NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
Chapter 43
I looked at Shamash, who was floating in the air, kneeling down, and said.
“Trials?”
“They’re not a spectacle…”
“Judgments?”
“They must be fair…”
“False accusations?”
“Should not be punished…”
“Good.”
After giving Shamash a light whack on the head to create a brief eclipse, I decided to kick off some hands-on training.
It was a bit harsh, but it seemed appropriate for Shamash, who treated courtrooms—where people’s fates were on the line—as mere entertainment.
“From now on, don’t treat trials like a show. Approach judgments seriously, got it?”
“Yes…”
Shamash’s avatar still had a dent on her head. It looked quite odd on the blonde girl.
But was my hit really that painful? So painful it caused a mini eclipse?
Well, it makes sense since I created the avatar using my own essence, so yes, it would be pretty painful.
Speaking of eclipses… It might freak out the other humans if they see one. Hmm…
I should drop a note through the Lizardman saying my kid made a mistake and I had to smack her quietly. Just a little “Kaang!” should do!
If I leave a simple message, maybe the humans won’t panic, right?
“By the way, this body… It’s really fascinating. I can feel pain just like that.”
“Of course, since it’s a body made from your own essence.”
“What…?”
Shamash looked confused as she brushed her body. She seemed genuinely surprised to see light emanating from it.
“I did it to punish you. Hitting an avatar created from my clone wouldn’t hurt you, would it?”
I was curious if hitting a clone to the point of destruction would simply tickle.
“If it was made using the original body… Can I return to my original form?”
“That’s not difficult.”
With a quick flick of my finger, Shamash’s body scattered and transformed back into her original form of light.
[Whoa! I really came back!]
“Creating a body from the original essence lets you feel sensations perfectly, but you’d feel pain the same way. Who would’ve thought that hitting your head could cause an eclipse?”
[That’s exactly what I wanted to say! You hit my head so hard it dented! I thought my gorgeous head was going to turn into a pancake.]
“Still, since it’s a created body, it looks like you won’t die. It just really hurts. If it gets destroyed, you just return to your original form.”
[But I don’t want to feel that pain again! It really hurts, you know.]
I nodded at Shamash’s words. Well, I hit her to make sure it hurt.
If it didn’t hurt, Shamash wouldn’t remember. That’s just not right.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After teaching Shamash how to create an avatar, we tried it out while sharing the stories that had piled up.
I wanted to find Erebus and reclaim the dragon’s body, but Shamash, being the embodiment of light, could never find Erebus.
After that, she just wandered around, shining her light without any real purpose.
Now, she felt really happy being revered as the god of light by humans.
She found law and justice more challenging than she expected and realized she needed to think harder.
“Ah, when will I be able to read memories and detect lies?”
“I’ve already created it.”
Hmm. I had developed a mind-linking magic long ago. Tweaking it a bit wouldn’t take long at all.
But I had placed a restriction that it could only be used when there’s a significant status gap between the caster and the target.
Considering Shamash might mess around with it, that restriction seemed wise.
I taught Shamash the memory reading magic. Despite a few gaps, being a god, she grasped it without much trouble.
“Um… Can’t I read your memories, Mom?”
“Unfortunately, it can only be used on beings of a lower status than you. You could use it only on criminals.”
While I could technically read all humans’ memories, I deliberately didn’t share that little fact.
“Hmm. Well, that’s fine. This will help me make judgments easier.”
Judgments. Judgments, huh…
Thinking about it, do humans even have laws yet?
I mean, it’s the era where they write on stones or clay tablets. Do they even have real laws? Probably not, right?
“Shamash, do humans have any clearly defined laws?”
“Huh? If such things existed, they wouldn’t be asking me for judgments, would they?”
Hmm… That makes sense. That’s why they rely on Shamash for judgments.
Without clearly documented laws, Shamash, the one who gives judgments, is pretty crucial.
“Then… we definitely need clear laws.”
Laws. Rules. Codes. They might go by various names. Humans… no, there are subspecies too. Hmm.
If we define rules that intelligent beings shouldn’t break and give them, it could lead to clearer judgments.
“Why don’t I just pronounce all the judgments?”
“Do you think you can handle all the judgments with more and more trials happening in the future?”
For now, Shamash could probably manage it… but there’s no guarantee that will always be the case.
“I’m willing to try! Those foolish humans need a god of law and justice!”
“Still! If clear rules are set, won’t they try not to breach them?”
Isn’t it unfair to be judged based on vague standards?
“Hmm… That’s true. For fair judgments and to avoid punishing the innocent, we definitely need clear rules.”
“Okay then! Let’s establish some simple laws.”
I conjured up a pure white crystal tablet.
It was a spotless crystal tablet, pure white and without a single stain.
“Let’s write the laws on this and hand them to humans as a code. In the name of the god giving the crystal tablet, let’s put your name, Shamash.”
Come to think of it, the god who handed down the famous Code of Hammurabi was also named Shamash.
Is there a fate tied to names? That’s a bit fascinating.
“My name? Not your name, Mom?”
“The god of law is you. It wouldn’t be wise to invade someone else’s territory.”
It’s best to respect established boundaries. Anyway.
I started writing on the crystal tablet with my finger.
First things first, we need to clearly state who is issuing this code of law.
“I, the god of light, law, and justice, Shamash, establish justice in this land to punish the wicked, safeguard the weak from the strong, and illuminate the world with my light from above. I hereby bestow this code of laws.”
My fingers danced across the tablet, elegant letters inscribed on the solid crystal.
“First, we should define the most important rules that need to be established.”
There’s a lot to define, but we need to clearly write down the main principles.
Let’s see… Should we start with the most famous Ten Commandments?
Of course, we can’t use the Ten Commandments as is, so they’ll definitely need some edits.
“One. Worship the gods sincerely.”
“What does worship mean?”
“To admire and respect… um, well, humans probably won’t get that either. Let’s use simpler words.”
I rubbed out some letters with my finger and wrote again.
“One. Truly admire and respect the gods.”
“Two. Do not despise the gods of others.”
“Three. Honor and be dutiful to your parents.”
“Four. Do not take life carelessly.”
“Five. Do not commit adultery.”
“Six. Do not steal.”
“Seven. Do not lie.”
“Eight. Do not discriminate between yourself and others.”
“Nine. Do not harm yourself.”
“Ten. Take one day off every week.”
“Those who break these 10 rules will be punished based on the weight of their sins.”
Hmm. Does that roughly cover it?
It’s a bit of a knockoff of the Ten Commandments with just a few tweaks…
“Is this the basic rule? Some of them are a bit hard to understand.”
“There’s a reason for everything. Now, let’s jot down the specific penalties.”
There’s still plenty of space left on the modified version. We can write even more.
And first… an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It’s crucial to state explicitly that no greater punishment than the crime can be applied.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Shamash’s Code.
It was a long time ago. In the ancient past with no established laws. A pure white crystal tablet given to humans by Shamash, the god of light, justice, and law.
The unbreakable crystal code contained such detailed laws that it became the foundation for legal systems in kingdoms.
Particularly, the rules seemed to foresee the conflicts between different races or worshipers of different gods and aimed to prevent sacrifices due to excessive labor, which shows a remarkable foresight of the distant future.
This code is currently enshrined in the deepest part of the Temple of Light, and despite the countless ages passed, it shines brightly in pure white without a single blemish.
As the god of light watches over you, please observe it with a respectful heart.
– Temple of Light Guide.