Two hours after they finished dining together at the restaurant downstairs, silence now enveloped the room. On the bed, Kylen was already fast asleep.
However, in one corner of the inn's room, Arvin remained awake. He sat leaning calmly against the sofa, staring straight ahead with calculating eyes.
He was already set to infiltrate the royal palace of the Victoriaz Kingdom this very night. However, leaving Kylen all alone without his supervision was a scenario he absolutely could not tolerate, no matter how safe the inn appeared to be.
To solve this issue of mobility and his spouse's safety, Arvin decided to put a magic spell he had previously read about into practice: Cloning Magic.
A faint smile etched itself onto his lips as he recalled the rows of text from the Flamort Kingdom's library that he had read and perfectly recorded in his mind.
According to the literature, cloning magic was not merely about creating puppets or illusions. This magic forged a breathing physical entity. Each cloned body possessed its own consciousness, yet still operated with the original user's traits, instincts, and personality.
The most fascinating aspect of this magic is that when the clone returns to my original body, everything it has seen, heard, and felt will be directly recorded into my memories without a single detail missing.
This ability will make it incredibly easy for me to gather vast amounts of information and execute plans from several different locations simultaneously. I truly cannot wait to try it.
Wasting no time, the youth closed his eyes and began to center his focus.
Within his mental visualization space and mind, Arvin began stringing together and tracing the formula for the cloning magic circle he had learned. However, rather than simply mimicking what he had read, he took an unexpected step. He decided to merge the cloning magic circle formula with a passive mana-saving magic circle formula.
It was a radical experiment, done solely to test the compatibility and tolerance levels between two magical structures with entirely different functions.
Bzzz... crack!
Inside his mind, the two magic circles began to overlap. The runic arrangements and magical geometry of both formulas initially rejected one another, but Arvin forcefully balanced their energy flows, locking every intersection until they fused perfectly.
And what happened next was a success. The cloning magic circle formula was successfully overlaid by the mana-saving magic formula without damaging its core structure.
Arvin opened his eyes once more. He smiled with profound satisfaction and pride at his success in merging the two magic circle formulas.
Perfect! The structure is stable. This way, I can utilize a cloned body without worrying about draining too much of my mana.
With his preparations complete, Arvin raised his right hand. The cloning magic was activated!
Bloop... bloop...
Exactly one meter in front of the sofa where Arvin sat, the air suddenly distorted. A whirlpool manifested out of nowhere, spiraling upward from the floor into the air. Following the whirlpool, a dense black smoke materialized, coiling around the water current like a guardian serpent.
The whirlpool and the black smoke slowly began to solidify and take shape. As the seconds ticked by, the form grew more specific, resembling a human silhouette. The water transmuted into skin, while the black smoke condensed into strands of hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and even clothing.
In just a matter of seconds, the elements completely transformed into Arvin's physical figure.
The figure standing before him was an exact reflection of Arvin's own form. From the style and hue of his blue hair, the shape of his nose, and the curve of his lips, down to his height and posture, everything was absolutely identical.
Arvin stared at his clone, which was currently standing completely still before him, its head bowed and eyes closed, like an empty vessel awaiting a soul.
Now, I just need to say the command word to split a fragment of my consciousness and activate this clone.
"Suize Experrecto!" Arvin chanted the spell in a low voice.
The moment the spell left his mouth, the clone that had previously been bowing in silence instantly opened its eyes and lifted its head.
The clone gazed at Arvin, who was sitting and observing it. The eye color of the cloned body was exactly the same as his own.
"Can you speak like a normal human?" Arvin asked, breaking the silence as he tested the clone's motor functions and vocal cords.
The clone let out a soft snort, an arrogant gesture that was quintessentially Arvin.
"Of course I can!" his clone replied with a firm tone, perfectly mirroring the original. "I am you. Everything you possess, be it memories, mastery of magical elements, your way of thinking, right down to your attitude and personality, is all within me."
Hearing the answer coming from his cloned body, Arvin breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease leaving his clone here to watch over Kylen while he went off to infiltrate the Victoriaz Kingdom's palace.
"Why would you even think like that?" the clone reprimanded him with an ice-cold glare. "Do you think I wouldn't be able to protect Kylen properly while you're gone?"
That question spontaneously caught Arvin off guard. He had not expected their synchronization to be so deep that his clone could instantly know, read, and respond to whatever had just crossed his mind without the slightest delay.
"Our minds are continuously linked through a single web of consciousness." the clone continued, explaining in a flat tone. "In fact, our visions can also be connected projectively if you want it. I remind you once again: I am you!"
After saying that, the clone promptly turned around. With completely silent footsteps, he walked over to the bed where Kylen was fast asleep.
The clone gazed at the figure of the bluish-white-haired youth on the bed for a moment, making sure there were no signs of him waking up, before finally glancing back at Arvin.
"You don't need to waste time worrying about trivial matters here. Just focus and cleanly execute everything you've planned in that palace." the clone said, offering a guarantee. "I will be here to keep him company."
"Very well then. I will leave his supervision entirely to you." Arvin decided as he stood up from the sofa.
"Yes. Go, and destroy them!"
Arvin gave a firm nod, then immediately turned around and raised his right hand into the air, conjuring a gate with spatial coordinates leading directly into the treasury of the Victoriaz Kingdom's palace.
With a casual stride, Arvin stepped into the gate, leaving his clone behind in the inn room with Kylen.
Once the original body had departed, Arvin's clone slowly climbed onto the bed. He positioned himself to lie right next to Kylen, flawlessly fulfilling his role as a substitute husband and protector.
The moment his back touched the soft mattress, the cloned body activated a telepathic channel that connected directly into the head of Arvin, who had just arrived inside the Victoriaz Kingdom's treasury.
[Once you're there, you need to go see Dylan right away.] his clone spoke through telepathy. [You must officially propose to him in front of his late mother's grave immediately, exactly as you promised him.]
Arvin was slightly startled by the voice suddenly echoing in his head. Then, he offered a faint smile.
[I know. I haven't forgotten my promise to him in the slightest.] Arvin replied in his mind. [Next, could I ask you to handle everything here in the Flamort Kingdom, including keeping Kylen company and heading to Dalsen City?]
[Rest easy. I will take care of all the affairs over here,] the clone said casually. He turned his head briefly to look at the deeply sleeping Kylen before finally staring up at the room's ceiling. [Tomorrow morning, I will accompany Kylen to his academy dorms. And the day after tomorrow, we will head for Dalsen City, then recruit everyone who is already recorded in your memory list!]
[Yes, I leave everything on that end to you!] Arvin replied telepathically.
[But, there's one more thing...] the clone said. [As long as this body keeping him company... I will still do 'that' with Kylen if he wants it.]
[Yeah, just do it all properly!] Arvin replied casually, completely unbothered. [From the very beginning, my sole intention in so desperately wanting to master this cloning magic was purely to ensure that all my spouses can smile happily!]