In the Name of the People

The day after reclaiming Franklin Harbor, Paul Greiman ordered the townspeople to gather in the square in front of the Church. He intended to hold a public trial there, to openly judge the Pirates.

Soldiers began going door-to-door to notify everyone shortly after dawn, and by a little after nine in the morning, the entire town had gathered in the square. People noticed four gallows standing ominously in the square, and they speculated about how many Pirates their lord was going to hang.

Over two hundred Shark Gang Pirate captives were bound and kneeling in front of the steps of the Church's main entrance. The townspeople, seeing these villains who had been lording over Franklin Harbor for the past few months, became highly emotional.

Now that these Pirates were like stray dogs, no longer a threat, people took out rotten fish and shrimp to pelt them with. Some individuals simply threw stones, and many unlucky captives were struck, their heads bleeding.

Many tried to break through the cordon and attack the captives directly with fists and feet, but they were immediately forced back by soldiers brandishing weapons.

If it weren't for the soldiers guarding the perimeter, the Pirates would probably have been beaten to death by the angry crowd long ago.

"They stole my family's life-saving money!"

"My daughter was violated by these bastards, sob sob..."

"Lord of Light above, send these devils to hell!"

Complaints and curses like these rose and fell, and the square was in an uproar.

Paul stood on the second-floor balcony, blankly watching everything that was happening below.

He suddenly asked, "Do you see that, Schroeder?"

The man behind him immediately replied, "Yes, Earl. It seems the townspeople hate the Pirates to the bone."

Paul continued, "I suddenly wonder, if I had failed in yesterday's battle, if I were the captive tied up down there now, how would these townspeople treat me?"

Schroeder was silent, unsure how to answer.

Paul said dazedly, "Probably no different from these Pirates, rotten fish and shrimp, stones would still be thrown at my head."

"That... how could that be? Earl, you are their lord," Schroeder comforted, but the lack of confidence in his words was easily discernible.

Paul chuckled, "Yes, this lord's family abandoned them to the Pirates for over twenty years, and still shamelessly comes to collect taxes."

The old knight didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.

"Did you see the way those townspeople looked at me yesterday? I could tell, it's not much different from the way they look at the Sharks now. It's just that the club in my hand is heavier, knocking the Sharks down, so they show me a little more superficial respect. If the Sharks had knocked me down, it would just be a change of lord for them, anyway, it's all the same oppression and extortion."

The young Earl sighed softly, "Winning the hearts of the people is a long and arduous task. Let's use these Pirates to let people vent for now."

At ten in the morning, the public trial began.

Captain Holman, with his loud voice, was chosen to read out the Pirates' crimes.

The Captain unrolled the scroll and began to read aloud, "Holy Calendar 1990, June... In the name of Alarda Territory Lord Earl Paul Greiman, this public trial is convened to announce the criminal acts of the Pirate gang Shark Gang, summarized as follows..."

"Plundering wealth, accumulating countless riches."

"Raping women, without shame."

"Slaughtering the innocent, cruel and inhumane."

"Blocking trade routes, insatiable greed."

"Violently resisting the law, unrepentant."

One by one, the charges were read out, and the Pirates below the steps turned ashen.

"Kill them! Kill them!" The townspeople's shouts converged into waves of sound, repeatedly pounding on the hearts of these condemned men.

After the charges were announced, the sentencing of the Pirates began. According to yesterday's discussion, Shark was doomed to die. Just killing the old lord was enough for him to die several times over. Even if Paul didn't sentence him to death, the other high-ranking officials in the territory wouldn't let him go.

The other big and small bosses couldn't be spared either. Anyone who could rise to the level of boss in the Shark Gang was a ruthless character, with countless people's blood on their hands.

As for the lower-level lackeys, it was necessary to make a show of identifying them. Those who had killed or raped women would be executed, and those who had committed other crimes would be sentenced to hard labor.

The task of identification would be left to the common people. As long as a townsperson claimed to have been bullied by a Pirate, they could enter the cordon and line up to identify the individual crimes committed by those lackeys.

One townsperson grabbed a Pirate from the pile of captives and dragged him out, "It's him, that day I saw this person trying to leave without paying for his meal, and when poor old Glenn chased after him, this bastard stabbed him in the stomach."

An old woman kept clawing at the beast who had raped her daughter, "My daughter was violated by this villain, you must seek justice for my daughter!"

Similar scenes played out repeatedly until 3:00 PM, when all the identifications were completed. The pirates who had committed heinous crimes were dragged out, knowing their death was imminent, closing their eyes and awaiting their final judgment.

Paul stood on the balcony and shouted to the crowd below, "People of Franklin Harbor! I, Paul Greiman, Lord of Alarda Territory, hereby announce the verdict for the pirates! For the remaining ones with lighter offenses, I sentence them to 3 to 5 years of hard labor."

He slowly turned his gaze to the prisoners being held, and solemnly said, "For those who have been identified as heinous criminals, death is not enough to quell your anger, so I sentence them to hang! In the name of the people, execute them immediately!"

The soldiers immediately escorted the serious offenders to the gallows to be executed. They put the noose around the prisoners' necks and kicked away the stools under their feet. The prisoners struggled in vain before losing their lives. Then came the second batch, the third batch... As each sinful soul departed, cheers erupted from the crowd.

After the execution, Paul once again shouted to the crowd, "People of Alarda Territory, in order to offset the losses caused by the pirate raids, I announce a one-year tax exemption for the coastal areas of Alarda Territory!"

"Wow!" The townspeople exclaimed in surprise. This was indeed great news.

Before they could finish their surprise, they heard the lord shout again, "Under the witness of the Lord of Light, I, Paul Greiman, hereby swear, from this day forward—"

Paul hesitated for a moment, and someone gently nudged his waist from behind.

"No matter who the enemy is, no matter how powerful they are, whether they come from the sea or the land, I will never abandon you, and I will always share your joys and sorrows."

"I will take your safety as my own, and I will take your happiness as my own."

"I will dedicate my life to defending your safety and happiness!"

The people of Franklin Harbor were moved, truly moved. After all, the people of this era were still relatively simple.

They all thought of the glorious and righteous noble legends in the bards' tales. The noble lords inside were just, compassionate, and loved their people like their own children. They used to laugh it off as a joke, but now there was a living example right in front of them.

Paul turned his head and quietly complained to Cecil, "Damn, which third-rate poet's manuscript did you copy this from? It's so damn cheesy, I've got goosebumps all over."

Cecil chuckled, "My lord, that's the effect we want. The cheesier, the more sensational it is. Our people here eat that up."

Father Morson hid in a corner and watched the entire public trial. He silently folded his hands in front of his chest and whispered a prayer, "All-knowing and almighty Lord, may your glory forever shine upon Lord Paul Greiman."

With the end of the public trial, the pirate turmoil that had lasted for months in Alarda Territory since the beginning of spring finally came to an end.

I spent a day modifying the typos and incorrect punctuation in the previous chapters. I didn't expect there to be so many. I'm really sorry, everyone.

In addition, I changed the protagonist's daily address from his last name to his first name, which feels a little smoother.

Thanks again to "seed198903" and "Hu Tugui" for the recommendation tickets!