil from their bodies and clothes.

The scout team returned shortly afterward, just as the group was preparing to cook dinner.

Some of the scouts were also responsible for cooking, so everyone had to wait a little longer.

Soon the castle came alive with warm light.

Wooden torches were lit along the walls.

More torches illuminated part of the field outside the castle, the soft orange glow pushed back the darkness of the evening.

Linda sat heavily on a long wooden bench, her shoulders drooping with fatigue.

She dropped her space bag onto the ground.

Thud.

The bag hit the sand floor with a dull sound, dust rising from the bottom.

The others around her did the same.

Nickolas walked over and handed her a bottle of water.

"Ahhh... I’m exhausted," Linda groaned while rolling her shoulders.

"You can say that again," Tracy muttered from the ground nearby, lying flat on her back.

"Are you two still able to help cook?" Nickolas asked.

Linda and Tracy looked at each other.

Then they looked at Nickolas.

"Let us rest first," they said at the same time.

Linda opened the bottle and drank deeply.

Drops of water slid down her chin and fell onto her black shirt, which was already soaked with sweat.

"Ahhh..."

She let out a long breath of relief.

"I miss cold drinking water."

Tracy nodded in agreement. "You can say that again"

Nearby, several members began carrying the newly collected boulders.

Three people struggled together to lift each one, they didn’t use much of their Cognis to enhance their strength to conserve it, only using it for battle.

They stacked them beside the stairs leading to the upper wall.

"So how many did you manage to bring?" Nickolas asked.

"Not many," Tracy replied with a tired wave.

"Only sixteen. The space bags couldn’t hold more because of the weight."

"What about Sir Henry?" Nickolas asked. "How did the negotiation go?"

"It went smoothly," Linda said with a small smirk.

She glanced toward the tower.

"Sir Veda is still up there." She stood up.

"We should get our things back and start cooking." She turned toward Tracy.

"Ehhh... can you help bring mine too?" Tracy pleaded lazily.

"Get your ass up," Linda said, smacking her stomach lightly.

"Ouch!"

Tracy jumped up.

"Mean," she complained while puffing her cheeks.

The scout team followed them toward the tower.

Meanwhile, Ezra sat quietly in his beach chair beside his tent. He had already eaten from the food supplies he kept for himself and now he simply rested.

His eyes drifted toward the field outside the castle.

Earlier, while helping bury the wolves, he had felt something strange.

The battlefield, the smell of blood, the sight of bodies.

It all felt strangely familiar.

His past life had experienced countless battlefields like this.

Yet for the Ezra of this world...

Everything still felt new and yet...

That strange feeling kept returning, the tension before a battle, the rising excitement.

The sharp focus.

A quiet sugar rush of anticipation.

Ezra slowly exhaled.

The next day arrived and the group’s routine continued.

Some members returned to burying the remaining corpses, others worked with joint alchemy to produce more guns and ammunition.

The scouts continued collecting boulders.

Their goal was to gather at least fifty—ten for each catapult.

Another group began constructing the traps based on Ezra’s drawings.

Meanwhile, Ezra volunteered to scout the unexplored side of the forest beyond the castle.

It was an area Veda’s group had never investigated before.

Leaving such a place unchecked was dangerous and Ezra decided to go alone.

He moved quickly through the forest.

Jumping from one tree branch to another like a monkey, enhancing his body with Cognis.

His legs pushed him forward with powerful bursts, his eyesight sharpened, hearing stretched across the forest and his arms gripped branches with precise strength.

While traveling through the forest, Ezra discovered several useful locations.

A small mountain region with plenty of large boulders, a narrow stream flowing between trees.

He paused there briefly to test the water and check if it was clean, then he continued moving.

That was when...He heard voices.

Ezra immediately stopped.

Without hesitation he concealed himself in the bushes.

He quickly covered parts of his clothing with branches and leaves, blending his body with the surrounding greenery.

At the same time, he suppressed his presence with Cognis.

He stayed completely still.

Waiting, watching and listening.

The voices were getting closer.

Ezra’s eyes sharpened as he stared toward the direction the sounds were coming from.