Chapter 76: The Court, Still Bleak

The courthouse I returned to after so long was still bleak and gloomy.

Officials moved about mechanically, and the glittering outfits were as jarring as ever.

Ah, right. I said I’d change this first.

I had planned to replace the court uniforms as soon as the textile factory was up and running, but my time away had dragged on longer than expected.

“Let’s start right after work today.”

The fashion business was finally about to gain momentum.

Wasn’t that why I’d developed the zipper in the first place?

But the problem was this damnable pile of trials.

Are the judges even working, or not…

BANG!

I roughly shoved open the office door and stepped inside.

I had intended to scold them about just how lazy they’d have to be to let trials pile up like this.

However, I couldn’t.

Everyone was working like maniacs.

They were so busy that the moment one trial ended, they immediately prepared the next case.

Even Josef Padiya, who had always been notorious for slacking off, was the same.

“O-Oh, you’ve arrived! Finally!”

“His Grace has returned!”

“Uwaaaah! Y-Your Graaace!”

The judges spotted me and threw both hands into the air.

Then they all started rushing toward me at once.

No, seriously, have they all gone insane together?

So stunned was I by the sight that I staggered backward.

I had a strong premonition that being caught by them would end very badly.

I don’t know why, but running first seems wise.

I spun around to bolt, only to find a ring of encirclement right in front of me.

At some point, the judges who’d slipped out the back door had completely blocked the hallway.

“Since when did people who live off ink move so fast?”

I was seized by countless hands and dragged back into the office.

Before long, documents were stacked neatly atop my desk.

The judges bowed deeply again and again, rubbing their hands furiously.

It felt like they were praying desperately to a god.

“We beg you. We beg you. O god of law, please free us from this hell of trials.”

“There are just too many troublesome cases. Please, at least start with this one…”

“What are you saying? His Grace the Duke of Carius is mine!”

“Nonsense! What are you on about? Even pouring cold water has an order to it! Your Grace, I am the most senior here.”

The crushing workload seemed to have snapped their sanity.

I calmed the judges down first, then began sorting things out.

This one, that one.

Without me here, things really weren’t running properly.

“It didn’t used to be like this. What on earth happened?”

“The biggest problem is… you, Your Grace.”

“Huh? Me?”

“041.”

At Colrund Emir’s reply, I couldn’t help but look dumbfounded.

It was even more absurd than when the judges had all started praying together.

What had I possibly done to become the root of the problem?

All I’d done was develop Delriat according to the Emperor’s orders.

“Why?”

“Because Your Grace’s reputation has grown too great, so every kind of case comes flooding in.”

“Ah!”

At that moment, a particular trial flashed vividly through my mind.

A villain who had burned down a village, slaughtered its people, and even kidnapped children to force them into begging.

I had exposed the true nature of that bastard named Bassett and slammed him with a 60-year sentence.

“If anyone feels even a little wronged, they send their petitions straight to the capital court. Naturally, everyone here is being worked to death.”

“Can’t you just refuse them?”

“We send most of them back to the local courts, but sometimes that doesn’t work.”

“Why?”

“When the social impact is large, or when the person involved is a heavyweight.”

I understood what he meant.

Bassett’s case, which I’d just recalled, hadn’t originally been mine either.

I’d only taken it because he’d been smashing his forehead into the ground in front of the courthouse.

The former was roughly that sort of situation, and the latter was likely requests from local power brokers.

“Are these big shots requesting trials because I don’t pick sides?”

“Ahem!“

Judge Emir merely cleared his throat loudly.

But anyone could see that it was a wordless affirmation.

I’ve become a universal punching bag, huh.

I didn’t particularly care what kind of image that gave me.

Whoever stood before the court, I would treat them without discrimination.

I didn’t know if that was truly justice, but at the very least, it prevented the creation of new victims.

Because of that, trial requests must have been pouring in.

Which also meant that courts in this era lacked clear standards and trust.

People think they’ll only get a proper verdict if they come to me. This isn’t right… really.

Simply creating good precedents wasn’t enough.

The other judges didn’t have sturdy backing, after all.

They had no choice but to waver under lobbying and threats.

Even so, it wasn’t something I could step in and block directly.

How could I possibly catch everything happening in the shadows?

If I tried to explain it, I’d just become a laughingstock.

“I understand. Only send up the cases you really can’t handle. I’ll take them — just this once.”

I shouldn’t be setting precedents like this, but there was no helping it this time.

Everyone was looking at me with hollowed faces and desperate eyes.

As the highest authority in the court, I had to set an example.

Then, suddenly, something strange caught my eye.

Something pitch-black was swaying near my cheek.

“Hm?”

When I shifted my gaze slightly, Shugle, who had been sitting on my shoulder, was flapping both arms.

— That’s right! Worship me, all of you!

“Hey, wait a second. What do you think you’re doing?”

─ They were bowing so nicely, so I figured I’d siphon off a little spiritual energy.

“Hey, idiot. Don’t!”

— Why?

What would happen if he absorbed the spiritual energy of people already on the brink of death from exhaustion?

They might all drop dead from overwork.

