WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 130

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I slowly fluttered my wings in front of Lumira. Then I looked back at her and gave my body a small sway. Sparkling powder scattered along with my movement.

Watching it, I laughed softly. Sparkling powder was practically essential for a fairy. That powder settled along the path ahead of Lumira. She slowly followed it toward me.

“The way you fought was truly amazing, mage. To defeat a child who had changed so horribly in a single blow. That was something a tiny fairy like me could never do!”

Praise could make even a mage dance. Even more so inside a dream. With my eyes shining, I landed lightly on Lumira’s shoulder. She accepted me naturally and nodded with a satisfied look.

She slowly headed into the tower along the passage. Sitting on her shoulder, I looked around. I had seen it through the crystal ball, but stepping directly into the dream felt completely different.

When I viewed dreams through the crystal ball, they usually looked unmistakably like dreams. The walls would ripple or blur. But now that I was inside one, I felt as if I would never notice this was a dream at all.

I glanced at Lumira. That must have been why she had not woken up easily. She must have recognized this place as reality. Soon, we reached the open hall on the first floor. It was the place where she had fought the wolf puppet twenty times.

It was not time to go up to the second floor yet. I needed to check Lumira’s condition first. Normally, someone like me interfering with a mage from the sixth floor would be absurd, but inside a dream, it was possible.

I flew up from her shoulder and lightly fluttered my wings. Then I slowly examined the open hall. The traces of that fierce battle had vanished cleanly. As if it had always been this way.

The wolf puppet I had come looking for was the same. It too had disappeared without a trace. Once I realized that, my expression stiffened. I stopped flapping my wings and descended to the ground. Then I clicked my tongue lightly.

I had entered this place to resolve the dream. But if all I needed was to prepare a solution, that would have been fairly easy. I could simply tell Koite the method I had thought of.

Maybe I would not have needed to enter the dream at all. Even so, I had come in because I needed to confirm the cause of that puppet’s abnormality. That was why I had tried to enter as quickly as possible, but apparently I had been too late.

The wolf puppet had already vanished. The dream had long since swallowed the one whose role was finished and reduced its load. With a little regret, I lightly tapped the floor with my foot.

That was when I felt someone’s gaze. My body flinched slightly. Right, I was not alone here.

When I turned my head a little, I saw Lumira staring straight at me. She tilted her head. I could feel a slight sense of disconnect and suspicion in her eyes.

Oops. Was this because I still was not used to acting? My usual habits had slipped out just now. I touched my face. I could feel the puppet’s soft skin slightly crumpled.

I quickly smoothed it out and gave a faint smile. Then I returned to an innocent expression and made my eyes sparkle again. I flew toward Lumira and lightly leaned my head against her arm.

“I felt so sorry for that child, I just... That child wasn’t originally like that, you see. I was thinking about that and ended up showing you an unpleasant side of myself, mage!”

I placed my hand over my chest. Then I fluttered my wings and pressed even closer to Lumira. Hugging her arm, I looked up at her. Then I smiled brightly.

“Thanks to you, mage, that child was able to escape that pain too. Thank you so much! So please purify the other children too. That’s why I came to find you!”

As I said that, I met her eyes. The me reflected in her pupils had changed perfectly. I truly wore an innocent, pure expression. Even to my own eyes, I looked rather adorable.

And my eyes were only pouring out the truth. Seeing that, I grew tense for a moment. There was one thing that appeared most clearly in a space called a dream. Words.

If someone was the owner of the dream, they could easily tell whether something was a lie. A dream was a space that revolved around that person. So I always had to speak the truth.

In that sense, what I had just said was mostly true. Lumira must have felt that too, because she gently stroked my head.

“Right. I have to climb this tower too.”

Lumira nodded. The suspicion in her eyes gradually began to fade. I leaned my head against her arm again. Then I let out a small sigh where she could not see.

I needed to be careful with my behavior from now on. Examining the puppets was important, but I also had to resolve her dream.

That meant I could not forget to act like a fairy. Otherwise, I might be thrown out of the dream. I glanced at Lumira. A sixth-floor mage, huh. Once this was over, I probably would not meet her again.

She was a connection I would only brush past in a dream. Still, for now, she was my customer. So I needed to do my best in the moment. Her goal was also connected to what I wanted.

