Reincarnated as incubus: I didn't mean to seduce you!

Chapter 911 261: The True Essence of the Magic Monarch, The Illusory Boundary, Meeting on the Holy Mountain (10K)_4

Agatha, I'm furious, truly furious.

When Holy Hall Assessment was held by the Divine Briania, my companions from the Tribunal and I were out eradicating evil. By rights, according to the teachings of your Earth Mother Goddess Church and your Agatha's character, you should have directly stopped Mephiel's excessive actions during the Holy Hall Assessment.

Agatha, honestly speaking, you've disappointed me. Perhaps I should reassess you; you're not a qualified partner of justice!"

Upon hearing Judge Mistro say this, a trace of helplessness flashed in Agatha's eyes, as she said:

"Mistro, it's exactly because of your uncompromising approach that even when you are enacting justice, you are feared by so many civilians.

My ally, how to act is merely a means to achieve a satisfactory result, rather than a necessity. If you had understood this back then, you wouldn't have failed in your bid against Mephiel for the papacy.

Absolute justice can sometimes be daunting, don't forget why the Divine Favor of your Dawn Lord Church chose to leave back then."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Seemingly reminded of something that displeased him, Judge Mistro almost jumped with anger.

"I know you're eager, but hold on for a moment."

Agatha the Pontiff sighed and said, "Mistro, unjust means cannot yield the blossom of justice. This principle should be clear to you."

Mistro scoffed, saying:

"When unjust means have become the sole method to achieve result justice, do you think I should use them?"

Agatha's gaze at her old friend was complex.

This is why the Heretic Tribunal sometimes inspires both respect and fear.

Generally speaking, executing procedural justice can sometimes delay matters that should be swiftly resolved due to issues with the process.

Sometimes, for efficiency, authorities might temporarily grant some execution power to grassroots priests who ordinarily do not have such authority, which not only fails to expedite operations but has adverse effects.

Some grassroots priests, who have never wielded authority related to church institutions, might misuse that temporary power and act recklessly.

However... Despite procedural justice having its various flaws, it still serves as a protective framework for most people because rules might err, but consequences without rules are far worse.

However, this very principle is hard to implement with the Heretic Tribunal.

Sure, those who enter the Heretic Tribunal are often intolerant of evil, and in a world with gods, the core standard for entry into the Heretic Tribunal is the determination to die practicing God's teachings.

But even using this method, while it generally ensures that most of the Dawn Lord's Heretic Tribunal members have good nature, their methods are still fear-inducing and even repulsive.

As Judge Mistro said, when unjust means have become the sole method to achieve result justice, they will mercilessly strike.

Suppose Mistro and his subordinates caught a Shirek believer intending to overthrow the Kingdom by deceit. They also know that this Shirek believer has planted a timer-triggered explosive scroll in the city, which will cause considerable casualties once it explodes.

With each passing minute, if the Shirek believer remains defiant, what would Judge Mistro and the other members of the Heretic Tribunal do?

The answer is, to save the majority, they would mercilessly torture the Shirek believer, even resorting to more unjust actions, such as...

Directly torturing the Shirek believer's parents and wife.

Adhering to the belief of "no punishment without grace," these members can indeed go mad in extreme situations.

The Pontiff Agatha, very aware of these people's danger, is actually reluctant to cooperate with them. Their beliefs are more extreme and do not align with the teachings of Shantia.

Although it seems gratifying to deal with evildoers with more vicious methods, giving a feeling of revenge, with meals tasting better that day.

Yet Pontiff Agatha is well aware that such actions can lead to extreme issues.

The most typical issue is "information bias."

Let's reverse the example of the Shirek believer.

Suppose the Heretic Tribunal, during their investigation, due to unreliable sources or even traitors, frames a regular citizen as a Shirek believer plotting chaos in the shadows.

And the Heretic Tribunal, because of various reasons, cannot verify the accuracy of this information.

Then, to carry out "the majority's justice," they would unhesitatingly arrest that citizen suspected of being a Shirek believer and torture them to find the nonexistent "explosive scroll."