The Sorcerer's Handbook

At the Heresy Court’s branch in Caimon City’s Pearl District.

A young hunter glanced at the flickering Coffin Lamp and sprang to his feet. ”Hm? Someone died.”

Across from him, a potbellied beastman hunter munched on potato chips as he asked, ”Where?”

”Let me check.” The young hunter switched the Heresy Court light screen to surveillance mode. ”Death confirmed near Spirit Lake, Third Avenue.”

The fat beastman spat. ”I know that place. It’s full of abandoned developments. Those idiot developers. They call a puddle the Spirit Lake. Suddenly, it’s a premium lakefront view. Two trees, and it becomes a private forest and a wellness sanctuary. Move the entrance a little farther from the stairs, and they call it a ten-meter gallery. The ads were deafening, but the projects still collapsed.”

He shoved another handful of chips into his mouth. ”Good thing I gambled away my wages. Otherwise, I’d be like Bernie, stuck with a worthless apartment. So who died?”

”Two people. Louis Mill. Human male, thirty-two. Niablin Aiden. Goblin female, fourteen.”

”Candy consumption history?”

”Six years for the first. Three for the second.”

The beastman smacked his lips. ”Then it’s obvious. They must have hidden in some unfinished building, overdosed on candy, and died during sex. Human and goblin candy fusing? That’s a rare combination.”

Ogres had the strongest natural resistance to toxins. Even so, consumption of Moon Candy still caused them mild hallucinations. Other races suffered far worse. Along with hallucinations came extreme excitement and sexual arousal. Candy users often turned violent or engaged in reckless sex. When multiple men and women consumed candy together and mated, the act was known as candy fusing.

The young hunter frowned. ”A fourteen-year-old goblin hasn’t even reached the age to leave a care facility.”

The fat orc laughed. ”That just means you didn’t grow up in a wet-market orphanage. Stay here a few more days, and you’ll understand. All the facilities around here are bottom-tier. Those brats climb out easier than taking a dump. Half the small gangs are run by minors.”

He waved dismissively. ”Thanks to the Child Protection Act, even if they’re caught, their sentences get reduced. They do whatever they want. When they grow up, they either join gangs or dig platinum ore in prison for life.”

The young hunter pressed. ”Then... are we not even going to check? A minor goblin died. If we send her to the hospital—”

The fat orc waved a hand. ”No need. Do it the usual way. Send the coordinates to the hospital and let them handle the bodies. If we dispatch hunters, we have to open a case, write reports, secure the scene, and process the corpses.

”And after all that, our pay won’t go up by even one Silver Coin. Instead, we just end up with extra work. The hospital takes the bodies in the end anyway. Might as well skip the trouble.”

The young hunter clenched his fists. ”Gang shootouts kill people, we ignore it. Candy kills people, and we still ignore it. What do hunters even protect?”

The fat orc replied calmly, ”Now I see why a college-educated hunter like you got dumped in a backwater branch. You must’ve been an annoying, overly righteous comic relief at headquarters.”

The young hunter shook his head, pulled on his trench coat, and headed for the door.

The fat orc went on, ”We hunters protect the living, not the dead. Trash that throws its own life away deserves to rot. Letting them die is how we remain responsible to society.”

The young hunter shouted back, ”Since when does a fourteen-year-old goblin girl who hasn’t even left a care facility get to choose her own path? She doesn’t owe society anything. Society owes her!

”And after what the two Blood Moon races have done to us, how can we stand by and watch others get crushed by this system?”

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

The fat orc scratched his head. ”Didn’t expect that thick-browed, honest-eyed college kid to be secretly watching the Blood Moon Tribunal on duty.”

He snorted. ”Talking like a hero. I’ll file a report and dock his bonus for the month. That’ll teach him.”

He leaned back. ”Young people are always like this. An ogre says a few righteous words, and they swallow it whole. They never think about how anyone who reaches that position is a seasoned politician. Logic bends when it’s useful. Morality gets spotlighted when it serves.”

He paused. ”Still... looks like that ogre stirred up quite a few youngsters. The Blood Moon races... The most savage of civilized societies...”

The fat orc glanced at the empty chip bag, licked his fingers, and stared at the blood-red moon outside.

”Come to think of it... Why was I transferred to this branch in the first place?”

