Chapter 154: Before the 'Storm' Arrives!
When Luke was strolling in Orario with three young girls.
On the other side,
The Astraea Familia was holding an internal meeting.
"Alright! Now that Evilus is weakening, we must remain steadfast in our original intentions."
"Let's revisit the concept of 'justice' again today!"
The focus of the meeting naturally centered on the captain of their Familia, Alise Lovell.
This dazzling redhead, as brilliant as the sun, stood on a chair and introduced the first topic of today's meeting to all members.
"To define 'justice'—even though you say this... haven't all our discussions so far been fruitless?"
"Yes, each of us has different perspectives, and in the end, no one can convince everyone else."
"Moreover, every time we talk about this topic, Kaguya and Lion always end up arguing."
Although the members of the Astraea Familia were complaining, the atmosphere was indeed getting stirred up.
After complaining, they still began yet another discussion on this topic, not knowing how many times it has been.
"Well, it's easiest to describe performing good deeds without expecting anything in return as 'justice'..."
"But aren't good deeds performed without any purpose essentially the same as self-satisfaction?"
"Then, according to your logic, if there's a purpose behind the deeds, there would be calculations involved, and this would stray far from what we consider 'justice'..."
(P.S.: Please don't take these opinions to heart; consider them thoughtfully but don't take them personally. They are not reflections of real-life situations. Feel free to offer criticism, but please don't overthink it. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation similar to the world of One Piece, where the true meaning of 'Justice' is constantly debated and unclear.)
Driven by Alise, the Familia members voiced their opinions one after another in the conference room of the Stardust Garden.
The discussion was very heated and even gradually intensified, beginning to brew an unpleasant atmosphere.
At this moment, Kaguya, the vice-captain, spoke up to interrupt everyone's discussion.
"In the final analysis, 'justice' is just a convenient tool to utilize."
"It's a weapon for gaining moral high ground, or a means to legitimize verbal and physical violence."
"It's fundamentally a flag without color, and no 'person' can accurately define it."
"Wait! Correct what you just said!"
Ryuu's impassioned voice suddenly rang out.
In the eyes of everyone, as if saying 'it has become like this again', Ryuu stood up and glared at Kaguya.
"The Sword and Wings of Justice that we swore to uphold are definitely not like that!"
"Alas, here we go again, with Lion's theories and no facts."
Kaguya sighed with a hint of disdain, and then continued speaking to Ryuu: "Are you still clinging to that naive idea of saving everyone?"
"Of course! Is it 'justice' to sacrifice a few for the greater good, as you suggest?"
"Is this the 'justice' that Astraea-sama envisions?"
"What is the point of peace if it is gained through sacrifice!"
"Huh?"
Kaguya listened to Ryuu's words and could sense the unwavering conviction in the elf's tone.
However, some goals cannot be achieved by belief alone.
"Shallow, really too superficial."
The disdainful expression faded from Kaguya's face, replaced by overt mockery.
"Of course, I was also moved by Astraea-sama's righteousness, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Her demeanor is so noble, so splendid."
"In that case..."
"But!"
Giving no room for Ryuu to interject, Kaguya stared at her with sharp eyes.
"Astraea-sama's 'justice' and our actual situation are not the same."
"Don't think that with our level of strength, we can save everyone!"
The cold words pierced through Ryuu's heart, but Kaguya had no intention of stopping.
"Lion, you are strong, in our Familia, only Alise can defeat you 100%."
"But when it comes to inner strength, you are the most fragile in our Familia!"
"If what you say is correct, then why did the sister of the Ganesha Familia's captain, Shakti, die!"
"She died right before our eyes, Ardee Varma, she was killed by a mysterious self-destruct device by Evilus!"
"Just take another look at the streets, go listen in the alleys, you can still hear the residents' crying."
"How much sacrifice have we made to finally be in this situation? Now you tell me, how to uphold an untainted 'justice'?"
"Save everyone? You haven't managed to do that, fool."
"Anyone can talk big, but if you can't do it, then it's all just nonsense in the end!"
There was neither anger nor disappointment in Kaguya's voice, just the undeniable fact.
After saying all this, the Far East girl, as if she had lost interest, no longer paid attention to the standing elf girl.
Ryuu lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
It wasn't anger at Kaguya, but rather anger at herself for being powerless to refute.
She wished she could confidently shout to Kaguya, "I can do it!"
However, she truly couldn't.
Kaguya wasn't telling her that sacrifice is the right thing, but rather that "sacrifice is sometimes the only option."
Ideals, hopes, and the future can surpass one's capabilities.
But not now! She is still too weak to uphold those ideals.
"Wow, another big argument, you two."
As the argument came to a close, Alise, who had been 'playing dead,' finally spoke up.
"Um... let's just drop this topic~"
"After all, even Astraea-sama can't provide a perfect answer, so no matter how much we argue, we won't reach a conclusion."
"Yeah, no way around it~ let's just skip this topic~"
Alise's words were very casual and utterly irresponsible.
Nearly all the members, including Kaguya and Ryuu, looked at this willful captain who arbitrarily introduced and then ended the topic with annoyed eyes.
Only Lyra, who had been watching calmly from the sidelines, saw through everything.
As Evilus' influence declined, as representatives of 'justice,' their recent work had been diminishing.
Astraea Familia's focus was gradually shifting towards exploring the dungeon.
It might not matter in the short term, but over time, there's a real possibility that members might forget their original intentions.
Easily stirring up the Familia members' emotions, igniting the conflict between Kaguya and Ryuu in advance, and then instantly diffusing the internal tension within the Familia.
In this process, due to the argument between Kaguya and Ryuu, almost everyone was reflecting on their own definition of 'justice'.
The first topic of this meeting could be said to have perfectly achieved all the outcomes Alise wanted.
It seemed as though she casually introduced a topic and irresponsibly concluded it, but in reality, all of this was under Alise's control.
However, it's debatable whether she acted intentionally or instinctively.
'Such a terrifying woman.'
Lyra, watching Alise who had a silly smile, couldn't help but secretly mutter in her heart.
The tense atmosphere was dissolved by Alise's meddling, replaced by dissatisfaction with this 'silly' captain.
Faced with this situation, the red-haired girl, well-prepared, summarized the topic for everyone.
"Anyone can proclaim justice, and, of course, there will be countless false claims of it."
"What we need to do is not to find the most 'correct' one among the myriad versions of justice."
"What we need to do is to take down those who are holding up 'fakes'."
Alise's words awakened the members, who were immersed in the 'right and wrong' debate between Kaguya and Ryuu.
"As long as the 'evils' of falsehood and hypocrisy are eradicated, harmony and order will prevail."
"Even if absolute righteousness does not exist, it will surely bring more smiles to people's faces."
"I believe that must be the 'justice' upheld by our 'Astraea Familia'!"
Alise is different from Kaguya and Ryuu.
She doesn't care what 'justice' is.
Alise never believes she represents 'justice,' nor does she think she is 'right'.
What she does is merely eliminate 'evil'.
As long as 'evil' disappears, whether she is 'just' becomes irrelevant.
Alise's summary left everyone drained, each of them smiling wryly as if to say 'There's really nothing we can do about her'.
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