Chapter 149: Crime and Punishment… After (2/4)

You can’t.” [Willieris]

“I know, I know… Honestly, I’m at a loss myself. Well, why don’t you just keep trying at it? Maybe you’ll figure it out yourself eventually?” [Kirillel]

“So there’s no shortcut, huh? All I can do is to keep on training?” [Ryouma]

“Anyway, that’s how it is. That body of yours still has a lot of potential to grow, so if you want to become stronger, you have plenty of time.” [Kirillel]

Indeed. This body is still in its tens. It’s unlikely that I would actually meet the end of my lifespan in just 10 or 20 years.

I also plan on continuing to hunt the bandits… Oh, right.

“Can the bandits that I catch be rehabilitated?” [Ryouma]

I was thinking of praying for those guys I caught. When I remembered that, I asked the goddesses about it.

But they all wore a difficult expression.

“Unfortunately, a person that has committed a crime has a high probability of committing a crime again. Especially, those who committed acts of banditry. Their guilds expel them, and they won’t be able to register again even after being released, making it hard for them to find a job. Of course, it’s not impossible to find work without a guild, but most jobs are taken through the guild since it’s a much more reliable method of finding decent people than just judging people based on their looks…” [Rurutia]

“Unlike Japan, there’s also a strong sense of ‘Protect yourself with your own body’ here. There aren’t many who would hire a former convict.” [Kirillel]

“I hear you hire the people of the slums, but even those people don’t have it easy. Although they haven’t committed any crimes, just the possibility makes it hard for others to consider them.” [Willieris]

” I can relate…” [Ryouma]

It’s a story I can sympathize with.

I can also understand the feelings of the employers.

Just thinking about the possible damages to the other staff after hiring a strange person gives me the chills.

But…

A bitter memory flashed through my mind.

“…Rurutia. This might be a stupid question, but what if I provided more opportunities for former convicts to be hired? Do you think that would make things better?　We have plans to increase my branch stores. Although we currently only have three managers whom we’re raising, as the store continues to go well in the next few years, the number of managers and stores we have should also increase. When that time comes, we’ll need to hire a lot of employees.” [Ryouma]

“…It would still depend on how much they regret their actions and how much they want to change. Also, how much they can endure the prejudice that people hold against them. But just having the opportunity to find employment should make it easier for them to be corrected.” [Rurutia]

“There’s no reason for you to go that far.” [Kirillel]

Kirillel-sama is correct. There’s no doubt about that.

“Is there a reason why you think that way?” [Willieris]

“My past… Willieris, don’t you know about it?” [Ryouma]

“I don’t believe so.” [Willieris]

“Me too. The decision which otherworlder to pick is left to Rurutia and the others. The only thing we know is what Rurutia tells us and what we’ve personally seen from your life here in this world. It would take a lot of time otherwise if we had to remember every otherworlder’s life from start to finish.” [Kirillel]

I thought all the gods knew about my life, but now that she mentions it, I guess it makes sense.

“A lot of things happened when I was young.” [Ryouma]

That was my first year being a company employee. I bought some stuff at a convenience store on my way back home, but it was already midnight then. At that time, I happened upon a group of three muggers.

They entered the convenience store carrying guns and fired at the ceiling. The three muggers laughed as they asked the customers inside the store – including me – to bring out our wallets. They also ordered the clerks at the counter to take out the money.

The three muggers were all men and had hidden their faces. They laughed from start to finish. It was as if they were playing a game, almost as if they were intoxicated or something. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t, but one thing was for sure, they weren’t in the right mind of thinking.

Frightened, the clerks started preparing the money, but they were so scared that they tumbled about and dropped the change. When the three saw that, they spoke in that same frivolous tone they had from the start.

“Hurry it up.” [Mugger 1]

“What? Are you trying to resist?” [Mugger 2]

“Trying to buy some time?” [Mugger 3]

After saying that they took the conversation into a disturbing turn, and then suddenly, as if one of them just thought of it, one of them pointed his gun at a woman.

“Okay! That’s too bad! But I guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson~!”

As soon as I heard that, my body moved.

Although I didn’t believe they were in their right mind, I knew that the man was serious.

All of their attention was focused on the woman.

It was as if they were watching an interesting show. They weren’t paying attention at all to their surroundings.

I knew they wouldn’t be able to notice me if I moved.

The result was obvious. But in the process, the arm that the three thieves were using to hold their guns respectively were all broken. One had his organs ruptured, one had his skull fractured, and one suffered damage to his subclavian artery. As a result, I was accused of excessive self-defense.

…I still remember the shock of the cops when they arrived and the confusion and fear in all the eyes that gathered on me.

What’s more is that my time in jail was extended…

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