The Sorcerer's Handbook

Let the Celestial Chariot Ox step back to about ten days earlier.

After completing the contract exchange with Lys in the library of Annan's grand flat, Iger made a bold request. "You want to study us?"

Lys waved her hand and shook her head, giving the fraudster an absolute, flat-out denial. "Absolutely not."

Iger threatened, "Even if you say no, I'll keep observing you. I'm not trying to do anything excessive. Just a few questions, a short survey. Think carefully. You may be clever and cautious, but Lys is a child whose thoughts are always written on her face. Rather than me tricking her into handing over information for a handful of colorful lollipops, why not let her serve you a perfectly crafted ice cream of an answer that would satisfy a psychologist?"

Lys shook her head once more. "Lys isn't as easy to read as you think. She only acts foolish in front of fools. With the clever, she matches them. But why are you so interested in us? Didn't you say you've seen plenty of multiple-personality cases?"

Iger replied, "I've seen my fair share, but none like you... None this unique.

"Typically, multiple personalities appear in one of two forms. The first is a single soul housing multiple personalities. These personalities can coexist for a long time, but communication between them is rare. In severe cases, they can't even share memories. One must sleep for another to awaken. Such a person is like a die, with only one identity showing at a time.

"The second type involves multiple souls within one body, each developing its own personality. These personalities can communicate with each other, and even attack one another. Long-term coexistence is nearly impossible, as the souls tend to consume each other, leading to mutual destruction. Certain Mind Class Miracles, however, can transfer souls outward, giving rise to what we come to call splits or clones."

The brilliant yet unscrupulous psychologist leaned back, marveling. "In your case... I've never even heard of anything like it. One body containing multiple souls, communicating and coexisting in perfect harmony. You even share common goals and a clear division of labor. It's the ideal organizational structure."

"To most, multiple personalities are uncontrollable disorders. To you, they are controllable miracles."

Iger's gaze sharpened as he studied Lys. "That's why I'm so curious. How do your personalities coexist within the soul?"

***

Meanwhile, on the 72nd floor of the Senheiser Building.

After Light fully lifted his restrictions, the battle instantly escalated to a fever pitch. Even with everyone holding back, most of the 72nd floor already lay in ruins. Bullet holes riddled every surface, and the ceiling and floor were nearly shattered.

"By the way, I have a question for you leaders," Light said, ducking into Cliose's Sacred Realm to reload, trying to disrupt their momentum with conversation. "I understand that each of you has a backup body, but the dispersal of the white mist affects all of Vanmura. Even backup bodies should fall into withdrawal and become immobile. How exactly do you control them?"

The man in the trench coat shouted back over the chaos, "It's simple! We don't directly link to the backup bodies. Think of it like playing a virtual game. We players have full control over the characters, but we aren't actually inside them. Instead, we command them through virtual equipment.

"So, even if the game character suffers blindness, petrification, severe injury, or debuffs, the status effects only plague the character. The player remains entirely unaffected."

The bespectacled man snapped, "That's enough, Bosch! Stop spilling our secrets to the enemy mid-battle."

Light frowned. "I still don't understand. If the game uses virtual equipment, what exactly links you to the backup bodies?"

The trench-coat man couldn't resist showing off. "The soul of the backup body itself."

Light froze. "Aren't you controlling them through your Soul Fragments?"

The man said, "That's impossible. Each body can hold only one soul. Our Soul Fragments remain in the backup bodies long-term as the ultimate trump card. They exist only—"

"Enough, Bosch!" the man with glasses barked.

However, Light had already caught on. Even without specializing in the Mind Class, his Sacred Realm training allowed him to deduce the secret of the Six Emblems families.

Scanning the room, he concluded, "There is only one entity capable of residing within a sorcerer's soul. You aren't humans. You are spirits."

***

In the corridor on the 56th floor, Lys froze while clutching the substitute's neck.

A spirit? How could I possibly be a spirit? I'm the Little Witch, the sister my older sisters adore, Daddy's beloved daughter. I am...

