Hero of Darkness

Chapter 337: The Peopleʼs Court

Under the eyes of more than 200 million people of the fiefdom, Kahnʼs new announcement resounded through every city and village. The population as well as the people in the government who were watching this broadcast were all taken aback.

Not only had their sovereign decided to take away all the authority from the law enforcement department not just long ago, but now he suddenly made another declaration about launching a new judiciary system out of nowhere.

”Citizens of Verlassen, before you start wondering what this new judiciary called the Peopleʼs Court is established for.. Let me tell you something.

After I assumed command, Iʼve found that many people such as leading business organizations in different fields, sectors of the government that handle various departments that impact the lives of normal citizens and the military officers who are in charge of defending the region…

There have been many cases of committing crimes such as stealing from the annual budget, embezzlement in the name of maintaining public order, lending tenders for provisions and armory… There seem to be many incidents of scams and behind the scene deals that only favor particular individuals.

From the funds allocated for cleaning the streets to clearing out the sewage system, from constructing defensive walls to maintain the market prices of basic needs.. Every sector has been corrupted in one way or another.

The hard-earned money you pay the government in the name of taxes isnʼt being used for the betterment of your lives, rather filling the pockets of particular groups of people.” revealed Kahn.

Shock! Gasp!

The entire populace was shocked after Kahnʼs revelation.

”These are the crimes that lead to drastic changes in your expenses and what kind of lifestyle you can afford. And hence… These crimes can be categorized as an offense against the fiefdom and its citizens.

In other words… this is an act of treason!” spoke Kahn as his domineering voice helped everyone understand the gravity of the crimes.

Kahn then continued in his stoic voice.

”And unlike the High Court, the offenders can be directly brought into questioning after I find out about their misconduct.

And here… the one to decide the final judgment against the defendant if proven guilty will neither be the court of law nor I, the sovereign of this fiefdom.

But the one to pass on the punishment…” he elaborated and looked around as if staring in the eyes of all the citizens at the same time through the broadcasting screens..

”Shall be you.” declared Kahn.

Flabbergasted!

Dumbfounded!

The whole populace was shocked as soon as his words resounded throughout the fiefdom.

Because till now.. Only law enforcement and the court had the authority to pass on the judgment for crimes against the people.

But their ruler was actually handing that power into… their own hands?

After Kahnʼs another mind-boggling announcement, the normal citizens were left speechless and rooted on the spot.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Covenant soldiers started marching in the middle of all the important squares and streets of the large cities and normal towns as well as villages and right in front of the citizens, they started setting up booths after booths.

And on these voting booths, were two magical boxes that glimmered white and red.

”Dear citizens of Verlassen. As you can see in front of you, there are booths set up for voting your opinion.

Out of the two boxes, one is white while the other is red. These two colors represent the innocent and the guilty verdict respectively.

So after a trial is conducted… it shall be you who would decide if the defendant is innocent or guilty through your votes.” he revealed the purpose behind these voting booths and continued..

”Anyone above the age of 20 is allowed to vote in these panels and the vote you cast in these boxes will be magically registered through those booths.

And throughout the whole Verlassen fiefdom, there is a network set up by us that will connect and display all the votes cast for both verdicts collectively in real-time.

And based on the majority of the votes, a final verdict.. given by the true sovereigns of this fiefdom shall be passed.” elaborated Kahn.

”However… before you cast your votes.

I want you all to understand one thing.

The people brought into this court wonʼt be some small-time criminals who robbed a house in the neighborhood. Nor will they be petty criminals who made little scams.

Every single one of them will have resulted in affecting the lives of millions of people through their actions and based on the degree of the crimes theyʼve committed.

So as a result… your votes will also have a drastic impact.

Innocent means they will be let go. But guilty has only one punishment..” spoke Kahn as his ghastly voice echoed in the whole fiefdom..

”DEATH!”

He declared in a tyrannical voice that shook the entire population.

”So before you even decide to participate in the voting procedure… think about it a hundred times.” he warned.

”If you canʼt bear the load of having someoneʼs life taken based on your votes and it weighs down on your conscience… I would advise you not to participate.” spoke Kahn.

This was something he felt like people should know before their votes. Because not everyone was made the same.

Some people didnʼt have the resolve to carry the burden of someoneʼs life taken away because of them even if that person deserved it.

Kahn did not speak a word for the next few minutes to let the situation sink in the minds of the citizens.

”Although Iʼm the chosen ruler of this fiefdom…

Iʼm someone who was born amongst you. Someone who has seen both sides of the world. So the Peopleʼs Court…

Is as close to a Democracy I can offer you.” spoke Kahn in a heavy tone.

In the entire Rakos Empire, only the top ruling powers such as powerful forces, noble clans and factions controlled the facade called the government after overthrowing the imperial rule a century ago.

But Kahn had seen through all the lies through his journey till this point. Fairness was only in a name.

Nepotism, favoritism, oligarchy, elitism and heritage had completely plagued the structure of society itself.

Although Democracy wasnʼt always the best solution to running an empire of this scale that was as big as a continent on earth, in his rule at least… he intended to allow the people to voice their opinion and let them partake in punishing those who ruined their lives by abusing their positions and authority.

Kahn had already figured out that the current judiciary system that was completely run by the very people who oppressed the weak and helpless would never allow him to act on his own or give him full support even if he were to do a takeover and control them from the shadows.

It was an infrastructure that would take years to fully get under his wings because not everyone was a corrupted lawmaker and those who were innocent wouldnʼt necessarily side with him either.

On the other hand… the Peopleʼs Court wouldnʼt only serve the common people… it had many uses for Kahn himself.

Although his actions seemed like he was thinking only for the poor and defenseless of the society… he hadnʼt completely turned into a saint either.

The Peopleʼs Court was the exact masterplan he came up with after discussing with all his generals that day in the main hall of his new castle after he discussed important matters with both the semi-saint commanders of the North.

Although he had assassins sent in the shadows of the top figureheads of the government and military on the day of his arrival… the evidence and recordings theyʼd gather will be inadmissible in a legal court as they were found without proper and lawful means.

So at the end of the day.. The judiciary system was shackling him and then the people wouldnʼt also support the sovereign who also broke the law just to wipe out his competition.

And public support was a must for him if he wanted to succeed in the next phases of his plans in the future.

Then, he came up with this plan that would enable him to take out his opponents and enemies properly and unquestionably.

As he could bring forth his targets under this new judicial system that also came under his rights to establish, use the documents and recordings under the pretense of confiscated evidence and then decide their punishment.

And while doing so… the public itself will be his accomplice in these trials. And the crimes that were committed against them being punished in the Peopleʼs Court would also make them think that Kahn was doing it only for them.

The amount of support heʼd get from the citizens would actually make him the sovereign of this fiefdom rather than just holding that title only in name.

So in simple words…

Kahn was going to fuck up his enemies legally!

After the long pause, all the citizens came to digest the whole process in their minds.

Kahn then finally broke the silence and spoke in a solemn tone.

”As for the first defendant of Peopleʼs Court.. I present to you..” he spoke and the projection artifacts then moved from him to a giant being chained and strapped to a metallic chair.

The furious eyes of this tall and grizzly being and his curses muffled under the binds on his mouth were finally revealed to the entire fiefdom.

Kahn then exclaimed in a domineering and authoritative tone as he revealed the first defendant of the Peopleʼs Court…

”Commander Aswala!”