Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

[MFauli]

So, Kray, answer this pls: Are the civilians supposed to be happy about Naofumi's decision? I mean those who lost loved ones because of bitch slut and the king?

[KrayZ33]

So, Kray, answer this pls: Are the civilians supposed to be happy about Naofumi's decision? I mean those who lost loved ones because of bitch slut and the king?

No - or rather, I don't know what they are supposed to think. It's hard for me to pin down whether they are actually at fault for anything like that. I didn't see (or don't remember) the king ordering anything like that or being directly responsible for the death of civilians. Same with Slut

Isn't the king basically a hero for them because he managed to summon 4 heroes instead of just one, wouldn't that mean more people have survived?

Anyway - that aside.
You made several good points in your last comment, but here is my explanation

Irl I'm against the death penalty. We're not discussing rl. In their world, the death penalty is a thing. Murdering people happens all the time, it's not a rare occurrence (speaking as a European).

Yes, but ethics changed and now we believe the highest good is happiness and life. We don't live in the medieval age anymore, we know about the value of life and thus we (and Naofumi too, since he is from "our" world) should act with that in mind.

It's not an eye for an eye situation at all. There's a point that someone committed so much evil that he/she is irredeemable. See Hitler. Even in today's society you'd have to guard him, because people would demand his execution. Should Andrej Breivik ever get out of Swedish prison, he probably won't live for long - killing 87 young people does that.

Bitch Slut did worse. He action caused hundreds of deaths. This isn't about Naofumi's feelings, it's about a society's justice, and that world's justice involves the death penalty as a proper means of punishment. If Melty wasn't a sexy young woman, but a disgusting fat, old smelly guy, or just a full-on orc, you wouldn't even think about letting him stay alive, be honest.

You really have the audacity to call Naofumi less moral had he not stopped a 100% just punishment? Then your morals are seriously scewed up in the context of this anime.

When you ask about moral and ethics, I will use today's standard and not those of 1000 years ago.

So no, my morals are alright by today's standard I think. I know that "eye for an eye" doesn't literally imply that the culprit has to suffer the same crime (anymore). I know that "Justice" doesn't mean you have to punish murder with death so that he "gets what he deserves".
Justice means you punish the severest crime, with the severest punishment which our moral principles would allow us to impose.

What does that mean in this situation? By allowing Trash and Slut to live, he basically tells us that he values life over everything else, so high even, that he wouldn't even take it from those who took it from others. That's pretty much the moral code of all the european countries, I'd say. I believe the death penalty doesn't exist in any of the EU-Countries.

So yes, Naofumi would indeed be less moral if he allowed the execution, instead of trying to stop it.
At the very least, we can be certain that Naofumi's compassion is absolute.

And let me add: Youre even igoring that Bitch Slut hasn't changed at all! She never apologized, never showed any growth. The name change and loss of title and wealth surely are humiliating, but guess what: She'll continue to scheme deadly crimes. Isn't it great that Naofumi let her live!!1 This is Batman-levels of dumb, 'i'll never kill the Joker ...oops, he broke out of Arkham and killed another 100 civilians, oh snap'.

That is more or less part of the whole issue. Not killing them is one thing, not going into prison for a really long time is another, that I don't agree with either. After all, I believe in punishment too.
I have no idea however whether that is actually the case... or if Naofumi had that in mind when he stopped the execution.

However, what you see as "justice" is rather barbaric and medieval. You'd certainly fit in in that world, but since you are living in a civilized world now, I'd expect something else
You actually seek *revenge*, it's not about justice, it's a "personal matter".

Moral and ethic are difficult topics, in this situation it's basically "iustitia" vs. "caritas"