157. For a Crime You Didn't Commit.
157. For a Crime You Didn't Commit.
Chrono
The unfortunate youth.
A figure who grew up in an orphanage, strove to change his fate, and was ultimately betrayed by that very effort.
He studied, worked hard, and thought he would be rewarded in the end.
But when he finally opened his eyes, he was pushed aside by politics and power, and not only was his major stolen, but his life was even in danger.
"After all this, eeeeffort?! In a world where the higher-ups just gobble up everything, what damn effort is there!"
The citizens, the people, were enraged at this ending that was the very epitome of a powerless commoner.
"Last time, that uh! The goddess herself came out and sang!"
No, not just the people.
One of the Muses, Ur, who was watching this situation directly, came forward herself and appealed with tears(?) to the point that
it was unfair,
unfair,
an incident of such unbearable injustice.
"Is this what you call a guild?!"
A single shouted word.
"Just go bankrupt already!"
"Even when the Gate first appeared, there was no such nonsense!"
Soon voices gathered and became a great will.
"Yes! My land! My stocks! You fucking son of a bitch!"
"Messing with stocks is crossing the line....!"
"Huh?"
...Whatever the reason, it was enough to incur the wrath of the entire nation.
Would the court truly deliver a verdict on this?
Would the saying 'reward good and punish evil,' 'everything returns to right' actually play out?
If this were reality, they would have slyly started with a preemptive lawsuit, used all sorts of tricks to avoid charges, dragged out deadlines, and done all kinds of absurd things like invoking statute of limitations─
"Defendant, are you listening!"
"...Ah, sorry. I was just tired."
─Since this was a world fundamentally based on a 'game'.
The judge banged the gavel and shouted.
"This is the place where the Goddess of Justice, Justitia, resides. Keep in mind that every single unjust act tilts the scales!"
"I am deeply sorry and reflecting on it."
"..........."
A typical answer.
A typical reaction.
And thus, an even more chilling attitude.
The judge felt an instinctive repulsion and slowly exhaled, calming his mind.
'Sure enough, the sinner designated by the god.'
If a human had been in this position, it would have been troublesome in many ways.
He would have had to consider the lawyer's words, political stances, various worldly affairs, and also worry about whether such judgments were right in the eyes of Justitia.
"All, be quiet."
The judge said.
Upon this place, true 'Justice' descended.
...
..
.
The Goddess of Justice
Justitia said.
"[Confinement, coercion of official documents, forgery of official documents, obstruction of official duties, violation of the National Security Act, drugs, false accusation, document forgery, defamation, aiding and abetting, arson, arson murder, harboring a criminal, fraud, forgery of private documents, damage to a corpse, abandonment of a corpse, abandonment and damage of a corpse, murder, injury, pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical business...]"
An endless list of charges.
Crimes that could never be believed to be committed by a single person.
"[...Violation of control orders, obstruction of business, perjury, receiving stolen property, extortion under false pretenses, wartime blackmail, spreading false rumors... and numerous other misdemeanors.]"
As the crimes piled up, the eyes of the judge and Justitia grew colder.
In reality, if something like this happened, no matter how you looked at it, it would seem like a scapegoat being cut off, but...
"[...He is trash not worth living.]"
"..............."
I say again, this was based on a game.
There was a setting that all the crimes listed were committed by this person alone.
The truth, I don't know well either. But as per that setting, when I looked into the details, there was nothing but endless retribution for sin.
"[Even if I had not been summoned, I would have stepped forward for your trial.]"
Even from the eyes of a god, these were utterly astonishing deeds.
And that such deeds and acts were concealed solely by 'human status' and 'human wisdom'.
"[...In a sense, he is a follower perfectly suited to Athena.]"
Justitia said.
This, too, was human wisdom.
"[It is wise. Extremely so.]"
Daring to stake one's life and deceive a god.
Packaging something bad as something good.
Deceiving all and even knowing how to deceive oneself in the end.
And at the same time, covering one's own stains while shining one's light to keep deceiving everyone to the end.
"[Even at this very moment──my Scales are tilting.]"
Justitia's Scales.
That they were tilting to one side meant only one thing.
"[...Committing a sin even at the last moment.]"
Disgust.
A look of disdain.
A gaze that looked upon something less than human, less than a living being.
"[The phrase 'to live is a sin' would suit this one well.]"
It was not right to speak further.
