The first day of trial had finished with the sentencing of Cardinal Rossini. His sentence was the most severe of the four that had been tried on day one. Pope Constantine, Alphonse, Luca and Cardinal Rufus remained to be tried.
Day two of the trials would begin at the same time as day one. All the remaining defendants were escorted into the room, and the jury was ready for another round of deliberation. It would be another long day with people who had bigger parts to play in this civil war.
First up to the stand was Luca Sozzini. He only had one charge, but this charge was one that placed him up there as one of the villains of this trial. Luca Sozzini was charged with war crimes. Although he was not present with his army when they sacked and razed Forli, he gave the order to General Arlo to do so. General Arlo had been executed a month before the trial had begun, so Luca was the only one left to face justice.
With his charges read, Luca began to defend himself. "I did not order the sacking and razing of Forli. General Arlo grossly misinterpreted my orders and took it upon himself to inflict such a tragedy upon that city. My only crime is that I was not able to punish General Arlo for his actions."
Luca tried to shift the blame onto the dead general since he could not defend himself. Victor and the other judges did not buy it, especially Count Valentine. The old Count asked, "If what you say is true, why did General Arlo provide us a letter with your seal and signature on it that has you ordering him to inflict those horrors onto Forli?"
This caused the audience to stir with gasps and curses. Luca froze at seeing the letter with his seal on it. He had told General Arlo to burn this message, but the general must have kept it as insurance in case he was betrayed.
Luca stammered, trying to come up with some sort of defence, but no words came to mind. He was royally fucked, and he knew it. If he could somehow justify his actions, then maybe he could escape the hangman's noose.
He was given no chance to say any words in his defence. The jury was quick to come to a decision, condemning him to death for the atrocities his men committed at Forli. For the citizens of Forli, it was justice, but it could not rebuild the homes and lives lost.
Luca struggled as he was escorted out of the room by Luxenberg soldiers. Alphonse could only shake his head as he watched his cousin be taken away. His inner circle was now completely gone. Matteo was killed in battle, his uncle had died of old age a few years ago, and now Luca would be executed after the trial.
Next to the stand was Cardinal Rufus, the right-hand man of the Pope. His involvement in the war was second only to the Pope. Out of all the cardinals, Rufus's charges were the most severe.
Rufus was charged with inciting rebellion, bribery, coercion, planning the assassination of Otto Visconte, and conspiracy to murder King Alphonse Visconte.
The charges spoke for themselves. Cardinal Rufus was a man who was heavily involved in the schemes of the Pope's faction. He was the man who managed to bribe Marquis Polo to join the Pope's faction. He also coerced Count Ellum into siding with the Pope's faction, threatening to kill his only heir, who was a hostage in Roma.
For the more severe charges, it was Rufus who planned the poisoning of Otto Visconte. He hired the staff member who slipped poison into his tea. This was fatal, as Otto seemed never to wake from his coma. Additionally, Rufus planned an attempt on Alphonse's life, but the plan fell through when Victor besieged Florenzia.
With the charges read, Cardinal Rufus made his defence. "I am innocent of all charges. My actions were for the betterment of the continent. King Luxenberg, you would agree that Alphonse Visconte was not a fit ruler. Is inability lead to heinous crimes. What we were trying to do was make things better for our people. I am not guilty, and I will die for trying to make this continent prosperous."
Rufus's words were filled with such deluded, fanatical passion. Some in the crowd could only wonder if his crimes were really that bad. But his words were not enough to sway the hearts of Victor and the judges. "You did not deny doing any of these acts? Are you saying they were justified?" Count Valentine asked.
Cardinal Rufus smiled. "I did every act I am accused of. But they were for the betterment of the continent, hence I am innocent. God knows the truth of this matter, and your judgment will not mean anything."
The jury deliberated for a while on the matter of Cardinal Rufus's sentencing. They spent several hours debating whether or not to give him the death penalty. Each person on the jury had their own opinion of Cardinal Rufus; a small minority believed that he should be given a reduced prison sentence, while the remaining jurors were convinced that he had to die or spend life in a dungeon.
After hours of deliberation, General Valerius announced to the room what the verdict was. "After much deliberation, we, the jury, find the defendant, Cardinal Rufus, guilty of all his charges. We recommend the death penalty for the level of crimes committed by this individual."
Cardinal Rufus did not seem fazed by this sentencing. All he could do was sigh. "God knows the truth. Only he may judge me for my sins."
This remark evoked few to believe that he was undeserving of this sentence, but at the same time, they could not blame the jury for their decision. With Cardinal Rufus sentenced to death, he joined his peer, Cardinal Rossini, in awaiting the hangman's noose.
Now that Luca and Cardinal Rufus had been given their sentences, only the two leaders remained. Pope Constantine was the first to face the jury.