Wanderer Judge.
A priest serving the God of Light and Justice, who is also a paladin, and at the same time, one of those who determines sins on behalf of the light.
In their eyes, only the radiant light and those who will be judged according to that light can be seen.
They carry a law code inscribed with sacred laws, striving to ensure that every sinner in the world receives a fair judgment.
So, sinner, do not try to escape the light.
No matter how deep the darkness, you cannot avoid the light.
All you can do is repent for the sins you have committed.
– A guide for adventurers exploring the world.
Divine Chapter. On the God of Light, Law, and Justice.
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The world is vast, and humanity is numerous.
The number of humans keeps increasing, and in a world where their desires are also growing, how many sinners must there be?
Sinners who steal a piece of bread, unable to overcome their hunger, or things they cannot have, or those who cannot suppress their anger and harm others.
To judge all such sinners… Shamash was far too busy.
Even if he is the God of Light, capable of looking around the world in the blink of an eye, it’s only natural to get overwhelmed with too much work.
Thus…
Bam!
“I’ve decided to pass the work onto others!”
“Ah, I see.”
Shamash was thinking of offloading his duties onto humans.
“Of course, I won’t just hand it to anyone. I’ll select only those who follow my will.”
“Select?”
“Yes! Those who memorize the law code completely, judge right from wrong, and understand individual circumstances. I’ll appoint them as judges. That way, my workload will be drastically reduced!”
“Indeed.”
Shamash’s job is to pass judgment according to the law. Even if he delegates such duties to humans, there’s no issue.
Unlike me! I can’t offload my responsibilities to humans! How could I delegate prayers to the Goddess of Life to humans?!
At least I’m lucky enough to pass it to my fragment Asherat.
“Though I am still teaching them, they will surely improve over time. I’m writing law codes for them.”
“Law codes?”
“Yes. I’m preparing to add content to the codes determined with Mother long ago. There are countless sins committed by humans, and a single stone tablet won’t suffice to spell out judgments for all those crimes.”
Human sins… Hmm. They are many indeed. They commit all sorts of crimes.
Recording all those sins wouldn’t be an ordinary job.
“If I develop judges to take over my work, the number of wrong judgments in places where I cannot see will decrease. This also benefits the sinners.”
“So, what’s your true intention?”
“I just want a break!!!”
Though he was trying to sound nonchalant, he couldn’t fool me.
Not with that glowing face showcasing dark circles! Those oddly frizzy hair ends! And those eyes losing their light even though he’s the God of Light!
He can conceal his barren state with the glimmer of appearance, but he can’t trick this mother!
“What’s this! There are too many humans!!! Everywhere in the world, they’re committing all sorts of sins!! After I gave them the law code, they’re exploiting the loopholes!!! Moreover, the judgments for sins vary slightly by region!!! What’s this!!! This is too much!! It’s just too muchhhh!!!!”
Waaah! Kicking and screaming came Shamash’s pitiful voice. Despite his noble appearance like a golden-haired young lady, hearing him wail was a bit jarring…
Well, it’s cute, so it’s fine.
I gently patted the head of the wailing Shamash, who was sprawled across my lap.
“You’re working hard.”
“Hooowaaaah!!! Mother!!!”
“Alright, alright. You can cry and cling to me. Go ahead and let it all out.”
Isn’t this the privilege of being a mom?
After letting Shamash cry for a while.
“Huuuh… I feel refreshed.”
“Your recovery is quick.”
“It’s because I’m busy. If I don’t recover quickly, work piles up.”
That’s a truly… pitiful reason.
“Anyway, once I finish nurturing the judges, I’ll get a bit of breathing room. After that… I’m thinking of taking care of the children I’ve neglected a bit.”
“The neglected children?”
At my words, Shamash nodded with a slightly stiff face.
“Yes. The children known as the Spirit of Light.”
The golden dragons that followed Shamash. The spirits who lost themselves and wandered the world after becoming spirits of light.
It doesn’t seem like it would hurt to neglect them… Honestly, it seems like others don’t care much either.
