[Vol.2] Quest 141- What Is Justice?
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The next day while out on patrol Cirrus comes across Ryuu, Kaguya, and Lyra talking to a god.

“Yo! What are you guys up to?” Cirrus said arriving.

“Ah Cirrus, are you don’t with your patrol.” Said Ryuu.

“No I was just passing by…” Cirrus looks at the god with black hair with two cadet grey locks and grey eyes.

“Ah hello my name is Eren! I’m just a small-time god!”

“Eren huh?” Cirrus looks at him with suspicion.

'There is no fucking way a gods name is Eren of all things.'

“Yeah he’s a god of poverty who lost his life’s saving of 5 valis!” said Lyra. “Alise couldn’t stop talking about he only had 5 valis!”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Lord Eren.” Cirrus gave a slight bow.

“Oh, no need to bow! But it’s nice your giving me some respect, these girls were harsh with their words! Ah I wish more children of Astraea were like you…wait you’re a male! A-a-and you in Astraea’s Familia!” he shouted suddenly.

“Y-yeah?”

“Oh I’m so jealous of you Kirin! I heard you were once one of Hermes’s children and that you spent time with Artemis! Tell me did you look in on her during her bath! How does she compare to the more merciful and virtuous Astraea!”

“…So you know Lady Astraea huh?”

Ryuu, Kaguya, and Lyra took a step back and a step closer to Cirrus.

“Of course! Everyone dreams of having an older sister like her! She is like a symbol of purity surrounded by a bunch of weirdo goddesses! She’s the very definition of mercy! The goddess of all goddesses! Unless you get her angry…” He made a face that told he has seen things that still haunt him. “But we still dream of sleeping on her lap! It’s got to be her and no one else! Astraea is the goddess who’s possibly become the mother of all of us male gods!”

“Gross.” Said Kaguya/Lyra.

“Well…that’s a very enthusiastic view on OUR goddess!” Cirrus said with a stiff face.

“Ah! I really wish more of her children were like you and not so harsh!”

“Um…we aren’t sure what to compliment you on…but is there a reason in particular you wanted to see us, Lord Eren?” said Ryuu as politely as she could.

“Oh um no I just saw you girls and I wanted to talk to you is all.”

“I do find it hard to think of a better way to spend ones time than to talk to a god who was bored and tried to pick us up!” Kaguya said with a fake smile on her face.

“U-um I hate to be rude but um as you can see we’re on patrol right now so If you’ll excuse us..”

“Can I ask how long you all are going to do that for?” Eren asked.

“Um we don’t understand the question?” Ryuu said confused.

“It’s as exactly as it sounds. You ladies and gentlemen are providing free service every single day. How long is that going to last?”

Ryuu gave him an answer without hesitation.

“Until the last bit of “evil” is gone. By the time peace is restored in this city, our services will be no longer needed.”

“Or is it more like, until the last bits of your “sense of justice” withers?”

Cirrus kept a calm expression as from the moment he said his name he knew he wanted something, and he had just lured them into it.

“What are you implying?” Ryuu said buying into his lure.

“Free services without demand of return is a tough thing. To me it’s something oddly unhealthy and it worries me. its fine while you children are in good shape, but can you say the same when you’re worn out?”

            ‘He not wrong justice and morals can get easily blurred when one does it long enough…I know that very well.’

“Mr. Male God.” Kaguya said with slight anger behind her smiling face. “Are you here to wind us up?”

“Absolutely not. Seriously! I’m simply impressed with you all! Doing the impossible and being proud of it! when you all perish one day I will feel devastated…and feel aroused for inappropriately feeling that way.”

“!!”

Both Ryuu and Kaguya got angry at his words.

“My it’s like your intentionally making this conversation anger inducing, Lord Eren.” Cirrus said with a still calm expression. “I never met a god so willing to antagonize Astraea’s children.”

The air grew slightly tense.

“Sorry! But children like you are what keeps a Familia of Justice running.”

“Lion, Kaguya, Cirrus. Let’s go. We are wasting our time. He thinks were simply toys he can find sick pleasure in.” Lyra said and they were all about to leave when Eren run up to them.

“Sorry! Sorry! It was my bad! I’ll take my leave. I promise. But before I do can I have one more question?”

“Which is?” Ryuu said annoyed.

“What’s justice?”

            His voice had a sharper tone to it than before, I cut through the noise of the city.

“I…beg your pardon?”

“I have a question that has been stuck in my head. It seems justice is considered righteous here on the surface. As an almighty, I shamefully doubt my possession of this ultimate justice….but perhaps it’s because of me. but that’s why I want answers, children of the goddess of justice.”

“Let’s get going Lion, don’t listen to him anymore.” Lyra said annoyed at Eren.

“Can’t you answer my question? Do you not know the answer? That means you don’t even know what you’re fighting for.”

“!!” that seems to strike something in Ryuu as she took a step forward. “Alright then. I’ll spare some time taking part in this meaningless conversation. The answer to your question is pretty obvious.”

“Okay…so what’s justice?”

