Justice

"Let's talk about this later. For now, I have something I want to ask you."

"Please ask anything, Goddess Astraea. As long as it doesn't harm Goddess Hera, I will answer."

"Fufufu~ don't worry, this doesn't involve Hera, your concern for her makes me a little envious."

"..."

Stopping teasing Charlie, Astraea put on a serious expression.

"What do you think justice is?"

"Huh?"

The question caught Charlie off guard. He didn't expect such a profound question from the Goddess of Justice herself.

"Justice, huh…?" He muttered, then stated his ideology about justice, "Justice can be summarized as criminals undergoing the punishment they receive for their crimes."

"Depending on the crime, the punishment can be one of many things, from time in prison to execution. The classic view of how a criminal should 'receive justice' is considered 'an eye for an eye', meaning if they have done wrong, they deserve to be punished to the extent of the crime they committed. If someone kills someone, then according to this term, it means they themselves must face the death penalty as a form of appropriate justice."

"You—"

Astraea's eyebrows furrowed, she could sense the other party was lying. In other words, it wasn't the real answer. But before she could finish her words, Charlie interrupted first.

"That was my previous ideology of justice. Thanks to that naive idealism, I lost everything and experienced lifelong regret."

Pausing for a moment, immense sadness was briefly visible in Charlie's eyes before disappearing, making Astraea doubt she had seen it.

"In fact, it's different from the reality that occurs. Many corrupt or overzealous law enforcement officers often use Justice as justification for their unethical actions, claiming that every inhuman thing they have done, sometimes cruelty worse than what the criminals would do, as a necessary evil to maintain peace in the world."

"So… The thing called 'justice' changes its shape... Depending on where you stand."

"..."

The atmosphere fell into silence, Astraea digesting the notion of justice she had just heard.

"Interesting. Can you explain it more specifically, Charlie."

If before her interest in Charlie was only due to his being from the Hera Familia and saving the woman kidnapped by the bandits, now she was purely interested in the individual himself.

Seeing Astraea staring at him with her chin resting on her hand, Charlie sighed inwardly, and reluctantly continued this boring topic.

"Try to think. For a knight, justice might mean protecting the people. But for a thief, justice might mean taking from the rich to give to the poor. Two opposing views, but each believes they are right."

Astraea nodded slowly, trying to understand.

"So, do you think justice is relative?"

"Yes. But even though its form changes, I think the essence of justice remains the same. It's the desire to do what you think is right, even though the world might disagree. In my case, I wouldn't hesitate to fight the whole world if the world itself wanted to take away something precious from me." Charlie said resolutely.

Emiya Kiritsugu had the principle of justice 'sacrificing the life of one person to save the lives of a thousand people', which was an interpretation of sacrificing the minority for the majority. Charlie, who leaned more towards the principle of justice of Emiya Shirou's version of Fate/Kaleid, which opposed the idea of 'sacrificing one person to save everything', and instead bore the 'evil' to protect people only precious to him.

If one day the gods wanted Aishia to sacrifice her life for the safety of the world as Hero Albert Wallenstein and Wind Spirit Aria had done, Charlie would not hesitate to refuse and would even make the whole world his enemy!

"..."

Astraea was silent, processing the young man's words. She had to admit, she was impressed by his firmness. She had asked similar questions to many people, including members of her Familia, but Charlie's answer was the most satisfying she had ever heard.

"But if justice only depends on perspective, how do we know which one is truly right?"

Hiding her true feelings, Astraea wanted to know more about Charlie's mindset about justice.

Charlie looked up at the sky and said melancholically, "We never really know. We can only choose the path we think is most right at that moment. Because in the end, we are not perfect gods, even I am just an ordinary human. Good and evil are inherently subjective. Bad people can do good, just as good people can sometimes do evil.

"That's human."

"There is no definite answer."

"..."

Hearing that, Astraea had made a decision in her heart. She wanted to guide the young man in front of her so he wouldn't fall into darkness.

As the Goddess of Justice, Astraea was a just and kind figure who strived to bring peace and well-being to the world through her actions, not only with her goodness, but also by ending all sources of evil. Her intuition told her that the world would fall into chaos worse than what the Black Dragon brought if Charlie became a source of evil as a result of choosing the wrong path.

'A strange feeling…' She thought confusedly.

"You possess wisdom that humans rarely have, Charlie." Astraea smiled softly and praised.

"Wisdom? I'm just an ordinary person who makes mistakes often. But maybe that's why I can understand it a little… because I know what it feels like to be wrong."

"Since you have expressed justice based on your perspective, now it's my turn."

"Goddess Astraea doesn't need to tell me anything."

"No, this is fair, you've told me a lot. It's fair if I do the same."

"Sigh… Do as you please, Goddess Astraea."

Knowing the stubbornness of the gods, Charlie gave up trying to persuade Astraea.

"While others form their own ideologies about what true or absolute justice is, I don't believe such a thing exists. Instead, I hope that the different kinds of justice that each person has can work together to guide the world towards something better."

Interestingly, Astraea had a unique vision of justice, which was somewhat unexpected for Charlie.

"Although I greatly value justice, I understand how harsh circumstances can be sometimes and agree with the idea of abandoning those principles if the situation demands it. Honestly, I have a somewhat idealistic mindset because I believe that collaboration can be done even among opposing ideologies."

"That's justice according to the Goddess of Justice herself."

This was the first time she had shared her vision of justice with an outsider. Astraea enjoyed her conversation with Charlie.

"Unbeknownst to us, we've been talking for over an hour. Alright, let's go back to Orario."

Standing up from the chair, she patted the dust off her dress.

"That's right, it's getting late, we have to go back before dark… Hm?... Wait a minute… We?"

It took Charlie a moment to realize something was amiss.

"You're not mistaken. Starting today, I will return to Orario and stay at your residence~" Astraea chuckled, winking.

"Wait a minute, Goddess Astraea, I don't remember ever discussing this."

"If you let me stay at your residence, I don't mind giving you a lap pillow. You know, I am the symbol of purity that stands out above the other goddesses, and many have a strong desire to be pampered and receive a lap pillow from me. Now you can monopolize me, you won't refuse, will you?"

"Or you're an irresponsible man after doing this and that to me."

"Hic Hic Hic… I'm crying, you know."

"We're just talking!"

Charlie had a headache, not expecting the development to be like this.

Although she didn't always show it, Astraea could sometimes be a little cruel from time to time, adding a grin that further emphasized her point.

'No wonder research shows that there are more women than men who are liars. Women are natural actresses.' Charlie complained in his heart.

In the end, he agreed to Astraea 'staying' at his residence, Empreyan Citadel, after being persuaded by her.

Although Charlie didn't need a main god to update his Status, it was undeniable that there were some moments when the presence of a main god was needed. That's why Hera asked Aphrodite to take over taking care of Charlie in Orario.

But Aphrodite was a bit unreliable. Charlie had learned from bitter experience to come to the Banquet of the Gods.

Through this brief interaction, Charlie understood Astraea a little.

She was a generous, selfless, and altruistic woman who tried to help as many people as possible at all times. Astraea was kind and calm. She usually maintained a peaceful expression and never acted aggressively towards others.

If Charlie had to choose between Aphrodite or Astraea…

He would prefer Astraea as the goddess who replaced Hera while he was in Orario!