The Sorcerer's Handbook

At Tiered Lecture Hall 107 of Caimon General University.

The Mind Class lecture was in full swing.

”Persona deconstruction is a crucial area of study for Mind Class sorcerers. Even ordinary people and sorcerers without mental training engage in pre-constructive persona modeling when they first meet someone. In simpler terms, this is labeling, like wealthy and gentle, poor and insecure, powerful and domineering, weak and mild. We pick out the most striking traits and slot them into our mental framework.

”Labeling is completely normal. It helps us decide how to interact, how we show humility before the strong and press our advantages against the weak. You could even call it a basic survival skill.

”But for Mind Class sorcerers, this pre-constructed persona is often the perfect moment to cast spells. Through persona deconstruction, we can subtly and imperceptibly influence others. There are two primary methods.

”The first is straightforward: accommodative deconstruction. With limited information, people initially simplify a complex individual into easily understandable concepts. Over time, these simple labels evolve into more nuanced impressions. For example, ’wealthy and gentle’ might become ’wealthy, stingy toward others, gentle with friends.’

”Accommodative deconstruction means that after giving someone a first impression, a Mind Class sorcerer continuously reveals traits that match the other person’s expectations. For example, if I dress as a wealthy, humorous middle-aged man in a café and strike up a conversation, my target assumes I own a luxury car. Sure enough, I pull out the key. They’d assume I live in the upper district, and when I casually mention that I reside in Phoenix Garden, how do you think my approach that night turned out?

”By presenting a favorable first impression and supplying details that let them ’fill in’ the persona themselves, you quickly gain trust. Nothing is stated outright. Everything is inferred. People trust their own judgments completely. Most victims of emotional fraud fall for this. They believe in true love, all thanks to this subtle technique. Personally, I don’t recommend using it for scams. Just enjoying a pleasant night is enough.

”There are many other applications of accommodative deconstruction, which we won’t cover here. Interested students can download my book, 108 Practical Persona Templates, from the Curtain.”

”The second method is far more difficult: inverse deconstruction. Here, you don’t manage the impression you give. Instead, you shape the impressions others give. Using spirits, Miracles, rhetoric, and other techniques, you guide people to conform to the perception you have of them.

”If you perceive someone as kind and generous, they will act kind and generous in front of you. Simple labeling isn’t enough. You must understand why they are kind and generous, and reinforce their self-perception through consistent details. Gradually, even resisting individuals unconsciously align with your impression.

”This may sound complicated, but students who have read A History of Social Change should immediately think of an ancient social structure. Yes, it’s the family system that Fernandez mentioned last night.

”Within the family system, male and female guardians often used inverse deconstruction to mold children into the good children they imagined. It is said that in ancient times, raising a perfect child was arguably the easiest route to becoming a Mind Class sorcerer.

”We will not debate the accuracy of Fernandez’s views here. However, there is no doubt that inverse deconstruction stifles a child’s individuality and strips them of human rights and freedom. This is one of the reasons the family system was swept into the trash heap of history. But for Mind Class sorcerers, mastering inverse deconstruction remains a lifelong pursuit.

”The most powerful among them no longer limit it to intelligent beings. They inverse-deconstruct the world itself. ’The world revolves around me.’ That, students, is the highest realm of Mind Class mastery.

”That concludes today’s lecture. Class dismissed.”

The bell rang, and students hurried out. Soon, more than half the hall was empty.

Adela, slumped beside Freya, sighed into her desk. ”At this rate, when will I ever summon a Mind Class spirit and go gambling? This elective teaches everything except actual skills.”

Freya, wearing a cool, strappy off-shoulder camisole, nodded in agreement. The university didn’t have a Mind Class department. None of the universities in the Blood Moon Kingdom did. At best, they offered electives in Mind Class disciplines, such as the course they had chosen: Mind Analysis.

The professor lectured at length from the podium, yet not once did he explain how to summon a spirit. Time and again, he circled back to interpersonal strategies, all the while tempting students to buy his book. If Freya’s instincts were correct, he had even used a Suggestion spirit, or something similar, just now to make the students believe that 108 Practical Persona Templates contained spirit-summoning techniques.

The course itself was mediocre, and the professor’s character questionable, but the price was far from cheap. Just this single class had increased Freya’s total student loan by a full five percent.

These days, anyone could access all kinds of knowledge for free on the Curtain, but knowledge that could actually help make money was never free. It wasn’t just expensive. It also came with high barriers and strict secrecy.

Take the Biology Class, for instance. The seventeenth century had been the century of biology, and bio-augmentation artificers were now the highest-paid professionals. Yet anyone hoping to enter the field had no choice but to become a biology professor’s apprentice, effectively signing a ten-year employment contract.

As for the Mind Class, the only legitimate open profession was that of a psychological therapist. Everyone knew, however, that true Mind Class sorcerers were either criminals or politicians, and, in truth, there was little difference between the two. High risk came with high reward, so it was only natural that Mind Class knowledge remained difficult to obtain.

If Freya weren’t a Veela, capable of summoning Mind Class spirits on her own, she would have gladly taken the money for this class and spent a few joyful days at a mud café instead.

”Dinner at Salais tonight?” Adela asked.

”I have no money,” Freya replied lazily. ”I just went to Frostfall last night.”

”My treat.”

”You won?”

Adela flashed a catlike grin. ”Hehe. I placed a heavy bet on Fernandez in last night’s Blood Moon Tribunal and made quite a bit.”

”How much?”

”All I can tell you is that if I had lost, I’d be working at a tea cafe for the next few months.”