“There are things you just don’t do. Hold it in for now.”

I pressed down firmly on Shugle’s head with my left hand.

At that, the judges’ expressions turned strangely subtle.

No matter how quietly I spoke, there was no way they wouldn’t hear someone whispering right in front of them.

“It’s a pet I keep.”

I brushed it off like that, but Shugle clearly didn’t like the answer.

He kept kicking at my ear nonstop.

PABAK!!

It didn’t hurt at all, but it absolutely had to be stopped.

This idiot was thoroughly wrecking my dignity.

SQUEEZE!

ᅳGkk!

I reached out with my left hand, grabbed Shugle, and wiped the sweat from my forehead with him.

Just like using a handkerchief.

At that, the judges all nodded in understanding.

“Ah! So that’s what he’s used for.”

The first measure to prevent the judges’ overwork was simply reviewing the cases.

You couldn’t make swift and appropriate judgments without knowing how things were unfolding.

But in this cursed place, you were expected to enter the courtroom knowing absolutely nothing.

It didn’t matter in Delriat.

There, I was practically a king, free to compile law codes however I pleased.

From the constitution to criminal law, criminal procedure, and civil law.

I wracked my memory and set things up so I could handle just about anything.

Naturally, I could also review cases in advance.

But what about the Empire?

A judge’s discretion was high only at the moment of judgment.

All other internal rules were oppressively strict.

To me, it looks like they’re deliberately blinding the judges.

Why give them so little time to think?

So they could be misled by wordplay and pushed toward a desired verdict, of course.

To change that…

“I need to meet the Emperor.”

Wasn’t that the obvious conclusion?

All authority in this land flowed from him.

My head had already started throbbing.

And it wasn’t just because of the idiot pounding my ears.

— To treat me like that! Unforgivable, human!

“Your results have been excellent so far. That means you should listen to me, right?”

Shugle, the mountain demon, hadn’t tasted proper spiritual energy for countless years.

He’d survived by causing landslides and feeding on people’s fear instead.

He simply had no finesse.

But after meeting me, things changed.

People began offering up genuine spiritual energy of their own accord.

— I’ll admit that.

Shugle only scowled and quietly withdrew his fist.

He didn’t seem eager to irritate me further.

“I’ll make sure you’re well fed, so please be quiet now. I need to think.”

— About what?

“I’m trying to change the court’s internal rules, which means I need to have it out with the Emperor… no, never mind. Why am I even telling you this?”

Shugle didn’t understand human society.

He’d lived alone for far too long.

What answers could I possibly get from someone like that?

I’d be lucky not to hear nonsense.

ᅳIs that really the only way?

“Yeah.”

Then the conclusion was clear.

“And what is it?”

— You’re just scared to do it.

“What did you say?”

There was a very simple way to tick off a man.

Just poke his pride, and that was it.

You could throw out a raw, instinctive question like Shugle’s, or mention his interests and hobbies.

For example, mocking someone for having a game record of 1 win and 199 losses and being absolute trash.

Though, honestly, that might be true.

Who wasn’t afraid of that mad blood-soaked Emperor?

He’d been quiet lately, sure, but no one knew when he might unleash another bloodbath.

And I was supposed to go see him in person and negotiate?

What lunatic would do something like that?

“Wow. So I really have to do it.”

The flare of anger subsided instantly.

Would the Emperor really listen to me?

It seemed far more likely that he’d cut off my head for starting to eye power.

— I see it. I can see it.

“What?”

— The fear growing inside your heart.

“Wait a second, Shugle.”

— Why?

“That’s not just idle talk, is it? You can actually see it?”

─ Of course. What do you take this great mountain demon for? I can see straight through the hearts of humans.

To be honest, it was bordering on nonsense.

If he understood human hearts that well, how had he lived like that until now?

Then again, given how stupid he was, maybe it made sense.

“Alright. Then you can read the Emperor’s intentions too, right?”

— No matter how high his status, he’s still human. It’s all the same to me.

“Oh?”

A solution seemed to come into view.

If I took this guy with me, he could be a huge help.

If I could roughly grasp the Emperor’s state of mind, I might find a way through.

With this body’s excellent improvisational ability, at least.

I immediately submitted a request for an audience and waited while handling my duties.

Before long, a reply arrived.

Perhaps because the request came from a duke, approval was granted with surprising ease.

I headed straight for the Emperor’s office.

“It has been some time, Your Majesty.”

Just as always, I displayed my loyalty with flawless etiquette and a resounding voice.

Emperor Karon’s attitude was likewise unchanged.

“You’ve come.”

His expression was blank, his eyes cold and bleak.

It was as if he were asking why I’d come when there was nothing in particular.

So I immediately opened the bundle I’d brought.

“I found some fine pottery and tea leaves, so I brought them as a gift, Your Majesty.”

Tributes offered from the Duchy of Carius passed through many hands.

They were carefully inspected to ensure there was nothing dangerous.

As I took out the items, Chamberlain Adit stepped forward.

Then the Emperor suddenly said this.

“Is there poison in the tea?”

“

No, seriously, what is wrong with this man?