At least Tethys or Sylphid seem to be somewhat concerned, treating them like subordinates… And Ifrit occasionally does something for them.
Sagarmatha? That child doesn’t seem to mind. The earth spirits seem to be a bit bothersome to them.
“Of course, I’m not planning to take care of them without any purpose. I intend to have them help me with my work in return for their care.”
“Your work?”
“Yes. I plan to assign them a role as inspectors who will oversee the judges and ensure they’re doing a good job.”
“Inspectors…”
Surely it’s necessary to confirm that the judges are truly doing their duties.
Since those taking on the role of judges are humans, they can’t completely get rid of their desires. There can be cases of bribery to lighten their judgments. There can also be collusion with the local commoners.
In such situations, it would be best for Shamash to check personally, but verifying all judges alone would not be easy. So it seems he was planning to use the spirits of light for such tasks.
“Not a bad idea.”
“Right? Plus, I can take care of the neglected Spirits of Light a bit.”
Feeling slightly relieved to finally have a purpose in taking care of the Light Spirits, Shamash let out a faint sigh of relief.
“Also, I’d like to propose something.”
“What? What’s your proposal?”
“How about not keeping the judges in one place?”
“The judges?”
At Shamash’s words, I nodded slightly.
If the judges keep making rulings in one place, problems could arise.
Even if the Spirits of Light evaluate the judges, there could still be some who seek to gain advantages while avoiding the spirits’ eyes, or those who target the flaws in the law based on the personalities of the judges.
To resolve such issues, moving the judges around would be the way. Like the roaming judges of the wild west in North America.
In short… a Wanderer Judge? A Traveling Judge? Something along those lines.
It might be tough for the judges, but… their work is important enough to endure such difficulties.
“Shall we call it a Wanderer Judge then?”
“Wanderer Judge… Sounds oddly good. I’ll use that name.”
Judges wandering across the world. Hmm. It has a pretty nice ring to it.
“Oh, speaking of which, Mother’s believers… The pilgrims of the Church of Life were also travelers, right? They can be made to travel using the same paths.”
“With the pilgrims? Indeed, that’s true.”
The paths built by the pilgrims traveling the entire world formed trails shaped by their steps.
If they walk along that path, they can reach every corner of the world.
“And traveling together with the pilgrims would allow for a safe journey.”
Right now… there aren’t many dragons remaining in the Church of Life, just a few in the upper echelons. But the performance of the priests is generally at a higher standard now.
Most monsters wouldn’t stand a chance against the pilgrims. Thus, traveling alongside those pilgrims should ensure safety.
“When that time comes, I’ll leave the judges in your care, Mother.”
“I’ll discuss it separately with the Church of Life. Just in case, those judges you raise should also possess the strength to protect themselves.”
“Hmm… Should I really do that?”
“Of course! If judges enforcing the law lack the strength to protect themselves, won’t the sinners try to harm them? Even if you and the Spirits of Light do your utmost to care for them, there’s a world of difference between having the power to protect oneself and not!”
“That’s… definitely true. Alright, I understand. It may take me a bit longer to raise the judges, but they absolutely should not suffer at the hands of sinners.”
Thus, the judges who pass judgment on sins on behalf of the God of Light, Law, and Justice were born as Wanderer Judges.
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Wanderer Judges. Those who bear the mission of Shamash, the God of Light, Law, and Justice.
They are those who have given up their own names for the sake of that mission.
They must hold a heart that seeks to realize justice, copy the law code into their own hand, completing the code they bear, and only those who have memorized it can earn the qualification as a Wanderer Judge.
Then comes mastering the divine power received from the God of Light. The Wanderer Judges, who learn and wield divine magic while fulfilling their duties, possess strength that ranks among the most powerful humans among many divine knights.
The law code they carry is a book inscribed with laws for passing judgment, a shield that cannot be marred by a blade, a club that strikes down the heads of sinners, and a medium to conduct divine magic.
Do not oppose them, gripping the law code in one hand and a sword in the other. If you wish not to be blinded by the light they summon.
– A guide for adventurers exploring the world.
Divine Chapter. On the God of Light, Law, and Justice.