“Justice is good faith that is priceless. It’s one and only value of matter is that it never falters. To slay evil and eliminate them-that is my justice.”

‘The same as the rest of them when I first met them, still on Astraea’s old doctrine.’ Cirrus thought. 'How stubborn can you be to still have that mentality.'

“Hmmm…I see. So good faith is the nature of those living here, and instead of evil you’re using virtue to control the world? You’re hard-selling good faith and winning power with violence-that’s such a forceful justice.”

Ryuu flinched a bit at his words.

“That’s absolutely not what I meant! We need power to stand up against evil! Without power we can’t protect or save anyone!”

“I’m sorry dear. I didn’t mean to insult you or anything. What your saying isn’t wrong at all. I like how you’re keeping it nice and simple. You can’t really have the world persuaded with well-put philosophy and logic. But then…I’m curious to find out what happens if evil is to go through the same?”

“She just said it.” Cirrus said.

Eren turned his gaze to Cirrus.

“Oh? So are you saying her view on justice is the same as those of evil?”

“I am, Lord Eren.”

He takes a careful look at Cirrus’s face before talking again.

“Did my question of what is justice bother you?”

“It did, you talk of justice as an ideal that must remain true no matter the person. But you in your conversation gained no understand of what ‘justice’ is, you simply exchanged pretty words.”

“Then what is justice to you?” Eren asked with a slightly sterner face. “Mr. Golden-Horned?”

Cirrus eyes narrow down to such a degree one would think they would actually punch through the god. Ryuu, Kaguya, and Lyra had a chill run down their back even the god felt a chill seeing how Cirrus was holding back his anger.

“Justice is a nebulous concept; it holds no true meaning as it changes from person to person and society to society, a child who never known peace will have different values than children who’ve never known war. The ones who wins in the end will rewrite the definition of right and wrong. Thus making justice whatever they need it to be to make themselves the quote "Good guys". Is that enough to satisfy your fetish?”

“…Yes, it does." He makes a satisfied smile. "It gives me a far clearer understanding of it…thank you! But I have to ask you…why does your view on justice differ so much from your goddess and your Familia? I guess when one such as you commits so many-”

“I suggest you keep your words to yourself.”

“Oh? Is that a threat?” His smiles turns to that of a grin.

“Yes.” Cirrus said walking up to him still holding back his anger. “You won’t be the first god I would stuff in a barrel.” He said in such a tone that told them he did just that.

“…”

“…”

They stare at each other with sparks flying every which way, the tension between these two were getting only more tense. Cirrus really wanted to punch his head in.

“One more question!” he said with a bright smile ignoring the situation. “How are you able to understand such a concept?”

‘He wants to prod more, fine. So be it.’

“Because unlike gods, mortals only have one life.”

“!”

“How can a goddess of justice know what justice is if she has no fear of consequences? A gods life is infinite, their memories of their actions will erode with time so they have no basis to assess so they must rely on what their “Ideal” of justice is, and it’s always black and white never gray.”

“And…what if a god is evil?”

"I already answered that, were you purposely ignoring my view on justice? Or did you want me to say there are evil and good gods."

"And what if I did? What if I wanted to see how you view us gods?"

"Then I would say you all don't really care. After all what are our lives but a blip in your enteral lives? Hell even the reason you all came down to Gekai wasn't purely for our best interests, our current situation is example enough, are you having fun? Did I entertain you enough?"

Eren couldn’t help but smile.

“This is a first, a mortal who has such a profound understanding of us gods! Thank you for indulging in my questions!”

“T-then now that’s over we should get going!” said Lyra wanting to get Cirrus out of this situation for fear that he would actually stuff the god in a barrel.

Kaguya and Ryuu follow in suit.

“Goodbye, nameless god.” Cirrus said under his breath but loud enough for Eren to hear it as he leaves.

“Heh~”

 

Now that they’re a bit away they are able to converse with themselves for a bit.

“If you see that god again be very wary of him.” Cirrus said.

“Hm? Why? He didn’t seem to be hostile with us, and I feel no bad intention from him. Actually it seems he was trying to be nice with us even if he was a bit argumentative and insensitive.” Said Ryuu.

“Of course he wasn’t hostile his act was meant to get information and make us want to punch him in the face.”

“But why? Why did he wanna do that?”

“Who knows but regardless his name isn’t Eren.”

“It isn’t?” said Lyra. “Then what is it?”

“Who knows but I’m sure we’ll see him again in the future, I’ll be going back to patrol, the fucking little shit ticked me off...see ya."

Cirrus then took off.

“…Do you think Lady Astraea knows how he feels about gods?” asked Ryuu. “He mentioned stuffing one in a barrel?”

“Probably but she knows he has no ill will, that’s just how he thinks, something she finds it refreshing.” Said Kaguya. “Even Lord Susanoo finds his conversations enlightening at times when ever they spoke."

“Isn’t that why Astraea gave him that pet name of her Little Lone Star?” Said Lyra.

“No she gave that name to make him more approachable.” Said Kaguya.

“I thought she gave it to him to make us jealous she gave him a pet name?” said Alise.

 

7 days until the Great Feud-

71