Reincarnated to judge worlds after complaining about God

 Halsan thought for a moment, I could tell he understood the depth of my words and felt the weight behind them, scratching his chin as he pondered my admittedly mysterious character.

 To break the silence, Byurik asked whether such a decision would be made by individual judgement or the average and finding myself unwilling to lie in the setting, I said I would judge individuals and act on the majority, adding that the tragic thing about it was seeing my presence as risky was tantamount to recognising that good people were the minority.

 I could tell he and Leeson were uncomfortable with the statement, seeing it as me pressuring them into making their own judgement.

 Halsan interrupted Leeson's imminent retort, airing their opinion but standing strong in the face of my challenge, he made a gesture and everyone but Leeson, Byurik, Halsan and I filed out of the room.

 "I name you Judge" the words carried enough obvious importance to make me feel bad for laughing, but the irony was too tragic for me not to laugh. It was a sudden outburst, short lived and I recomposed myself quickly, apologising for any offence.

 He hesitated briefly, but shook it off before resuming. He explained that what he meant was I would be the one to act for what was right, not what was ordered and in other words the town's moral compass.

 The other two attempted to protest, not out of disrespect for me but in the interest of public opinion, to all of our surprise Halsan's temper grew ill and he silenced them. Reminding them he was not a fool and named that the reason only we four were present.

 He then issued me a challenge of sorts, declaring that in the time until they officially declared independence, I had to earn the title.

 The challenge was redundant, I would judge them in the end regardless, the most astounding thing about the situation is that it is only the second time I had encountered a reason to delay my duty. I liked those people, I respected them, I could not in good conscience ignore the offer.

 Matters of respect and personal opinions aside, I was fiercely competitive and struggled to refuse challenges and that particular one proved most compelling. I decided ultimately that I would up the stakes, no longer able to deny my ever apparent weariness.

 Rather than agree I made a counter proposal, turning it from a challenge to a high stakes wager, in the form of failure meaning my execution.

 As the three men gasped (rather melodramatically in my opinion). I told them not to question it, despite the fact every fibre of my being was screaming at me in opposition I found myself trusting the distant whisper in the back of my mind.

 "What of Sil?"

 I shocked myself when I said I'd kill her myself, the words came from that same whisper, as I told them not to trust her. My callousness and lack of hesitation appalled them, unwilling to drop my guise completely, I simply said the waters changed her.

 I told them to keep it secret as I shared my concerns, how I felt my feelings toward her being twisted and wasn't sure if I could even trust my memories of her. 

 Byurik spoke up, full of caution but clearly swayed, he told them that he had memories of beings disappearing in the water only to return changed, in much the same way I had described Sil.

 Leeson asked why I hadn't tried to definitively prove my theories. "Surely since you made landfall you have had ample opportunity to assess her condition. You certainly sniffed out our state of being quickly enough."

 I looked him in the eye and asked if he remembered the training ground. "If I could have, I would have. She has divine protection." The words made them all frustrated.

 Halsan rightfully asked if I had any evidence, which I didn't, but Leeson had experienced it first hand and was forthcoming with his account.

 Halsan confessed himself unsure, suddenly asking the other two to raise their hands on the count of three if they wished to accept the wager and a short count later, the bet was on.

 Byurik asked if she was truly a threat even to one of the seraph line, the question made me clench as I was unsure if he was trying to trap me in a lie about my origins, but in the end I chose the truth.

 In that moment I spoke the absolute truth. "If unchecked she would bring untold suffering to the world, so I will try to guide her as best I can or kill her myself if I fail. I trust my instincts, when I sense the moment is right I will decide enough is enough."

 I had been fighting a subconscious compulsion to think fondly of her from the moment I spoke of killing her.

 Suddenly Haslan rushed to me, gripping my hand and covering it and making me realise that I had clenched so firmly I'd pierced my own hand.

 "Signs of bewitchment." Leeson's words rang true. Bewitchment wasn't perfect, if you were aware of it, you could fight it; however it revealed itself through physical acts like what I had done and I had seen severe cases cause hair to fall out and teeth to shatter.

 Byurik tried to make light of the situation by saying he thought I must regret teaching her magic, but was left concerned when I told him truthfully that I hadn't taught her any. 

 Truth be told, I could tell it wasn't that same effect, what I felt was far more powerful and gripping far stronger. I was self-aware enough to know that I would have usually cut ties with anyone as suspicious as her immediately and wondered if I only felt able to voice my concerns in that moment because it was the first time we had truly been separated.

 Deciding we had done enough for the time being, I suggested we end the discussion there for the night, a point the others agreed with wholeheartedly.

 As I turned to leave Halsan stopped me, expressing his hope that one day I saw fit to let them know me. I turned and bowed low, saying that I hoped that day came because I found myself increasingly too weak to hold up the veil of secrecy.

 With that final gesture I left, resolve nearing its end, sensing an approaching reckoning of sorts which left my blood chilled.

