The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

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【Mine City Tandarl】 was located in a mountain range adjoining Baldok Mountain, a place where one could mine high-quality ores.

The 【War God Temple】 was surrounded by walls on all four sides while situated high up, allowing for an unobstructed view over the city. Since ancient times, this temple had been a meeting place for all kinds of martial artists involved with swordsmanship - be it practitioners of the Flying Sword Style, Peerless Sword Style and King Sword Style or those using their own, unique styles - from all over the world, for the sake of improving their skills or to test their abilities against likeminded spirits.

At present, the third rank of the Eight Divine Spear God Ranking, Prodigy Tereys Lulouch, and the fifth rank, Single Spear Acueray Achilles were using the temple, striving in their training day and night.

At the same time, the underground and underworld of Tandarl was a melting pot of countless religious groups, which stood under the influence of various gods, and dark guilds, formed out of martial artist dropouts, which endlessly kept fighting each other over turf, and especially, mining rights.

Even at this very moment, a battle between 【Large Bird's Flower】 and 【Shadow Wing Brigade】 was taking place. A man with brown skin and an aura of dignity appeared at the upper part of a hill road in hot pursuit of the men escaping downhill.

In response, several of the men stopped, and turned around. Tenaciousness dyed their faces. As if having resolved themselves for the worst, they nodded at each other, and adopted martial arts stances to demonstrate their own might. They slowly turned the points of their preferred weapons at the man who was glaring down on them from uphill.

That man possessed very characteristic, plump ears. Earrings adorned his long, hanging earlobes. He started to sprint, and then jumped downhill.

"――Haaah!" He yelled out his fighting spirit through the mask covering his mouth.

At the same time, the ocher longsword in his hand lunged downwards, splitting the head of the man in front of him right down the middle with one stroke. Accompanied by a sound as audible when a head was cut open by an ax, blood and brain matter spurted into the vicinity.

For the sake of avenging his slain comrade, a tiger beastmen shouted, "Fuck it! He got Hago! I'll kill you!", as he slashed at the man from diagonally below.

However, the man swiftly turned, whirling his blood-stained longsword around. The decisive counterattack cut through the beastman's abdomen. But, the man's momentum didn't stop at that. His movements looked like he had been granted some kind of blessing by a god or spirit.

While the man dashed towards his next opponent, a spear user, he not only attacked with his sword, but also his words, "Ye sh*theads' spear range is completely useless――"

With a slight delay, his bloody longsword followed his insult. It was the execution of a diagonal slash that was close to a Flying Sword skill which hid the sword's trajectory within blood sprays. The sword's blade sank into the spear user from the top of his shoulder.

After pulling out the longsword, the man swung his sword to clear away the blood clinging to the blade, and broke into a run once again while firmly clenching down on the hilt. His stride was noisy, as if to showcase his thick, muscular legs. Kicking off a hard stone podest, the man rushed downhill.

A green-haired spear user at the hill's bottom had put on a bloodcurdling expression after having watched his friends being killed off one after the other, and loudly declared, "I won't let you do as you please any longer!", while pointing the spearhead at the man.

But even though the longsword-wielder saw the spear pointed at him, he closed the distance without slowing down at all. He shifted the mana-laden sword blade to the left, striking the spearhead, and thus easily repelling the thrusting skill which obviously belonged to the speamanship's skill family.

As soon as the man closed the distance to the spear-wielder by infusing mana into his legs, he swung his longsword down with tremendous speed, and finished their duel by driving the blade into the spear-wielder's collar. The blade traveled all the way down to the spear wielder's solar plexus with blood furiously gushing out along its path.

"Guy-san, this is…"

For just an instant, the blood-stained longsword's blade gleamed as if to ridicule its prey.

"…our…" The blade's victim didn't manage to finish his words as only his head continued to spin.

The rough sword strike, unleashed as if to gnaw through the other's windpipe, had cleanly loped off the speaker's head. And yet, the sword-wielder didn't cease.

He faced away from the headless man who formerly had a handsome face, to the longsword-wielder called Guy - his next target. Then he released his own skill .

Guy clicked his tongue in irritation while his body shone in rainbow colors. He magnificently kept dodging the ocher swords, which had split into three, by backward somersaulting.

