The Pope's charges were mainly focused on him being the mastermind of this rebellion. He shared in all the charges that his cardinals faced.
When his charges were read, the Pope defended himself. "My actions were in the best interest of Christendom and the continent. We only did what we felt was needed to strengthen this continent so it could never repeat the 20-year-long civil war."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "I am the Vicar of Christ. What I did was for the sake of our religion. You have no right to judge me. As the head of the Church, I should be pardoned for my crimes."
Victor was amused by the audacity of the Pope. "Do you believe that your position as Pope exempts you from facing the consequences of your actions? What you put this continent through is not what was good for Christendom. The lives that were lost could have been avoided if you merely acted to support King Alphonse."
The Pope smugly smiled. "I am the voice of the lord. I know what is best for the people of the lord's flock. Alphonse was not fit to rule the people of this continent. The people of Zandar needed a strong leader, not someone who showed indifference towards heinous crimes."
Each word that came out of the Pope's mouth did not help his case. He came across as smug and unapologetic for his part in this civil war. With his capture, cracks in the cleverly crafted persona that Constantine showed to the public began to show. His arrogance made the jury feel uneasy about their feelings towards the Pope. They all believed that he was better than this.
The jury now had to deliberate on the hard choice of what to do with the Pope. Imprisoning him allowed a chance for his faithful supporters to continue a rebellion. Sentencing him to death came with its own consequences. His death could spark further unrest and cause more rebellion.
This decision was hard for the jurors; they spent a few hours deliberating. What decision they could come to would shake the continent and maybe all of Christendom. When the jury finally came out, the jurors looked mentally fatigued. The internal struggle of coming to a decision had weighed on them.
General Valerius announced the verdict to the audience. "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty on all charges. Given the severity of his charges, we recommended he be sentenced to death." Half the room fell into hushed gasps, while the other half stared intently at Victor to hear his verdict.
Victor took a deep breath and spoke, "With the jury's advice, I, Victor Luxenberg, sentence Pope Constantine to death. His crimes against the people of the continent are too many. If allowed to live, it serves as an example that this level of rebellion is not that serious. Only serious punishment can ensure that no more strife takes over this country."
"This decision is heresy. How dare you condemn me, the head of the church, to death! Your immortal souls will suffer!" Pope Constantine yelled with venom in his words. The onlookers could not meet his gaze; they avoided it, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Constantine was escorted by Victor's soldiers back to the dungeon. He would await his execution in a dark cell.
Alphonse was now the lone prisoner left to be tried, but it was an odd case to judge. The Visconte king did not necessarily commit any crimes; he did not order any assassinations or command an army to sack a city.
In fact, he did not really do a hell of a lot. He allowed Matteo Vegni to get away with murder. He allowed Luca Sozzini and his army to get away with sacking Forli. His inability to dispense justice counted as a crime.
Alphonse may not have been a criminal, but his weak leadership had caused the Pope and his Cardinals to stage this rebellion. When Alphonse declined Victor's help to come to a peaceful conclusion, he ultimately sealed his own fate. A civil war started because he chose his own pride rather than working with Victor to solve the issue.
This time, a jury was not needed. Victor would take full control of the proceedings and deliver his own verdict. "King Alphonse, you stand accused of dragging your continent into a pointless civil war, as well as being unable to dispense justice. How do you plead?"
These were not charges that could be judged with evidence, which is why Victor wanted no jury to be involved. They would not be able to pass any decision due to how no real crime was committed.
Alphonse stared at Victor with defeat in his eyes. "I plead guilty. My inability to rule, and pride, not only played a part in causing this civil war, but allowed heinous crimes to go unpunished."
There was some sympathy for Alphonse amongst the crowd. He had fought for two decades to claim the throne that was rightfully his, yet he failed to be a better ruler who led Zandar into an age of peace and prosperity.
Victor sighed before making his verdict. He had already planned in advance the punishment for Alphonse. If he had acted arrogantly and blamed others, Victor would have executed him. If he acted with a shred of humility, Victor would let him live inside a cell.
"King Alphonse, I, Victor Luxenberg, hereby sentence you to be imprisoned indefinitely. You will lose all property, your title as king will be stripped from you, and your imprisonment will be in my city of Hannover, far away from Zandar shores."
Alphonse lowered his head. "Very well, I accept my punishment." With that, Alphonse was dragged back to the dungeons. He would remain there until it was time for Victor to return home to Hannover.
The Roma Trials had finally concluded after multiple days of deliberation. There would be four executions coming in the following days. Victor now had to prepare for that, all while rebuilding Zandar.