By the People's Name

The day after retaking Franklin Harbor, Paul Greiman ordered the townspeople to gather in the square before the church. He intended to hold a public trial there and openly judge the pirates.

Not long after dawn, the soldiers began going door to door to deliver the notice. By around nine in the morning, everyone in town had gathered in the square. The people discovered four gallows standing grimly in the square and began speculating about how many pirates their lord intended to hang.

More than two hundred captured pirates from the Shark Gang were bound and forced to kneel before the steps at the church entrance. When the townspeople saw the villains who had run roughshod over Franklin Harbor for the past several months, their emotions surged.

Now the pirates looked like beaten dogs and no longer posed any threat. The people brought out rotten fish and spoiled shrimp to throw at them, while some simply hurled stones. Quite a few unlucky captives were struck until their heads bled.

Many people tried to break through the cordon and beat the captives with their fists and feet, but the soldiers immediately drew their weapons and drove them back.

Without the soldiers maintaining order around them, the pirates would probably have been beaten to death by the enraged crowd long ago.

"They stole the money my family needed to survive!"

"My daughter was defiled by those bastards! Boo-hoo..."

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

Complaints and curses like these rose one after another, leaving the square in a noisy uproar.

Paul stood blankly on the second-floor balcony, watching everything unfold below.

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

The person behind him immediately answered, "Yes, my lord. It seems the townspeople hate the pirates to the bone."

Paul continued, "I suddenly started wondering: if I had been the one to lose yesterday's battle, and I were the prisoner bound below right now, how would these townspeople treat me?"

Schroeder fell silent. He did not know how to answer.

Paul said dazedly, "Probably no differently from these pirates. Rotten fish, spoiled shrimp, and stones would still be thrown at my head."

"How... how could that be, my lord? You are their lord." Schroeder tried to comfort him, but the uncertainty in his words was easy to hear.

Paul let out a mocking laugh. "Yes. The family of this lord abandoned them to the pirates for more than twenty years and then shamelessly came here to collect taxes."

The old knight did not know how to respond, so he could only remain silent.

"Did you see the way those townspeople looked at me yesterday? I could tell that it was really no different from the way they later looked at the Shark Gang. The only difference was that the club in my hand was heavier. I beat the pirates down, so they showed me a little more superficial respect. If the pirates had beaten me down instead, it would have meant nothing more to them than getting a different lord. Either way, they would still throw their weight around, exploit them, and extort them."

The young count sighed softly. "Winning the people's hearts will be a long road. For now, let them vent their anger on these pirates."

At ten in the morning, the public trial began.

Captain Holman had a loud voice, so he was chosen to read out the pirates' crimes.

The captain unfurled a scroll and began to read aloud. "June of Holy Calendar 1990... In the name of Paul Greiman, Count and lord of the Alarda Territory, a public trial is hereby convened to announce the evil deeds of the pirate organization known as the Shark Gang. After discussion and compilation, they are as follows..."

"Robbing wealth and amassing countless riches."

"Raping women without the slightest shame."

"Slaughtering innocents with brutal cruelty."

"Blocking trade routes with boundless greed."

"Resisting the law by force and showing no remorse."

One charge after another was read aloud, and the pirates beneath the steps turned ashen.

"Kill them! Kill them!" The townspeople's shouts gathered into waves of sound that repeatedly battered the hearts of these condemned criminals.

After the charges were announced, sentencing began. Based on the discussions from the previous day, Shark was certain to die. Killing the old lord alone was enough to have him executed several times over. Even if Paul did not sentence him to death, the other high-ranking figures in the territory would never let him go.

The other leaders, great and small, could not be spared either. Anyone who had risen to become a leader in the Shark Gang was ruthless and vicious, with the blood of countless people on his hands.

As for the underlings at the bottom, they needed to be given at least the appearance of a proper investigation. Those who had killed or raped women would be executed, while those guilty of other crimes would serve hard labor.

The task of identifying them was left to the common people. Thus, any townsman who claimed to have been abused by the pirates could enter the cordoned area and line up to identify the personal crimes committed by the underlings.

A townsman grabbed one pirate and dragged him out of the mass of prisoners. "It's him! I saw this man try to leave without paying for his meal that day. Poor Old Glenn chased after him, and this bastard stabbed him in the stomach."

An older woman repeatedly clawed at the beast who had raped her daughter. "This villain defiled my daughter! You must get justice for her!"

Similar incidents continued to unfold. It was not until three in the afternoon that all the identifications were complete. The pirates who had committed serious crimes were dragged out. Knowing their deaths were near, they closed their eyes and waited for the final judgment.

Paul stood on the balcony and shouted to the crowd below, "People of Franklin Harbor! I, Paul Greiman, lord of the Alarda Territory, hereby announce the pirates' sentences! As for those whose remaining crimes are relatively minor, they will serve three to five years of hard labor."

He slowly turned his gaze toward the serious offenders being held under guard. With a solemn expression, he said, "As for these vile criminals who have been identified, nothing short of death can appease your anger. Therefore, I sentence them to hanging! By the people's name, carry it out immediately!"

The soldiers immediately escorted the serious offenders to the gallows. They placed nooses around the prisoners' necks and kicked away the stools beneath their feet. After struggling pointlessly for a while, the prisoners lost their lives. Then came the second group, the third... As one evil soul after another departed, cheers repeatedly erupted from the crowd.

After the executions ended, Paul shouted to the crowd again, "People of the Alarda Territory, to offset the losses caused by the pirates' raids, I hereby declare the coastal regions of the Alarda Territory exempt from taxes for one year!"

"Wow!" The townspeople cried out in surprise. This truly was astonishingly good news.

Before they could finish expressing their amazement, they heard their lord shout again, "Under the witness of God, I, Paul Greiman, swear here and now that from this day forward—"

Paul hesitated. Someone behind him lightly poked him in the waist.

"No matter who our enemies are, no matter how powerful they may be, whether they come from the sea or the land, I will never abandon you. I will share both honor and disgrace with you forever."

"I will make your safety my own safety, and your happiness my own happiness."

"I will devote the strength of my entire life to defending your safety and happiness!"

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

Without saying a word, they thought of the noble legends sung by traveling bards. In those stories, the noble lords were just, merciful, and loved their people like their own children. In the past, they had always treated such tales as jokes, but now there was a living example right before them.

Paul turned around and quietly complained to Cecil, "Damn, which third-rate poet's manuscript did you copy that passage from? It's way too cheesy. I've got goosebumps all over."

Cecil chuckled. "My lord, that's exactly the effect we want. The cheesier it is, the more emotional it becomes. The common folk here eat this stuff up."

Father Morson hid in a corner and watched the entire public trial. He silently clasped his hands before his chest and prayed softly, "Almighty and all-knowing Lord, may Your glory shine upon Lord Paul Greiman forever."

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

I spent the day correcting typos and punctuation errors in the previous chapters. I never expected there to be so many. I sincerely apologize, everyone.

Also, I changed the protagonist's usual form of address from his surname to his given name. It feels a little smoother.

Once again, thank you to "seed198903," "Hu Tu Gui," and everyone else for your recommendation votes!