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“Always make the right choice.”

Alice and her companions passed by the gravestone inscribed with the phrase that the Wanderer Judges carry in their hearts, entering the building.

They had come to the courthouse in Procyon to learn about the whereabouts of the God of Light and Justice.

“I’m sorry, but it seems all the Wanderer Judges are currently occupied with external duties, so there’s no one available for a meeting.”

“Huh?”

They faced an unexpected problem.

“This… I didn’t see this coming.”

“A place like Procyon should have a fair number of Wanderer Judges assigned here, right?”

“That’s typically the case… but, um.”

As the three of them looked troubled, the courthouse staff member quietly said,

“Normally, it wouldn’t be this busy, but since the Demon King fell, the workload has increased dramatically… So, here we are.”

Indeed. It was said that after the fall of the Demon King, the judges had more work on their hands.

Well, that makes sense.

“The biggest problem, the Demon King, is gone, so why…? Shouldn’t it be more peaceful?”

Alice’s expression shifted to one of confusion at such claims.

Many had suffered, lost their lives, and fled from their homelands because of the Demon King.

If the Demon King had vanished, shouldn’t everything start sorting itself out?

That optimistic thought was slowly cracking as they faced cold reality.

“True peace cannot be achieved simply by the fall of the Demon King. The greatest evil has vanished, alleviating the most significant issue, but conflicts between humans still persist.”

The staff’s careless words struck Alice like an arrow through her heart.

“Conflicts between humans…”

“Those who were forced out by the Demon King and those who originally lived in the south. If many people live in a limited environment with restricted resources… Well, what follows is a struggle to survive. Some will resort to wrongful deeds in that process.”

Thefts, robberies, and even murders.

Many would stain their hands with blood to survive.

With such sinners around, it was no surprise that the tasks for the Wanderer Judges were on the rise.

“…”

This harsh reality was something Alice couldn’t grasp.

Meanwhile, the hero Eric seemed to nod along, as if he somewhat understood the situation.

After all, wasn’t he himself on the run from the Demon King’s forces, going through numerous dangers to become an adventurer?

He had coincidentally become a hero after that.

“Anyway, since there are currently no Wanderer Judges available to meet with you, I recommend you return.”

“Ugh… Is there really no one?”

“Yes. They are all out on assignments. I have no idea when they’ll be back.”

If they’re out on assignments, there’s not much they can do.

“Well, I don’t mind waiting, but it could be an indefinite wait. Since the amount of work assigned to the Wanderer Judges isn’t fixed, they can be all over the place.”

Hearing that, Pinna quietly remarked.

“What should we do? There’s no guarantee they’ll show up, so how about we reveal our identities and set up an appointment instead?”

“Revealing our identities doesn’t really appeal to me.”

“Yeah, me neither…”

Eric and Alice hesitated a bit.

They had told Pinna, who had joined them as a companion, but revealing it to others still didn’t sit right with them.

“Then… let’s wait just a little. Who knows? Maybe we might run into a Wanderer Judge coming back from their assignment.”

“I really don’t like indefinite waiting…”

“Let’s just wait a little! If no one comes back in about an hour, we’ll just return tomorrow.”

While Alice expressed her discontent softly, she eventually nodded along with the others.

And so, the three of them ended up waiting in the courthouse.

—

“Wanderer Judges? Ah, those fearsome individuals?”

Others might have said it before, but remember this well: If you cross paths with those individuals, never, ever resist. Just let yourself be taken in without a fuss.

What? Am I a coward? What are you saying? You must know that there’s no one in this industry who doesn’t know my name.

Even I don’t want to be an enemy of the Wanderer Judges.

Just a judge, huh? Ha! They say a puppy doesn’t know how fearsome a tiger is; you fit the bill perfectly.

If they were just doing judge work, criminals like me wouldn’t be so terrified of them.

They are priests following the God of Light and Justice, paladins, and judges. In other words, they can use divine magic powered by their faith in the God of Light.

