"This is what I call aristocracy. A group of arrogant people who think they are superior to ordinary people until their death." said Kalanda.
"Hahn was just telling the truth!" Ackley argued. "No one can escape from the group he belongs to! Every group has its own code of conduct. Hahn went a little too far, but he was definitely not the one who went the farthest."
Hearing Ackley say this, Chen Hansheng couldn't help but look at him with new eyes. This man has realized what class is. However, Chen Hansheng said: "You have a point, but now we have the final say here. So the rules here are our rules, and what is good and bad here is our good and bad. Under our rule, our laws will give everyone a due end."
"The king and the lords will not need another order."
"I'm very curious why you are so different from your brother. I think if he had half of your thinking, he wouldn't do so many stupid things." Chen Hansheng asked.
“Does it matter?”
"Just curious."
Ackley sighed, "My brother had a serious illness and nearly died. So my brother and I received the same education."
After hearing what Ackley said, Chen Hansheng understood that Baron O'Farrell had trained him as his heir.
Kalanda told him that the education received by noble heirs and other children was completely different. The former were educated on how to be a lord, which required a certain level of knowledge in politics, military affairs, and economics, while the latter were taught how to serve the lord and be a good knight, official, or priest of the Temple of Nature.
After Hahn finished his statement, the collegial panel quickly made a verdict. Hahn was sentenced to death for multiple crimes including intentional homicide and will be executed immediately after the public trial.
Hahn looked at the chief judge Deng Zibing incomprehensibly: "How can this be! Do you really want to kill a noble for a few ordinary people? I have confessed, I can pay the money, I can serve you, I am a mid-level warrior!! I can fight for you!! In the kingdom, in the empire, in the southern city-state, no mid-level warrior will be sentenced to death for killing a few ordinary people!"
The presiding judge ignored his wailing and said, "This is the final decision of the collegial panel. Since there is no higher court yet, you have no right to appeal."
When Hahn was carried out by the guards, he kept saying, "I have surrendered. Let my brother redeem me! Don't kill me!"
"Hahn! Where's your dignity? Don't bring shame to the family!" Ackley yelled. But his voice was quickly drowned out by the cheers of the surrounding townspeople.
Ackley looked at Chen Hansheng with pleading eyes: "Do you really want to kill a noble? You will stand against many people."
Chen Hansheng shook his head slightly. "No, we didn't make any proposals, nor did we openly hostile the nobles. Everything was just a post-war settlement. Most people would just think that I'm a cruel lord."
"You're not. That's the scariest part." Ackley looked sad. "Maybe he's just the beginning."
Next came the captain of the baron's guard and his four cronies. Although they were not nobles, they did no less evil than Hahn. There was also a merchant who sold magically contaminated food to the townspeople at a low price, killing several elderly people and children. There was a knight who used the blood of children to refine magic weapons. Although none of these people pleaded guilty, they were all sentenced to death under irrefutable evidence.
The next heavyweight is Mage Susanna, who was accused of using the prisoners held by the baron to conduct magic experiments, causing the prisoners to be seriously injured and then die.
Susanna stood in the dock and stated with a cold face: "This is a shameful moment for the magic world. An ordinary person is judging magicians. The magic order established by the ancestors of the Seven Holy Towers has been trampled by you. I will not accept anything you say. Time will prove that your shameless performance here is a farce."
Her words did not resonate with anyone at the scene. Even her disciple Pera sat in the audience area and dared not say a word. Susanna was found guilty of intentional injury resulting in death and was sentenced to suspended death penalty.
The next defendant was the Baron's eldest daughter, Ruth.
She was just recovering from her injury and was very weak. She was arranged to sit in a chair. She was accused of teaching the maid a lesson and breaking her legs, causing her to become disabled. Ruth did not say a word during the entire trial. When it was her turn to testify, she just shook her head and stared at her broken arm.
She was eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
Ackley was almost the last to appear. Although he was the second son of the baron, he had never done anything too extreme. Most of his romantic affairs were consensual. In the end, he was sentenced to two years in prison for participating in a gang-like organization. All male baron soldiers who participated in the battle but had no bad records were convicted of this crime.
After all the people involved in the Baron's Mansion were sentenced, the guards brought in three villagers who participated in the mutual aid group. One of them molested a maid in the Baron's Mansion, and two stole the Baroness's jewelry. The three were sentenced to two to three years in prison for forced molestation and theft.
The people in the town had no objection to the verdict, because Chen Hansheng had said long ago that the Mutual Aid Society would never tolerate criminals hiding in it, and even if they were on the side of justice, they would still be punished if they committed a crime.
By the time everyone's verdict was finalized, it was already afternoon.
The judge seat on the high platform was removed and turned into an execution platform. Eight people, including Hahn, would be executed here. All other criminals would be forced to watch the execution process from a close distance. After discussion, the working group finally decided to use the shooting method. Each criminal was held down by two people and forced to kneel on the platform. Behind each person was a soldier holding an air rifle, switched to the enhanced single-shot mode, and aimed at the back of the heads of these people.
Hahn, who had just been shouting, was silent now. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and he was mumbling something, perhaps praying to the God of Nature. The people around him were even more miserable, and their bodies were already wet. Many of the other criminals didn't want to look at them, and some, like Ruth, simply closed their eyes. Only Ackley looked at Hahn with a heavy face.
The townspeople in the audience seemed excited and enthusiastic. Many of them leaned on the fence that divided the venue and scrambled to squeeze in. Doris was in the front row, clenching her fists tightly and watching everything on the stage intently.
Glade was standing on the roof of a house next to the small square. Next to him was a little girl, the Baron's little daughter, Jenny.
Glade glanced at her. The little girl was tugging at the corner of her clothes and staring blankly at the ground. He said, "If you want to see it closer, I can take you there."
Jenny shook her head repeatedly.
"Why didn't you go over when you had the chance to see him for the last time?" Glade asked, "Isn't this kind of family affection very important to humans?"
"I, I don't know either. I'm scared." Jenny lowered her head. "I don't want to go there. Just taking a look here is enough."
"Your brother and sister are either dead or prisoners. What are your plans?"
Jenny glanced at him and said nothing.
"What I said that day, Susanna, was not a lie. You do have a bright future in the practice of my lineage of magic. If you are willing to learn from me, I will be your teacher."
"But I am the daughter of your enemy."
"But you are not our enemy. The Chinese can tolerate you." This is what Chen Hansheng told him, and now Glade relayed it to Jenny, "Now tell me, are you willing?"
"I... am willing." Jenny saluted, "Teacher."
At this time, the crisp sound of air guns came from the square, and everything came to an end.