The other man, who had launched those three blades, watched Guy's movements in admiration, and then told him, "…Hoh, for you to dodge my Triple Lightweight Swords… Unlike the other guys, your movements are quite refined, I'd say."

A dangerous stalemate occurred between the two adversaries. The man with the dark brown skin scanned the vicinity. The many earrings pierced into his earlobes gleamed ominously, and the earlobes themselves squirmed like snakes.

At that moment, "――Aww man, it always turns out like this with you martial artists! You're just like Kary!"

"Don't put me in a group with that pervert…"

"Now listen, Sein, this ain't the time to admire your enemy! You won't ever be able to surpass guildmaster if you keep chit-chatting like this, y'know? You gotta pursue the enemy properly!" A woman suddenly appeared next to the man with the brown skin, yapping on and on.

After having said what she had to say, she extended her slender hands from her robe while happily lifting the corners of her mouth with their laugh lines. Her hands were covered by special, fingerless, spiked gloves.

The instant she moved her ten fingers as if playing on a piano, lightning-like electricity started to travel between them with a crackling. As if having their own consciousness, lightning extended from her fingers towards Guy.

"――And now it's magic, eh!?" Guy spat out, quickly pulled out a special, round scroll from his pocket, and tossed it into the air.

Immediately after the scroll vanished as if melting with the air, a magic barrier consisting of shining rays deployed around Guy. The lightning ran into that barrier, getting repelled.

After erasing the rainbow-colored light, Guy had looked anxious for a moment, but…after confirming the barrier's efficiency against the lightning, his cheeks slackened in relief.

"Humph! That's just the beginning! I'll make you dance!"

The woman unleashed lightning magic without chanting, forming lightning spears at her fingertips. One after the other, original lighting spells clashed against the barrier protecting Guy, but…

"…Black Mask, Lightning Woman, I'll take my leave for now. See ya."

Even though it had turned into a two-vs-one, Guy obstinately clung to his life, using his barrier. Once more he clad his body in rainbow light, and quickly withdrew.

"He got away again. Are we going to give chase?"

"Nah, it could also be a trap. He's a leader of 【Large Bird's Flower】. Very likely other leaders will lay in wait at the end of our chase. It'd be better to move in a way that lures them to us instead. We're going to pull back for now."

"You're the one with the sharp intuition, so if you say so, it's probably right. Anyway, let's go back then, Sein."

Lalay and Sein ran across the main road, going back to the mansion where their guild had gathered.

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A residence located in Tandarl.

"It's been quite a long while since all of us gathered like this, hasn't it?" The voice of a man thundered through the council room from the top of the long table.

He had short hair and wore a jet-black, beast circlet with wings at the forehead. The circlet itself was decorated with fine inlays and teemed with mana. Especially the pair of small eyeballs on it squirmed around restlessly, having a life of their own.

"――Guildmaster, although we repelled them, the leader of 【Large Bird's Flower】 got away. He's a really tenacious, strong guy, befitting his alias of 【Demonoid Fist】."

Guildmaster Galroh nodded at Lalay's remark. "Rainbow Longsword-Wielder Guy, eh? We'll ignore 【Large Bird's Flower】 and 【Demonoid Fist】. Even if we leave 【Demonoid Fist】 alone, that cave-loving demon likely won't crawl out of his dark hole." Galroh said with a grim voice in reply to Lalay.

"The longsword-wielder has been giving me the slip as well." Sein commented as if to confirm Lalay's words.

His words held weight as he had directly fought against Guy. All the while, his characteristic ears wriggled like snakes.

"Shoot, I really wanted to try fighting him as well." A man with ruffled, unkempt hair cut in at this point.

A peculiar tattoo depicting a heart being stabbed by a knife was visible on his cheek. He had been messing around by juggling unique, stake-shaped daggers with both hands.

"How typical of you, Kary. Are you eager to do something outside your mission again?"

"Lalay, trust me a bit more, will you? I simply like to have some fun with genuine battles, okay?"

Kary beamed his characteristic, nasty and shady smileCurse Smile on his face.

"…That Rainbow Guy is strong. Moreover, the Shadow User Yomi, who belongs to 【Large Bird's Flower】, goes far beyond him in strength…" The robed man, sitting at the end of the table, placed a hand on the crystal ball in front of him that emitted a huge amount of mana, and spoke up while making the crystal glow in silver.

