Chapter 1: I Am A Judge? [1]

Uddangtangtang!

Thud!

Bang!

Did someone fall?

No, it was just my mind going crazy.

My heart rate reached its peak because hundreds of people were staring at me.

"So what?" I thought. I've studied law intensively, but what good is that in this situation? Even a veteran judge would find this shocking.

The people sitting on the podium in their shiny clothes looked so serious that they could scare away trot singers.

And the court inspectors, dressed like knights, had sinister eyes.

It was enough to make anyone feel shocked.

As I stared blankly, a sudden headache hit me.

The judges sitting beside me quickly helped me up.

"Your honor!"

"Are you okay, sir?"

"If you're not feeling well, take a break. No one will defy Your Honor's decision."

They acted as if there had been a big accident. I waved my arms roughly, wondering what the fuss was about.

Then, shouldn't I immediately correct my posture?

"What?"

People nervously watched my every move.

Without thinking, I looked to my right and met the eyes of a suave-looking judge.

He nodded as if he understood something.

'Eh? What did he understand?'

The man stood up and spoke in a sonorous voice.

"I will first check the identity of the defendant. Paul, a wage worker at Parviant Farm. Is that correct?"

The man kneeling in the center of the courtroom answered weakly, "Yes…"

Meanwhile, the trial continued.

A man wearing a dark, sparkly costume explained the crime.

"The defendant assaulted the farm owner and broke his arm. We ask witnesses and victims to serve as witnesses."

Then the eyes focused on me again.

I nodded, thinking it was a natural procedure.

'I will accept it. Bring him.'

It's as solemn as you've seen in other courtroom dramas.

'Good. It wasn't awkward at all.'

It didn't matter why I was doing this.

Despite my complicated feelings, the trial proceeded smoothly.

The prosecutor bowed his head, and two men entered the courtroom.

One was a wage worker in his 20s wearing shabby clothes, and the other was a middle-aged man wearing simple green clothes with a bandage on his arm.

'He got a bandage on his arm.'

My attention was drawn to the farm owner's outfit and behavior. He seemed quite injured as he walked with a limp.

The outline of the incident was roughly as follows:

The worker was angry at the farm owner for not paying him wages and brandished a blunt weapon.

The prosecutor asked several questions to the witnesses.

"We haven't even sold the wheat yet, so where is the money? I asked them to wait a little longer, but they were stubborn."

The farm owner answered while crying.

He looked like he was about to die of injustice.

However, the judge sitting to my right said something sweet.

"Baron Parviant William is famous for his good reputation. His farm also treats its workers well."

I stared at him quietly.

'Why are you suddenly saying that?'

I didn't ask such an unspoken question. I only looked because the words appeared next to the judge's face.

<Person Information>

Name: Josef Padilla

Identity: Viscount

Position: General Judge

Relationship: Not Good

Status: Cooled passion, slight fatigue

After blinking my eyes a few times without saying a word, Josef's expression became somber.

"I'm not saying this because I have other feelings. Will it help the judge's decision?"

"I'll take note." As I looked away, Josef wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

I just gave him a look, but he looked shocked.

Do I look that scary?

That's what I thought, but I didn't really care.

It felt so unrealistic that I was still a bit dazed.

'What kind of situation is this?'

Let's say I suddenly become a judge.

No, this was something I couldn't understand at all.

'It's definitely not a dream. Because my thighs hurt like hell.'

I've already pinched my leg countless times.

If it's a dream, I hope I wake up. But I just feel pain. The reality that has come has not changed.

Personal information floated next to people's faces.

Only for a few people.

'Seems only people I know are listed.'

For example, Baron William Parviant.

That farm owner was originally full of question marks. But now some simple information came to mind.

Is this a reward for being dropped into a strange world?

With all sorts of thoughts going through my mind, the defendant began to plead.

"I was the one who got hit again. Moreover, wages were delayed by several months each time. If I'm guilty, it's that I grabbed him by the leg of his pants!"

Worker Paul shed tears.

However, the impression was not very good. The sunken eyelids and cheeks gave off an ugly look.

Even the sobbing could be seen as fake, like crocodile tears. Perhaps that's why the atmosphere in the audience became cold. In particular, people dressed as nobles spewed out harsh words.

"Lie! How good is Baron Parviant's reputation?"

"I should have complained in tears to someone who looked like a criminal."

"No! The judges will not be fooled."

I also had a similar thought for a moment. It was because of his scary face.

He looked very similar to the molester I had arrested. 'No. Let's throw away our preconceptions. I'm the judge now, right?'

