Chapter 9: You Are Now a Grade 4 Sorcerer
If Emiya Shirou saw someone crying right in front of him, could he remain deaf and blind to it?
Undoubtedly, the answer is clearly no.
Even if he considered himself no longer destined to be a Hero of Justice or to save the world, Emiya Shirou absolutely refused to abandon his principles and allow himself to become such a cold person.
That is why Emiya Shirou accepted the invitation to become a Sorcerer—not just to find a possibility of returning home, but also to do something within his power.
"Very good."
Nanami Kento didn't appear excited by Emiya's answer. Instead, as if suddenly regretting something, he began to advise Emiya in a subtle tone.
"In fact, operating as a part-time Sorcerer is also a good choice. You won't have to venture too deep into dangerous situations, and you'll receive notifications in advance when a disaster occurs in the area.
You will form your own judgment on whether to fully commit to the Sorcerer profession after you've had some exposure to it.
Even if you decide you want to live as an ordinary person then, that's fine, as long as you learn to control your Cursed Energy and stay hidden."
Nanami Kento didn't say anything like "because you have this power, you must bear the responsibility."
Because he himself knew that those were just high-level clichés used to manipulate people.
"If you feel you have a sufficient understanding of the Sorcery World and wish to take the next step, I can be your recommender for entry into Jujutsu High."
"Jujutsu High?"
That sounded nicely academic.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, abbreviated as Jujutsu High. One of only two schools in Japan related to Sorcery, it's responsible for cultivating talent while also serving as an organization where Sorcerers accept missions and eliminate Cursed Spirits."
Without training and trials, it's impossible to become a qualified Sorcerer.
In contrast to the Sorcerer Families who pass down their abilities through bloodlines, these educational institutions, primarily focused on cultivating Sorcerers, emerged in modern times. They allow ordinary people who unexpectedly awaken their abilities to become competent Sorcerers, rather than just consumables for the Sorcerer Families.
To Emiya Shirou, this seemed a bit like the Clock Tower in his world.
However, this academy at least prioritized the elimination of Cursed Spirits, unlike the Clock Tower, which still fixated on bloodlines and saw itself as separate from the rest of the world.
In that regard, Jujutsu High was several steps ahead of them.
"I see... Nanami-san, I will seriously consider your suggestion."
At least in Emiya's eyes, the Nanami Kento before him was a very good person.
Just being able to wholeheartedly fulfill his duties was already remarkable.
"However, since you say Cursed Spirits are constantly emerging, and casualties among personnel cannot be completely suppressed... shouldn't it be better to have as many Sorcerers as possible?"
Emiya still found this point incomprehensible.
If he were a high-ranking official in the Sorcery World, and if Sorcerers weren't as heavily reliant on innate Magic Circuits as Magi are, then even if high-level fighters couldn't be mass-produced, ordinary Sorcerers should be easy to create, right?
"How should I explain this?"
Nanami Kento pondered for a moment and replied:
"Because the world is still far from being destroyed due to a shortage of Sorcerers."
Simply because that man still exists, the Cursed Spirits can never succeed, no matter what.
"Furthermore, as long as humans exist and people continue to have negative emotions, unconscious Cursed Energy will constantly leak and accumulate, giving birth to new Cursed Spirits.
Things like the 'Evil of All the World'—where defeating it would lead to a happy ending for everyone—simply don't exist in the real world."
That's right. Reality is not a fairy tale where one decisive action leads everyone to a beautiful conclusion.
"If you have no more questions, I'll now register you as a Sorcerer."
Just as Emiya thought he was in for a series of investigations and tests, he saw Nanami Kento simply pick up his phone, make a call, and then issue a pronouncement to him—
"You are now a Grade 4 Sorcerer."
"...Huh?"
Emiya was a bit confused.
It was one thing to not require an investigation, but did they not even need a simple strength test? Just like that, they absorb people into the organization?
Is this truly a legitimate official organization, or some shady underground assassin group?
Perhaps he'd found the reason why Cursed Spirits were so rampant.
"That's how it is. Since you're only a personal Sorcerer and at the lowest Grade 4... you won't get very difficult missions, and you'll be able to learn a little about the Sorcery World. It's just right for you.
However, having seen what you've seen, you should already understand now..."
Nanami Kento straightened up, gently adjusted his glasses, and solemnly shared his views and experience as a senior to Emiya—
"Being a Sorcerer is trash!"
"...Huh??"
.
.
.
A little while later, Emiya and Yotsuya Miko were conducting a debriefing at the familiar MDL restaurant.
"So, Emiya-kun, you're now a Sorcerer who specializes in exorcising Cursed Spirits?"
"That's right."
"You don't need to report to their headquarters, and you even have the right to judge whether or not you can carry out the missions they give you?"
"That's right."
"And most importantly, the salary is a full 300,000... yen?!"
"That's right."
"..."
Yotsuya Miko, whose monthly allowance was only 10,000 yen, fell silent.
She turned her head to look at a distorted-looking evil spirit not far away and thought that perhaps going over to fight it wouldn't be out of the question.
As soon as the thought flashed through her mind, the evil spirit seemed to notice her gaze, turned its head, and revealed its true form, instantly scaring her stiff and making her sit up even straighter.
'Gulp...'
Yotsuya Miko swallowed.
'J... just kidding.'
"Yotsuya-kun is a bit timid after all, so facing those Cursed Spirits directly isn't very suitable for you." Emiya said, focusing on finishing the food in front of him, speaking to the stiff-faced girl.
"Who said that! I'm not that scared, really! It's just that these things always appear when you least expect them, even when I'm taking a bath and..."
Choked by the remark, Yotsuya Miko instinctively tried to retort, but realized her words sounded a bit off toward the end. Her voice grew quieter, and her cheeks flushed.
Emiya, meanwhile, didn't notice a thing. When the voice stopped, he even paused his eating to look at her curiously.
"What's wrong, Yotsuya-kun?"
'Her face is red. Is she sick?'
"..."
"Baka!"