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𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞
“Iris?! Here?”
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Alma raises her voice in surprise.
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However, Luke was quite serious.
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“There’s no mistake. I knew it as soon as I saw the pattern engraved on this water gate. It’s a magical pattern that master came up with on her own, sort of like master’s signature.”
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As he says this, touching the pattern, Luke’s face shows a mix of affection and anger at the destruction of the water gate.
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“Wait, wait a minute, what are you guys talking about? What do you mean by ‘master’?”
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Only Miranda is left blinking in confusion.
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“That’s not good. . . but oh well.”
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Luke, who had a moment of surprise, switches gears and briefly explains his situation to Miranda.
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“So. . . you’re saying that your master is the demon Iris, and she’s the one who built this ancient water gate? Can the demon Iris really do something like that?”
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“She can, that’s the thing. She’s really an incredible person, so I think she could probably finish something like this by noon if she started in the morning.”
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Alma shrugs and sighs.
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“T, That’s amazing. . .”
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Miranda wipes her sweat.
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“It’s hard to believe, but if you defeated Balthazar, it’s not strange. But why would your master build this ancient water gate. . .?
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“It’s for this magical essence.”
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Luke answers, looking at the water gate.
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“Beyond this mountain is the demon realm. Because of that, the spring water gets mixed with magical essence. This is a kind of filter that prevents magical essence from getting into the water.”
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“You can tell all that!”
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“I’m just guessing from the magical pattern, so I only know to a certain extent. The magical tools that the master makes are often too complicated for me to handle.”
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“No. . . I think it’s amazing that you can understand what this is. . .”
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Miranda, who had been looking at Luke with a stunned expression, suddenly raises her face as if she had thought of something.
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“Wait, so if your master made this. . .”
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“Yes, the master made this 1000 years ago, in other words, the last time the black spot fever spread in Mercapolis.”
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Luke nods.
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“Master must have figured out that the cause of the black spot fever was in the water and installed this magical device.”
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“If that’s true, it’s a big deal. It would rewrite the history of magic.”
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Miranda swallows hard without realizing it.
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If it turns out that the demon Iris, the most feared and worst demon, the enemy of the human race, was actually saving people, it would overturn people’s perception of demons.
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Miranda can’t even imagine what kind of impact that would have on society.
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“I’m sorry, could you keep this a secret for now? It’s not convenient for master to be known yet.”
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“Ah, of course. I can’t tell anyone about this. If I spread this around, at best I’ll be treated like a crazy person, at worst I could be put on trial for heresy.”
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Miranda answered, shaking her head.
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Many of the religions that humans believe in define the demon Iris as an evil entity.
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Some even forbid mentioning it.
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“. . .Miranda-san, don’t you think I’m dangerous? I claim to be a disciple of the demon Iris.”
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“Unfortunately, I’m not very religious.”
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Miranda grinned.
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“Besides, I value facts more than doctrine. The fact I know now is that Luke, you protected Mercapolis and the forest village from the demon beast. So you’re not my enemy. At least not now, and I hope it stays that way.”
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“Thank you.”
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Luke bowed his head.
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“But why was it destroyed? If your story is true, the ancient water gate was protecting the people of Mercapolis from black spot fever, wasn’t it?”
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“The gate was destroyed recently. You can tell from the fresh damage. It probably happened within the last year, as Ralph said.”
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Luke looked up at the ruins of the water gate with a stern look.
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“And who did it, that is. . . there’s a possibility it was the 《Blue Sky Hawk》.”
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“What?!”
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Miranda was surprised by the unexpected words from Luke’s mouth.
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“They’re heroes, the city’s heroes!”
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“Do you really think so, Miranda-san?”
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“Uh. . .!”
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Miranda was at a loss for words.
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Luke’s words hit the nail on the head.
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They were hailed as heroes in the city, but Miranda didn’t think they were worthy of the title.
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They were originally a gang of thugs who had been in trouble with the security team many times.
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Then one day, they suddenly started achieving many feats as adventurers.
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People were enamored with the story of the young gangsters changing their hearts and helping people, but Miranda just couldn’t fully believe it.
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The dark rumors about the 《Blue Sky Hawk》 that she heard as a member of the security team also supported this.
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“But, why are you so confident about it? Do you have any evidence?”