After the soldier was led away,
while Chen Yang, the next candidate, had yet to come up,
the interviewers began discussing the case.
Meng Po said,
"This one was interesting. He was bullied as a child, and now he sat in that chair judging a child who bullied others. Halfway through, he realized he hadn't let go of his own past."
"And he could admit it openly."
Judge Lu closed the record book in front of him.
"These two candidates each have their strengths and weaknesses. The old teacher is too intent on reforming people and is liable to go soft when judging cases. But his self-awareness is rare. He knew he wasn't suited to the job and withdrew voluntarily. That honesty is far better than stubbornly sticking it out to the end.
"The soldier did well enough to reach the verdict he did in that last case, considering he still hasn't recovered from his own old wounds."
The King of Hell tapped his fingers twice against the desk at a measured pace.
"The old teacher is a good man, but not a good judge. Being a City God takes more than a kind heart. It also requires an iron hand.
"As for the soldier, unfortunately, he lacks experience. His temperament still needs tempering.
"But these two do have one thing in common.
"They both know the limits of their abilities."
Judge Lu turned to Wen Ning.
"What do you think?"
Wen Ning said,
"The old teacher is suited to teaching. The soldier may need a few more years of tempering, but we need a City God who can get straight to work. There's no time to spend years training him."
As they chatted, Chen Yang, the final candidate of the day, was also
brought up. Chains rattled below the