A few minutes later, the Papal Palace welcomed its first group of guests for the day.
Augustus knew that there were more people with opinions than just these, and more would arrive soon.
When faced with such matters, nobles wouldn't sit together, discuss, choose a representative, and then collectively feedback their opinions to the Pope.
In such cases, the more people, the better; pressure relies on numbers, and only with many people can the Pope realize the seriousness of the matter.
Even if they had nothing to say, taking this opportunity to make their presence known and get familiar with the Pope wouldn't be a loss.
It was unlikely that this incident would cause the Pope to hold a grudge, and it would be difficult for him to remember so many people anyway.
Instead, for some increasingly marginalized but unwilling nobles, it was an opportunity to perform.
If someone wants to perform, someone must watch, and Augustus also wanted to see what play they were putting on.
It would be even better if he could find a few talented individuals; eloquent speakers could be sent abroad to serve as resident diplomats, and they wouldn't need to return usually.
"Welcome to the Papal Palace! Please take a seat, everyone, make yourselves at home, no need to be polite!
It's like coming to your own home here!"
Augustus welcomed them warmly.
He was very hospitable, and he felt a bit bored today, so it was nice to talk to some new faces.
Even if the issues discussed would be thorny, there was progress in challenges, and this should be a cause for joy.
The bizarre opening remarks made everyone look at each other in dismay.
"Your Holiness, we are deeply honored by your grace to be able to see you."
The more the Pope told them not to be polite, the more respectful they became.
Politeness never hurts, and that saying holds true everywhere.
"Alright, no need for pleasantries.
Let's get straight to the point; tell me the purpose of your visit.
You are the first group, and there should be more coming, so hurry up."
Augustus urged them without concealment.
"Presumably, Your Holiness already knows the purpose of our visit?"
A lavishly dressed noble in a long robe probed.
"Of course, I know.
Today is a good day; you must be here to have tea with me, right?"
Augustus teased.
"Do you expect me to state the purpose of your visit? I won't."
"Your Holiness, you truly have a way with words."
The long-robed noble chuckled insincerely, then his expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Do you know that this morning, a noble officer in the Eighth Regiment of the Field Army was publicly executed?"
As expected, they came for this matter.
Augustus nodded slightly, "I know.
Your information is very well-informed; I just found out myself.
I deeply regret this matter.
Is there a problem?"
The long-robed noble feigned complaint in a very reluctant tone, "Your Holiness, we originally had no intention of interfering with the management of the army… "
"No intention, so you are now saying you want to interfere with the management of the army?"
Augustus immediately interrupted, cutting to the chase, putting away his previous smile, his expression stern, and he looked coldly at the long-robed noble.
The long-robed noble realized the conversation was going awry, his legs went weak with fright, and he immediately changed his words, "Your Holiness, please forgive my slip of the tongue.
We would never dare to interfere with the management of the army; we only wish to contribute our humble efforts to the construction of the Papal States.
We are here this time for the legitimate rights and interests of the nobility."
"Nobles in the army?"
Augustus pressed.
He didn't expect this seemingly tall and strong man to be so timid.
He clearly wanted to meddle in army affairs but didn't even dare to admit it, so he might as well lead the conversation in that direction.
The long-robed noble pondered for a moment and replied nervously, "Not only, but including."
"You're quite broad in your scope."
Augustus quipped.
"This is our right, and even more, it is the duty of every one of us nobles.
Even if you punish us for this, we still have to speak."
"Good, speak.
I'm not stopping you, nor do I intend to punish you.
But you'd best tell me directly what you perceive as the problem and what should be done."
Augustus made a "please" gesture.
"I believe that publicly executing a noble officer is neither reasonable nor legal.
A noble officer should never be arbitrarily executed without approval for a minor offense, let alone publicly.
Every noble values dignity more than life.
This is trampling on the dignity of the nobility, not just his own, but that of all of us nobles.
If the nobles in the army do not receive effective protection, and the perpetrators are not punished as they should be, I fear everyone will feel insecure, and no noble will sacrifice their lives for the country again."
The long-robed noble's expression of concern for the nation and its people even moved Augustus slightly.
"You believe that Juan's execution of the noble officer is neither reasonable nor legal.
Then let's first talk about reason.
What do you consider reasonable?
Are nobles superior?"
Augustus suppressed his displeasure, preventing it from showing too obviously on his face.
"To some extent, that is true, but this is what nobles deserve.
Nobles pay the most taxes annually, the ancestors of hereditary nobles have made outstanding contributions to the country, and nobles are also your most loyal arms…"
The long-robed noble spoke voluminously.
Augustus believed that these were the most sincere words he had spoken today; that inherent pride could not be hidden.
"But before bullets, all beings are equal.
If nobles are given privileges in the army, Satan will also grant them privileges, precedence, on the battlefield."
The long-robed noble fell silent.
Augustus continued, "Reason seems to be fine, so let's talk about legality.
Do you understand the reason for the executed noble's actions?
I haven't even had time to find out yet, so tell me."
"We are also not clear; we only heard rumors, but those charges were all stated by Juan, and we haven't seen conclusive evidence."
The long-robed noble believed that the law does not punish a large number of people, and each time he said "I", he added "we".
"Without investigation, you have no right to speak; aren't you a bit too hasty in coming here?"
Augustus asked kindly.
The long-robed noble stammered, "In peacetime, we didn't expect any major mistakes."
"Completely wrong.
Problems exposed during wartime are often those buried in peacetime.
Also, you dare to plead for that executed person without even knowing what crime he committed?
If it was treason or espionage, aren't you afraid of being implicated?
How dare you?"
Augustus sternly reprimanded them.
Upon hearing this, everyone present was greatly alarmed, and the speaking noble was sweating profusely with nervousness.
"Alright, aren't you concerned about this matter?
It just so happens that I also need to understand the situation.
Tomorrow, I will go to the Field Army camp, and you can come with me.
If you have any questions, ask them directly.
If you want any evidence, have Juan and Duke show it to you.
Does that sound acceptable to you?
If you find it troublesome, you can send a representative, but of course, I have no objection if you all want to come."
Augustus thought, this should be considered taking it very seriously.
"Thank you, Your Holiness."
The long-robed noble also got what he wanted; as for what to do next, he would know after seeing it tomorrow.
After seeing off this group of people, Augustus cursed under his breath: "Worthless good-for-nothings."
"You couldn't even out-talk me; I wrongly hoped some of you could serve as ambassadors abroad.
If you were truly ambassadors, you'd probably be used as spies by the other side.
Indeed, those who step forward first usually aren't the brightest."
Several groups of people came one after another, varying in skill levels, and there were indeed a few decent ones.
But without exception, Augustus handled them all.
All roads led to the same destination: those who had objections to this matter would come to the military camp tomorrow to understand the situation.
Except for one group who were so scared they didn't even want to go to the military camp, rushing to distance themselves and declare that they had nothing to do with the matter and were completely unfamiliar with the person.