Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

"Ah! It's a moonfish!"

"Phew!"

Peltron flapped his wings from side to side.

Every time he did, something huge was pulled out of the lake.

The boxes were tightly wrapped in thick leather.

They were made of wood that had been heavily oiled and waterproofed.

For something this size, the storage fee would be quite expensive, right?

Still, one thing was certain—the concealment effect.

It was hard to believe that something was hidden in the lake.

Choaack!

Even though each box was weighed down with heavy stones, they were constantly being dragged out of the water.

"I can easily do this with my own strength."

"Are they all out?"

"No, there's one big one left down there."

"Okay. Pull that one up too."

"Yeah."

Shuguri, who had been poking his head above the water, dived again.

The fishing rod was taut, as if the rope had been tied properly.

Abel wedged the tip between the stones and pulled hard in the middle.

He was using the principle of leverage.

Hot hot hot!

Then, the fishing rod twisted sharply, making an ominous sound.

It seemed like it wouldn't hold out much longer.

Of course, Abel wasn't the type to give up.

Just pull it, and that'll be it.

Anyway, the fishing rod was just a formality.

Abel grabbed the rope and leaned back as far as he could.

It was like playing tug-of-war.

Then, something heavy was slowly pulled to the water's edge.

"Oh! This one is pretty big."

It seemed to be at least twice the size of the boxes he had caught before.

As Abel pulled it up to the beast's heart, a bunch of weeds also came up.

"Tch!"

He finished the work with great effort.

A whopping thirty boxes were now scattered along the lakeside.

Each one was large enough to comfortably fit two people.

Abel immediately pulled out Hector Punisher.

I wonder what they put in here. They even put a pretty big lock on it.

Of course, to him, it was just a lump of iron.

Swish.

"Okay, wait a minute!"

Just as Abel was about to break the lock with Hector Punisher, he heard someone's urgent voice.

When he turned around, tilting his head to the side, a group of people was rushing toward him.

"Who are you?"

"Don't you remember? I greeted you at the congratulatory party."

"Was it the head of the Senate? I've met so many people that I can't even remember their names."

"Brahn Saltry."

"Ah, it's nice to see you again. But what are you all doing here?"

"That, that…."

Brahn Saltry trailed off with an awkward expression.

Why would members of the Senate come to the lakeside of the villa district?

This place was home only to foreign nobles.

Of course, Abel often visited for diplomatic purposes.

But it was absolutely certain that there would never be a mass gathering like this.

They must be anxious. The weapon they have prepared so diligently might end up stabbing their own necks.

The operation would only be successful if the object was discarded without anyone knowing.

But if they kept doing this so blatantly, everything would fall apart.

If they tried to frame him as an embezzler, it could backfire.

If the origin of this box was ever revealed—

"Eight!"

Kwajik!

Abel suddenly swung Hector Punisher.

Although it was a simple movement, the power contained within it was by no means light.

The thick lock shattered in one blow.

Rattling!

Abel kicked the box open with his foot.

Then, a gust of wind burst out, accompanied by a brilliant beam of light.

"Ugh!"

"Th-that!"

Everyone couldn't help but be surprised.

The treasury of the Duchy of Crawford had been embezzled by someone….

"Huh? What is this?"

Looking inside, Abel couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded sound.

Honestly, he thought it would just be full of gold coins.

When managing national finances, it was common to unify money into a single form.

Even if there were a lot of gold and silver treasures, their high value and difficulty in disposal made them inconvenient.

However, the largest box was filled with all kinds of jewels.

What is this? It feels very old-fashioned.

These jewels would sell for much higher prices due to their historical value and significance.

But then, Abel suddenly noticed a very familiar pattern.

Leaf patterns carved throughout the banquet hall of Crawford Palace.

"This is the treasure of the Crawford royal family."

Abel said with a meaningful smile.

Then, he turned straight to the elders.

"Was the object you were trying to frame me with really this big?"

"Wh-what is that…!"

Brahn Saltry's eyes widened.

Abel had hit the nail on the head.

Besides, they probably hadn't expected him to reveal it so openly.

But could they just back out now?

As expected, the elders each spoke with shameless expressions.

"What do we have to do with the treasure of the Crawford royal family?"

"They say that in the empire, you can get your nose cut off with your eyes open, but you lie so brazenly."

"Would the simple-minded people of Crawford do something like that?"

"You must have planned this before you arrived. Otherwise, how did you suddenly retrieve the treasure from the lake?"

"I understand that you are fighting against the existing bureaucrats, but you should have some standards. What is this?"

It was becoming more and more ridiculous.

Perhaps these were the details of the conspiracy they had originally tried to cover up.

But there was a huge flaw in the elders' argument.

Knock knock.

Abel tapped the outside of the box with his foot.

"These are at least a year old. The further you go, the more recent they'll be."

"What are you talking about?"

When Brahn Saltry asked, Abel simply shrugged.

It was a bit disappointing that they didn't know something so simple.

"Do you see that boat floating on the lake over there? The bottom has turned red."

"What's the problem with that?"

"The best material for making ships is ironwood. It has excellent water resistance. Ironwood generally turns red the longer it is exposed to water. That's why it's called ironwood—it looks like rusted iron."

"…."

As Abel continued explaining, the elders fell silent.

Because the boxes he pointed to were each a different color.

The gradual differences were clearly visible from the old ones.

"It was two months ago that I received the order from His Majesty the Emperor to become the Chancellor of the Duchy of Crawford."

"How do you know that they were planning this before?"

A brave elder attempted to refute.