Chapter 18: True Retribution

The trespass and extortion case at House Lelbrant ended in the most absurd way possible.

Shockingly, the one who had sued the bandit leader Margot was the doppelgänger.

The monster had pretended to be the lord and greedily devoured every profitable business in the territory.

When Margot refused to pay the promised share and tried to keep everything for herself, the conflict began.

The moment this truth was revealed to the world, people were speechless with horror.

“They turned the entire territory into a den of thieves.”

“The commoners must have suffered terribly.”

“Those bandits were dozens of times worse than any tyrannical noble.”

“They killed people for sport; how could anyone live under that?”

Public opinion was pure revulsion.

Yet the villain himself received less attention than the man who resolved the case.

“Once again His Highness Carius personally solved everything.”

“He traveled all the way to distant Lelbrant to save the people; if he isn’t a saint, who is?”

“How on earth did he know they were lying? His insight is incredible.”

“With a man like him as High Judge, it’s an enormous blessing for commoners like us!”

Wherever people gathered, they spoke only of me.

I’d heard it so often my head was starting to throb.

Still, it didn’t feel bad.

Praise never gets old, no matter how many times I hear it.

They say praise makes even whales dance; naturally I was throwing a dance party in my head.

Then a worried voice came from beside me.

“The whole world sings Your Excellency’s praises, yet must you really go through with this?”

It was Judge Joseph Padiya.

And for good reason; today was special.

Sentencing day for the Lelbrant case.

The grand finale was about to be delivered, so why was he being so prickly?

Because it defies common sense.

In the Enpher Empire this was unthinkable; from my perspective, however…

Even a modern person would find it hard to understand.

Why was I doing it?

Because I had dragged the doppelgänger into court as well.

“For illegally confining a noble and embezzling territorial profits, the defendants Margot and the doppelgänger are each sentenced to thirty years’ imprisonment.”

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The iron gavel struck the sound block hard.

“UWOOOOOH! YES!”

The huge man who had been kept like livestock underground until now let out a triumphant roar.

It was the real Baron Lelbrant.

The reason the doppelgänger had fattened the baron was simple: to maintain the transformation long-term, the host had to stay alive.

It needed to periodically harvest parts of the host’s body; hair, nails, etc.

The healthier the host, the better the effect, so it had stuffed him with food.

“No…!”

“Phew…”

Margot clutched her head in despair.

The doppelgänger, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief.

Thirty years was an extremely heavy sentence.

Enpher Empire prisons were nothing like modern facilities.

Disease-ridden, meager rations, back-breaking forced labor.

A few years inside was enough to ruin a person completely.

Thirty years? Most became cripples or died behind bars.

Yet the doppelgänger looked almost smug.

To him thirty years is nothing.

Doppelgängers lived extraordinarily long lives and had bodies tough enough to endure harsh conditions easily.

That explained the reaction.

But things won’t go your way.

I gave the real Baron Lelbrant a meaningful smile.

“Baron Lelbrant.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“All profits stolen by the bandits will be returned to you. I expect you to govern with benevolence henceforth.”

“Of course! The grace Your Highness has shown me; I will bestow it all upon the people of my territory.”

“Thank you.”

“No, I am the one who should be grateful!”

The baron bowed so deeply he looked ready to die at my word.

Thus the trial ended cleanly.

A major case was resolved, but the work was far from over.

After court hours, I stopped by the Capital Corrections Headquarters.

“Your Highness gracing this filthy place; to what do we owe the honor?”

Director Holt Almeida, Viscount, greeted me with stiff courtesy.

It was clearly the first time the High Judge had ever visited; he was visibly nervous.

No wonder; high officials rarely set foot in such grim places.

I gazed at the prison grounds and spoke calmly.

“Among the prisoners delivered today, there is one unusual individual, yes?”

“Ah! You mean the monster? The one called a doppelgänger? We are keeping a very close eye on it.”

“I’d like to take that one with me.”

“…Pardon?”

Viscount Almeida looked dumbfounded.

The round-faced middle-aged man’s expression almost made me laugh.

But I kept a straight face.

“For a doppelgänger, thirty years of confinement is hardly difficult. It’s a tiny fraction of its lifespan.”

“I-Is that so? Then an even harsher…”

“Heh, quick on the uptake.”

“As expected of Your Highness’s wisdom. Of course; it must be so. I’ll have the creature brought at once.”

The viscount scurried off and soon returned with guards.

THUD!

The doppelgänger was forced to its knees on the floor.

It looked around in confusion, then spotted me standing before it.

