The Sorcerer's Handbook

Fernandez could no longer remember when he had first developed ambitions that no ogre was ever supposed to have.

Was it the sight of well-dressed councilors visiting Blunt Skull Care Facility, smiling warmly as they patted beastfolk children on the head, while doing nothing to hide the disgust in their eyes? Or was it the longing stirred by the grand mansions and elegant upper-class lives he had seen in dramas and films?

Or perhaps... it was the moment he saw that confident human mayor on a light screen, raising his right fist and shouting the lie, ”Make all races great again!”, so obvious that even the beastfolk children didn’t believe it.

Whatever the reason, Fernandez began to live a life utterly unlike that of other ogres. After fighting and scrambling for scraps of food, he would slip away into a corner, activate his light screen, and watch the latest tutorial recordings from Emerald Garden.

In theory, every child was issued a full set of general education materials from birth, and self-study alone was enough to grasp the basics. But any child who hoped to pass entrance exams for secondary school, university, or even a research institute needed a depth of understanding far beyond what the textbooks provided.

Care facilities with ample resources naturally hired tutors for their wards, but Blunt Skull was clearly not one of them. Among the blue- and green-skinned children raised there, the average level of education barely exceeded prenatal instruction.

Yet perhaps to maintain their reputation, or to set an example, dual first-rate care facilities uploaded their lessons to the Curtain. Children without access to proper education could download the recordings and study on their own. With every child implanted with a chip, there was no barrier to access.

Fernandez never forgot the memory that shaped his youth. Bruised and battered, he huddled in a cold, stinking corner as beastfolk and ogres fought and scavenged around him. Nearby, an ogre ate while relieving himself, and a beastman stuffed his toenails into a sandwich. Across his light screen, however, classrooms gleamed with order, teachers instructed with elegance, and students laughed together. It was a world completely at odds with the chaos surrounding him.

Years had passed, but the surge of emotion from that moment still burned in his chest. That flame scorched his soul. That flame had a name... Shame.

”You have now been introduced to the eight redeemed individuals. Some of you may be wondering why Mayor Fernandez is participating in this tribunal despite being only temporarily suspended from office and not classified as a criminal.”

Fernandez looked up at the voice and saw a prison guard standing at the edge of the seaview terrace. It was the same guard who had escorted him into Shattered Lake.

The memories came back to him. After signing the Sinner’s Directory and having his powers sealed, a guard had suddenly assaulted him with deadly intent, leaving him unconscious until now.

Looking more closely, Fernandez realized the guard was not speaking to them at all, but to the camera eye.

Prison. Livestream. Blood Moon.

The ogre squinted and turned to the human beside him. ”Director Ledor, who is that?”

Fernandez had been responsible for the downfall of former Project Director Ledor. Yet when asked, he answered instinctively, almost as if it were second nature.

”That’s Ashe Heath,” he said. After a brief pause, he added, ”A death row inmate who should be serving his sentence in prison.”

Fernandez quickly caught on to what was going on. He looked at Ashe, only to find Ashe looking back at him. Ashe held up The Sinner’s Directory, the book that dictated the fate of every prisoner. Most of Ashe’s facial features were hidden, leaving only a pair of cold, detached eyes visible.

He said, ”As for Mayor Fernandez being here, a friend of mine claimed he is a bad person, one who repeatedly exploited loopholes in the law to escape scrutiny.”

Fernandez let out a disdainful chuckle and said nothing.

Ashe continued, ”As you might expect, ’I have a friend’ hardly counts as testimony. According to the investigative files compiled by the Heresy Court’s memory specialists, there are many puzzling gaps and discrepancies in Mayor Fernandez’s extracted memory, but strictly speaking, he has committed no illegal acts.

”As everyone knows, the true authority behind the Blood Moon Tribunal is not the mayor, not the Heresy Court, and certainly not a mere host like myself. It is you—the clear-eyed citizens watching from behind the light screens. Your votes of redemption are what guide this tribunal.

”Of course, I assume none of you would follow the incitement of a former death row inmate like me and send a law-abiding mayor to meet the Blood Moon Lord prematurely.”

Ashe added calmly, ”And that is precisely what makes this Blood Moon Tribunal so interesting.

”Unlike Mayor Fernandez, the other seven participants—former councilors, officials, and gang members—are beyond doubt criminals. If the broadcast station refuses to cut the signal, you may click on their avatars to access their criminal records.

”In theory, the redeemed individual chosen in this tribunal should come from among those seven. But now, I am offering you a choice.”

Ashe pointed at Fernandez. ”You may accuse Mayor Fernandez of illegal acts and divert votes toward him. If you do, you will escape this ordeal. Based on my understanding of the citizens, the more detailed and consequential your accusations, the fewer votes you will receive.”

The others’ expressions shifted. The former secretary, the beastman Menken, suddenly shouted, ”I accuse him! Fernandez hired assassins to kill—AHHH!”

Menken’s scream pierced the air as the crimson stone seat beneath him began to smoke and heat rapidly. The skin pressed to the stone was scorched black.

With a tone devoid of apology and laced with unmistakable schadenfreude, Ashe said, ”Ah, I nearly forgot to mention. In this tribunal, the executioner has been enhanced with the Devouring Mouth of Lies. The moment you lie, slander, fabricate, or say anything you cannot verify, its mouth heats uncontrollably until you are reduced to a perfectly cooked meal. Many thanks to the Heresy Court for the technical support.”

”Devouring Mouth of Lies?!”

The participants’ faces drained of color as they realized they could not leave their stone seats, as though they had been glued in place. Worse still, they were unable to channel any mana to attack one another. This absurd, private Blood Moon Tribunal had granted them only the freedom to speak, while every other ability remained sealed.

”That’s right. The eight stone pillars you sit on are the executioners themselves. Rejoice; few people get the privilege of sitting atop an executioner’s head.”

Everyone glared at Ashe, cursing inwardly. How about we switch places instead?

Just then, a man with silver-rimmed glasses raised his hand. ”Wait.”

He appeared to be a middle-aged scholar. ”Firstly, it is established that Fernandez has committed no crimes. Secondly, we are forbidden from saying anything we cannot verify. Under these conditions, it is impossible for us to accuse Fernandez of illegal acts.”

Ashe turned his gaze toward the middle-aged scholar. ”Correct. You are absolutely right, which is why I am not asking you to list his illegal acts. What I want are Mayor Fernandez’s legally illegal acts.”

Legally... illegal acts?

Everyone present had clawed their way to the upper echelons of Caimon City through countless political battles. When Ashe said this, they immediately understood his implications. Their expressions turned grim, and Fernandez was no exception.

***

In the Heresy Court director’s office.

The director flipped open a dossier bearing the name Ashe Heath. ”Aha. Strange. None of the Four Pillars Cult’s victims were government officials, and he has never worked in relevant fields... Was this information leaked to him? Or did he figure it out himself?

”From the looks of it, this isn’t a personal grudge against Fernandez, nor mere provocation aimed at the Court. He is probing the deeper operating rules of society itself. That is the kind of trouble both the research institute and the church dread... But...”

The director rested her cheek on her hand, a faint smile curling her lips. Dark circles framed her blood-red eyes, but anticipation flickered within them. ”I haven’t encountered real trouble in over a hundred years.”