 As I walked through the streets I couldn't help but feel my time as a judge was nearing its end, which would've made me jump for joy if I could lie to myself as well as I could to others, but knowing the next would be far less dutiful was painful.

 A thousand lifetimes of doing all I could to minimise suffering was about to be brought to an end, with one who seemed far more concerned with serving herself over their purpose.

 Letting out an exasperated sigh to myself, I headed to Rein and Fala's home to collect Sil and set about winning the wager, my place in town and with any luck a path to achieve my goal of minimising the suffering of this world.

 Upon arriving at their home, I examined Rein's leg and announced that we had been offered a chance to stay in the town indefinitely though nothing had been finalised.

 Little Fala's face lit up, she beamed at Sil, growing self-conscious when Sil seemed perturbed by the news. I told Fala that Sil must be thinking of her home and that this update probably makes her feel further away than ever and as Fala hugged and tried to reassure her… My ever-agreeable trainee began to cry.

 She eventually righted herself and we apologised for overstaying our welcome, then I led her out of town and into the forest where I buried the bandits.

 I asked what her intentions were bluntly, ignoring her asking why we ended up there. When she couldn't answer that, I asked her why she hadn't asked me to teach her anything since we arrived, turning my back on her when she began to splutter and force out an excuse.

 I then raised a hand to silence her, before she could say anything about our role. Finally I declared that I truly intended to stand by the people of the town and intended to fight in their defence against anyone.

 I took a step away from her, when she shouted that we should leave, making my eyes narrow as I cast a sideways glance at her. She rambled on for a bit about how we should leave town and keep moving, I felt my emotions become turbulent again, the same sickening sense of longing and sadness.

 I snapped and stormed toward her, I tried to grab her throat but she ducked away, so I used magic to hold her in place before sending out a signal to any of the predators that called the area home before turning to head back.

 She returned only after the moon began to fall, fists bloody, skin pale, shaking as she asked why I would do that.

 I ignored her question though and inspected her wounds, four deep gouges in her back, a bite to her right ankle and a missing pinky finger on her right hand.

 I then treated her wounds with first aid, before telling her to sleep and excusing myself, though I only made it two steps before I stumbled into the obstacle that was an incredibly angry head receptionist.

 I interrupted the lecture before it could begin and told her to take me to Byurik, which made her blink in bewilderment.

 When we got to his office, he greeted me by saying he hadn't expected to see me again that night, then I threw him a small orb and told him to focus on learning what it contained.

 Through his lack of understanding he managed to head my instructions and fell into a short lived trance, before returning to normal. "You don't waste any time." His tone was aggressive and he stormed over to me, raising a hand to stem the intent to attack I felt leaking out of Valo.

 Whilst he was telling her that I wasn't the enemy they needed to worry about, I interrupted to ask why a receptionist was getting ready to attack in the first place and the guild master kindly informed me that she was an investigator prior.

 I raised my hands in admission of ignorance, I said it would be easier to let her use the orb, then he should take it to Leeson and the lord.

 Angry and aware of Sil's injuries, he asked why we didn't use the opportunity to our advantage.

 I enlightened him to the fact that anyone capable of ducking away from my grip was not going to get caught off-guard by some beast and reminded him that a near miss left Leeson's armour humming.

 As Valo came out of the trance, I told her to make sure she didn't show our hand, then told her to slap me and storm out.

 Which in my opinion she was a little too happy to do.

 After that, I told Byurik to pay special attention to her finger, since that would prove the trickiest protection to overcome.

 Regardless of his deepened confusion, I was too tired to keep talking so I produced a canister from which I took a large gulp before handing him the rest and telling him to share.

 I then took my leave, returning to the room to sleep, ignoring Sil as I did so.

 The next morning, we were awoken by Valo, aggressively bursting through the door I choose to remember leaving unlocked. Without any semblance of just how bad my mood had become, she informed me my cooking had the adventurers threatening rebellion over the breakfast they were served.

 I marched downstairs and told Valo to quickly warn all the guild staff to duck and cover their ears, which she did as quickly as possible.

 I then used magic to create three dim orbs and spread them throughout the crowd, at which point that bloomed into life making deafening pops and releasing blinding sparks. I won't lie, their shock and awe was humorous enough to lighten my mood a tad.

 At least it was enough for me to restore their hearing, but I then told them to sit down, shut up and be thankful the guild cooks wasted their talent on such ingrates. To say such action annoyed me would be an understatement, and I made it clear that I would never cook for them again after that, instead I told them to start a petition.

 Continuing with the theme of wagers that I was using to keep myself grounded, I proposed that if they could have ninety percent of adventurers agree to a two percent take on their earnings, I would teach the cooks some recipes.

 When one of them tried to speak out, I returned to shock and awe, then continued to explain that if they are improving their skills are worth more and the ingredients will cost more.

 I then added that anyone who caused the chefs trouble in front me will learn the hard way to respect the people keeping them fed. Walking down the stairs and apologising to the cooks for causing the trouble, then suggesting that anyone who wanted to be served there again follow suit.

