Chapter 77. Righteous Tax Farmer (2)

The person who created the tax farmer system must have had a head worse than nuclear waste, even more foolish than a certain pig living in the north.

The intention of the system itself seems somewhat good.

'If you outsource tax collection, it reduces the work for the country, so it saves on taxes, right?'

It was created with this intention, but this is even more stupid than entrusting fish to a cat.

Think about it, if you spent 1 billion won to buy a tax collection position.

You'd collect at least 2 billion to recoup your costs and make a profit for yourself.

The amount for selling tax farmer positions is generally equal to the total amount of taxes normally collected, so from the people's perspective, taxes are inflated as they're fleeced twice that amount.

Seeing nobles who say they have no money despite this sometimes makes me want to open up their heads.

"Chris, no matter how many times I think about it, the nobility of the robe who created the tax farmer system must have been an imbecile. Don't you agree?"

"Although there aren't any particular alternatives, I think so too. In the end, only tax farmers benefit from such a system."

Of course, I'm that tax farmer now.

It's a truth as obvious as the sky being blue that the system itself is rotten to the core.

You have to criticize what deserves criticism.

'Still, thanks to this rotten system, I can make those spice guild bastards taste pain worse than death.'

Behind me now are many people to assist with tax farmer duties.

Judge Andante from the High Court who can issue indictments and verdicts simultaneously, several High Court administrative officials and clerks, Major Tisia leading over 20 soldiers and knights from the guard, administrative officials specializing in administrative law, and so on.

This lineup is no less impressive than a team conducting a large corporation search and seizure or special investigation.

Seeing this crowd, citizens and nobles around covered their mouths and muttered:

"Someone's really going to get it today."

"Looking at that flag, it seems to be Viscount Medici? Who dared touch him?"

"From what I heard, the spice guild issued an order banning sugar sales to Cafe Medici."

People who looked obviously idle started following us from a distance.

Judge Andante approached me and asked:

"Ahem, it's a bit uncomfortable with the crowd sticking to us like this."

Even if we're going to do good work, it's a bit uncomfortable with many gazes around.

But that crowd is helpful if anything, not harmful.

"Isn't reputation built by many people watching? Take this opportunity to gain the impression of a righteous judge punishing the evil spice guild bastards."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

I decided to tell this judge the wisdom needed for living life.

"Why do you think Chief Justice Mancini's promotion speed is particularly faster than his peers from other classes? Although he's originally capable, isn't it because he achieved eye-catching merits?"

If you step on the wrong line here, it becomes backbiting.

But even Mancini himself wouldn't think much if he heard this far.

I laid the premise that he's capable and then said his luck was good too.

And our Judge Andante seemed to gain deep enlightenment hearing my words.

"I, Albert de Andante, cannot forgive injustice! I will deliver justice's iron hammer to those evil spice guild bastards!"

The citizens liked hearing those words.

They probably don't like it because that gentleman seems righteous, they're just applauding because he's crushing the spice guild that acts arrogant for being rich.

Such evaluations later change to the title of 'righteous judge'.

This is image politics.

"Since we're doing it, let's do it flashily."

**

The gazes of all servants inside the spice guild office fixed on us.

What they're muttering isn't important.

What's really needed is for the righteous Fabio de Medici and friends to gloriously defeat the evil demons.

"Major Tisia! Smash that door!"

"Yes, Viscount!"

Whether the major understood my words exactly or prepared deliberately, he had soldiers and knights hold hammers like sledgehammers.

With a crashing sound, the door instantly collapsed.

Inside, as I expected, quite a few people were seen trying to incinerate documents or destroy evidence.

They froze as soon as they saw us.

The major advised them instead of me:

"Stop right there! From now on, anyone who moves will be judged as refusing the capital guard's lawful orders! If you don't want to die, put down those documents, raise your hands, and stick to the wall corner!"

Soldiers gave physical lessons to those with slow movements.

In other words, they kicked their butts with their feet.

"Follow orders if you don't want to die! Do you need to eat moldy bread once for disobeying guard orders to come to your senses?"

"Raise your hands properly! If you don't want to die!"

Everyone who came with me was working very hard after I gave them appropriate encouragement money.

No, were they excited because mere soldiers rarely have the opportunity to mistreat merchants belonging to guilds who are socially above them, even without encouragement money?

And doors everywhere burst open as people jumped out.