Plus, they possess the strength to smash the heads of monsters and bandits well enough to traverse the world safely.

What? Divine magic only works against monsters or demons? You really don’t know anything, do you?

If you judge the Wanderer Judges that way, you’ll regret it with a cracked skull from the law book they carry. No, you wouldn’t even get to that; you’d simply be burned by the light they shoot out.

If their top priority wasn’t measuring the sins of the sinners and delivering judgment… well, since that’s not likely, I’ll let it slide for now.

Remember this well: Don’t fight the Wanderer Judges. It’s as if a powerful knight and a priest wielding divine magic are one and the same.

If there’s any silver lining, it’s that there aren’t many of those Wanderer Judges roaming around.

– Dialogue record of a criminal.

Just a few days later, he was quietly captured by a Wanderer Judge.

—

As the three were spending time at the corner of the courthouse,

“Phew… today’s work was tough…”

A man dressed in white entered the courthouse, looking slightly exhausted.

“Ah, welcome. Are you done with your external duties?”

“Yeah, for now. Seriously, why are there so many lawbreakers? I just want to work enough to earn a decent living and retire.”

The man in white, a Wanderer Judge working at the Procyon courthouse, grumbled.

“So, who are the folks over there huddled in the corner?”

“Oh, they said they had business with the Wanderer Judges. Even after being told that all the others were out on assignments, they insisted on waiting.”

“Hmm… Are all the other judges out as well?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Everyone’s out on assignments.”

Hearing that, the Wanderer Judge scratched his head and sighed softly.

“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s annoying, but I’ll have to talk to them myself.”

“Are you okay with that? They just showed up unannounced, after all.”

“Well, it shouldn’t take long for just a chat. Anyway, let’s take them to my office. I want to finish this conversation and go home quickly.”

And so, the Wanderer Judge in white approached Alice and her companions.

“Ahem. I heard you are looking for a Wanderer Judge…”

With a calm voice, the Wanderer Judge surveyed Alice, Eric, and Pinna but then momentarily lost his words.

“Ahem… You’re not just ordinary folks, are you? I am one of the Wanderer Judges here at Procyon. You can call me Albert.”

Wanderer Judge Albert gave a small bow, and Alice and her companions returned the gesture.

“Let’s move to a more suitable place to talk. It’s not appropriate to discuss matters here.”

With that, the three followed Albert to wherever he was headed.

—

“So, what brings you here? Hero and Dragon Priestess.”

Surprisingly, the somewhat annoyed Albert had managed to see through Eric and Alice’s identities.

Well, it was to be expected. A Wanderer Judge skilled in discerning the sins committed by wrongdoers should have been able to recognize the identities of a hero and a priestess.

“Did you figure it out at a glance?”

“There’s a spell among the divine magic used by Wanderer Judges called the Eye of Truth that assesses one’s essence. Of course, it doesn’t reveal everything, but I could gather some general information.”

A divine magic that grants special abilities to one’s eyes. Well, that makes sense; there’s no way to discern a wrongdoer’s sins without it. Records? Clues from the crime scene? It would be quicker to grasp the essence of the individual directly.

“If you’ve identified us, we can speak more swiftly. We need to meet the God of Light and Justice. Do you know where they are?”

“The God of Light and Justice? You intend to meet directly? That’s quite a reckless thing to do…”

“But it’s necessary.”

At Eric’s words, Albert nodded slightly.

“I understand. Well then, I’ll take a moment to inquire with the God.”

Two hands clasped together, and Albert prayed for a brief moment.

He was likely communicating with Shamash, the god he served, through prayer.

Shortly after,

“Ahem. The God has spoken to me. They say it’s no issue to reveal their location to you.”

Upon hearing that, Alice and her companions’ expressions brightened.

“However, they can’t just tell you. If you fulfill a small request, they’ll let you know where they are.”

“A small request?”

“Yes, a small request.”

The way Albert said it made his expression seem oddly bright.