In the early morning, the chill of the night had not yet receded, and the sun had just risen above the horizon.
A gentle breeze swept over people; some found it comfortable, while others felt cold.
A meeting was held in the Papal Palace.
Karl, who rarely attended meetings but happened to be in the city, was present, and Duke, who was originally stationed outside the city, was also recalled to attend.
Everyone knew this meeting was of great importance and what had happened, but few knew what would happen next.
Some were terrified, some were calm and composed, and some were triumphant.
Looking at the empty seat that rightfully belonged to Francesco, Augustus took a deep breath and said with profound sorrow, "I believe everyone knows what has happened.
It is truly unimaginable that Francesco would do such a thing.
I initially did not believe it, so I had Enzo conduct an investigation, and after repeated confirmation and irrefutable evidence, I finally had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.
Considering the great contributions Francesco made to the Papal States, I originally intended to show him leniency.
However, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules.
If such a grave crime is not severely punished, I fear that discipline will not be established, and laws will not exist.
I have pondered this repeatedly and still cannot make up my mind, so I would like to hear your thoughts."
Cannot make up his mind?
Only a fool would believe such polite words; everyone knew that the Pope had certainly already decided what to do.
Bringing it up for discussion in the meeting was merely to appear less autocratic and to bind everyone together in making this decision and bearing the responsibility.
But everyone was indeed unsure of the Pope's intentions and how to respond.
Speaking lightly would make them seem like they were shielding a criminal, while speaking harshly would mean willingly taking on the blame for being cruel and ruthless, so everyone played ostrich.
Only Enzo stepped forward, speaking with righteous indignation and eloquent words, "Since His Holiness the Pope took office, he has worked tirelessly day and night for the country and its people, and he has shown us all great care.
His Holiness the Pope's actions are evident to all; within a year, he has not only won our affirmation and support but has also gained the hearts of the people.
The Papal States everywhere present a scene of prosperity.
Against this backdrop, Francesco, as the Minister of Internal Affairs, not only failed to suppress bandits but, for his own selfish gain, audaciously colluded with bandits disguised as mercenaries to assassinate His Holiness the Pope.
Since ancient times, there have been various punishments for regicides, but the outcome has always been only one: execution.
For a traitor like Francesco, branding, dismemberment, quartering, and even extermination of his family would not be excessive."
Enzo didn't mind speaking as harshly as possible; by doing so, no matter what the Pope decided, it would be seen as a step down, appearing more lenient and acceptable.
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone was stunned, and amid their shock, they also understood some of the situation.
"I never expected Francesco to be such a scoundrel; I am truly ashamed to have worked with him for so many years!
To prevent such incidents from happening again, Francesco must be severely punished to serve as a deterrent."
David, who was closest to Francesco in daily life, was the first to express his stance, drawing a clear line between himself and Francesco.
"Yes, regicide is absolutely not allowed in any country, and we must not be lenient with such behavior; please give a heavy sentence," Romeo supported.
"Yes…" Everyone echoed, drawing clear lines where necessary and kicking someone when they were down.
Among them were also some clever ones who noticed the change in Enzo's attitude, knowing that agreeing with Enzo would certainly be correct, and as a result, they spoke more and more outrageously, bringing out all sorts of punishments.
Augustus, seeing that the discussion was almost over, cleared his throat twice, signaling everyone to pause, and then summarized, "Francesco's crimes are heinous and truly unforgivable.
However, some of what you said was indeed a bit excessive.
Francesco, after all, holds a noble status and has served as the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Papal States for many years; overly severe punishment for him would also undermine the overall authority of the Papal States.
It would be best to preserve some dignity for him, without resorting to swords, or perhaps sentence him to public hanging.
His family should not be overly troubled; misfortune should not extend to family members, and according to the investigation, they were indeed unaware, so they only need to be stripped of their noble status and exiled from the Papal States.
What do you think of such a judgment?"
"This would be perfect.
It would neither appear overly cruel nor fail to serve as a warning," Lorenzo agreed.
Enzo looked around and, seeing everyone nodding, said, "It seems everyone has no objections to this judgment.
Although I still believe it is overly merciful, since His Holiness the Pope has decided so, I have no further words.
Additionally, how should the other accomplices be dealt with?"
"You are investigating the circumstances of the other accomplices, and I am not entirely clear about their levels of involvement, so perhaps you can decide their sentences at your discretion.
The heaviest sentence should not be more severe than Francesco's, and the lightest should be deprivation of office and exile."
With so many people, if he ordered all of them to be heavily punished, he would become a tyrant, and it would be impossible to lightly punish those who participated in his assassination.
Moreover, since he wasn't entirely clear about the details, Augustus simply handed over the decision-making power to Enzo, confident that Enzo's style would not disappoint him.
"Very well, I thank you for your trust, and I will do my best to handle this matter.
However, it seems there are still some who have slipped through the net; yesterday, through our investigation into the illicit income of Francesco and others, we made some new discoveries.
Among those who had suspicious financial dealings with them, there isn't just a problem of corruption; some are also connected to this assassination, and we are conducting further investigations."
Enzo spoke casually, but those present instantly became uneasy.
Speaking of financial dealings, Francesco had deep roots, and who didn't have financial dealings with him?
What constituted "illicit" and "suspicious"?
Who would decide these things?
If the Pope didn't intervene, wouldn't all of this be decided solely by Enzo?
Wouldn't Enzo then be able to implicate anyone he wanted?
Even Augustus was quite surprised that Enzo intended to continue investigating through financial dealings and even make more arrests.
Noticing the change in the Pope's expression, and knowing that Enzo still had reservations, and that the Pope did not yet unconditionally trust Enzo, David, being the first to be affected, took the lead in questioning, "Enzo, there are some things I have never quite understood, and I hope you can help me clarify them.
So many people have already been convicted, and now you say there are still some who have slipped through the net.
You say that so many people were involved in the assassination.
But how exactly were they involved?
If it was about money, Francesco's own family fortune was more than enough; he didn't need financial support at all.
If it was about pulling strings, did such a plot, planned abroad, really require so many people within the Papal States?
If it was about strategizing, then why, with so many people involved, was such a clumsy method still adopted?
Even if Francesco was irredeemably stupid, did none of these many people have a brain?
Moreover, as far as I know, for such secret operations, the fewer people who know, the better.
If Francesco truly involved so many people in the plot, with your powerful intelligence capabilities, you should have detected it much earlier."