Apparently the source of the mana release, an eye clad in silver light manifested within the crystal. A black mist gushed out of that eye, clashing against the crystal's surface from within. The mist repeated this action many times, as if pleading to be let out.

After twisting the corners of his mouth, the robed man poured mana into his hand, and placed it on the crystal ball. The instant the hand came in contact with the crystal, the eye dwelling within suddenly became obedient, closing as if having fainted.

"…If that's what your ability tells you, Alford, then it must be true." Galroh addressed the robed man, Alford, as he was handling his crystal ball.

The tone in his voice betrayed Galroh's respect towards Alford's ability.

"Guildmaster, the requested assassination of 【Bloody Long Ears of the White Whale】's guildmaster, which had been commissioned by Councillor Hugo Quaresma - our contact in 【Neutral Violent Tower City Senapua】, has failed."

A man stiffly reported his own failure. His whole body was hidden by a black armor. He was an abnormal being cladding himself in smooth, black steel.

"…I've heard the details, but if you've failed even after getting Palda and Leaf involved, it can't be helped. I'll head out myself next." Galroh stated with a fearless smile.

"Roger. If you go for it in person, I'll help you, guildmaster."

"I'll also do my best. I'll definitely butcher that bitch with my Quad-Sword - Grim-Eyed Dragon. Still, the enemy's boss got injured by Palda's demonic steel… Then again, even with a two-vs-one in our favor, she dealt with us using her silver mana. She drove Palda into the ground, and blew me away. That elf, Lezalaysa, is the strongest among the strong. With her skillful handling of offensive and defensive abilities, it's no wonder that she's called a monster." A cat beastwoman rattled on with her four arms pointing each in a different direction.

"…Yeah, I want to return the debt I owe her. Anyway, guildmaster, you getting personally involved means it'll happen at 【Labyrinth City Pelneet】 as planned?"

Galroh nodded at the question of the man in black armor, "…Indeed. We'll aim for the life of 【Bloody Long Ears of the White Whale】's Lezalaysa Phol Losstein, with whom I share a fateful bond, while officially participating in the Underground Auction as buyers. While at it, I guess we should also get rid of every region's Eight Light's 【Dark Guild】 in the typical Shadow Wing way." Galroh calmly announced with a gleam dwelling in his pitch-black eyes as he poured mana into the circlet on his forehead.

Immediately following, a single, huge, black wing manifested from within the circlet. A moment later, another wing followed suit. Moreover, a jet-black beast with a big head jumped out of the circlet. It walked around the table with a haughty attitude as if to claim the whole place for itself. Wherever its paws touched the table, a deep black liquid remained in their wake. Its head, while turned upwards, reminded one of a big eagle.

"Pyaaaaan――" It cried in a queer voice.

Although it somewhat resembled a big eagle, a big falcon, a griffon, or a hippogriff, it wasn't really similar to any of those.

"Oh, it's Sevicekel-chan…" Lalay holds up her arm, calling out to the beast.

She moved several of her fingers as if playing on an air keyboard. Lightning sprung forth from her cute, frail fingers, leaping into the air like some kind of electric discharge. The electric lightning blinked in golden and bluish-white colors, suddenly accelerating.

After the lightning clustered up in one place, it took the shape of a small humanoid. A tiny doll releasing crackling noise.

Sevicekel pointed its beak at the lightning doll, widely opened it, and stuck out its pink, long tongue, "Yuaaa――"

After cawing like some unknown bird of prey, Sevicekel apparently judged the doll to be fodder, and snapped at the doll, closing its beak with a loud click. The doll quickly vanished within the beak while releasing a scream-like cackle at its final moment.

"Lalay, stop fooling around with Sevi."

"Uuuhh, Sevi-chan is scary."

"…Ahaha, she ate Lalay's lightning. But, it's been quite a long time ago since I saw her last, your Magically-Created Creature, Sevicekel. As always, she's quite big――" Kary tried to extend his hand towards Sevi while laughing, but Sevi flicked his hand away with her beak.

"…So, when are we going to attack during the Underground Auction? Still, I haven't received an explanation…from Noran who was supposed to be on an infiltration mission." Sein said.

Moving independently, his ears turned in Noran's direction.

