As soon as Faol entered the infirmary, he was choked by a pungent smell.
Lying on the bed was the unconscious Anastasio.
After his wounds were simply treated and it was confirmed that his life was not in danger, he had remained there.
Faol pointed to the person on the bed: "Look closely, is he the one who contacted you? Cooperate well and confess truthfully. If you can atone for your crimes, His Holiness the Pope might be merciful and give you a second chance."
The The Bandit Leader walked to the head of the bed, carefully scrutinizing for a long time before confirming and answering, "That's right, it's him. We met twice.
The first time was in a village outside Rome.
They offered a very high price and provided us with a large quantity of weapons, and also agreed on the next meeting time and place, but they didn't specify the identity of the target to be killed.
I was blinded by greed at the time and agreed, making a huge mistake.
The second meeting was on the border between the Papal States and Florence, where he brought people to deliver the weapons and down payment to us."
Faol nodded, then bid farewell to Enzo: "Alright, my mission is complete. I will now return to report. The rest is up to you."
"Good. A large number of key witnesses and evidence have arrived here, and I need to immediately launch further investigations, so I won't see you off."
Enzo showed great urgency, while signaling his subordinates to detain the The Bandit Leader.
"Farewell." With that, Faol turned and left.
Faol did not want to stay in this dark hellhole for another second.
Watching Faol leave, Enzo sighed deeply and muttered to himself, "His Holiness the Pope still doesn't trust us, even sending Faol specifically to confirm the identity.
Well, there has to be a process."
"He does trust the Swiss Guard, letting Faol bring people directly over.
Our usually very secret location is now known to many more people.
From now on, our secret location will be almost public," Ennio said with some dissatisfaction.
"His Holiness the Pope indeed trusts the Swiss Guard very much, after all, they have been together for so long and have gone through life and death together.
However, the Swiss Guard is ultimately just a guard; no matter how much trust, they are still only a guard, at most allowing them to expand into a more powerful army.
They cannot replace us, nor can they threaten us.
Governing the country, they lack the foundation and the ability; these matters still depend on us."
"That's right, among all the ministers now, you are the most favored by His Holiness the Pope, Your Excellency," Enrique flattered.
"Stop flattering me and get to business.
The crossbows used by the attackers have arrived.
According to Anastasio, this batch of heavy crossbows was imported from Venice.
Go and compare them quickly to see if the situation is true."
Enrique had long prepared the crossbows used by Venice, and after a meticulous comparison, he quickly concluded: "This batch of crossbows indeed came from Venice.
Not only that, but these are genuine military weapons; the materials and craftsmanship are beyond what can be achieved by civilians.
It is highly unlikely that such a large quantity of heavy crossbows could be purchased from smugglers; it is highly probable that they were purchased directly from the Venetian military."
"I had already guessed this situation, and now that it's confirmed, this is the key to the problem.
Tell me, was Venice aware of this matter?
Was it simply reselling military equipment, or was it conspiring with Francesco?" Enzo said thoughtfully.
Enrique looked troubled: "Are you saying that this assassination, led by Francesco, might have the support of Venice?
Then this matter becomes complicated.
If Venice is really involved, then how can we prove it?
I'm afraid no matter what we find, Venice will deny everything, claiming complete ignorance.
Then we still have no way to deal with them, and we would only worsen our relationship with Venice for nothing."
"Yes, I have considered all these issues.
Currently, it seems that our investigation into Venice must be conducted secretly.
The extent to which it proceeds, I still need to consult His Holiness the Pope," Enzo paused slightly, then continued, "Because once Venice is involved, it becomes a diplomatic matter.
Direct investigation would be overstepping our authority, and if it leads to consequences His Holiness the Pope does not wish to see, it would be a thankless task."
"Speaking of diplomacy, Venice has repeatedly challenged the authority of the Holy See and harmed the interests of the Church in recent years.
Lord Romeo has also been overwhelmed by Venice recently and probably hates Venice to death.
If we give him a bargaining chip to strike at Venice at this time, he would probably be very happy," Enrique analyzed.
Enzo shook his head: "What he thinks is not important; the key is what His Holiness the Pope plans.
Moreover, Romeo and Francesco have always been in cahoots.
It's hard to say whether Romeo was involved in this assassination, so who cares if he's happy or not."
Enrique suddenly realized, slapped his head: "That's right! How could I forget him!
He might very well be an accomplice!
Should I go and arrest him for interrogation now?"
Enzo looked at Enrique's eager expression, angrily slapped Enrique's head, and said impatiently, "Are you trying to make me die faster?
There are five ministers in the Papal States in total, besides me, there are four others.
Do you want me to arrest half of the remaining ones?
What would the Pope think?
Moreover, the balance of power in the Papal States has already been broken.
If you arrest Romeo again, are you trying to make everyone else unite against me?
Unless there is direct evidence pointing to Romeo, he absolutely cannot be touched.
Even if there is indeed irrefutable human and material evidence, it must still have the permission of His Holiness the Pope."
Enrique said innocently, "I just didn't think that far.
I was only thinking about how to quickly clarify the case.
For matters like this, I still have to follow your lead, Your Excellency."
"I don't know what His Holiness the Pope's attitude towards Venice is.
Logically, there should be some dissatisfaction, but His Holiness the Pope seems to have been avoiding the issue of Venice and opposing strong measures against Venice," Enzo mused.
"His Holiness the Pope does not seem to be a weak and incompetent person.
Perhaps he is enduring, waiting for a suitable opportunity to act.
Because the sanction proposals they put forward simply cannot cause substantial harm to Venice, and there are considerable risks.
I don't know if they are really that stupid, or just simply trying to muddle through," Enrique said, a hint of disdain and contempt in his expression at the end.
Enzo noticed Enrique's expression and couldn't help but smile, "You see things very clearly.
Your current position truly doesn't match your talent; I've wronged you by keeping you under me."
"These are purely some baseless conjectures from me.
It is my honor to share your burdens, Your Excellency.
Whatever position I achieve, it is entirely up to you, Your Excellency.
No matter what position I hold, I will always follow your lead, Your Excellency."
Enrique knelt down with a thud, his strong will to survive making these words blurt out.
"Why are you nervous?
I agree with everything you said; your analysis is very accurate.
It's nothing to lose your composure in front of me; I know your loyalty.
But if you say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or even have an inappropriate expression like just now in other situations, I might not even be able to save you," Enzo gently reminded.
"Thank you for the guidance, Your Excellency."
After listening to Enzo's words, fine beads of sweat appeared on Enrique's forehead.