The Black Knight wrote. "After Princess Lysdia left, we speculated endlessly about her mental state, but the Empress[1]rejected every theory. The princess grew up well under the Empress's watchful eye. She could never have harbored thoughts of escape, nor could she have entered the Virtual World on her own. Therefore, the one who left the high tower was not the princess. Or rather, the princess was coerced, deceived, or even harmed."

The text on the page shifted. "That brings us to the question. Who exactly entered the Virtual World? Who encountered the Bronze Dragon? Who schemed to escape Nabistin? It can only be a spirit born from the princess's memory. You, or all of you, have usurped the princess's soul, controlled her body, and stolen the most precious treasure of the Isa Imperial Family like despicable thieves, before hurriedly fleeing the palace."

Lys yanked at her hair. "I can't possibly be a spirit! Don't bully me! I haven't even gone to school yet! Spirits are born of knowledge—"

"Yes, spirits are born of knowledge, and knowledge is the medium through which you resonate with the Virtual World. But there are many kinds of carriers for knowledge. It could be memory, emotion, will, or even the soul. Every independent spirit contains abundant information from its summoner. Furthermore, when a sorcerer summons a spirit, it is usually fueled by intense desire, perhaps to strike harder, to sharpen a blade, or to fire faster and more accurately.

"If the father of a spirit is knowledge, then its mother is desire. It is a difficult feat, but if a sorcerer willingly offers their soul and couples it with a powerful enough desire, the spirit can take on life and communicate with its master. You are a spirit that happens to have been granted a personality, hiding within the princess's soul to observe the world, even controlling her body to masquerade as a human. But you have no past, no future, no life, and cannot experience death."

Lys opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out. Suddenly, a memory of a conversation with her sisters flashed through her mind.

***

"Sister White, how did I come into this world?"

"Dia was the one who summoned you."

"Summoned?"

"Yes. We needed a super cute Little Witch sister, so you appeared."

"Eh? Hehe, I'm not that cute~"

***

Lys suddenly bristled with confidence. "Even so, it doesn't matter! I am loved by my sisters, loved by Daddy, and I am the cutest!"

The Black Knight tapped the Book of Gospel with its pen. "You admitted it. I've finally found you, Princess Lysdia. And here I thought I'd been looking for the wrong person."

In her heart, Lys swore a string of words a child absolutely should never say. Damn it! It’s been deceiving me the whole time! It’s never even been sure that I’m Lysdia! Damn it, damn it, damn it! How can anyone be shameless enough to outdo Daddy!

The Black Knight continued, "Because we couldn't find any information on the princess, the Empress was certain she had erased all her past memories with the Bronze Dragon's blessing. However, the Gospel favors the princess, and since those around her are watched by the Omniscient Weaver, we turned our focus primarily to the Echoers appearing at the Woven Festival. Secret guards were dispatched across the kingdom, and my specific assignment was to investigate Ashe Heath's associates.

"Your current form makes tracking the original princess nearly impossible, but after the white mist dissipated, you were one of only seven individuals left unaffected. I know the reasons for the other six, but not you, which makes you unique.

"Princess, stop letting the spirit mess with your body. It is time to return. Nabistin needs you, the Isa Imperial Family needs you, and the Gospel Kingdom needs you."

As the Black Knight snapped the Book of Gospel shut, the ceiling ahead of Lys and the substitute collapsed completely. It wasn't just one floor; several levels gave way in rapid succession until a mountain of rubble entirely blocked the corridor.

The substitute lunged for a nearby door. Catching the movement, the Black Knight casually flicked its finger, and the automatic mechanism rusted over and locked permanently. Lys realized instantly that the Knight's power didn't come from the Book of Gospel. Its method of attack likely involved accelerating time within a localized area, seemingly affecting only inanimate objects.

The Black Knight hadn't used the book to fabricate a random accident. Instead, it was calculating exactly how much time to accelerate, how large the radius should be, and precisely when to unleash it, all to orchestrate an "accident" meticulously tailored to injure Lys without killing her.

The truth finally clicked for Lys. Everything the Knight had done was a calculated play to flush her sisters out of hiding. Recognizing that she would never confess willingly, it had deliberately baited and provoked her, engineering these precise attacks to force her hand.

1. Referring to Empress Isa. ☜

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