Sometime later at Eupheme’s workshop.

“It’s great that you learned how to blacksmith when you were out!” said Eupheme with a slight smile on her face.

 Clank!!

Clank!!

Clank!!

“Would be nice if I knew someone in the city with the Blacksmith Development ability to help!” Cirrus said, hammering away.

“Don’t worry! That one’s going to some random store!”

“Grrr….”

Since Cirrus learned to blacksmith Eupheme had Cirrus help her out with her quota for the month of making 100 weapons or armor. Cirrus figured he and Eupheme would work together, but instead, Eupheme found this as a way to rest and work on other side projects that amounted to odd-looking sword handles.

After a few hours, Nox entered the shop in a black cloak.

“Oi! Cirrus! It’s time for the meeting!”

“Alright! Hey Euph, I got to get going!!”

“Okay!!”

Leaving the shop, Cirrus uses his invisibility cloak and enters one of the secret tunnels equipping his Ceryneian armor. Nox transformed into her owl form and they both left the tunnel and made their way to the Hermes Familia’s home in Orario.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Cirrus said, entering the meeting room, where he met a familiar face. “Lord Hermes, who is…”

His eyes met with the ones in the rooms. He made his voice slightly sterner, maybe a tone slightly higher, and changed how he stands and walks, small changes work wonders with disguises.

“Ah my apologize Zephyr, but this is Astraea with her captain, Alise Lovell, and her vice-captain Gojouno Kaguya.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you Zephyr,” Astraea said with a gentle smile.

Cirrus couldn’t help but find her divinity amazing. Its flow was that of Hephaestus, but more orderly and its color and appearance were like the Circinus Galaxy. Her divinity matched well with her walnut brown hair and deep indigo eyes, which were like a sea of stars.

“So you’re the Deer huh?” said Alise. “You must be some noble to wear those golden antlers around?”

Turning his gaze to Alise, a girl who seems to be about slightly younger than Kaguya, with green eyes and red hair held in a ponytail with a rapier at her waist.

“Does it matter? I assume this meeting is to be in collaboration against Evilus, right?”

“Smart.” Said Kaguya.

“So shall we get started, Hermes?” Astraea said.

“Yes, we waited enough.”

'God, my voice hurts. Just let me sit and listen in.'

They all sat down and began their meeting. They discussed several points and plans to share their information.

“So we are in agreement, then!” Astraea said, putting her hands together. “You will provide us with information and we will take down their locations!”

“Yup! Yup! Now shall we get-go—“

“Before then, I like to discuss your child here,” Astraea said, looking at Cirrus.

“…” Cirrus remained as calm and quiet as he was during the meeting.

“Um, what do you mean Lady Astraea?” said Lydia.

“He’s the Demon of Shalzard, isn’t he?”

“….”

The Hermes Familia all made stern faces as the room grew tense.

“Astraea, I thought we left that behind us!” Hermes said with a fake smile.

“No, he has killed many innocent people in his pursuit of the Vritra Familia, resulting in a drastic shift in the 3 desert countries' political structure. As the goddess of justice, I will—“

“This is a fucking joke,” Cirrus said, getting up. “Lord Hermes, I will be going now.”

“Wait!!” shouted Alise. “Our goddess is speaking right—“

“She isn’t my goddess; this meeting is finished so I see no point in staying here.”

“Running away like a murderer!” Alise shouted.

Cirrus stops in his tracks and looks at Alise with eyes so strong it is as though he was trying to rip her apart.

“Fine, tell me Lady Astraea, what is it that you are trying to judge me for? Killing innocents? Is that a fucking joke? What the hell do you 3 know of what I did?”

“You have killed innocent by--"

“They were fucking soldiers of an enemy nation who allied themselves with Evilus," Cirrus said, cutting Kaguya off. "Even if they were forced to join them, they still participated in their depravity and did nothing, as they hired bandits to attack merchants who didn’t pay their absurd tax fee, which was basically daylight robbery!”

“But you still—" said Alise.

“What I did can be considered justice in the eyes of Shalzard and injustice in the eyes of Israfan. As far as I am concerned, I am in the right, for I am alive, and they are dead. My side won and so “Justice” had been served. Do you wish to judge me Lady Astraea? You can try but justice is always on the side of the winner and in these times your black-and-white views are as short-minded as a child’s. Goddess of Justice, you may be, but you are no god of morality nor judgment." He turned away and glanced back at Hermes. "Lord Hermes, I will be leaving. This meeting is over.”

Cirrus then walks away, leaving Alise and Kaguya in fumes, while Astraea sits with a complicated look on her face.

“…. Tsk! Fine! If justice is always the winner, then I’ll show him!” Alise said, coming after Cirrus.

“Alise! Wait!!” said Kaguya. “Lady Astraea, can you please stop her!”

“… I am sorry, but I must think.” She gets up and bows to Hermes. “It seems I and my children have overstepped our bounds. If it’s not too much, could you stop them from fighting?”

“We can try, but… those words really cut into him,” Hermes said.

NotOriginal

For Astraea, I wanted to portray her as a very black-and-white kind of god of justice, a goddess who is still green and has no worldly experience to learn and draw from. Through her time in Orario doing and upholding justice, she would grow flexible in her views.