He opened the light screen and scrolled through old photos until one made him stop. It showed him three years ago, newly recruited into the Heresy Court. Back then, he wore a crisp dark-red uniform and looked strong and imposing, brimming with vitality. A bright smile lit up his face.

Then he looked at the mirror beside him, only to find a dispirited orc bathed in crimson moonlight.

He murmured, ”It’s only us middle-aged and old ones who are spent. There’s still hope in the young. The mayor died for a good cause.”

***

At Third Avenue of Spirit Lake.

An unfinished building collapsed with a thunderous crash. Rubble poured down, sending a flock of birds bursting into the sky.

Ashe hid behind a broken wall. He glanced at the blood seeping from beneath the debris nearby and said, ”Stop fooling around. If we don’t leave now, the Heresy Court will be on us. Gerard is probably already furious over my message and itching to chase us down using fart-powered acceleration. If you feel like letting a Three-Winged Sacred Realm sorcerer vent his anger on you, I won’t stop you.”

From behind another wall, Iger asked, ”You really left Gerard a message? How did you know he’d be the first to arrive at the tribunal?”

Ashe replied, ”I guessed. You should pray I guessed wrong. So, are you still planning to fight?”

Harvey said from the shadows of the second floor, ”No. I can’t connect to the nearby chip processors right now. Killing you would be too troublesome.”

Ronald laughed. ”Is it just me, or have you gotten cockier since breaking out?”

Iger taunted, ”Ronald, you still have time to laugh? Aren’t you afraid Ronna beside you might swallow you whole? There’s no healer here to save you.”

Ronna said with a grin, ”Beautiful Beast, there’s no need for your concern. Once word of your escape spreads, your old clients will line up to talk business again. Your reputation stretches across both Dreamveil and Caimon City. Even in prison, I heard plenty of people who want you dead.”

”Then let’s go our separate ways,” Ronald said.

Ashe suddenly called out, ”Wait. Before we part, I want to ask something. Do any of you know a way to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom?”

Silence followed.

After a moment, Harvey spoke, ”Even if such a way exists, why should I tell you?”

Ashe shrugged. ”It’s like confessing your feelings. You never know unless you say it. And if you do, there’s a chance the other side could be blind and agree.”

Iger said playfully, ”Speaking of that, you still owe me a wish. The prison break went too smoothly, so I never got to use it. What do you think I should wish for? How about you coming out into the ruins and doing push-ups right now?”

Ashe replied seriously, ”I think wishes should be practical, like something that doesn’t trouble me and benefits you. How about wishing for me to buy you a birthday cake? A fruit cake sounds good.”

Iger shouted, ”What a coincidence. I don’t need to benefit at all. I just want to see you inconvenienced. And clearly you’re the one craving a fruit cake.”

”I don’t know,” Ronna said flatly.

”I have a rough idea,” Ronald said with a smile. ”But I won’t tell you. The fewer people who know, the better.”

Ashe muttered, ”You’re all terrible at sharing information. Harvey, can I ask you for a favor?”

”What is it?”

”There are two injured people nearby, close to the building. Our fight caused the collapse, and the rubble hit them. After we leave, can you help them? I’ll clear the debris.”

Harvey fell silent for a moment. ”I sensed it. You’re the only living person on your side.”

”I see.”

”So I can help.”

Ashe froze. ”Huh?”

Two dark green beams shot from the second floor and struck the rubble beside Ashe.

Harvey said calmly, ”If they weren’t already dead, there wouldn’t be much I could do, but since they are, this Miracle of mine can temporarily turn them into living corpses. For ten hours, their bodies won’t deteriorate further. If they receive treatment during that time, there’s a chance they’ll survive. You don’t need to clear the rubble either. Otherwise, they might attack others. Still, this is the Pig District. They’ll need some luck.”

”Thank you,” Ashe said.

No answer came.

Ashe blinked and realized the others were already gone.

Using his Swordheart spirit, he cleared part of the debris and exposed the living corpses’ heads. Then he took a long detour to another street, removed his prison guard uniform, and changed into the crow outfit the healer had given him. After doing all that, he strode straight into the unfamiliar city.

”Since I haven’t found a way to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom yet, I’ll set that aside and finish my character-specific side quest.”

Standing at a public transit stop, Ashe studied the city map and quickly located the station marked Caimon General University.

He murmured, ”Professor Syrin, your student has graduated from prison and returned.”