Chapter 66: The Public Trial Assembly

High Priest Virginia asked back with some doubt, “Is it true that a jury made of ordinary people decides if a suspect is guilty? Let me remind you, Lord Bolerum, have you ever heard of a Public Trial Assembly?”

“Public Trial Assembly?” George immediately thought of scenes he had seen a few times before he traveled to this world: people tied to carts paraded through the streets, trials held in town squares, and quick public executions.

“A Public Trial Assembly means putting a suspect in front of the public to face questioning and judgment from everyone, from the highest lords and nobles down to farmers and beggars. The public’s will decides the suspect’s guilt and the punishment,” High Priest Virginia said, his expression changing from calm to angry before he slammed the table and roared, “This kind of punishment looks fair on the surface, but in reality, it is a despicable show that tramples on ethics, moral beliefs, and life itself, all in the name of ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’ to satisfy the twisted desires of the onlookers.”

‘True! Even in Tianchao, similar Public Trial Assemblies were cancelled several years ago. But it looks like the Public Trial Assemblies here are much darker than in Tianchao. Although Tianchao had many wrongful convictions, those trials did clearly serve to deter criminals. But I don’t think I’ve heard of any Public Trial Assemblies being held in the Duchy of Nohan. Did my subordinates think this wasn’t important and didn’t tell me?’ With this doubt, George asked, “Hasn’t there ever been a fair verdict during such events?”

“Every year, many innocent people are brought to this stage during Public Trial Assemblies. They are humiliated, beaten, and tortured until they are forced to give false confessions, and then they are executed in a ‘grand’ way. It is almost everywhere,” High Priest Virginia said slowly, his expression much calmer than before. “To quote a learned scholar who studied Public Trial Assemblies: ‘Once someone is brought to a Public Trial Assembly to face the judgment of the ‘public’, they will never find relief or forgiveness unless they satisfy the dark, bloodthirsty desires of the mob judges. Even if you are as righteous as the most just Paladin or as pure as the most innocent virgin, you cannot escape.'”

‘If these events happen a few times a year, they must affect population growth, especially in smaller Territories. I was already worried about the slow population growth in my own territory. How can anyone support such an activity? Could it be that the nobles of the Duchy of Nohan are too kind to the poor?’ George could not understand it at all. “How can local Lords support such a barbaric and ignorant practice?”

High Priest Virginia smiled coldly. “The support and encouragement from Lords in different areas is also a major reason why Public Trial Assemblies are so common. They insist that holding these assemblies in their territories is to maintain social order and that this method is necessary to show fairness and punishment. And the cheers and applause from the farmers watching the ‘Public Trial Assemblies’ clearly show their extraordinary trust in the law and social order.”

Then he quickly became so angry that his teeth ground together and his accent changed. “Of course, that is just a fancy excuse on the surface. The real reason Public Trial Assemblies are accepted by Lords is that these gatherings, almost like ‘meetings’, greatly relieve the anxiety and unrest that the people have built up under their strict rule. They provide an excellent outlet for restless people and also warn those who are not content. This greatly reduces the chance of rebellion within the territory. Many Lords with bad reputations, in order to strengthen their rule, would even find some so-called ‘prisoners’ to hold extra Public Trial Assemblies for their people. Some experienced travelers and Caravans can even tell if a local Lord is wise and tolerant just by how often a Public Trial Assembly is held in that area.”

After hearing High Priest Virginia’s explanation, George’s eyes turned a bit red. “Do those people have no humanity at all? Even if they have no humanity, don’t Lords care about the future development of their territories?”

“Not all nations care about their people like the Duchy of Nohan does. There are many reasons for this. In essence, the Continent of Basto is a backward agricultural society based on farming, and the farmers here are the most vulnerable group. They are ruled by Lords and landowners who often have strange ideas, no moral standards, and act without fear.” As he spoke, High Priest Virginia let out a sigh first. “At the same time, they are threatened by invaders who seem to never end, or by Goblins, Kobolds, or even Humans themselves. Under the threat of life being trampled on at will, those nervous onlookers participated in Public Trial Assemblies with great enthusiasm. These already unfortunate people enjoyed the excitement of watching a visual feast where others were tortured and hurt in terrible ways. This gave them a taste of power, a power to control someone else’s life and death, which made them wrongly feel that they could control their own fate.”

‘This is just an otherworldly version of “Ah Q Spirit,” the Western fantasy version of the legendary “spiritual victory method.” It also feels a bit like eating “steamed buns made of human blood.” All these feelings made George blurt out, “These people are truly both ridiculous and pitiful.'”

It seemed that George’s words touched something, and High Priest Virginia spoke softly, “Both ridiculous and pitiful is such a fitting description. But in a way, we cannot completely blame them. After all, compared to Elves who live for thousands of years, Dwarves, Halflings, and Gnomes who live for hundreds of years, the lifespan of Humans is undoubtedly very short. In theory, a Human lives for a hundred years, but the average lifespan of ordinary Humans on Basto is not even forty years.”

“Those ordinary Commoners face the possibility of dying every single day. A mother who is lucky enough to have two or three children might have to experience the accidental death of at least one of them. Living so close to death makes people develop a curiosity and awe toward the world of death, and even a twisted fear.” High Priest Virginia’s voice became lower and lower as he spoke. “The judges at the Public Trial Assemblies provide the most terrible methods of execution for the accused. Compared to the death that the onlookers face in their daily lives, witnessing death appear in the most terrifying form brings those people a certain dark comfort. It is like saying, ‘I have already seen your worst side! So I am no longer afraid of you.’ But in fact, unless they also become defendants brought before the local officials, it is unlikely they will ever truly feel that terrifying sensation. The light of the kind gods does not shine everywhere.”

Seeing that High Priest Virginia was becoming a bit depressed because he was affected by reality as he spoke, George finally realized that his understanding of this world was only limited to this corner around Bolerum Territory. Even the range of his influence did not extend beyond this small corner of the Duchy of Nohan.