Chapter 82 – Sorcerer
Translator: Isekai Shousetsu
Fake Sorcerers are people who take up the t.i.tle of Sorcerer even though they aren’t one to abuse it and request money and goods from people.
For example, let’s presume there exists a sick child.
Then someone who’s not even a sorcerer would come and say she’ll cure that child and chant “Abracadabra.”
Suddenly, the child is cured of his sickness.
It’s the birth of a false sorcerer.
After that, she’ll start spouting random things while demanding increasingly harsh doctor’s and prayer’s fees.
Once the jig is up, she’ll immediately flee to someplace else.
That said, things are still at a mild level.
Things like overblowing diagnoses, putting mysterious medicine on scratches and wounds that would have been fine even if you normally left it as is, and causing side-effects such as lock-jaw, etc.
At any rate, this is a world where real sorcerers exist, so these things are straight-up fraud.
While trifling sorcerers are common, there aren’t that much sorcerers with that much skills.
Therefore, even real sorcerers can be deceived.
Amongst them, there even exists real sorcerers (naturally, they’re at a level not much different from amateurs) that apprentice under false sorcerers.
If you ask these false sorcerers “Why aren’t you working for the country?”, they’d convincingly answer back “I have no interest in such trifling matters.”
If they were told “Master, please teach me soul riding!!”, they’d say admonishments like “Listen here, okay? Sorcery is not something you flaunt off, you know.” and deceive their apprentices.
Well, if you put it simply, they are crooks.
“How is it, father-in-law?”
“Isn’t it fine? I think things would be better if you do it.”
I secured permission from father-in-law, the Former King Rosyth who’s holed up in retirement.
Although it’s not necessary to give face and seek this person’s advice as the new King Rosyth, he is still the former King despite his retirement.
As such, there’s no way I could ignore his ideas.
Although there’s particularly no need to ask permission for conducting projects such as flood control, as expected, it’s safer to seek his permission when it comes to modifying the laws and what not.
It’s my “I’m not making light of the Former King Rosyth” appeal.
“Nonetheless, that Julia. She thought of this, huh. Why didn’t she propose this to me back then……”
“Isn’t it because Father-in-law is sick?”
It’s probably Julia being considerate - not wanting to add unnecessary work to a sick person.
Otherwise, it’s something that had just recently come into her mind.
Eitherway, since making a new law is an extremely time-consuming process, it would have been probably hard for Father-in-law, who’s sick.
It’s something more suited to be handled by me since I’m young after all. I’d at least be able to pull off two consecutive all-nighters.
“So, what does it proposes? Tell me the specifics.”
“Yes, I’ll get into it.”
I explain Julia’s proposal to Father-in-law.
First, to create a licensure system for sorcerers.
In a short, it’s like the licensure system for doctors.
Next, to divide sorcerers into three cla.s.ses - Senior, Intermediate, and Low.
The condition for the Senior Cla.s.s is to be capable of dealing with high level sorcery including soul riding.
For the Intermediate Cla.s.s, the candidate should have firm grasp of fundamental sorcery skills such as curses and barriers. In addition, they should be able to put these skills into practical use.
For the Low Cla.s.s, the candidate should be able to use basic sorcery.
Anyone who does not meet any of these conditions would not be considered as a sorcerer.
Each cla.s.s shall be given their own license certificates - the Senior Cla.s.s will have a gold plate, the Intermediate Cla.s.s a silver plate, and the Low Cla.s.s a copper plate.
Also, the act of calling one’s self a sorcerer, whether true or not, without a sorcerer licence shall be criminalized punishable with ten lashes of the whip.
Furthermore, the act of cultivating narcotics (with the exception of hemp, however,) necessary for sorcery shall be forbidden.
The country shall, under a strict oversight system, do such cultivation and sell such products only to licensed sorcerers.
Those who discover new narcotics, drugs, and sorcery shall have the duty to report its discovery and invention to the country. The country will pay a suitable reward to the inventor/discoverer.
With this, we can prevent against a sorcerer concealing and monopolizing them.
Next is the National Sorcerer System.
Simply put, the sorcerers employed by the country.
Only intermediate cla.s.s sorcerers can become national sorcerers.
If a sorcerer becomes one, she shall receive a monthly pension as well as various privileges such as discounts in narcotics purchases.
In exchange, when country calls, they should immediately respond.
Even sorcerers who have not yet been employed by the country should have a certain number.
This is a law to employ them.
Next is the Sorcery Inst.i.tute.
Simply put, this refers to a state-run sorcery research inst.i.tute.
The country will appropriate funds for research and pay tenured sorcerers high wages.
The sorcerers will be given the opportunity to freely conduct research studies. Provided, however, on the premise that they will obey the idea and intention of the country to a certain extent.
Next is the Sorcerer Training School.
Up until now, the way to become a sorcerer had been to apprentice under another sorcerer and pursue knowledge. With this system, however, the number of sorcerers that could be nurtured is limited. Thus, the number the country could take a hold of is also limited.
As such, the country shall create a state-run school.
Once a year, little girls aged 8 years above shall be gathered at the palace.
They would then be taught sorcery in a month while their abilities, or lack thereof, are ascertained.
According to Julia, with the exception of late bloomers, it appears one month is more than sufficient time to ascertain the existence of ability.
Afterwards, the country will negotiate with the parents and the candidate herself, asking her if she would like to become a sorcerer.
The country will shoulder the parents’ moving expenses to a certain extent. If the parents don’t want to move and the child is to move by herself, then the child will be a.s.signed to a dormitory.
Naturally, tuition fees are free.
By the way, national sorcerers would be the ones to do the teaching. They’ll be paid a salary.
It will rake up a considerable cost but if you think of it in the context of investment, then it’s a small amount of money to pay.
