Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The day after reclaiming Port Frand, Paul Grayman ordered the townspeople to gather in the square in front of the church. Here, he intended to hold a public trial and judgment of the pirates.
Soldiers began knocking on doors at dawn to notify everyone, and by mid-morning, the entire town had assembled in the square. They saw four gallows ominously erected there and speculated on how many pirates the Lord intended to hang.
Over two hundred Shark Gang pirates, now prisoners, knelt bound in front of the church steps. The townspeople, having suffered under these ruffians' tyranny in recent months, were emotionally charged.
Now, these pirates, once so threatening, cowered like beaten dogs. People hurled insults and rotten fish at them; some even threw stones. Several unlucky prisoners were left bloodied from the barrage.
Many attempted to breach the guard lines and physically assault the prisoners, but soldiers promptly brandished weapons, forcing them back.
Were it not for the vigilant soldiers, the angry mob might have beaten the pirates to death long ago.
"They stole our life savings!"
"My daughter was violated by these bastards, sob..."
"May the Lord of Light send these demons to hell!"
Such grievances and curses filled the chaotic square.
...
Paul stood on the balcony of the second floor, staring blankly at the scene below.
Suddenly, he spoke, "Did you see that, Schroder?"
The man behind him immediately answered, "Yes, my Lord. It seems the townspeople harbor a deep hatred for the pirates."
Paul continued, "I suddenly wonder, if I had been the one defeated in battle yesterday, if I were the one kneeling down there now, how would these townspeople treat me?"
Schroder fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
Paul murmured, "I suppose it wouldn't be much different from how they treat these pirates. Rotten fish, stones, they would all be hurled at my head."
"How... how could that be, my Lord? You are their Lord," Schroder tried to reassure, though his lack of confidence was evident.
Paul chuckled bitterly, "Yes, indeed. This noble family of mine abandoned them to the pirates for over twenty years, only to come back shamelessly to collect taxes."
The old knight didn't know how to respond and chose silence.
"Did you see how those townspeople looked at me yesterday?" Paul continued. "I could tell, their gaze wasn't much different from how they look at the Shark. It's just that the club in my hand is heavier, and I managed to knock the Shark down, which has earned me some superficial respect. If the Shark had knocked me down, to them, it would just be exchanging one Lord for another, the same tyranny, the same oppression and extortion."
The young Count sighed lightly, "Winning back their hearts and minds will be a long and arduous task. For now, let them vent their anger on these pirates."
...
At ten o'clock in the morning, the public trial began.
Captain Holman's voice was quite loud, so he was chosen to read out the pirates' crimes.
Unfurling the scroll, the captain began reading aloud:
"In the year 1990 of the Holy Calendar, in the name of Lord Paul Grayman, Earl of Alden, a public trial is convened to announce the heinous deeds of the pirate gang known as the Shark Gang. After discussion and summarization, the crimes are as follows..."
"Plundering wealth, amassing untold riches."
"Raping women."
"Butchering the innocent, ruthless and merciless."
"Blocking trade routes, insatiable greed."
"Resisting justice with violence, showing no remorse."
...
Each charge was read out, and the pirates below stood ashen-faced on the steps.
"Kill them! Kill them!" The cries of the townsfolk formed waves of sound, crashing repeatedly upon the hearts of these guilty individuals.
After the charges were announced, it was time to sentence the pirates. According to yesterday's discussions, the fate of Shark was sealed. Just killing the old lord was enough to condemn him several times over. Even if Paul didn't sentence him to death, the other high-ranking figures in the territory would not let him off.
The other leaders, big and small, couldn't be spared either. Anyone who rose to a leadership position within the Shark Gang was undoubtedly ruthless, their hands stained with the blood of many.
As for the lower-ranking lackeys, they needed to be sorted out. Those who had committed murder or rape would be executed, while those guilty of other crimes would serve hard labor.
The sorting task was delegated to the common people. So long as a townsfolk claimed to have been mistreated by the pirates, they could enter the guarded area and queue up to identify the individual crimes committed by these lackeys.
A townsfolk dragged a pirate out from the pile of captives, saying, "It's him. I saw with my own eyes that day, this man refused to pay for his meal and tried to leave. Poor old Glen chased after him, and this bastard stabbed him in the stomach."
A woman clawed at the scoundrel who had raped her daughter, saying, "My daughter was defiled by this villain. You must deliver justice for my daughter!"
Similar scenes played out repeatedly until three o'clock in the afternoon when all identifications were completed. The pirates guilty of serious crimes were dragged out, knowing their end was near, closing their eyes and awaiting the final judgment to come.
Paul stood on the balcony and shouted loudly to the crowd below:
"Residents of Frand Port! I, Lord Paul Grayman of Alden, hereby announce the judgment upon these pirates! For those remaining with lesser crimes, they shall serve 3 to 5 years of hard labor."
He slowly turned his gaze to the heavily accused felons, speaking solemnly:
"For these individuals accused of heinous crimes, mere death is insufficient to quell your anger. Therefore, I sentence them to be hanged! In the name of the people, execute them immediately!"
Soldiers promptly escorted the felons to the gallows. They placed nooses around their necks and kicked away the stools beneath them. After futile struggles, each felon lost their life. As the executions proceeded in batches, cheers erupted from the crowd with each departure of an evil soul.
After the executions, Paul shouted again to the crowd:
"People of Alden! To compensate for the losses caused by pirate plundering, I declare tax exemption for the coastal regions of Alden for one year!"
"Wow!" The townspeople exclaimed in surprise, genuinely thrilled by this great news.
Before they could recover from their surprise, they heard the lord shout again:
"In the presence of the Almighty, I, Paul Grayman, swear from this day onward—"
Paul hesitated for a moment, nudged gently in the waist by someone behind him.
"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. I will share in your honor and disgrace, and I will devote my life to defending your safety and happiness!"
The people of Frandg Port were deeply moved. They were truly touched because people of this era were relatively simple-minded.
Unconsciously, they recalled the legends of noble aristocrats in the troubadours' tales, where the noble lords were just, compassionate, and loved the people like their own children. Previously dismissed as mere jokes, now they had a living example right in front of them.
TL Note: A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages.
Paul turned back and quietly complained to Cecil, "Damn it, where did you plagiarize this cheesy passage from some third-rate poet's manuscript? It's so damn cringy, I'm getting goosebumps all over."
Cecil chuckled, "My lord, that's exactly the effect we wanted. The cheesier it is, the more it stirs emotions. Our common folk here eat this stuff up."
Father Morrison, hiding in the corner, silently watched the entire public trial. He clasped his hands together over his chest and murmured a prayer softly, "Omniscient and Almighty Lord, may your grace forever shine upon Lord Paul Grayman."
With the conclusion of the public trial, the months-long pirate chaos in Alden finally came to an end since the beginning of spring.
(End of the Chapter)