I moved my wings and flew into the air. Then I moved toward her hand. Looking at it with such a small body, even her hand seemed incredibly huge.

I grabbed Lumira’s finger with both hands and tugged. She noticed my signal and looked down at me. I smiled brightly at her and pointed toward the center of the open hall.

“How about taking a short rest first? I’ll take care of you, mage! Since you passed the first floor, this is your reward!”

Stories always needed rewards. I moved away from her and waved my finger. A small magic circle was drawn at its tip. The magical power flowing through it settled onto the floor.

Then the floor of the open hall began to rise. I touched the magic circle and slowly adjusted its shape. What had been a small mound of earth soon took the form of a chair and table.

“Tada, you can rest here! Climbing the tower is important, but relaxing your body is important too!”

Standing on the table, I waved at Lumira. Compared to the things I usually made, they were a little small. It could not be helped, since my current magical power was so low.

Even so, it was enough for one person and one fairy. Lumira slowly approached me and sat down in the chair. The magic dwelling in the chair gently supported her body.

I placed a teacup in front of her as she sank into the chair. It had been made along with the table. The teapot was the same. I lifted it and began drawing a magic circle inside.

As always, it was Perfect Tea magic. Nothing was better than warm tea for melting away a tired body. Tea slowly began filling the teapot.

“Hehe, once you taste this, you won’t be able to come to your senses. It’s my masterpiece!”

As I said that, I shook the teapot. Then hot steam rose from the gap in the spout like mist. It carried a purple color. It was a dreamy hue, just like the dream we had entered.

I quietly savored that fragrance. It filled me and began creating a pleasant haze. Feeling that, I nodded.

This was something I had prepared on purpose for when I entered a dream, and it contained part of a dream demon’s tree stem. It was also something I had torn off from the drunken dream demon before entering the university.

Drunken dream demon. I cleared my throat as I recalled that memory, still carved into me. What did the place of origin matter? As long as it tasted good, that was enough. In a space called a dream, there would be nothing tastier than this.

A dream demon’s tree was the ideal ingredient to blend with dreams. If someone took this into their body, it would surely make the dream more solid as well.

It was the perfect item for the current situation. Thinking that, I let out a light laugh. I had no idea what it would taste like either.

While I waited for the teapot to fill with tea, my eyes widened despite myself. Something I had not predicted happened.

My body could not withstand the weight of the teapot and gradually began to sink. With my current tiny body, it was hard to bear that weight.

I flapped my wings wildly and gripped the teapot tightly. Then I groaned and dragged it up. After straining with even my magical power, I barely managed to stop myself from sinking.

Lumira watched me with shining eyes. It seemed she had no intention of helping me. My whole body trembled as I quickly flapped my wings. Then I tilted the teapot and poured tea into her teacup.

Only after I poured out all the tea could I finally set the teapot down. I followed the teapot down and lay on the table. Then I sprawled there limply.

How could this be? For me to do something this stupid. It seemed the scent of the tea I had just inhaled had affected me. I could not believe I had failed to think of something so simple.

“Mweh....”

That sound leaked from my mouth. It was not something I made intentionally, but a natural flow contained in the puppet’s body. Lumira patted my head. I could clearly see amusement in those blue eyes.

“I didn’t think you wouldn’t help me.”

I puffed my cheeks a little and made a sulky face. The fairy Ian I had set up would probably act like this. Lumira seemed to like my dissatisfied attitude even more.

It was very different from how terribly prickly she was in reality. She was very soft right now. Mm, it seemed my stupid action just now had pleased her.

I gave a small nod. Yes, it had been unexpected, but if the result was good, was that not enough? Even if this was a very short dream, the more favor I gained from her, the more deeply I could seep into the dream.

I kicked off the table and flew up again. I fluttered around the table. At the same time, sparkling powder began scattering. Lumira watched it and sipped the tea in front of her.

How many sips had she taken? I saw her eyes turn blank and unfocused. After confirming that, I lightly landed on her shoulder. Just as I had been a moment ago, she had clearly become a little more intoxicated by the dream.

The reason I had used part of the hard-to-obtain dream demon tree in the tea was to induce this exact situation. The scent alone had made me stop thinking for a moment, so she must be in a very hazy state right now.