Despite being confronted with Sein's stabbing look and the attention of his ears, Noran remained silent with his eyes narrowed. In the midst of all the leaders focusing their eyes on him and his torn mouth, someone unexpected spoke up.

"…The Underground Auction takes place in the Noble District. It sounds like it'll be held in the huge estate of a former Great Knight and viscount…Lodging will be provided at the Dignified Heaven's Shrine…" Eerily, Alford, who kept his face hidden while using his crystal ball, explained after having activated his .

"Wow. We got the information ahead of the others thanks to you foreseeing the future! Nothing less of your , Alford!"

"…"

Albeit being showered by praise, Alford only tilted his head lightly, not answering Lalay in any way. In exchange, Galroh's voice filled the room.

"…Going by Alford's forecast, I think it'll be fine to get the attack going after the second part of the Underground Auction comes to an end, just when they return to their inn. We round up the whole bunch of Bloody Long Ears in one swoop."

"…So you're finally going to break the unspoken rule, eh, guildmaster? It makes me tremble in excitement…" The cat beastwoman next to Galroh said while staring with her three eyes into Galroh's two black eyes.

"…Wait, I object. It'd be better to completely stay away from Pelneet." The one announcing this was Noran who had remained silent so far.

"Noran, what's wrong? I already felt like you were not yourself ever since you came back from your infiltration mission of 【Apostles of Nightmares】, but…wait, don't tell me, it's the three-orbed gem you brought back? Did you get influenced by the Spirit World's Goddess and Queen of Nightmares Vaamina?" Galroh asked with a grin while gently stroking the rear paw of Sevicekel with one hand.

Sevicekel's tail was coiled around Galroh's neck.

"Yeah, yeah, that's so not like you, Demonic Symbol Ripper Noran. No way! Was Alford's disguise skill penetrated during your mission?"

"That's not it. The disguise worked perfectly. Everyone of the 【Apostles of Nightmares】, including Kreuz, was convinced that I was a soldier dropout of Seven Pholia's special military police forces. I removed the disguise myself when I left the mission site, okay?"

"Hmm. But, you still vouch for staying away?" The cat beastwoman Leaf clearly showed that she couldn't come to terms with Noran's objection. She repeatedly drummed the table with the ten fingers of her long, right arms, while pointing her left arms at Noran.

"…Leaf, I'm well aware of your quad-sword style. Besides, I plan to explain myself."

"Yeah, albeit having only two arms, you're strong enough to keep up with my four arms, Noran." Leaf praised Noran's swordsmanship.

Next, Palda, the abnormal guy wearing the black armor, spoke up, "…If Noran says so, I'll support his opinion."

Since his face was assimilated with a part of the armor, his expression remained a mystery.

"Huh? Palda, you too? How very unusual…"

"Leaf, Noran's eyes are sharp and discerning."

"It kinda piques my interest. What made a man like Noran wrap up his work in Pelneet midway?"

Hearing Kary's shrill voice, Noran responded, "That's simple. It's because the Spearmaster and the Black Cat are leading 【Remains of the Moon】."

"Huh!? That name…don't tell me…is it possibly that spear-user!?" Kary stood up with shock written on his face.

His nasty and shady smileCurse Smile had completely vanished, replaced by cold sweat blanketing his big forehead. Right afterwards, he released mana from his whole body while patting the arm that got injured in the past, activating .

"Eh!? If you talking about the spearmaster…gufuuh!" Thousand Lightning Lalay apparently recalled the past from Kary's state.

It triggered her characteristic habit of entering her own little dream world.

"Hmm? Going by Kary and Lalay's reaction…are those spearmaster and black cat famous or something?"

"I hear of those names for the first time, too."

Palda and Leaf commented as if to check with everyone else.

"【Remains of the Moon】, huh? So, it's the very spearmaster who rose up in the underworld the other day by being selected as new Eight Lights member after being referred to by the leader of the Eight Lights, eh?" Galroh said while nodding.

"Correct. Though I believe you know the details better than I do, guildmaster."

"…It's the same spearmaster I fought and lost to in Hecatrail, right?" Still standing, Kary asked Noran while swinging his left arm.

"…No clue. A good while ago I heard that you got injured through the regular messages, but…did you really get away with just being injured after fighting that spearmaster?" Noran asked back while glaring at Kary.

