Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

Abel POV:n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The next day, I had to go to court without even taking a few days off.

'I just came back from a long business trip. Shouldn't they be lenient about this?'

These thoughts crossed my mind, but the reality was harsh.

"That's not wrong. The first business trip was on His Majesty the Emperor's orders, but the next one was just for introductions."

"Facts can hurt, but please refrain from making such comments."

I responded to Cordell McNeill's remark with a stinging grin.

Then an even more terrifying retort came.

"I know exactly what you mean. Are you sure you're saying it correctly?"

"No, how about that?"

"You only stick to facts at times like this."

"Ha… that's why Sir McNeill, with his quick wit, is so annoying."

Swish.

As I surreptitiously took out Hector Punisher, Cordell vanished in an instant. Somehow, his stealth skills seemed to improve with each passing day.

Why does he neglect Auror training and only learn those sneaky tricks? He was truly an incomprehensible person.

"Just go back to His Majesty the Emperor, please."

-How could that idiot do that? It would be so much fun to have you as my personal escort.

-Yes, exactly. Where else in the world is there a knight weaker than the one he's supposed to be guarding?

For some reason, today Shuguri and Peltron were taking my side.

I blinked in surprise, as it was something that rarely happened. Soon, however, I understood why.

"Right. There's still four days left until the ban on spirits is lifted."

-Eww! Just look at Hamman.

-We can't survive without spirit energy!

Of course, Peltron's words were 100% false.

This guy still existed even after most of his powers were destroyed.

Of course, if he'd taken a serious hit in that state, he might have truly disappeared. But the situation now wasn't so dire. He was just whining because he couldn't consume the delicious spirit energy.

Ignoring the two half-demons characters clinging to my ankles, I entered the court office.

What kind of incident would call me in today?

I sat down with a mixture of anticipation and annoyance, eyeing the court documents piled high on my desk from early morning. I picked one up and spotted a familiar phrase.

"Wages haven't been paid since the beginning? Isn't that a bit too cliché?"

Honestly, even ordinary judges could handle cases like this by now. I had already established many precedents on wage issues.

'I could have just used the Supreme Court's authority to resolve this. So why did this case land on my desk?'

As I frowned and flipped through the documents, I came across an ominous term.

"Embezzlement? Self-help? All sorts of complications."

I thought I understood now.

The issue was that the claims of each side were strongly conflicting.

The accused was the president of the business who hadn't paid wages, while the victim was an employee who had gone two months without salary.

"So he just took the money he hadn't received?"

Self-help action refers to a person directly exerting their power to restore their rights after a violation.

A simple example would be when someone uses force to reclaim something stolen from them.

'Though it's generally prohibited in modern times, the Imperial Code clearly states that it can be permitted in certain cases.'

So, we delved into the details. Why not simply view this incident as an act of self-rescue and only penalize the defendant for failing to pay wages?

However, the accused was a pro-imperial noble.

This would have made it difficult for regular judges to issue a fair ruling.

I changed into my robe and carefully reviewed the court documents.

'No matter what the case, it can't be handled carelessly. Let them bring whatever they wish.'

---

"We will now begin the trial of the Grantham General Store Wage Unpaid Case. Salute His Honor."

Thud, thud, thud!

The courtroom looked as usual, but there was an unusual tension in the gallery.

"It's His Highness the Duke of Carrier's trial. Surely that poor employee will win, right?"

"I don't know. Has anything ever gone as expected?"

"Norman Hewitt was found guilty too."

"True. Who would have thought such a small child would engage in human trafficking?"

"But this time, it's about unpaid wages. That's something His Majesty despises."

The audience was filled with a strange sense of anticipation.

Everyone seemed to expect me to punish the Imperialist noble, Viscount Grantham.

Of course, if he were guilty, I would certainly consider it.

'But we mustn't be narrow-minded from the outset. Remain open to all possibilities and weigh them carefully.'

I looked over at the person sitting in the witness stand.

He wasn't a familiar face like Corbin Sears or Anders Cantrell.

'Ernest Calhoun? Looks like he's new to the job.'

His eyes were brimming with enthusiasm.

Soon, the trial preparation procedures were complete, and the witness examination requested by the prosecution began.

The first person called forward was Viscount Grantham.

As an imperial attendant, he held considerable influence over officials.

Despite this, Prosecutor Calhoun pressed him hard from the outset.

"I understand that the witness's general store is quite large. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"According to the ledger, you have ten employees, right?"

"Yes."

"But you haven't paid wages for the last two months. Do you admit to this?"

"… Yes."

Viscount Grantham answered with a strained expression.

Prosecutor Calhoun took out a large booklet with a proud air.

"This is the ledger of the general store in question. I verified that its contents match exactly with what was found during the investigation. I submit this as evidence."

"I admit it."

I nodded and asked the court reporter to bring me the evidence. Then I examined it closely.

'Wow? This is more organized than I expected.'

The ledger adhered strictly to accounting principles.

By recording all income, expenses, and credit transactions, it was easy to identify discrepancies.

It could be said that it clearly demonstrated the most critical truth in accounting.

'But why didn't they pay this employee's wages?'

While the procedure continued, I occasionally glanced through the ledger. There didn't seem to be any apparent problem. The general store was doing reasonably well. Although net profits had declined, it wasn't to the extent that wages couldn't be paid.

Then, as the defense's witness examination proceeded.

"Your Honor, the defendant was experiencing severe financial difficulties."

"The ledger shows a substantial amount of cash."

"Well, tax season hasn't arrived yet. Once the wheat harvest comes, there'll be a significant expense."

I nodded at the lawyer's response.

To open a store and conduct business in Perias, merchants were required to pay something called the 'merchant tax.'

This combined income tax and rent, which was natural, given that the entire city belonged to the emperor.

But there were still some things I couldn't quite comprehend.

'If taxes are so burdensome, why bother doing business in Perias?'

And what about the people who live here?

Are they staying in Perias because they have so much money?

That was absolutely not the case.

There was some tax burden, but it wasn't a huge burden.

So everyone comes to the capital to live and do business.