“Y-You…?”

A twisted smile naturally formed on my lips.

I placed a hand on its head.

“Time to pay the real price, monster.”

***

The Lelbrant incident was settled, but I could not rest.

All the work I had missed came crashing down at once.

“When did so many cases pile up?”

“You were away for quite a long time, Your Excellency. Moreover, requests to have cases assigned to you are pouring in.”

I hadn’t actually asked, yet Joseph answered with a sly smile.

Apparently my soaring popularity was to blame.

Of course I didn’t grant every request; assignments followed internal regulations.

I could override them with authority, but I deliberately didn’t.

If I did, someone else would do the same later.

Those in high positions must set an example.

“Still, a little flexibility wouldn’t hurt. Look at all the difficult cases I’ve solved.”

“We did work hard in your absence. That’s why only this much remains.”

“So how many trials this week?”

“Eight in total. Two days left including the weekend, so four per day should do it.”

Previously it had been one or two per day.

But old cases couldn’t be left forever.

To uphold the principle of swift justice, everything had to be finished this week.

Can’t they just give me the broad discretion Korean judges have? Every other law is a mess, yet they’re strict about this one.

No choice; the High Judge himself had to lead by example.

Otherwise court discipline would collapse.

I sighed heavily and donned my robes.

Then someone knocked on the conference room door.

Knock knock.

“Who is it?”

Joseph, who had been sorting documents, stood up.

A somewhat plump man entered.

“Good day, Your Highness.”

He bowed politely, but I tilted my head.

A complete stranger acting overly familiar.

Yet soon I had to nod.

It was someone with unexpectedly deep ties to me.

“Don’t tell me… Baron Lelbrant?”

“Indeed.”

“You were much larger just a few days ago.”

“Once the doppelgänger’s enchantment lifted, I couldn’t even look at food. After fasting a bit, the weight fell off quickly.”

“Sudden fasting isn’t good for your health.”

“I visited the temple; they said I’m fine for now. I plan to gradually return to my old self.”

“Well, you look much better, so that’s good.”

We exchanged light pleasantries and moved to the reception room.

Then Baron Lelbrant unleashed a torrent of praise.

Honestly, it was getting embarrassing.

“You are like a god to me!”

No, that’s a bit much.

I did save his life, but still.

I finally raised a hand to stop the flood of words before it caused an incident.

“Thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately, work has piled up because of this case.”

“Ah! I made you leave your seat for so long.”

“Exactly. I’m sorry, but I can’t spare much time.”

“Not at all. Then I’ll keep it brief.”

He carefully withdrew something from his coat.

Opening an ornate box, brilliant light poured out.

The source was a rather large diamond.

“A masterwork gem crafted by dwarves. It would suit any piece of jewelry.”

“Why are you suddenly showing me this?”

“Well…”

The baron fidgeted, clearly aware this was improper.

You know it’s wrong and still do it?

I wanted to scold him, but he was old enough to be my uncle.

I gently closed the lid with a fingertip.

“The gesture is far too extravagant. I only did my duty; there is no reason to accept this.”

“This makes my hands feel ashamed.”

“Why not sell the gem and use the money to aid the suffering people of your territory? They endured great hardship because of this incident.”

Lelbrant territory had been a complete disaster.

I had recovered the lord’s profits, but what about everything the bandits had plundered from the commoners over the years?

There was no way to calculate or recover it all.

Realistically, relief was impossible.

But if the highest authority willed it, the story changed.

The lord still possessed considerable wealth.

“Ahh!”

Baron Lelbrant let out a long exclamation, his face as if he had achieved great enlightenment.

“To possess such a compassionate heart as well… Your Highness truly is…!”

“I merely saw their suffering with my own eyes.”

I quickly cut him off before another “god” comment slipped out.

Still, sending him away like this felt… off.

Something nagged at me.

Then certain individuals came to mind.

I gave a meaningful smile.

“There is something Baron Lelbrant must do.”

“Command anything. If Your Highness says to brew wine with my shoes, I shall believe it possible.”

“No need to go that far… never mind. There is an urgent matter in Lelbrant territory.”

“Besides saving the people?”

“Yes. The very first measure that must be implemented.”

“I am extremely curious.”

“Simple. The bandit gangs that doppelgänger dragged in?”

“Yes.”

“Wipe them all out.”

“Ah! I completely forgot!”

Baron Lelbrant nodded vigorously.

And at that exact moment:

「Baron Lelbrant has been deeply moved, bringing great change to the region.」

「A reward will be granted.」