TL NOTE: I changed sorcerer to curse user. initially, thought to use warlock and even considered hexer, but in the end, I just went with curse user for the profession and curses for the spell (previously sorcery), which would be the most literal translation.
“Let’s go!” [Ryouma]
So we traveled by slime from the foot of the mountain to the test site.
A Huge Bush Slime led the way with five adventurers on its back.
It moved just like it did back in the Great Forest, cutting through the dense vegetation to carve out a trail on the mountain slope, just wide enough for two people to walk parallel each other.
We followed it from behind on Emperor Scavenger Slime back.
There were five of us all in all, me plus four nobles.
The Emperor Scavenger Slime smoothed out the path made by the Huge Bush Slime, clearing away the branches and leaves left behind.
It seemed slow at first glance, but if you consider that we were going uphill in a single file while simultaneously building a path, we were actually going fast.
“…I don’t know nyaaah, this feels kind of weird.” [Miya]
“I’ve slid down a slope before, but I’ve never slid up a slope like this…” [Syria]
“It’s such a unique feeling, nothing at all like riding a horse…” [Mizelia]
“Eh, you’ll get used to it soon enough. At least it doesn’t shake much.” [Jeff]
“But the lack of shaking is what makes it feel unnatural…” [Wereanna]
Aside from Sebasu-san, who’s ridden one before, everyone else was riding for the first time and were quite bothered by the sensation of riding a slime. The four beastkin were particularly restless.
When I asked about it, they explained that their heightened senses made the unfamiliar sensations stand out more.
I guess it’s like what the people at work would say when they brought pets–that animals took time to adjust to new environments.
Still, like Jeff-san said, you get used to it after a while. And if it really became too much, they could just hop off and run alongside us, so it wasn’t too big of a problem.
Also, I shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it either. Otherwise, jt might just have the opposite effect and make them more self-conscious instead.
“This is my first time riding a slime, but I really like it. I think I even want one for myself.” [Rosenberg]
Oh? Rosenberg-sama, who was seated behind me, seemed genuinely interested in slimes.
It didn’t sound like he was just being polite.
I glanced back at him, and I saw him touching the flesh of the slime around his feet with great interest.
We had greeted each other when we gathered, but we haven’t been able to have a proper talk just yet because we started moving right away.
Last time we met, it was more of a client-consultant relationship with him as the practitioner and me as the client, but now it’s more like a teacher and his pupil.
It was a great opportunity to build rapport.
“I’m glad to hear that. Slimes of this size can carry a fair bit of cargo, and they’re excellent for travel over rough terrain as you can see now.” [Ryouma]
“Impressive. As a curse user, it’s my job not only to lift curses but also to manage the miasmic lands. Unfortunately, even if the land is purified and the miasma suppressed, the people tend to steer clear of such areas, so the roads tend to fall into disrepair.” [Rosenberg]
But even then, they can’t just stop going, or the miasma could spread and cause even more harm.
“Curses also require specialized tools and preparations, so we have to haul the equipment for those as well. Of course, nothing could be better than to have the help of a dimension mage, but they’re in high demand, so we can’t always rely on such luxury. So, most of the time, all we have are our carriage and feet.
I only need to check and treat each site a few times a year, but there was a period of time when some seniors retired, and I had to take over three people’s worth of territories to manage. That lasted for about a year until they found enough replacement, I don’t even want to remember it. But it was precisely because of that kind of experience that I can appreciate these slimes of yours.” [Rosenberg]
“…Huh. Sounds like being a curse user is more laborious than I thought.” [Ryouma]
Even back when we first met, I’d already gotten the feeling that these curse users felt like they were being milked dry for all their worth like a black company would their employees, so while I’m definitely interested in curses and want to study how they break curses and manage miasma, being an official curse user altogether is another story.
That must’ve shown on my face because Rosenberg-sama wryly smiled.
“It’s certainly not an easy job. We’re always understaffed, but if your work doesn’t involve managing cursed lands, or you’re assigned to a mansion or other site in a populated area, the physical burden might not be so bad, but it’s rare to get only those kinds of jobs.
That said, we don’t assign people to tasks that don’t match their strengths. For example, if someone excels at curse-breaking but is terrible at miasma removal, there’s no point in sending them to a miasmic site. It’s too dangerous.
There are plenty of jobs focused entirely on curse-breaking, so there’s no need to force yourself into land management if it’s not your thing.” [Rosenberg]
Of course, those kinds of jobs also came with their own issues, such as being stuck in the workshop all the time, or having to speak with their clients like a doctor would. Even curse-breaking specialists faced their own struggles.
Every path had its pros and cons. In the end, it came down to understanding your own strengths and weakness and deciding what mattered the most.
“If I were to work as a curse user in the future, managing land like this experimental site might suit me best. I’m confident in my physical stamina, and we have these slimes. Plus, I can use dimension magic, so getting around won’t be an issue.
On the other hand, providing delicate care to clients suffering from curses is a bit…” [Ryouma]
“I understand. It’s hard even for seasoned curse users. Just do what you can. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a shortage of curse users, so if someone is enthusiastic about taking on the laborious land management, I’m sure many would be eager to support you.
Besides, I’ve heard you’ve already developed your own spell for dispelling miasma. If you have that kind of talent, you’ll be welcome wherever you go.” [Rosenberg]
“I’m honored to receive such praise, especially coming from a professional. I’ll do my best, so I humbly ask for your guidance and mentorship from here on, Rosenberg-sama.” [Ryouma]
At that point, he seemed to remember something and changed the subject.