Well, I was not trying to do anything major. I was simply trying to understand her current state. Koite had instructed me to do that too. Sitting on her shoulder, I lightly whispered into her ear.

“What is your name, mage?”

“Lumira.”

“Then, Lumira, why did you come here?”

She tilted her head. Soon, though, her eyes began to grow even hazier. Those completely blurred eyes could not even focus.

“To climb the tower. That’s my long-cherished wish.”

A very clear will came from her as she muttered that. I nodded. It seemed the goal Koite had set was still properly engraved in her head.

Was this what a hundred-thousand-point option was like? Under the name of an unyielding spirit, it made her move toward her goal until the dream ended. Koite had said everything in dreams was hazy, so people easily gave up on their goals.

Thankfully, that was still working well. Then I could feel relieved. It meant she would not give up just because she died a few more times.

The questions prompted by a few sips of tea ended there. To begin with, there was no way I could bind a mage’s mind for long with just that tea. The effect ended that quickly. Lumira blinked.

Lumira looked at the teacup in her hand. Then she kept sipping it. She stroked my head with a pleased smile.

“I like it.”

She lightly tapped my head. The dream demon tree fragments mixed into the tea no longer affected her. It was simply delicious tea now.

“I’m glad it helped you, mage. But you mustn’t be satisfied with only this!”

Shouting that, I flew in front of her eyes. Then I crossed my arms and made a confident face. My appearance was reflected in her pupils. I adjusted my behavior using her eyes as a mirror.

“With my help, you won’t need to suffer like you did just now!”

Lumira tilted her head. She seemed not to understand what I meant. I raised a finger for her and pointed toward the tower’s upper floor.

“Those children all lived with me. So I know where they carry the sign of life in their bodies. If you break that, those children will stop automatically.”

I would become a kind of strategy guide myself and help her break through the puppets as quickly as possible. That was the reason I had entered the dream. At those words, Lumira’s eyes widened slightly.

I flapped my wings and sprayed powder. I gathered that powder with magical power and formed the shape of the wolf puppet. Then I gathered more powder in one place and marked its weakness.

That spot began to sparkle. It was the puppet’s eye. It was the only part where I had not given it the anti-magic resistance circuit, and along with the mana heart, it was also a core that formed the puppet.

“This was the first-floor child’s weakness. Though you probably know that too, mage!”

At my words, Lumira nodded. Her magic had pierced it. It was probably the result of instinctively seeing through that weakness. Ordinary mages usually had that instinct for victory built into them.

That was also something I lacked. Well, there was no need to think about that now. I recalled the puppets again. Just as the wolf puppet had, the other puppets all had flaws like this too.

They could be called fatal weaknesses. No matter how strong their magical power was, just like the wolf puppet from earlier, they would surely collapse as long as they were pierced.

Because that was the gathering point where every grain in their bodies came together. So by simply cutting through it, the flow of the body would naturally become tangled.

I erased the afterimage of the wolf puppet and lightly scratched my head. I had made it as a kind of safeguard because I had a slightly uneasy feeling. I had not known that feeling would turn out to be correct like this.

It was not simply because of a feeling either. While making these puppets, I had thought about many things. These were different in direction from the puppets I usually made and pursued.

The ones prepared this time were ultimately beings that had to be defeated. They could be called the villain’s minions appearing in a play. Obstacles on the path leading to Mira, the protagonist’s adversary.

So I had gathered the puppets’ grains a little more tightly to make it easier for them to hold the inner demon, while also making their weaknesses clear. Even if a problem occurred, they could still be attacked properly.

“I’ll explain the details later, so please have one more cup of tea first. There’s still plenty left, so you need to drink it all!”

“Sure.”

Lumira lightly nodded. I poured her tea again. I checked her tired face. As she sipped the tea, that fatigue slowly melted from her expression.

I had just confirmed her will. It was still clear. But I also saw traces of it having been chipped away a little. If the same thing kept repeating, I did not know how that will would wear down.

So she could not get caught for a long time on small stumbling blocks like the one just now. Time was life in this dream. The longer Lumira dragged things out here, and the more she died, the more the dream’s reality would fade.

“Now, I’ll loosen up your body too. You just need to leave your body completely to me!”