In the first place, there aren’t that much talented sorcerers so the number of students probably wont reach more than a hundred people, right?
Lastly, the Magic Inst.i.tute.
This is Tetra’s wish.
In short, it’s an organization that researches magic. By the way, according to Tetra, if it’s just designing magic circles, then even non-sorcerers should be capable.
Rather than sorcery, knowledge in mathematics would be much more necessary, it seems.
At present, the only member is Tetra. Whether or not it would increase is still a mystery.
Anyway, it’s a new field so it’s direction is still unknown.
Well, we also plan to teach mathematics in the Sorcery Training School so people that would take interest in magic should appear sooner or later.
When that comes, it would depend on how much effort Tetra gives to inviting members.
After that is something I don’t understand very well - that is the fields in sorcery would be divided, it would seem.
There would be five fields - Sorcery (Curse Specialty), Pharmaceutical Arts (Medical Specialty), Holy Arts (Anti Curse Specialty), Spirit Arts (Soul and Related Arts Specialty), and Magic (Magic Specialty).
It’s like the division of all things set by scholars.h.i.+p up until now into National Language, Arithmetic, Science, and Society.
Honestly speaking, I don’t quite understand their differences.
I intend to leave all of this on Julia and Tetra’s hands.
By the way, according to this division, Soyon, Lulu, and Tetra’s specialties would be Spirit Arts, Sorcery, and Magic respectively.
Julia is quite skilled in all fields except Magic but it appears she’s particularly skilled in Pharmaeutical and Holy Arts.
“You’re doing quite a lot, huh.”
“We don’t to do all of them in one go, you know. We would like to start first with the licensure system, the National Sorcerer System and the Sorcery Inst.i.tute.”
The shortest time we’d be able to put these into full-blown effect would be two-month’s later, maybe?
“Also, what do we do to manage the false sorcerers?”
“We’ll use the standing army. I intend to send them out immediately to arrest offenders once we receive a report.”
By the way, the discoverer would be rewarded one gold coin.
This should make everyone inclined to report one.
“Do you intend to also have the great clansmen’s territories adopt this law?”
“Yes, that’s what we intend to do. Even those territories need countermeasures against false sorcerers, yes?”
This shouldn’t elicit much complaints.
The National Sorcery System might create some dissatisfaction but it’s just a matter of presenting better conditions than ours if they don’t want their sorcerers taken away by the country.
That pretty much doesn’t change.
However, I only intend to create schools in the royal territories.
Opposition is to be expected.
“The main point of this law is for the country to be able to completely manage all information regarding sorcerers. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Information is important after all.
For the time being, I’m thinking about starting from the centralization of power in information and human resources.
“Well, a law of this extent should be able to sufficiently pa.s.s in the Great Clansmen Conference. I’ll also send in my recommendation. Do your best.”
“Thank you very much.”
In the conference that began a week later, the whole law pa.s.sed safely.
Around two months after the implementation of the new law.
“Sorcerer-sama. I’ve been giving him the medicines you’ve prescribed but he’s not getting better.”
A woman asks an old woman.
This woman has a sick child.
“It couldn’t be helped, yes? It’s not something that immediately takes effect.”
The woman makes a suspicious face at the old woman’s ((rhetorical)) question.
“Two months have already pa.s.sed. For how long am I still supposed to wait?
“What? Are you doubting me?”
The woman shakes her head at the old woman’s forceful inquiry.
This old woman is the only sorcerer in this village’s vicinity.
“It’ll be fine. He’ll get stronger soon. Well then, I’ll be going home.”
The old woman takes her leave.
She laughs while holding her sides.
This old woman is ripping off large quant.i.ties of wheat, salt, and liquor from the surrounding villages with this modus operandi.
While there are a lot of competent sorcerers in the palace environs, this is the countryside.
There are no sorcerers here who can see through the old woman’s fraud - that she’s a false sorcerer.
The villagers had no choice but to rely on this old woman.
Besides, there’s unexpectedly very little people who had personally seen sorcery.
There aren’t even enough sorcerers to meet the country’s demand.
“Excuse me!!”
Somebody is knocking on the door.
The old woman opens the door to the sight of a young woman standing before her. Behind that girl, several soldiers are standing in attention.
“I am called Lulu, a National Sorcerer. You are under suspicion of fraud. Please show me your Sorcery License.”
The old woman frowns.
She doesn’t know anything about any sorcery licenses.
“Excuse me, what?”
“Oh? Could it be, you haven’t heard? Recently, a new law had been pa.s.sed that prohibits anyone without a license to use sorcery.”
“Such a thing. I didn’t know.”
The old woman really didn’t know anything about that law.
Because the number of bureaucrats in the Rosyth Kingdom is still low, there are bound to be a lot of villages out of the loop.
“Well, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience due to our inefficiency. Now then, Let’s just confirm it right now. It’ll be over immediately.”
Lulu smiles and draws near the old woman in a manner as if asking her to show her sorcery.
The woman is troubled. Why? It’s because she isn’t sufficiently capable of sorcery and such.
“Listen here you see, I…lightly…being a sorcerer…”
“I don’t give a d.a.m.n about that. Please hurry it up.”
Lulu pushes into the house. The soldiers too forcibly enter one by one.
“Wait, stop, what are you touching as you please!?”
“Ah, please excuse us. What do you have here inside these containers? Are they medicine? Rather, these are wheat dango that you’re selling as medicine, yes?”
The smiling Lulu draws closer as the old woman draws back.
“By the way, false sorcerers are punished with 10 lashes and seizure of a.s.sets. Furthermore, we’ll change that 10 lashes into 20 unless you confess.”
As such, the old woman promptly confesses.
The child whose illness never healed under the deception of the old woman had been cured in two weeks by Lulu’s prescribed medicine. He has burned this memory in his heart.