Punishment. A sinner worthy of the ultimate penalty.
Justitia raised the Scales in her hand high and declared to the sky, to the earth.
"[You, sinner, listen.]"
You are one who has mocked all people.
You are one who has ignored the will of the gods.
For you are wise to the end, yet ignorant to the end.
"[The sinner's punishment shall be the ultimate penalty. It is right to sentence to death──]"
"─Please wait a moment."
"[....The sinner... talks back?]"
Wouldn't it be right to just kill him?
Justitia was pondering whether to bring down the gavel in her hand, when the sinner acknowledged by the god said.
"All these many sins, this great karma, they are all my fault, and I am reflecting on all of them."
"[Don't bullshit. Even at this moment, the Scales in my hand are tilting, so you are not reflecting on a single one of your sins.]"
"That is merely the sinful karma I committed pushing me along like inertia; my true heart is solely reflecting and reflecting."
"[............It is truth.]"
""""........!""""
A person who talked back to a god.
But conversely, because of that, a person whose sincerity was acknowledged.
"[...If you truly reflect, and if you can truly turn back again]"
The Goddess of Justice, Justitia, said.
"Excuse me──may I say something?"
"[You are.... Yes. You have the right to speak.]"
No, he had been about to speak.
But the plaintiff, Chrono, sitting in a wheelchair, said.
"The condition for the scales to tilt is solely when a 'sin' is committed. And the scales lightening means that a 'sin' was not committed."
And in this case, the lightening of the scales meant that he did not tell a 'lie'.
"The phrase 'I am reflecting'... can it not be expressed in a different meaning?"
For example──a type of reflection like 'I will never make such a mistake again.'
"[....Sinner, answer. Is what that person said true?]"
"I don't know."
The scales did not tilt.
At this, Chrono said.
"If he avoids answering, that too is not a lie, so it does not become a sin."
"[....Answer. I will hear a 'yes' or 'no'.]"
After Chrono's persistent questioning,
"....I am reflecting."
"[Are you reflecting that you will not commit any more sins!]"
"I am reflecting."
"[............]"
The scale still did not move.
If it was this much, if it was to this degree──was this person not reflecting?
"Please consider the meaning of reflection carefully. That person did not say he would not commit 'sin,' nor that he would 'not cause others suffering.'"
He merely said he was 'reflecting'.
He did not say what he was reflecting on, or what he would reflect on.
All he said was the single phrase, 'I will reflect.'
Even if that statement was sincere and true, as I said earlier, the 'meaning of reflection' could differ.
So speak.
Properly. Without avoiding.
Clearly before all.
"Can you live without deceiving others, without defrauding, and solely righteously!"
"................"
He, did not answer.
Because──he was, to the end, a 'wise' person.
"The wise, those with a bit of a clever mind, are all like this."
A mind to deceive others.
A mind to use others.
A mind to take something from others.
A person who makes 'others,' not 'themselves,' suffer, again and again.
"Goddess of Justice, Justitia. That person is a sinner and at the same time, the Guild Master of the guild that represents the 'Goddess of Wisdom'."
In vulgar terms, he could be called the most 'wise human' here.
"But──human wisdom can never replace 'divine wisdom'."
Making all comfortable,
filling all,
Incomparable to the 'wisdom of the Twelve Olympians' that warmly embraces all──
"A wisdom that merely tramples, uses, steals, and extorts. That is 'human wisdom'."
"[..............]"
Justitia did not speak.
She merely watched. Waiting for what he would say.
In response, Chrono said.
"The race called 'human' has already committed fraud even against the Twelve Olympians."
So I earnestly beseech you,
"Please judge the 'sin,' not the 'sinner'!"
"[...............]"
Hate the sin, not the sinner.
I did not care about his inner thoughts, reality, past, or behind-the-scenes circumstances.
Because of him, countless people suffered damage, and because of him, so very much was destroyed.
The great achievements he made?
The many results he accomplished?
They were not needed.
They must not be considered.
In dealing with sin, 'sympathy' and 'warmth' must not be mixed in.
When dealing with a sinner, just as one deals with 'sin,'
"As the Goddess of Justice! Please judge the 'sin'!"
Beneath the voice crying out at the top of his lungs, Chrono thought.
'Don't say something like "since he reflected, reduce the sentence."'
Reducing the sentence just because he bowed his head once was crossing the line by a factor of three jumps.