I wriggled both hands. They were adorable hands that suited this small body. I filled those hands with magical power and began gently stroking Lumira’s body. I felt faint magical power cling to my fingertips.

It was a kind of massage magic. After entering this small body, I realized again how useful the spells I had made were. Their magical power consumption was extremely low.

They had been a way to cope with my main body’s small amount of magical power, but I had not known they would be useful like this. I placed magic into my hands and began adjusting Lumira’s body.

Like that, I naturally loosened the lumps of magical power and misalignments in her body, then carefully aligned that body’s grain.

“Hehe, it feels good, right? Now, how about here?”

“Hup.”

Lumira’s head dropped. It seemed she liked it very much. Seeing that, I gave a light nod. I needed to make her body more perfect. That way, she would be able to pass the floors faster.

After spending a little time like that, I was able to tune her body splendidly. Once she checked her condition, she headed to the second floor. To the place where the next puppet was waiting.

I went with her too. Of course, things became a little troublesome. I lightly cleared my throat and subtly twisted my body. Then I fluttered my wings to escape from where I was.

Of course, my escape attempt was easily blocked. Lumira had gently caught my body. I scratched my head a little and smiled brightly at her.

“You don’t need to keep me here. I can move on my own. If not, somewhere else...”

“Shh, we’re right in front of it now.”

Lumira gently stroked my head, then pressed down. My body was softly pushed down by her strength and sank into her pocket. Feeling the firm magical power in her fingers, I eventually let my body go limp.

Perhaps she was satisfied by that, because she lightly patted my head and took her finger away. I thought about crawling out again, but I felt like I would be caught again. In the end, I had no choice but to stay trapped here.

A soft, rounded warmth wrapped around my back. The place where I was currently settled was a pocket near the chest of Lumira’s robe. It was the same place where I always carried turtle around.

I had not known because it was hidden by the robe, but her body had quite a bit of volume. I scratched my head again. Because I had kept taking care of her, she was able to head to the second floor quickly like this.

But maybe that had been a little too much. Lumira had begun treating me like a kind of pet. I felt something similar to the way I handled turtle, so I was certain.

Like that, I only poked my head out from the pocket. Even if this was a dream, I never thought I would experience turtle’s life like this.

Turtle was probably watching me through the crystal ball too. Maybe it was laughing wildly at my current state right now.

I glanced at Lumira. Still, was it because I had built up so much favor? I could no longer find her prickly self from reality. A slightly softer atmosphere had begun to flow from her.

After confirming the results of my care, I nodded in satisfaction. The dream was now accepting me completely too. I had been recognized as an official actor.

I looked around. While I had been struggling in the pocket, Lumira had already reached the open hall on the second floor. There, a scene similar to the first floor spread out.

I had already checked it through the crystal ball before. The only thing different in the open hall, which was identical in size and shape, was the puppet standing in the center.

I saw a puppet with a bull’s head and a body covered entirely in muscles standing there like a stone statue, breathing heavily. It stretched out its body and looked at us.

Looking at it, I blinked. I had thought it was rather big when I saw it through the crystal ball, but now that I saw it like this, it was beyond imagination.

Its body had swollen to more than twice the size of what I had made before. Its head almost touched the ceiling.

“Where did you say that one’s weakness was?”

Lumira muttered. At her question, I stared at it. The flow of its grain had not changed much compared to when I had made it. Only the size of its body had increased. So its weakness was clear too.

“It’s still the crown of the head.”

As I said that, I lightly tapped the crown of my own head. Uh... mm, it was a bit high. Still, it was not impossible to deal with. Lumira nodded and began drawing up her magical power.

The flow of magical power bursting out explosively was terribly violent. I had not known when I saw it through the crystal ball, but now that I was directly touching her, I could immediately feel just how powerful a mage she was.

Perhaps the bull puppet sensed that flow of magical power, because it began slowly approaching. Fierce magical power poured from it too. I looked between the two of them, crossed my arms, and put on a calm face.

Then I simply crawled back into the pocket. Mm, no need to leave this place. I wondered if there was anything I could help with, but supporting someone required at least a certain matching level.

There was nothing I could do with this body. I could only stay in here and hope she resolved this quickly. I rubbed my chin. Huh, somehow, I felt like something similar had happened before. Was it during Cassian’s time?