 Sil appeared beside me, making a snide remark about how I told her we shouldn't stand out too much, though in fairness I eclipsed her childishness by scratching my ear with a pinkie finger out of pure spite.

 "You're just as master Byurik described, I understand you wanted to observe some mage training." The voice addressing me was that of a stranger so I turned to look at them, but stood dumbfounded.

 I gritted my teeth as tears welled in my eyes, placing a hand on the woman's face without thinking. There was no way she was someone I knew, but she reminded me of someone I thought meant the world to me. That girl died a thousand lives ago, by her own hand and in my arms, then Sil grabbed my arm aggressively, telling me what I already knew. "You need to stop."

 Her expression was a strange mix of rage and sympathy, not that I was able to note it at the time,and everyone else was too distracted by my almost bipolar shift.

 The woman apologised for apparently stirring up painful faults and I managed to don a thin, unconvincing façade of normal as I laughed awkwardly. "That settles it, the real you would have hit me for making a scene, Haha… ha… well let's do this observation."

 I couldn't even meet another's gaze.

 Despite my inability to fully concentrate, I got what I needed from the experience, then Sil dragged me straight back to our room.

 "What happened, why did that woman shake you up so badly?"

 "I'm no liar, but I'm no…"

 "You have the power to help me. So, help me prepare for whatever happened to you." A Lie, she just wanted details. She was implementing the same overt fishing for information I tried on her.

 "You're right, I do, and I refuse. Please judge me, let me enjoy oblivion." I passed her my sword, then reminded her it has to be an instant kill.

 She batted the sword away, then stabbed me in the hand with a small pair of scissors calling me an idiot. Dragging more memories of that long dead girl to the surface. My head throbbing as the world faded like a dream.

 I wouldn't learn this until much later, but I screamed for hours after that, while she sobbed through it alone, hiding under the blanket and covering her ears, to no effect.

 When I awoke the next morning, I had no recollection of the previous day beyond leaving the mages, the sharp throbbing pain emanating from my hand kept me from thinking about it too much.

 As I pulled the scissors out and dealt with the injury, I felt a wave of nostalgia, not crashing into me, but more like that of a ghostly caress, making me wonder if it was actually de je vu instead.

 Shaking questions, I didn't see having answers from my mind, I left the room behind.

 It became quickly apparent that I slept far longer than I usually did, no adventurers were present, and food was no longer being served.

 I had no intention of eating, but I did want to apologise for any concern or offence I may have caused in my hazy stupor, interrupting Valo as she worked seemed counterproductive though, so I settled for apologising to Doran and Sil for starters.

 I asked if Fala would be requiring a bodyguard as well, but they had told her I may not be fit for the task, so Valo sent someone she trusted in my place.

 With nothing else to do, I decided it would be best to start Sil's training, that would give me the opportunity to put her abilities on display publicly, so the three of us headed for the garrison.

 Upon our arrival, the one I sparred with saw fit to apologise and recognise his wrongdoing, an act I respected but decided wasn't enough. I told him if he truly wished to apologise, he should be helping those he wronged, then turned to find Leeson. Eyes focused on me, evaluating my mentality as he approached with something in hand.

 When close enough, he asked if I was well after hearing about the previous day. "Honestly, it is starting to seem that drama only gives you every other day off."

 "All warriors have scars, and all cracks are shown eventually, one can only endure losing their home so long." He made a comment about being happy to see some vulnerability, and how an indomitable friend can be as concerning as any foe.

 "You're injured? Guess there won't be any lessons today." In response I unwrapped the already half-closed wound, saying that the Timeless heal quickly, to which he replied I was being indomitable again.

 I took the opportunity, to redirect the attention. "I might heal a bit quicker but you should see that one." I grabbed Sil's hand. "See this, it was a stump just a day ago after she got tangled up with a beasty the other night."

 Then my first lesson began, I declined teaching any guard, though that didn't stop them gathering to watch.

 I told Sil to try her hardest to stick me with the pointy end as I threw my sword to her, but didn't expect her to grab it out of midair and swing it at me still sheathed.

 I grabbed it and asked why she was so upset, but she refused to talk, kicking me hard to push me back and remove the sheath for her.

 After yielding a blood heavy cough, I deflected her follow up with the scabbard and slipped behind her, striking the top of her wrist to make her drop the blade.

 "I'm going to assume I deserved that. Not bad, but your form and timing are terrible, and your grip is pathetic. Go catch up with Fala, we'll try this again tomorrow."

 Leeson approached as she stormed off. "Your gift for annoying women, well, that's one gift I don't want." He then gestured over to a quiet corner as he barked the others back to their training. "Ok, I'm convinced. I saw your surprise with my own eyes. You didn't know she could do that. I'll tell the others, but honestly, I can see I'm no match for you and she took a pint out of you with a single blow." Gesturing back to the crimson puddle.