Although I have never experienced the job of a judge, I knew this one thing well: we must remain neutral. Isn't it written at the beginning of the Imperial Code before me?

[First principles of law enforcement: Be fair.]

It wasn't just something that was said.

There really was such a phrase. 'Wouldn't it be better to take a closer look?'

Of course, the law I studied was of no use because the content will be completely different.

I glanced at the table of contents.

Luckily, the bodily harm part was solid.

I quickly opened the page and was shocked.

Usually, the details of the crime, punishment, and other regulations were written down. However, the legal provisions here were very brief. So much so that people are asking why there is such a thing.

[Criminal law (crime of injury)

Anyone who injures another person may be flogged, imprisoned, or put to death.]

Here, flogging was a punishment of being beaten with a stick, and imprisonment was confinement and making someone work.

The death penalty is, of course, being sent to the guillotine, where all parts are taken away...

'No, anyway, the scope is this wide. Aren't you saying just do whatever you want?'

Even if I searched for a sentence, there was no sentencing standard.

What was even more surprising was that most legal provisions were like this.

It could be said that the judge's discretion almost reached the sky.

'Besides, Josef, what did this guy say?'

He said that no matter what judgment I make, no one can go against it. A monster that can wield omnipotent power to its heart's content.

That was me.

The trial continued even as my mind was tangled in confusion.

A prosecutor wearing a black sparkly costume stepped forward and spoke.

"Please sentence the defendant who caused injury to the farm owner to 10 years in prison."

Even though not much was done, it seemed like the old process was already underway.

I looked at the defendant quietly. When the crowd became quiet, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Please make your final argument."

Then everyone's eyes turned to me again.

The judges sitting on both sides of me also looked puzzled. Josef hurriedly said something sweet.

"This is a case where all the evidence and witnesses have already come out. Do you really need to do that?"

Even just thinking about it, this guy was a treacherous traitor.

That son of a bitch who keeps saying things that cloud his judgment. I answered by nodding my head.

"I said I would do it, what's the problem?"

"... No. That is a wise statement."

Suddenly, I felt something proud deep inside my heart.

'Oh oh! Is this what happens?'

Actually, I was just trying it out. To see how far my authority would work. But isn't the judge named Josef bowing his head right away? Just by looking at it, it looks like a medieval place. Here, the judge was like a god.

The defendant was saying something, but I couldn't hear it clearly. It was because my mind was full of other thoughts.

"Please relieve me of my injustice!"

The defendant fell to the floor and cried.

When I suddenly looked around, I saw sad eyes pouring down my face.

They all seemed to be farm wage workers in a similar situation to Paul.

But they couldn't even keep their mouths clean. Because the nobles sitting on the other side opened their eyes wide.

'Hoo? I understand roughly how it works, right?'

This was a trial filled with conflict between social classes. The nobles took the side of the farm owner, and the commoners looked at Paul with pity.

I closed my eyes tightly. I quickly achieved the rank of sergeant, and I was a mere cop in the district.

Still, as I was at the forefront of law enforcement, I was confident that the old owner of the body had a sense of justice.

'Discovery of real truth.'

That was exactly what had to be done now. I opened my eyes and snapped my fingers.

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"Yes, Your Honor."

"Please come up to the stage."

"Yes?"

The farm owner, Baron Parviant, widened his eyes. He seemed taken aback by the unexpected request.

But he had no choice but to move.

Whose order would he disobey?

The farmer who walked unsteadily stopped in a polite manner. I looked at him closely and grabbed his arm. Then I massaged it here and there.

"Ugh!"

A suppressed moan burst out.

Since the broken bone was irritated, it was bound to be painful. But my eyebrows became more and more distorted.

'Look at this guy? Are you okay?'

I know this because I broke my arm playing tricks when I was young, but I could never have reacted like this. It was normal to just go to sleep.

Moreover, I could not feel any swelling or broken bones around the wound.

It was a normal arm itself.

I glared at the farm owner with cold eyes.

The guy's face turned pale, as if he sensed something was wrong. '

'What do I do?'

I was angry, but my mind was a bit confused.

It's a bit awkward to assert one's authority.

'How dare you lie to me? It looks so useless like this.' I still don't know exactly who I am. So I tried to borrow someone's authority.

At that moment, I saw the perfect target.

Isn't it plastered on the cover of the book in front of me? It's the imperial code of law.

Then, this is where the emperor rules.

I immediately shouted:

"How dare you insult His Majesty's sacred court!"