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𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥
“. . .I understand, I was originally planning to tell everything to Alma. But before that.”
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Luke nodded to the serious gaze of Alma and lightly swung his left hand up.
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The magic light emitted from his hand enveloped the surroundings of the two.
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“This is a kind of barrier combining perception-inhibiting magic and wind magic. With this, our conversation won’t leak outside, and the people around us won’t pay attention to us, so it’s safe to talk about anything.”
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Alma was speechless with surprise.
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Perception-inhibiting magic is quite rare even in the Kingdom of Arogas, and I heard that less than five people can use it.
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Moreover, Luke just mentioned that he combined it with wind magic.
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Creating a compound magic by combining multiple magics is an achievement grand enough to sustain one’s life with just the magic formula alone.
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And Luke had executed it effortlessly, as if it was nothing.
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“Is this your unique magic, Luke?”
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Luke’s eyes sparkled as he began to speak in response to Alma’s words.
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“It’s a bit different. My unique magic is ‘Analysis’. The magic just now was a recreation of ancient magic using the power of analysis. Current magical theory states that the six elements of earth, water, fire, wind, light, and darkness oppose each other and cannot be combined. But ancient magicians are said to have mastered compound magic combining multiple elements. So, I’m researching to recreate ancient magic by analyzing current magic. It’s impossible to combine completely opposing elements, but it seems there are some that can be combined. . . sorry, this talk might not be interesting.”
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Luke, who had been talking with great enthusiasm, blushed apologetically seeing Alma’s astonished expression.
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Seeing this, Alma smiled.
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“No, not at all. I’m just relieved that Luke hasn’t changed. Even though you can use incredible magic, you’re still the same Luke.”
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During their school days, Luke and Alma often engaged in magical discussions like this, sometimes spending entire holidays on it.
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For Alma, these were irreplaceable memories of their school days.
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Relieved by her words, Luke returned to a serious expression and gazed at Alma again.
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“The story I’m about to tell is a secret just between us two. I want you to keep it from everyone, even your father, Alma. Can you promise me that?”
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Alma nodded, swallowing hard.
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The magic Luke had just demonstrated was enough for her to understand that this was not something to be carelessly disclosed.
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With a smile, Luke began to speak.
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“This starts from when I returned to the mansion. . .”
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“Unbelievable. . .”
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Alma exhaled deeply.
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“Such a thing happening to Luke. . .”
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The story Luke had told exceeded Alma’s imagination.
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Attacked by an assassin in the mountains, saved by a sealed demon, becoming its disciple, learning magic, and returning – no wonder it was unbelievable.
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Alma would have never believed it had it not been told by Luke himself.
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But seeing Luke in person, she had to believe it was true.
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Luke’s transformation was evident of that.
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“So, your hair too. . .”
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“Yes, it had already turned like this when my master saved me. I think it turned white due to the shock of being slashed and falling into the river.”
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A scar from a sword wound and a red-glowing artificial eye appeared from behind his brushed-up hair.
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“That’s terrible. . .”
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Alma, seeing this, covered her mouth in shock.
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“Ah, but it’s not all bad. Thanks to this injury, I became able to use magic. Now, I’m even thankful for it. This artificial eye lets me see more than before, and look, this prosthetic arm works just like a real one.”
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Luke revealed his prosthetic arm by removing a long glove.
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It was covered in a translucent material, shimmering silver over a black skeleton.
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“This is made from the horn of the Emperor Dragon Galva, covered with Adamant Slime. I move it with my magical power, so it functions just like a normal arm.”
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Its movement, clenching and unclenching, was indistinguishable from a normal hand.
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It was also unprecedented in magical prosthetic technology.
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“Truly amazing magic technology. . . Luke’s master, the demon Iris, must possess magic beyond human understanding.”
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Luke’s story was beyond Alma’s comprehension, like a tale of fantasy.
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“Yes, I owe everything to master. I learned not only how to use magic but its history and laws, everything from scratch. Without master, I wouldn’t be who I am today. . . .But, Alma? What’s wrong?”
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Alma had collapsed onto the table.