“Before we begin any formal instruction, I was told you’ve already mastered the casting and dispelling of curses, is that right?” [Rosenberg]
“I don’t know if I’d say I’ve mastered it, but I learned from Remilie Clemis-sama. She taught me how to apply curses, and she also taught me how to dispel them with the light magic, Dispel.
I’ve also successfully used the dark magic, Anti-Curse, to defend against curses.
She says I’m better suited to dark magic than light.” [Ryouma]
“I see. I will still have to test your abilities at some point, but if so, then I likely won’t have much to teach you in terms of spellcasting.” [Rosenberg]
He explained that curses are born when negative emotions come into contact with a person’s own mana. Because of that, curses originally didn’t have a fixed form.
However, that lack of structure made it hard to pass techniques on. To solve that, modern curses have been systematized to some extent so that the methods for handling curses can be taught efficiently to students.
“For example, the image used vary depending on the effects of the curse desired, but the basic method of casting is taught, and most dispelling or purification techniques revolve around a spell called Curse Transfer.
There are also rituals that are meant to help with building a strong image to maximize the potency of the spells.
If you’ve already created your own technique, then you’ve more than proven your potential.
The order of your learning might be messy, but trying to force you into a mold at this point would just ruin your strengths.
So, let’s just focus on filling in any gaps in your fundamentals through a mix of practical exercises and informal discussions. How does that sound?” [Rosenberg]
“That sounds perfect. I’ve actually been feeling the same way myself. I’ll probably have a lot of really basic and maybe even silly questions to ask, but regardless, I look forward to learning from you, Rosenberg-sama.” [Ryouma]
“Understood. For the record, my specialties lie in land management and curse removal. Especially when it comes to identifying the source of miasma or a curse. I am quite good at investigating said causes.
That said, I don’t have much experience as a teacher. I’ve taught a few times, but I’m nowhere near as skilled as teachers at formal institutions or those curse users that focus on training the next generation. So, please don’t hesitate to ask questions, no matter how small they might seem. It’s a huge help for me too.” [Rosenberg]
Rosenberg-sama might say that he’s not good at teaching, but to me, this is plenty good.
In my previous life, whether it was at work or at part-time jobs, the norm was just to watch and learn.
No one ever taught me anything properly, so just being allowed to ask questions and getting real answers already felt like luxury.
By the way…
“Understood. And actually, I already have one question.
I’m well aware that the order I’ve learned things is all over the place, but if someone were to follow the normal path to becoming a curse user, what kind of order would they usually study in? Just for reference.” [Ryouma]
“There are two main routes to studying curses. One is to become an apprentice to a curse user. The other is to enroll in a specialized institution, which we’ve mentioned a few times already.
The apprentice route is exactly what it sounds like. You form a master-apprentice relationship with a working curse user and learn by assisting them on the job. This used to be the mainstream method.
In many cases, the lifestyle itself incorporated curses training, so unless you were born into that lineage, it was difficult to become an apprentice, and even if you did, it was difficult to keep up with the lifestyle.” [Rosenberg]
“So it used to be mainstream, meaning educational institutions are the common way of learning curses now?” [Ryouma]
“Yes. Apprenticeships tended to be secretive and closed off. At best, that limited who could learn curses, but worse, it often led to techniques dying out entirely, which became a serious concern. And some were even persecuted for acting suspicious…
To solve these issues, the Ducal family, Carchel, a prominent lineage of curse users, established formal institutions to teach curses. These institutions are maintained by them to this day.” [Rosenberg]
I asked him more about that, and I learned that the Carchel Family was a renowned noble family not merely retained by the royal family but even granted special authority.
They’re actively working to grow the next generation of curse users by accepting applicants and recruiting promising individuals.
They also support the field in wide-ranging ways from researching new techniques and tools to helping preserve fading curse user bloodlines, finding jobs, and even arranging marriages.
Apparently, Rosenberg-sama’s family is a branch of the Carchel, so there may be a bit of bias in his view, but even setting that aside, it makes me think that maybe the curse user profession isn’t quite as much of a black company as I’d feared.
But at the same time… Is it really that convenient? Part of me is still skeptical.
“Forgive me for asking, but as promising as it sounds, is it actually more like, ‘Sure, there’s a system in place, but using it is actually really hard’?” [Ryouma]
“You need to pass an exam to be officially recognized as a curse user, you need to register your name, you need to complete a certain amount of work regularly, and you need to keep them informed of your location.
There are other smaller conditions, but if you’re planning to work as a legitimate curse user, none of it is particularly unreasonable.
I understand your skepticism about the favorable treatment, but please see it as a reflection of how serious we are about increasing the number of curse users.
After all, curses can be unconsciously cast by anyone. So, unofficial curse users vastly outnumber us.
When the world is shaken by war or disaster, curses spread rapidly, so it’s up to us to take care of all of these.
If we don’t steadily improve the situation, even little by little, everything could collapse eventually.
To avoid that kind of future, protecting curse users and raising the next generation is something we consider to be a top priority.” [Rosenberg]
Rosenberg-sama spoke calmly, but I could feel his passion about fixing the current shortage of curse users.
I still don’t fully understand what the profession is like, but if this mindset is common throughout the field, and they’re united in working toward improvement, if there really is hope for the future, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, even if the work is demanding.
But even as I find myself thinking that, memories of my previous job surface, and I find myself climbing the mountain quietly, my mind stuck in a tug-of-war between curiosity and wariness.
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