"…Yep. I felt like I was toyed with. Even while we were fighting him with two people, the spearmaster single handedly killed Raiza, a leader of 【Thorny Tail】, and cornered me. I totally lost even after using techniques I haven't shown to any of you. Being injured, and certain of my impending death, I talked with that spearmaster, resulting in him not finishing me off for some reason. I merely survived because of his whim. Lalay, you should remember my state back then. Don't you?"

"…I really wanna meet that spearmaster…"

"Again, huh…?" Kary squinted while looking at Lalay's face. "Lalay!" Kary's yell pulled Lalay out of her little dream world, back into reality.

"…Ah, yeah, Noran. It might sound like a supplement, but Kary's story is true." Lalay said with a serious look.

"…He used a black spear, and a chain projectile as weaponry. It was also that spearmaster who killed Darkness Kuna, another leader of 【Thorny Tail】. Either way, he's powerful…his strength is around the upper ranks of the Divine King ranking…or even beyond." Kary croaked fearfully while wiping the sheen of cold sweat on his forehead.

"…I see. A chain ability and upper rank of the Divine King ranking, huh? I can agree with that. The spear differs with my information, but well, I guess he's the same spearmaster I was talking about. In Pelneet's underworld, he's called Violet Death God and Magic Spearmaster. He's a man who's risen to the rank of Eight Lights, and a B-Rank adventurer."

Seemingly believing Kary's words, Noran nodded and explained his findings while getting rid of his stern look. Given that his mouth was torn widely, his expression ought to look eerie, but the look he pointed at his comrades was somewhat gentle.

"A Divine King ranker? Makes me curious about his strength. But, if I have to deal with him for a job, he's an opponent giving me a really bad vibe." Sein observed.

His earlobes kept hanging, squirming, and floating.

"Sein, your intuition is correct…"

"Hmm, I see…" Galroh nodded after hearing everyone's opinion.

Then he shifted his eyes to Alford who was still touching the crystal ball. Alford's face wasn't visible as it was hidden beneath a hood, but his two hands protruding out of the robe were visible. Those hands, looking like dead tree branches, activated .

Alford started to probe for information about the spearmaster with the help of his crystal ball, but the silver eye within shrunk instead, and so did the crystal ball itself, continuously getting smaller. In the end, the crystal ball had shrunken down from the size of a melon to that of a marble.

"T-This is… It's obvious that my powers don't work on him." Alford's voice trembled, indicating his unrest.

"…Okay, I get the picture. We have finished our preparations, but…I guess, desisting from starting a flashy war is the safer option? In accordance with Noran's warning, we'll only focus on Lezalaysa's assassination, staying clear from the spearmaster." Galroh readily changed their plans.

After all, only strong fighters at the level of inhuman beings could resist from being seen by Alford's ability.

"I wonder if that's smart. I advise that we should actually stay clear from Pelneet itself. It's true that it'll be easy to aim for the target before or after the auction, but…the spearmaster's acquaintances live in Pelneet. We have absolutely no idea…who's connected to him. And, we're talking about Lezalaysa here. She should have been well aware of him for a good while now. If she has taken an interest in him…"

"They could be in contact, you mean?"

Seemingly catching the drift behind Noran's words, Galroh gathered mana in his Magic Observation which appeared to make his black eyes murky.

"――Pyaaan."

Sevicekel reacted to Noran's words. While folding her big, black wing, she transformed it into a long and narrow spear-like shape, and caressed Noran's face with its pointed end.

Noran blinked repeatedly, but without reacting to her wing, her continued speaking, "…Pelneet also houses his adventurer friends and the members of 【Remains of the Moon】 which seem to be his underlings."

"People related to the spearmaster…"

"Yes. Moreover, the members of other dark guilds, including 【Bloody Long Ears】, will be present at the Underground Auction, too. I think it'll be possible to kill Lezalaysa if we use our setup, but…I believe we should desist this time. If we're targeting Lezalaysa, then let's march into 【Neutral Violent Tower City Senapua】, the stronghold of Bloody Long Ears, and a place without any spearmaster. I've heard that the councilors' 【Sky Magic Warrior Corps】 and so on are present over there as well, but…they're still better than the spearmaster." Noran made his point clear.

