Chapter 57

Ruler IV

After the trial ended, we went out to eat Sundae stew.

I didn’t particularly feel like going back to the guild building, and besides, my relationship with Dang Seo-rin was no longer just 'guild leader and vice guild leader' but more like 'foodie friends.'

And I couldn’t hold back my question even before the assorted sundae platter arrived.

"Seo-rin, what was that back there?"

"Hmm? What?"

Dang Seo-rin tilted her head with a dumbfounded look. I frowned and handed her a small dish with some gochujang sauce.

“The trial, I mean. Since when did you start using equivalent exchange for judgments? It wasn’t there the last time I visited."

"You just haven’t been around Busan enough to notice. We’ve been doing it for nearly half a year now. Here, try this."

Dang Seo-rin handed me a small dish with a perfect mix of salt, pepper, and chili powder.

"The citizens really love it. These days, it’s counted among Busan’s top three attractions along with the monster dissection shows."

"What the...? Explain a bit more. Sir, can we get some Dongdongju here?"

"Coming right up!"

I took the jug of Dongdongju and mixed it with half a cup of iced water. This was Dang Seo-rin’s favorite ratio. The prestige of having looked after a friend for hundreds of years came from such small gestures.

"What’s there to explain? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I just applied the Code of Hammurabi as it is."

"Hmm."

"When the country was still intact, we could throw everything into prison. But now, there are no prisons, right? Cutting off fingers or choking necks wastes valuable labor... So, I just arrange ‘a revenge that everyone can agree on.’"

"...‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord."

"Huh?"

"It’s from Romans 12:19. For heaven’s sake. You do something ridiculous every time I look away."

"What? Are you picking a fight?"

"My sanity is what’s being picked on. This is really absurd."

The assorted sundae, sundae stew, Dongdongju, and well-fermented kimchi disappeared beyond our chopsticks and bites. The meal was delicious—a proper feast only available in Busan these days.

"I think it was odd that old society tried to handle everything with prison sentences."

Dang Seo-rin raised her chopsticks.

"Think about it. How can theft and murder receive the same punishment? The feeling of losing your belongings versus getting stabbed is vastly different. There’s a qualitative difference, you know, a difference in quality."

"Hmm."

"Theft varies, too. The feeling when today’s food is stolen, when the radio you’ve kept secret from other survivors is taken, or when your kidney is stolen..."

"The last one counts as theft?"

"Of course. Anyway, punishment must vary according to the severity and circumstances, the character of the perpetrator and the victim. For instance, Jesus might turn the other cheek, but Undertaker, you’d probably consider it ‘a fair deal’ only after taking their cheek and a molar. Am I wrong?"

"I understand your point."

"And surprisingly... The greatest witch in history, the unparalleled and unique Dang Seo-rin, can arrange a fair deal for anyone."

At that moment, a little kid approached the restaurant and shyly held out a pointy hat, saying, "Great Witch!" Dang Seo-rin smiled brightly and signed the hat brim.

As soon as the fan service ended, Dang Seo-rin’s face drooped like a sponge soaked in hot water. This happened wherever our idol of Busan went.

"So cute."

"But that fairness is just ‘what you think is fair.’ People can always judge wrongly."

"That’s why equivalent exchange doesn’t work without the other’s consent. If they think the deal isn’t fair, they just don’t agree."

"Who would dare refuse a judgment from Busan’s ruler?"

"In a world like this, they should be grateful I even hold trials. If I don’t pass judgment, it’s a witch hunt. Regardless of the crime, they end up dead. Isn’t this better than death?"

"Hmm."

"If you’re still uneasy, come observe the trial next month."

Dang Seo-rin grumbled.

"By the way, what have you been up to that you’re so hard to see these days?"

"......"

...Honestly, I was a bit lost around this time.

And in that moment― I was struck by the intense realization that all this might just be an external reflection of Dang Seo-rin’s inner world.

While all spectators watched the bereaved family’s punishment, I alone turned my head to look at Dang Seo-rin.

She was looking at me, too.

Between us, the sunset was deep red.

There’s an epilogue.

I don’t believe I have the right to judge everything in the world.

So, I didn’t stop Dang Seo-rin’s ‘witch trials.’ She had her own rationality and fairness.

Also, to be fair, her rationality and fairness were the best possible in the apocalypse.

Other cities? Private sanctions based on the guild leader's personal gain. And even AI judges weren’t introduced until much later.

Not just in the 26th cycle, but in every cycle I shared the completed ‘equivalent exchange’ spell, Dang Seo-rin consistently held witch trials.

"So... how was it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The trial."

We had returned to the train of the Samcheon guild and were drinking.

Usually, we would visit various places to maintain our friendship.

But if Dang Seo-rin said, "Let’s drink on the train tonight," it meant she wanted to get really drunk.

As the ruler of Busan and the leader of the Korean guild alliance, as well as the progenitor of song magic, the Great Witch couldn’t afford to show herself drunk and stumbling on the streets. Not even in front of guild members.

It took someone like me, who defeated the Ten Legs and recaptured the Han River south of Seoul, or a teacher with many disciples through SG Net, for Dang Seo-rin to not lose her authority when hanging out together.

"I think it’s fine."

"What part is fine?"

"Everything seems fine, just by the fact that you’re asking someone else if it’s okay."

"Fuf."

Dang Seo-rin laughed.

"What’s that? Silly."

But her expression visibly relaxed.

While I endured a drunk friend’s ramblings for a while, Dang Seo-rin suddenly activated the equivalent exchange spell.

"Undertaker, put what you think of me on the scales."

"What? Are you a child...? Are you asking like a parent who asks if you like mom or dad more?"

"Ah, come on. Just put it on. Do you agree?"

I sighed and said, "Alright."

Then, from my chest, a shadowy, radiant snake tail emerged.

Dang Seo-rin twirled her finger. From her heart area, a white thread-like snake crawled and coiled on the other side of the scales.

Screech—

An impossible noise sounded as the scales slowly balanced. Soon, they reached perfect equilibrium.

Dang Seo-rin smirked like a cat.

"Hmm."

"What is that?"

In the night, the scales Dang Seo-rin created glowed faintly like starlight, and the Milky Way shimmered outside the window.

It was a Meteor Shower.

With the rain of stars as a backdrop, Dang Seo-rin smiled brightly.

"A secret."

It was a truly witch-like answer.

Footnotes:

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