Lumira slowly floated into the air. Then she gathered her magical power and began drawing various magic circles. From the magic circles that appeared in the blink of an eye, countless awls were created and fired straight toward the bull puppet.

The bull puppet could not dodge that magic. As shown now, this open hall was rather narrow for it. It waved its hands and began swatting away the awls as if chasing off flies.

Many awls burst under those careless hands. Lumira frowned slightly and waved her fingers. Magical power rose from her fingertips and carefully controlled the remaining awls, dodging the puppet’s hands.

The awls under her control began slowly crawling over its body, like ants climbing a human body.

When those awls lightly jabbed at its body, the bull puppet lowered its head for a moment and tore them away without hesitation. It looked very angry.

Seeing that, Lumira’s eyes shone. The crown of its head had appeared. She waved her hand. Then the awls that received that signal quickly headed toward the crown of its head. They shot toward the center where the grain was densely gathered.

Would she succeed in one go? Ah, that thought again. I blinked. Whenever I thought like that, failure was bound to happen. As if proving it, the awls that shot forward were blocked by something and bounced off.

Dense magical power was wrapped around the crown of its head like iron armor. It lightly brushed that spot, then began charging toward us.

It was a speed that did not suit its heavy body. It looked like a wall approaching, like a huge mountain. Lumira, who was floating in the air and could not avoid it, layered protective magic.

But the bull puppet lightly snorted and swung its fist at the protective magic. It crushed the barriers like paper and struck Lumira’s body.

“Guhak!”

Lumira was hit, vomited blood, and slammed into the wall. After coughing up blood for a moment, her head dropped limply. Her eyes blurred, and with that, her body began turning transparent.

Death had arrived. And the same went for me, who had been staying in her chest pocket. It had served as a kind of cushion, but it had not blocked all the shock.

I too became half-flattened and turned transparent with her. As expected, maybe I should not wonder whether something succeeded. With that as my last thought, I returned to the tower entrance.

I gathered my woozy mind and raised my body. Then I staggered for a moment and floated into the air. Perhaps because I had been flattened and restored, flapping my wings felt a little off.

After drifting around like that, I landed in front of Lumira. She too was briefly raising magical power and checking her body. It seemed she had become very used to the process of death.

“I didn’t know there would be a magical power shield like that!”

I spoke while raising both hands high. I felt wronged. I had never made a shield like that. I put that meaning into my shining eyes and looked at her. Lumira chuckled and nodded.

“Well, if something like that is there, I guess that means it really is the weakness. Looks like you were right.”

She lifted me and put me back into her chest pocket. Slowly circulating her magical power, she began entering the tower again. It seemed she planned to challenge it once more.

The view of the second floor after we reached it again was the same as before. The bull puppet stood frozen like a statue and breathed, and its body was still absurdly huge.

She constructed magic circles again. Inside them, the awl magic from earlier was completed and fired. The magic, which simply pierced, now had an even more refined shape than before.

The process was similar to earlier. Taking advantage of the moment the bull puppet lowered its head, the awls shot toward the crown of its head. And they bounced off. Even so, she repeated that process without end.

It was solely for piercing that shield. But that shield was extremely sturdy. I too carefully observed that flow. She had to pierce the magical power shield to pierce the core.

Like that, Lumira once again failed to pierce the shield and was flattened. I was the same. But this attempt was quite helpful. I went in front of Lumira and raised my hand high.

“The places struck by the fourth and seventh awls were effective. I saw that magical power shake, so I’m sure!”

At those words, Lumira glanced at me. Her face looked slightly doubtful. I smiled brightly at her. It was certain information. I had seen the grain of that magical power shake.

Like that, we challenged it again, and following my words, she began focusing only on those two spots. Her awls pierced into the grain and were gradually sharpened, digging into that gap.

The puppet also seemed to sense the danger, because it quickly threw its body toward us. But its movement was too late. Before it could crush us, Lumira’s awl pierced through the crown of its head.

It grazed past Lumira’s body and collapsed. Its body struck the wall and created a great rumble.

Muddy magical power began leaking from its limp body. That power, which had been rippling grotesquely, gradually turned transparent. The inner demon had been purified. That transparent magical power flowed straight into Lumira.

“As expected, you’re amazing. I believed in you, mage!”

