CHAPTER 188: CHAPTER 186: THE TRIAL

The moment Professor East, cured by Perfikot, would have preferred to truly faint.

After all, along with the words Perfikot just said and the fact that he fainted from anger, it now substantially shakes his reputation.

This era is like this; the people don’t have much ability to discern right from wrong. To incite them doesn’t require sophisticated rhetoric or elaborate scheming; a seemingly plausible rumor is enough to stir a large number of people into a riot.

Moreover, everything Perfikot just said was logical, and she could provide evidence for it. Compared to Professor East’s previous arrogant, biased, and malicious slander, she undoubtedly was more convincing.

Thus, when Perfikot was treating Professor East, someone nearby was already shouting that he shouldn’t be saved and that this old guy should just die.

However, Perfikot stepped up to explain, "Gentlemen and ladies, you cannot just sentence someone to death like this. Whether he should die should be judged by the law. We establish laws and judicial systems to ensure all crimes receive rational judgment and to make everything fair, just, and transparent.

If today we execute a university professor due to our momentary anger, then tomorrow, can others execute you due to discontent?

The purpose of law is to protect ordinary people. If everyone doesn’t abide by the law, then whom does the law protect?

So, everyone, please heed my words. This person indeed deserves to die, but should not die like this here.

He should be responsible for everything he’s done, for every word he’s spoken, and face the punishment he deserves!

Not just end with death and escape legal sanctions."

Perfikot’s words won applause. She is a well-mannered noblewoman and, saying such logical words, naturally, people are willing to support her instead of some lousy old man.

But the stooges arranged by the mastermind in the crowd were unwilling to see such a scenario. They spoke with sarcasm among the crowd, "The world has truly changed! A little girl slandering a highly esteemed professor till death and then tarnishing his reputation here!"

"Exactly, insulting others to the point of spitting blood, and then pretending to say others should take responsibility. Are nobles such shameless beings?" Various slanders spread through the crowd, shaking the people previously leaning towards Perfikot.

Such tactics might be effective against others, but they were meaningless against Perfikot: "Daring to speak these from the shadows, do you dare to step out for a face-to-face showdown?

Professor East is nothing but a puppet you push out. You attempt to use such despicable means to tarnish the reputation of the Lord of the Northern Territory, hoping to manipulate and incite public opinion, obstructing the Empire’s development of the North to allow old noble forces to regain power so the free people can once again become peasants working for noble lords.

If you dare do this, why not admit it? Step out and let me see who you all are. Aren’t you saying I’m just a little girl? Do you not even have the courage to face a little girl?"

Perfikot’s shout immediately reversed the unfavorable situation.

Though this was mere rhetoric, she had the confidence to confront and the Royal Knights surrounding her, not fearing manipulated public opinion or facing people directly.

But those arranged by the mastermind dared not emerge. After all, their job was to spread rumors and incite people, and confronting and being recognized would lead to a dead end.

Thus, they intended to leave.

However, the Steam Knights summoned by Perfikot had arrived at the election assembly square, and the assassin from the Brotherhood there had long targeted these rumor-spreading stooges, pulling them directly from the crowd.

Seeing these stooges thrown before Perfikot, the surrounding crowd immediately boiled over, pointing at them and beginning to shout abuses, and some even clamored to hang them all.

Meanwhile, the Steam Knights maintaining order ensured nobody wished to clash hard with steel with flesh and blood.

Seeing these stooges, Perfikot no longer maintained a good temper, directly having someone invite a judge from the election assembly building to trial these rumor-spreading villains, charging them with damaging national security and treason.

The reasons naturally were ample because the Northern Territory’s development is the Empire’s policy, discussed and passed in the court meeting; their slander and rumors about an Empire’s minister is a very serious crime, potentially threatening national security, and those damaging national security are nothing but treasonous!

The judge invited by Perfikot naturally knew the noble woman before him was the Lord of the North herself, so he didn’t hesitate much, but followed Perfikot’s tone and began the trial.

The stooges naturally faced no good ending, each was directly found guilty and hung on the streetlights on the spot.

As for Professor East, he wasn’t treated as cruelly. He was simply stripped of all his identities, his university professor title, his Royal Academy of Sciences status, and anything else related was stripped away, turning him from a respected university professor to a slanderous fraud of the Empire, infamous for academic misconduct.

The judge originally intended to strip him of his Victor Empire citizenship, but Perfikot spoke up, letting him retain this last bit of dignity.

But Perfikot did not do this out of kindness; she simply wanted to see Professor East... well, now he can’t be called professor, but Eastwood, the old fraud, get torn apart by the enraged Langton citizens.

She did this to show the mastermind and his accomplices clearly the consequences of crossing her.

Soon, Perfikot’s will was executed, as Eastwood, cured by her, was healthy. Now, although he was deeply ashamed and furious, he would not faint, and the trash thrown by the surrounding crowd soon covered him entirely, turning his originally neat suit into something resembling a rag.

The old man scrambled around trying to leave the election assembly square, but the area was already crowded with onlookers, leaving no way for the old man to quickly escape.

Ultimately, only with the help of several policemen called by Perfikot was he able to leave the election assembly square in disgrace.