The Public Security Team
The Public Security Team
At present, there were approximately 20,000 people living in Border Town. Aside from native inhabitants, there were also people from Longsong Stronghold and refugees from the Eastern Region. When the emissary delegation dispatched by Barov returned, there could even be migrants from the south and north of the kingdom. The composition of Border Town's population would thence become more complicated, creating greater discrepancies in terms of population quality. Conflicts similar to what happened today would only become more common.
This was why Roland needed to establish a public security system to replace the First Army's ongoing patrol work. It was only a matter of time before internal and external violence had to be demarcated. He had long considered this issue but had been hindered by a shortage of manpower. Now that the First Army needed to concentrate on fighting the demonic beasts, and his population was rapidly increasing, it was the right time to implement his plan.
He would personally take charge of legislation, judicial interpretation, and jurisdiction of major criminal acts—his verdict would be final. The public security team would arrest criminals in accordance with the law, as well as handle civil disputes. The Security Bureau would be responsible for maintaining the integrity of public departments and preventing abuse and corruption of power. In order to economize on manpower, they might also call on public security personnel to carry out clean-up operations. This was the outline of Roland's idea for the public security system.
Ideally, he would first try out this system within Border Town, and only extend it to the entire Western Region in the following year, when Border Town would undergo expansion.
When the time came, all of his territory, including the domains self-governed by nobles, would enforce the same set of laws and be managed by unified departments. The only person who would be above the law was Roland himself.
As the greatest noble in the Western Region himself, he would neither claim that everyone was equal before the law nor abolish the aristocracy. However, he could at least ensure that his cities did not carry the presence of feudal aristocrats in the traditional sense. If they wished to receive his protection, they would have to give up their right to self-rule.
Roland had also long decided on who would be the head of the public security department.
As a person with a great sense of justice yet was not pedantic in doing things, Chief Knight Carter Lannis would make a fine choice.
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When Vader hobbled his way back to his provisional residence, an old man named Cacusim immediately walked out of the house and assisted him.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Vader put on a smile and replied. "I was simply sentenced to 10 lashes by His Highness."
"Let me have a look." Cacusim beseeched.
"We should go inside first." When Vader entered the house, the interior warmth dispelled his bodily chills at once. Closing the door, he felt as if it was a different world from the outside. Compared to the wooden shed he had stayed in which provided no shelter from wind or rain, this low and narrow mud house was much more comfortable.
"Right, don't the locals call this type of house a cave dwelling?" Vader thought.
The old man got him to lie on the heated brick bed, lifted the shirt off his back, and involuntarily exhaled a mouthful of cold air.
"Your back is covered in blood. I'll go get some ash for you."
"No, don't use that. These are just bloodstains from my punishment. The bleeding stopped long ago." Vader repeatedly urged. "The chief knight has told me that it's best to leave them open. The wounds will heal in two to three days."
"Two to three days?" Cacusim shook his head worriedly. "No, child, you may fall into a high fever and get swelling on your back because of this. Even if you're healthy and strong, it'll take at least a week to recover. You should know better than me what happens when a disease acts up."
"You may not believe me but..." Vader licked his parched lips. "I don't really feel the pain from the wounds on my back, and instead there seems to a cool and itchy feeling. This is the sign of healing. After I was whipped, they poured a bucket of water over my back..."
"Salt water?" The old man knitted his eyebrows.
"I thought so at first, but I didn't feel the usual searing pain afterward." Vader laughed softly. "The knight who carried out my punishment told me that the water they used could remove all pathogenic microbes. For my wounds to heal faster, I simply have to not do anything while allowing it to air."
"Micro... what?"
"Microbes." He curled his lips. "Devil knows what that is. It's probably something to do with the witches."
The old man lowered his head, and only after a long time, he spoke in a deep voice, "You shouldn't have stood up for me. If only you controlled yourself a little..."
"That would only cause us to receive even worse treatment. I understand that b*stard's character, or should I say, all nobles are more or less the same." Vader spat out a mouthful of saliva. "I'd heard that snowfall can last for a couple of months here. Neither of us has enough money to last until it ends." He paused before continuing. "And... I purposely picked that moment to hit him."
"Purposely?" Cacusim froze.
"Every day at that time, His Highness would appear at the city walls of the Western Zone. He had promised that food would be distributed for free, and would certainly abhor behaviors which tarnished his own reputation. This was, therefore, the most effective method. If it was only a simple brawl, His Highness might not even have heard of it. And, after all, Khoya Harvie could have been instigated by someone else. If the city hall officers wished to suppress this news, nothing we said would have mattered."
"But how if he was instigated by the lord himself?"
"The possibility of that is very low. If His Highness wanted to save money, he could simply reduce our meals from three to two a day. I had also asked around beforehand, and found that the local people and serfs were full of praise for His Highness' benevolence and sagacity." He chuckled smugly. "See, didn't I make the right bet?"
"Oh... I see." The old man sighed at length. "Your insight was truly profound."
What Vader did not guess correctly was the punishment he would receive.
As a member of the patrol team in Valencia for more than 10 years, he deeply understood the hideous side of a city behind its glamorous facade. He had seen nobles who made use of their power to carry out extortion one too many times before. This even happened within the patrol team he served. Therefore, he had long learned how to punish this kind of crooked and lofty nobles.
His Highness' response was also as he had expected. Only the means of punishment took him by surprise.
Under this kind of circumstance, a lord who was fond of his own reputation would typically acquit the oppressed party. Instead, His Highness meted out punishments to everyone involved—it thus seemed that he was more concerned about the system rather than his reputation.
This was a seldom seen quality, especially for a lord who had been used to doing as he pleased.
"What do you intend to do next?" The old man asked after a brief silence.
"Rest for two days specially authorized by the chief knight. Then I'll continue as before to run errands for those guys who carry strange weapons."
"You could have entered the inner city area and lived together in dignity with the other craftsmen."
"But you couldn't follow me, Cacusim. Let's not talk about this." He shook his head. "I'll not abandon you on the outside."
This old man was neither his kin nor his senior. Half a year ago, the former was a convict locked up in prison. Although everyone knew that he was used by the rats of Black Street as a scapegoat, such cases were so common that the patrol team simply could not be bothered. Later, when Valencia was ransacked by a large group of pirates, Vader had thought that he would die in the turmoil, only to be rescued by the old man and hidden in his prison cell. Cacusim used his smelly bed sheets to conceal the latter's figure, and ultimately helped him to survive.
Vader had never thought that he would ever be rescued by a convict, which he usually would not even look in the eye. It was then that he realized that he was essentially no different from those obnoxious nobles.
The other two people living in the same room as them also knew Cacusim's identity. Things were fine when Vader was around, but when he was not, they would disturb the old man.
"Relax, everything will become better." Vader gave the latter a pat on the back.
Two days later, he heard news from the inner city area that His Highness was recruiting public security personnel.