I escaped from her pocket and wildly scattered sparkling powder. It was a celebration of victory. Lumira accepted the magical power and smiled in satisfaction.

Watching her, I stroked my chin. She had succeeded on only the third try. Considering she had died twenty times while fighting the first puppet, this was a huge improvement.

It meant she had that much skill. No matter how much I told her the weakness, powerful magical power was needed to pierce through that terrible magical power.

“You’re a genius! An archmage!”

I praised Lumira recklessly like that. Maybe because I was inside a puppet body, flattery flowed very smoothly from my mouth. A little embarrassment rippled in her blue eyes. She lightly cleared her throat and closed her eyes.

“I need to control my magical power, so be quiet.”

I nodded at her. Then I fluttered my wings and lifted my body.

“Then I’ll go take a look at that child for a bit.”

Like that, I flew away from Lumira. I knew that with her personality, she would let me go if I did this. I slowly approached the bull puppet. Perhaps because the inner demon had left, its body had shriveled up.

Its appearance, with the crown of its head crushed, was rather unsightly. I briefly prayed for its peace. It would be fine once we returned to reality because this was a dream, but it was true that it had suffered.

I landed on its body. Then I began rummaging through its interior using magical power. The magical power that made a circuit through its inside returned to me.

And I could not help twitching my eyebrow as I saw those traces. Because I had confirmed where the inner demon had been. I examined its interior in detail again with magical power.

I could feel a little of the lingering scent of magical power inside it. I quietly followed that trace and reached the place where a portion of the muddy magical power remained. After clearly feeling it, I closed my eyes. Was this right? Why had something like this happened?

After being lost in thought for a moment, I raised my body. The puppet’s body was gradually becoming transparent. Since Lumira had defeated it, it too had finished its role. The bull puppet melted away and vanished.

Watching that scene, I stroked my chin. I could not be certain from this one puppet alone. The first floor and second floor were now finished. So we needed to head upstairs.

I saw Lumira rise after she seemed to have settled all her magical power. I approached her and smiled brightly.

“You cleared the second floor so easily! Shall we hurry to the next floor?”

At those words, Lumira lightly shook her head. Then she tapped her own shoulder.

“You cleared the second floor, so you need to give me a reward.”

I quietly blinked. Unlike before, she had only died twice. Her body still had plenty of strength left. Mm, had she been satisfied with what happened on the first floor? I smiled brightly and nodded. If she wanted it, I had to do it.

Like that, I set up a place again and began taking care of Lumira. And I praised her a lot. She made a satisfied face at my attitude and stretched out her body.

The same process repeated after that. As Lumira and I climbed the floors, the grain of the puppets was always clearly visible.

Third floor, five times. Fourth floor, seven times. Fifth floor, two times. She began climbing the floors without even experiencing death that many times. The awl magic she had created on the first floor grew sharper and sharper as she climbed.

At this point, it was almost being fired like a beam. Her ability to construct magic was so great that I could not even imagine it. Just training that one spell might already have been enough to make this dream worth its cost.

As expected, the world was wide and there were many talented people. With that humble mindset, I naturally accepted Lumira stroking my head.

And beneath her hand, I smiled a little bitterly. It was because of the small fragment in my hand. It had been inside the puppet on the fifth floor. Since its owner had fallen, it was gradually fading.

I had checked all the puppets on the floors we had passed so far. The fifth floor just now had been the same. And through that process, I had been able to diagnose the problem with the puppets. Namely, why the inner demons had appeared so strongly.

Originally, the puppets were supposed to act as a kind of shackle and restrain the inner demons. But my puppets were doing the exact opposite. They were not shackles. Instead, they were amplifying that power.

The reason that was possible remained in the fragment currently in my hand. I touched the fragment again. That bumpy sensation was incredibly familiar. It was a fragment that had come from my tree.

The lingering scent of magical power left by the inner demon clung to that fragment of my tree and wriggled. I lightly threw it away and stroked my chin. The fragment soon vanished completely.

Maybe this was a problem that came from me, not the puppets. Their centers had my tree in them like this.

Tree. I placed a hand over my chest. Even though I was in a puppet body, I could feel the presence of my tree. It had bloomed in my soul, after all. As if sensing my consciousness, it lightly wriggled.

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