Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Duel Realm, Crafting Sector, Venue: Chaos Dwarven Forge. The Judges are believed to be the original natives of the Duel Realm, who became subservient to the Devil Merchant Code when it conquered their world and transformed it into a realm existing simultaneously between the spiritual and physical planes, Duel Real. In fact, they were the only beings—aside from the demon and devil merchants—ever employed by the Devil Merchant Code.
However, it is widely believed that the natives of the Duel Realm willingly worshipped the Devil Merchant Code as their god to prevent them being erazed with their old world during the creation of the Duel Realm. Some theorize that the Devil Merchant Code chose this realm from the myriad others specifically because of its natives and their innate ability to compel opponents to speak only the truth.
Regardless of the reason, the Judges became the Devil Merchant Code's heralds in the Duel Realm, ranking above both demon and devil merchants just in Duel Realm. They were granted special privileges, allowing them to preside over and judge all duels on behalf of the Devil Merchant Code. Thanks to these privileges, the Judges could render even ruler-class beings immobile or sentence them to death within the Duel Realm, making them the most feared entities in that domain.
Demon and devil merchants had little to fear from the Judges as long as they operated within the laws and rules set by the Devil Merchant Code. Nevertheless, the Judges occasionally lorded their authority over these merchants, engaging in minor mischiefs like making them wait unnecessarily. However, they were careful never to misuse their power, as anyone could file an appeal against them to the devil merchant code.
"Is this your first duel in the Duel Realm? It must be, or you wouldn't have asked me that," a female dwarven staff member warned Wyatt. "The Judges are already here; they're just waiting to make a dazzling entry. Be patient with them, or you might lose your duel before it even begins."
The staff's warning was unnecessary for Wyatt, who had already studied the Duel Realm's rules, regulations, and, of course, the Judges and their peculiar antics. However, the bit about their "dazzling entry" was news to him. The more he learned about the Judges, the more they seemed like attention seekers. Considering that demon and devil merchants treated them as trashy slaves of the Devil Merchant Code outside of duels, Wyatt figured their willfulness during duels might be their only outlet.
As the staff member spoke, Wyatt used his primordial soul pupils to scan the colosseum for the Judges. He soon spotted an entity resembling a foot-tall stuffed plush dinosaur—a velvet T-rex, to be precise. Its vivid expression clearly indicated it was alive and not a mere toy. This made the Judge appear all the more endearing. Even Wyatt felt an urge to run his hands over its velvet skin.
Just then, as if sensing Wyatt's gaze, the plush-like entity turned its head in his direction, and their eyes met. Wyatt casually glanced away, feigning indifference, as though he hadn't noticed the Judge. His reaction was flawless, yet the Judge had already sensed something and marked him as their next target.
Suddenly, Wyatt turned to the female dwarven staff member standing beside him and asked, "I didn't catch your name."
"That's because I didn't tell you," she replied with a smirk, her tone brutally honest. "I didn't want to bother giving you my fake name, so I skipped the introduction. But if you insist on a proper one, give me some time to think of a cool fake name."
Wyatt, unbothered by her bluntness, nodded in understanding. "Say no more."
The female staff, monitoring Wyatt's expression out of the corner of her eye, was surprised to see that he appeared completely unaffected by her harsh words. She began to wonder if he had no ulterior motives and genuinely wanted to know her name. Feeling a pang of guilt, she added, "We're advised not to give our real names to contestants. Some people use them to track us down in the inter-realm city or the Dark Realm with tracking curses. Others try to get close to use on the pretense of being acquaintances and hound us for help crafting or for pointers on specific items. To avoid that, we use fake names, but I'm having trouble deciding on one—there are so many cool names out there—"
"How about Chatty Cathy?" Wyatt interrupted, his tone tinged with annoyance as he cut her off mid-ramble.
His sudden outburst wasn't entirely aimed at the talkative dwarf. Most of his irritation stemmed from the stuffed plush dinosaur—a velvet T-rex—that had been staring directly into his eyes. Hovering right in front of his face using its stealth skill, it occasionally made faces at him, edging dangerously close to his eyes before pulling back. Wyatt was certain the Judges had realized he could see them and were trying to provoke him into acknowledging their presence, despite their supposed stealth, which was considered omniscient in the Duel Realm.
Wyatt's predicament worsened when he realized he could still see the Judges even after deactivating his primordial soul pupils. He believed this was because their stealth skill must be conditional—perhaps it failed against someone who had already detected their presence. Rather than dwelling on the mechanics, Wyatt chose to ignore the plush doll, though its mischievous antics and undeniable cuteness made it increasingly difficult.
Desperate for a distraction, Wyatt turned back to the dwarven staff member, but her incessant chatter wasn't helping.
"Chatty Cathy? That's catchy! What language is it from? Is it your native tongue? What does it mean?" the dwarf asked, her curiosity piqued.
Stuck between the playful plush doll and the overly talkative dwarf, Wyatt sighed and helplessly replied, "It means you talk a lot."
Wyatt's brutal honesty was intentional, hoping she would extend the same courtesy to him that she seemed to expect for herself. He wasn't in the mood to coddle her feelings, especially not while dealing with the mischievous antics of the Judges.