"What on earth are you doing? What wrong has our guild done!"

"The spice guild always complies with imperial laws!"

"This is really troublesome for us?!"

However, those who looked like executives turned pale white seeing my face.

"Ah, ah.... Medici! Viscount Medici?!"

Yes, it's big brother.

You guys tried to give me a huge insult, so you really suffered, huh.

So now you need to get beaten badly with big brother's love-filled fists.

It's a shame there's no underpass in Florence to call you under.

And the spice guild master came out last.

"Viscount Medici?! No matter how we stopped sugar sales, you can't do this! It's our freedom to stop or resume sales!"

"Legally speaking, that's correct. But that's only when judged by law."

Originally, Florence large guild masters have influence equivalent to viscounts, no, even weak rural barons in terms of scale.

So I use honorifics when meeting in official places, mutual respect is common.

'But that bastard tried to screw me over?'

"So we came to do things legally too. Let's try doing things legally."

Saying that, I spread out the tax farmer appointment letter I bought for 7,000 gold coins.

Originally you could buy this for about half the price, but I paid extra to screw you over.

"In the name of the Florence High Court Chief Justice, Fabio de Medici is granted tax collection authority for the spice guild. Permission is granted to access all monetary transaction records and documents within the guild as needed for duties. Count Enrico de Pepero, Florence High Court Chief Justice."

As I finished reading, the spice guild master collapsed on the floor.

His face turned not just pale white but blue, with his mouth just gaping open.

Is he too shocked to speak?

Judge Andante behind me grinned and added:

"In the name of Judge Albert de Andante of the High Court Criminal 5th Division, as of this moment, the Florence Spice Guild is sealed off, and guild merchants and servants will be temporarily detained for investigation. Due to concerns of evidence tampering and destruction, we will temporarily take custody of all goods, documents, real estate, and other assets in possession. Clerks, hurry and confiscate everything that could be evidence!"

With those words, all sorts of books and potential evidence were placed one by one in wooden boxes.

Soldiers loaded them onto carts one by one, and each time they went out, the guild merchants' expressions changed like Munch's Scream.

"All of you merchants and servants will be moved to the Florence High Court prison, where investigations without torture will be conducted. However, if you conceal even a little bit of the truth..."

The judge pulled out torture devices stained with bright red blood.

"You may have to have conversations with these friends, so judge well, take them all away!"

Well, in a world where the presumption of innocence applies, you can't conduct a search and seizure just because those bastards look suspicious.

But it's possible here because there's no presumption of innocence.

Ah, it's not that I barged in here and conducted a search and seizure without any plans.

There's no company that doesn't produce dust when thoroughly shaken except for some pharmaceutical company in Korea.

Moreover, would only dust come out if you shake the spice guild?

The sins they've hidden while bribing and entertaining people who came for inspection duties like tax farmers until now would come pouring out.

**

And after reviewing documents over several weeks...

"Wow, Judge Andante, you'll be promoted now?"

Judge Andante grinned hearing my words.

The group called High Court judges has very ambiguously divided official ranks.

I don't know the system exactly, but roughly judge, chief judge, court president, High Court justice, Florence High Court Chief Justice, etc.

However, it's hard to manage with such an ambiguous rank system.

So although it doesn't exist in imperial law, in reality these ranks exist under each chief judge.

Senior judge, associate judge, full judge, probationary judge, etc.

This time Andante is being promoted to associate judge.

"Chief Justice Mancini promised to insert me as senior judge of the High Court he's going to when he's promoted."

"Is that so? Congratulations."

"It's all thanks to you. I'll repay this favor someday."

Saying that, Andante handed me other documents besides the tax evasion and accounting fraud circumstances I'm reviewing now.

"Wow, these bastards were no joke. They even sold fellow Deus believers as slaves while trading with infidels, and committed all sorts of atrocities."

"Is that so? They're trash as expected."

"I plan to pin crimes only on the guys you decided to deal with, so cook it up well. And make sure to collect your costs and profits. I have to go now."

"Have a drink before you go, it's too regrettable."

Andante grinned at those words.

"Actually, I had a mutual understanding with a young lady from the Baron Tornea family, but I was opposed until now because of my family's status. Thanks to you today, I'm having my first meeting with her parents, so I have to hurry."

...... So that gentleman was a bachelor too.

And I pondered how to deal with them while reviewing the criminal case materials handed over by the High Court.