"…So he's an opponent so strong that Noran would advise against getting involved with him to such a degree… Now I'm definitely interested in that spearmaster."

"Leaf, I've been interested in him for a long time now. I've imagined fighting him with my ." Lalay activated her skill, cladding her body in golden mana, making herself float.

The cloth of her robe fluttered and swayed in the wind.

"…I think it'll be a tough fight even if both of you went at him. I'd also be super excited if I could fight him again as it'd probably allow me to experience a thrill I haven't ever felt before. However, if I were to fight him…there wouldn't be a next time, so I suppose I agree with Noran on this one."

"Huh? For even a battle maniac like Kary to say something like that…"

As if agreeing with Leaf's words, the leaders of the Shadow Wing Brigade, who knew Kary's character well, remained silent for a while, carefully thinking it over.

"…Since this gives me a bad feeling, I also agree with Kary and Noran." Sein joined Noran's side.

"Sein as well, huh?"

"I'd like to go to Pelneet. We'll kill Lezalaysa, and also that spearmaster." Showing her irritation at Kary's statement, Leaf voted for going to Pelneet.

Hearing her energetic and spirited words, Noran clicked his tongue, and shook his head.

"I cherish my life. Please send me on a job to another city, I don't even care about what kind of job it is."

"Understood. I don't mind sending you out on another errand, Noran."

"Roger. Well then, I'm going to take my exit at this point. Please call me when you've decided on a mission for me."

"…"

Noran stood up, and quickly left the meeting room.

You gotta be kidding. I'm gonna stay away from Pelneet. It's also weird how no information about the supposed destruction of 【Apostles of Nightmares】 has flowed in. It's possible…that the spearmaster's influence has even reached the organizations of the official authorities. But, going by the way she was talking, Leaf is definitely going to ignore her orders, and directly meddle with him. Since guildmaster has also proceeded with the preparations for the attack…it might be difficult for him to suddenly call it off. But, that got nothing to do with me.

No matter what kind of surprise attack they might launch, the outcome is pretty obvious. Out of obligation, I've warned my comrades once. …Are they going to kick me out of Shadow Wing if I contact the spearmaster?

While pondering all that, Noran left the guild's mansion.

"…Has Noran turned into a coward or what?"

"Leaf, you're going too far――" Galroh cautioned Leaf while returning Sevicekel, who had been quietly listening to the leaders' conversation on the table, into her circlet.

"So far, he has always finished missions by himself. That very Noran said that he considered his life precious. The strength of the spearmaster might go beyond any imagination. Also, the intuition of Plump-Eared Sein often proved to be right. However…our plan is already on the way, making it impossible to stop it at this point. We'll limit it to just assassinating Lezalaysa."

"…If you say so, guildmaster, I'll support you. I've got a bad feeling about this, but it's not like the spearmaster's friends are going to be military forces or some such. Besides, our target is Lezalaysa. If we go at it with all of us, it's a job that shouldn't pose much of a problem." Sein said.

"Well said, Sein. I want to fight as well!" Leaf barked with all her four arms folded at her chest.

"I'm not overly eager, but Lezalaysa is someone I failed to kill. I guess I'll try my best." Palda calmly said while placing a steel hand on Leaf's shoulder.

"Yep, Palda. It'll be a continuation of our teamwork that cornered Lezalaysa the other day."

"Roger."

"I'll join in as well. I'll slaughter everyone with my lightning?"

"I'd like to abstain, but if everyone except for Noran feels like going for it…I'll do the same…"

"Alright. Then, just as I mentioned before, the plan will be for us to make a move while matching our timing with Resurrection and the hired dark guild members."

Everyone nodded at Galroh's instruction, ""――Yes, guildmaster.""

"And as for the spearmaster Noran is so apprehensive about…I'll try to get directly in contact with him during the auction. Not to fight, but to invite him."

"You're going to try recruiting him? He's the boss of a dark guild, right? Would he really consider joining Shadow Wing?" Leaf asked while sharply looking at Galroh with her three eyes.

"I don't know whether he's going to join or not, but it's still better than him being hostile."

The warning of Noran, who knew about the Spearmaster and the Black Cat, proved to be in vain…the 【Shadow Wing Brigade】 decided to head for 【Labyrinth City Pelneet】.

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