Chapter 78. Righteous Tax Farmer (3)

I feel like completely uprooting the spice guild itself.

I have the position of tax farmer, the full cooperation of High Court Chief Justice Mancini, and the absolute support of Duke Visconti.

'If I wanted to, I could really eliminate the spice guild.'

However, I have no intention of doing so.

It's the same reason we don't commit murder even if we have the power and tools to kill an incompetent boss who always ignores us right in front of us.

It's hard to deal with the aftermath with my own power.

"It's really not easy. Isn't that right, Sebastian?"

"Where are there easy things in this world?"

That's right too.

There's not a single easy thing among money-making tasks.

Making a lot of money is especially hard.

'Did they say people earning 300-400 a month have weekends, but once you go over 500, weekends gradually disappear?'

Moreover, the income I earn is incomparable to 500 a month, so it can't be easy.

"I'd like to cut off the spice guild's lifeline, but I can't do that, right Sebastian?"

Sebastian nodded at my words.

"The spice guild is deeply entangled with four great merchant families including the Medici family. This time, since the justification is on your side, Viscount, even if you take somewhat cruel measures, they won't protest or be hostile. But if you go beyond the limit."

I know without being told.

Although Albert, Baron Medici, and I are brothers so we won't directly antagonize each other, given his personality, he'll abandon me.

The remaining three great merchant families will shout "Now's the chance! Kill him!" and come to crush me.

So it's important to handle it at an appropriate level.

'Although eliminating the spice guild is not okay, cutting off an arm or leg is safe.'

Actually, rather than instantly eliminating them, making them suffer from wounds for life is more painful for the other party.

And the ones I really need to take revenge on are the spice guild master and high-ranking people.

"I know that too. This time, I have no intention of uprooting the spice guild itself."

I have no intention of showing mercy out of consideration for innocent employees working in the guild.

This is war, and in war, there are originally no innocent civilians.

'I don't know about aiming weapons at and shooting civilians, but unavoidable deaths can be endured.'

"Just the spice guild master and executives, all of them."

I made a gesture of cutting my throat with my finger.

"Just eliminate them. I need to clearly show what happens when you mess with me wrongly."

I heard this from a friend who used to teach:

For a victim of school violence to escape violence, they should never use moderate methods.

'If you resist half-heartedly, bullies will torment you more, thinking "this bastard dares to screw with us", and sometimes it leads to bad choices. So if you can't stand injustices like school violence, it's better to use strong measures. Don't believe words saying everything will be solved if you tell teachers like me.'

It's absolutely not because teachers in our country are incompetent or don't love students that problems aren't solved.

People who find joy in life by tormenting others don't listen until they realize their heads could be cracked.

So he said to file a complaint with the prosecutor's office, not even the police, or to counter violence with violence, saying you won't leave them alone if they touch you.

My current state is exactly like that.

"Looking at the materials investigated so far, these bastards are quite dirty?"

I'm not an apostle of justice, but seeing dirty deeds makes me nauseous.

"Since they happened to run into me, I should make them pay for their sins."

I have no intention of burning my body for justice, but I'm all for beating up those who touched me while resolving grudges of wronged people.

What's wrong with doing one more good deed while at it?

"Let's go to the High Court prison. And I want to bring Chris along, can you call her?"

"Yes, understood. She's at the mansion right now, so you should only need to wait a little."

...... Mansion? The Medici Trading Company office isn't at our mansion, but a place 20 minutes away on foot from here?

Ah, Chris is a child who cherishes Chloe like a younger sister.

'She must have taken a day off and came to play with Chloe.'

I can't make someone who took a day off come to work when I'm not in immediate danger of dying.

It's an unethical atrocity to call someone who took a vacation without a really urgent reason.

"No, don't call Chris. I'll go alone, so please arrange an escort and carriage."

"Yes, Viscount."

With those words, Sebastian immediately left to call a carriage.

But what on earth are Chloe and Chris doing?

I should ask Chloe once when I return after finishing work.

**

Judge Andante saw me and tried to curry favor:

"Originally, even the guard can't enter our court prison at this late hour unless they're High Court judges. I especially exerted my influence."