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A heavy atmosphere enveloped her.
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“Luke is amazing. . . To endure such near-death experiences and return with such powerful magic. And in contrast, there’s me. . .”
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She murmured in a voice that sounded almost crushed.
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“So, about that, could you tell me your story next? I always thought you were with the Seraglio Guards, but why the Guard Corps?”
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Feeling the mood turn, Luke hastily changed the topic, inadvertently making Alma feel worse.
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“To be honest, I lost the ability to use my unique magic, so the talks of joining the Seraglio Guards fell through.”
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She muttered, face still pressed against the table.
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“Alma? That’s ridiculous!”
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“I can use regular magic, but for some reason, I just can’t activate my unique magic.”
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Alma lifted her face and picked up a knife from the table.
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“Swordplay Enhancement!”
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With the declaration, the knife she held was enveloped in a faint light. . . and then it quickly vanished.
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She swung the knife down onto an iron plate in front of her.
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With a clink, the knife was stopped by the iron plate.
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Alma’s unique magic was supposed to be an enhancement spell that multiplied her attack power several times.
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If it were the unique magic of Alma that Luke knew, it would have split the thick oak table along with the iron plate.
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“See? I can’t use my unique magic at all now. That’s why the recommendation to the Seraglio Guards is gone. And by the way, the marriage proposal with the prince was also canceled. I was rather grateful for that, but the promise to become a splendid magic knight. . . Luke?”
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Alma raised her voice in surprise in the middle of her speech.
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It was because Luke suddenly grabbed her hand.
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Ignoring the surprised Alma, Luke continued to stare at the hand he had grabbed.
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His left prosthetic eye, hidden by his hair, was emitting a red light.
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“. . .Yeah, I’ve pretty much figured it out.”
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After a while, Luke nodded.
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“Don’t worry, Alma’s unique magic hasn’t disappeared. I think it will be usable again.”
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“Really?”
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Alma’s eyes widened in surprise.
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“I guarantee it. Actually, I have also become able to use my unique magic. My unique magic is ‘analysis’, and as the name suggests, it can analyze anything. Using that power, I checked Alma’s internal magic formula, and it was definitely there. Probably, the activation conditions have changed due to physical growth.”
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“Change due to growth? Is that possible?!”
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“Yes, in fact, it’s not unusual. ‘Depletion’ and such, the phenomenon of suddenly becoming unable to use magic in one’s teens is often due to rapid physical growth.”
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“Is that so. . .”
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It was no wonder Alma was surprised.
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Because she had not learned such a thing even in the magic theory classes at the academy.
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“If you follow the correct steps, Alma’s unique magic will definitely revive. For that, I need to analyze Alma for a while longer. . . Oh, can I help you with your work for a while?”
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“T, That’s. . . I think it’s fine, but. . . why?”
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“Yes, at the academy, unique magic is selected by appraisal magic, right? But with that method, you only know the magic that is easy to detect by appraisal. Internal magic formulas originally exist in multiples, and among them, the one that manifests most easily becomes the unique magic, but with the academy’s method, you intensively train only the magic that is detected by appraisal, so it’s not necessarily the unique magic that really suits the person. And such fixed unique magic can sometimes become unusable during growth.”
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So, Luke continued.
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“Could you let me observe Alma for a while? If I analyze during that time, I think we can find out what magic really suits Alma. How about it?”
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“That’s. . . really, really happy! Just having Luke by my side is enough!”
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Alma answered with a flushed face.
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“Ah, but the guards work in teams or pairs, right? Will I be in the way?”
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“That should be fine. I think my pair will understand if I talk to them. And it’s common to ask for civilian cooperation during investigations.”
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“That’s good then. For now, I’ll support Alma as a civilian collaborator.”
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When Luke waved his hand lightly, the barrier that had been set around disappeared.
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“Then let’s leave this matter here for now, what should we do next? I haven’t been to St. Arrogas in a while, so I’d be happy if you could show me around.”
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“Of course! “
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Alma stands up energetically.
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“I’m in charge of the guards, so you can leave the matters of this town to me! There are many special places I wanted to show Luke!”