The meaning of 司る

Question

Context: Someone(アスタリスク) is about to have his ceremony to become a knight.

「それではアスタ、……アスタリスクの騎士叙任の儀を始めます。さあ、私の元へ」

「……はい」

「リッシュ・エデンが聖母イブの名の下に、この世に新たな騎士を遣わせる」

聖母イブの名を口にすると、リッシュの体が神秘的な光を発し始める。

その光は優艶で、アスタはただその光景と光に照らされたリッシュの美しい顔を息を呑んで見つめ続ける。

「平和と安寧を司る者、名をアスタリスク。汝はその使命を全うするために、その生涯を信じる者に捧げることを誓いますか？」

My question is about the first part where it says 平和と安寧を司る者. As I understand it, this sentence is implying that he is a 平和と安寧を司る者. From what I've seen the usage of 司る is used to represent someone in charge of something, but アスタリスク isn't a knight yet, or anyone special who has been tasked with ensuring peace(at least before he takes this oath) or anything like that, he just does it because he wants to do it. The usage of 使命を全うする to me also implies that it is something he has been tasked with. My question is whether these things can be used to talk about things that people have taken upon themselves, or am I misunderstanding something here?

Answer 1

司る suggests that someone has authoritative control over something, rather than just being in charge of. Whether being tasked or not is irrelevant. Also, it's a quite grandiose word that 平和と安寧を司る者 sounds to me like s/he has or is allowed a very mighty, even god-like, power.

While I'm ignorant of context, it'll be indeed a bit untypical that s/he is called 司る者 if s/he won't obtain the power until s/he go through the ritual as you said. But nonetheless you can take it as the declaration of his/her new title.