Are you saying you went out of your way for me, so please take care of my performance evaluation?

I won't lose anything by giving you credit.

Of course I should generously share with our side.

Do you think I'm some evil company president who can't see beyond what's right in front of me, not even a small-medium enterprise, to be stingy even to allies?

"How could there be any question? We're on the same side. How long did you say until your wedding?"

"I've only just had the first meeting with her parents. What wedding?"

He said that, but our Judge Andante's shoulders are already about to soar to the sky.

A love marriage between a baron family's young lady and a High Court judge from a nobility of the robe viscount family. I like pure love too, so I should give some generous support.

'Helping achieve a difficult love marriage is something I can show off for life.'

"Looking at the materials this time, this case seems quite big. There are evil deeds entangled that would make the Finance Ministry's Inspection Bureau go crazy and rush in. If you solve this, you'll quickly reach associate judge."

That gentleman is 30 now, and being a High Court associate judge at that age makes him barely qualified to marry a baron family's young lady.

Moreover, when the person himself is delighted, what else can be done?

There are no parents who can win against their children, so they should just threaten the son-in-law a bit saying they'll kill him if he makes their daughter cry, and quickly hold the wedding.

'It seems all rumors that could spread have already spread.'

"...... You're a benefactor of our Andante viscount family."

At times like this, the point is to pretend to be humble without showing off.

"Your words are too much."

We continued to chat, blooming conversation on the topic of Judge Andante's marriage.

Listening to the conversation a bit, it seemed the baron's young lady would have married even by 'speeding' if things had gone this way.

It seems I really saved several people.

'If rumors of speeding had spread, it would have been a disaster for both the Andante viscount family and the baron family.'

"I'll sit here on this chair in case there's any problem. If a problem arises, ring this handbell."

He placed a handbell in my hand.

"If you ring this, I'll blow a whistle to gather all the guards."

"Thank you. Then I'll be going."

With those words, I entered the prison interior where criminals were confined.

There sat a spice guild executive with arms and legs bound.

As soon as he saw me, he trembled and was shocked.

"Vi-Viscount Fabio de Medici?! What on earth brings you here?!"

Why did I come here, I came to get your confessions and expose all the guild's atrocities.

"I came because I have something I want to talk about for a moment."

"What on earth do you want to talk about that you came here? And I don't know what words you came to persuade us with, but our guild boasts solidarity harder than steel. We have no intention of uttering any words disadvantageous to the guild."

Looking at the state of his face, hands, feet, and body, it seems he hasn't been tortured yet.

Well, even though the High Court has strong power, they can't carelessly conduct 'torture'.

'Rape-murder, serial murder, treason, conspiracy to commit treason, assassination or attempted assassination of the Emperor or imperial family.'

Only for these levels of crimes is torture conducted immediately.

For other crimes, torture isn't carried out until the charges become clear.

"Iron will, what a splendid phrase."

It's a phrase that seems as meaningful as the will spoken of in some mediocre village.

What do I mean?

I mean it has as much credibility as training camp buddies saying they'll meet again at graduation.

'Of course, the possibility of meeting training camp buddies disappears as soon as you enter your assigned unit.'

I placed an extremely thick copy of the crime list in front of him.

"Looking at you guys, you sold serfs of the Tuscan Empire to infidels who supply spices. You sold men as slaves to row galleys, and women to harems, nobles, and merchants. Looking at the ledgers, it's not just one or two cases."

In the Albania continent, it's a perfectly legal and encouraged business for the Deus Knights Order to kidnap infidels and sell them as sex slaves.

Furthermore, selling serfs who can't repay debts to other nobles or merchants isn't encouraged, but it's a business no one finds fault with.

'That's why girls are sold every year when there's a bad harvest, like Chloe.'

However, selling Deus believers to infidels is treated as a crime equivalent to treason in our empire.

"Except for the guild master, I'll release just 2 people among the Florence Spice Guild executives as not guilty. So it would be good not to disappoint me."

Cold sweat began to pour down the face of the executive in front of me.

"I'll ask again, do you have anything you want to confess?"

"Please let me confess!"

See, I told you loyalty and such are all useless among such bad guys?