CHAPTER 519: EPILOGUE 10

Clone is a forbidden spell that splits one’s soul into multiple pieces. As for why it was forbidden, that was because it had massive side effects for its user.

The soul and the body are actually part of the same system. By losing one’s soul, you would also lose control of part of your body. In other words, spells that dealt with the soul had a high chance of causing a loss of control of the body, partial or not.

Damage to the soul is not to be taken lightly. While the damage may not manifest physically on the body, a loss of mobility is serious enough by itself. An example, perhaps, could be a grown man who suddenly lost the ability to get erect. Highly inappropriate as an example, but definitely evocative.

The Clone spell was first invented by a mad genius. He combined Alchemy and magic to create a clone body, in which he placed half of his soul. The idea was that he could then complete two times the amount of research. Unfortunately, he ended up becoming an invalid… twice…

The dangers of forbidden spells should be evident by now. The act of labelling them forbidden is, in essence, a protection for researchers as mad as that genius.

From: The Dangers of the Forbidden

Disclaimer: due to the dangerous nature of the work within, the book, The Dangers of the Forbidden, has been recalled once and edited.

The spider-crested shield continued revolving around Mo Ning, all the while, her flames kept burning, in case a bat or two managed to slip by the shield.

For the most part, the bats were just wasting their time. They had no Vampire to command them, so their attacks were frantic but uncoordinated. To Mo Ning who had her flame barrier and spinning shield, their numbers meant nothing.

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The Undead on the ground were of a higher level than those attacking the villagers. But that did not really matter when their targets were mostly Eight-stars and Seven-stars. Their encirclement was easily broken!

Amongst the Undead blocking the way, the majority were actual Zombies and Skeletons. However, there were also denizens of the dark like Vampires and Werewolves. Not that it mattered, since their opponents were too strong.

Just like that, Zurnalin made it out of the Undead encirclement without a single casualty…

At the same time elsewhere, Ferti’nier was currently toying around with a palm-sized, white crystalline pyramid. This was one of the focal points for the Anti-light Barrier. By placing them at the desired locations, a barrier that blocked out light would be erected. As a point of interest, Ferti’nier had collected eight such pyramids.

Amusing, was Ferti’nier’s judgement of the crystal pyramid.

But even though she finally got her hands on a new toy, she did not have the time to research it further. She had other matters to attend to, like finding the culprit behind that Dracolich in Lyon. She was almost certain it was that old granny, Adele, who did that. She might have hidden her machinations well, but she was clearly out to get Mo Ke and the rest… Being the spiteful big sis that she was, there was no way that old hag was getting away so easy.

Ferti’nier had already memorised Adele’s aura so it merely took a few minutes before she caught up to the old lady in the midst of fleeing the wreckage that was Lyon.

Right this very instant, she was lugging along a small knapsack, struggling to climb over the debris. Her body was frail and old to the point of collapsing. Even with her Witch powers, she still wasn’t able to stand against the effects of time.

“Oh? Is that Granny Adele I spy over there? What’s an old woman like you doing in a run-down place like this? Old people should be resting in their backyards, drinking tea under a nice, cozy tree.” Said Ferti’nier as she came to a stop right in the path of Granny Adele, still floating in mid-air as before.

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“…” Granny Adele strained her head upwards to look at Ferti’nier, her face every bit as strained as her aching neck. However, she still did her best to maintain a smile on her face. “Lady Mo Na… I’m sure there’s no need for someone of your stature to bully a little old lady, is there?:

“That would depend on whether I like what you say then.” Ferti’nier’s lips curled into a devious smile. “How about we play a game? I ask the questions, you answer.”

The moment Ferti’nier said that, Granny Adele looked almost relieved. The fact that she wanted information meant that she wasn’t going to be killed right away. “Lady Mo Na, as you can see, I’m just an old lady that’s halfway to her grave at this point. Even looking up is a terrible burden on my old neck.”

“That’s true. One mustn’t strain their neck at your age. How about this? I’ll help you relieve your shoulders of that neck. That way, you won’t have to worry about any neck pains ever again.” Ferti’nier practically beamed at the old lady.

“…” A cold shiver went down Granny Adele’s spine. She could tell right away that Ferti’nier meant every word she said. Should she try her luck any further, she might just meet her maker. Old as she might be, she still wanted to live, even if for a short while more. “Since Lady Mo Na insists, old Adele over here will happily oblige. How may this old granny service you, milady?”

“Actually. You know what. I don’t have to ask you, do I? It might be a little troublesome, but it’s always good to be independent.”

Hearing her change her tune all of a sudden, Granny Adele immediately paled. “That would be terrible, troubling you like that. If there’s any question that needs answering, old granny over here will answer it, no problem.”

“Yeah, but… I might dislike trouble, but I’m actually quite fond of taking care of troubles.”

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“…milady, there’s really no need to waste your time so. Let this old bag of bones solve them for you.”

And that’s why you should never argue with a she-Devil like Ferti’nier…

Following that…

“I see, I see. So you did use a scent hated by those parasitic spiders to drive them away from eating those Vampiric Leech Eggs. Those fellas were already under your control before the festival… My. My. Impressive, I must say. Not just anyone would infiltrate a village for seventy whole years.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to your husband…”

Further explanation…

“What?! You actually used your husband’s soul as an offering. Now, that’s just wrong. And you even pretended to grief for him… so how many men have you seduced so far… children can be used in such a manner as well? Must be nice to have a human doll collection… What? They’ve rotted away? Such a pity, you should preserve them better…Yes, I know they are a pain to upkeep…”

“So what was the method you used to grow that Dracolich to such a size… Oh my, you’re saying you improved over ten species of parasites just for that, all by yourself? Really impressive, you have a bright future ahead of you…”

“Speaking of futures, that body of yours doesn’t look like it will last for much longer. Have you considered becoming one of us? I can even create a nice, sprightly body for you. I’m sure you can’t even harvest energy from men anymore with that decrepit body of yours.”

“Is that true… is that really possible?” Granny Adele nearly tripped over herself in excitement, like an old shelter dog who suddenly found someone willing to take her in. “Lady Mo Na, are you really willing to take me in? And prepare a new body for me?”