After the tour, Augustus dismissed the Swiss Guard, letting them go interact with the soldiers of the Field Army.
He and the accompanying nobles followed the soldier acting as their guide to a military tent, where Duke was engrossed in writing and drawing something.
Seeing Augustus arrive, Duke put down his quill, stood up, performed a standard salute, and then said with a slight apology, "Your Holiness, gentlemen, I am occupied with official duties and could not greet you sooner; please forgive me."
"It's alright. We are all practical people and don't care much for formalities, aren't we?" Augustus said, scanning the accompanying nobles, some of whom lowered their heads in shame.
Several nobles, who had been accumulating dissatisfaction with Duke for a long time and were ready to question him, heard the Pope's words, which clearly conveyed an indifferent attitude.
If the Pope didn't mind, how could they speak up? So, most of them swallowed their words.
But there was one exception: "While practical work is important, the importance of etiquette cannot be underestimated. Etiquette is a symbol of one's status and a reflection of one's cultivation. Duke comes from a mercenary background, so he may lack etiquette, but you cannot."
Upon hearing this, Duke frowned in displeasure.
"Thank you for teaching me how to do things. I am enlightened," Augustus replied perfunctorily, without even looking at him.
The nobles' emphasis on etiquette was exactly like the pedantic scholars of the East.
If it were just that, Augustus would not have had this attitude.
Augustus was not someone who couldn't accept criticism or different opinions, but bringing up Duke's background like that—what was that about, praising one while stepping on another?
Duke was someone he had promoted exceptionally, he was his friend, and he was also the current commander of the Field Army.
This fellow clearly had ill intentions.
"This is what I should do," the noble said, either genuinely believing the Pope was thanking him or feigning ignorance, speaking as if he were very much an insider.
Augustus felt quite speechless and simply stopped bothering with him.
After a moment of silence, Duke broke it, asking expectantly, "Gentlemen, you have all toured our camp. How do you feel about it?"
"Very good, but it still needs to be better!" Augustus interjected.
Augustus didn't want to hear what the nobles thought about the army; they could keep it to themselves.
He wouldn't favor anyone for supporting him, nor would he alienate anyone for opposing him.
As for Duke, he was very confident, so there was no need to flatter him; a simple affirmation and a little encouragement would suffice.
"Of course! You can rest assured entrusting them to me. Given time, I guarantee I will cultivate an invincible army!" As he spoke, Duke waved his hand, creating a gust of wind.
"Good!" Augustus replied, his voice short and powerful.
"Your Holiness, I hope you haven't forgotten the purpose of our visit," a noble said, completely uninterested in the army's development, eagerly trying to steer the conversation back.
Augustus waved his hand, feigning innocence, and said, "Of course I haven't forgotten. Feel free to ask whatever you want; I'm not stopping you from asking."
The nobles, who had been worn out, suddenly perked up.
They exchanged glances for a few seconds, then someone spoke.
"General Duke, for what crime was that noble executed?" The tone was relatively polite, not as aggressive as Augustus had expected, seemingly genuinely concerned only with the incident itself.
"Disrupting morale, planning sabotage, provoking trouble, camp brawling, attempted bribery, premeditated murder, insulting a superior officer—multiple crimes combined, sentenced to death.
Originally, the executed person was also suspected of espionage, but considering that the executed person did not possess such capacity for action, that charge was excluded," Duke answered calmly.
"So, all those established charges are ironclad?" the noble pressed.
"Precisely. A death sentence is a major matter everywhere, and I personally investigated the situation. There are both human and material evidence, confirming it without error.
However, if you ask me about some details, I may not be able to answer. It's best to confront Juan in person.
Let's go to the Eighth Regiment's camp; Juan should be there now," Duke said, and without waiting for the noble's response, he waved his hand forward, ready to leave.
Duke's entire speech was exceptionally fluent, without a single pause, clearly having been rehearsed beforehand.
The nobles were stunned and didn't react immediately.
Augustus couldn't help but let out a laugh.
He had genuinely intended to try and dispel the nobles' doubts, but Duke's antics made it feel a bit like passing the buck.
It would be interesting if they went there only to find Juan was out on business today and were told to come back another time.
"Wait, why are we going to find him? Shouldn't he come to us?" a noble questioned after realizing what was happening.
"What did you come here for?" Duke retorted.
"Of course, to investigate the case."
"Where did the incident occur?"
The noble thought for a moment and replied uncertainly, "It seems to be the Eighth Regiment camp."
"There you have it. If you're investigating a case, and you don't go to the crime scene, then what exactly are you investigating?
Why don't I just send the witnesses and evidence to your homes for you to examine? Friend, have you ever investigated a case? You have very little professional competence," Duke mercilessly mocked.
The noble was left speechless, rolled his eyes, and said no more.
Of course, he had never investigated a case; what noble became rich by being a detective?
He was merely exercising his noble rights and obligations this time.
Augustus smiled with satisfaction, seeing Duke put the noble in his place.
It was good to make them suffer a bit; since they liked to cause trouble, it was best to make them suffer enough this one time so they wouldn't cause trouble again.
The camp itself was very large, and Duke's tent was the farthest from the Eighth Regiment's camp.
This distance was nothing to Duke, and Augustus also felt fine about it.
But for the nobles, who were accustomed to a life of ease, the previous tour had already exhausted them, and this was another period of torment.
Upon reaching the Eighth Regiment's camp, Juan presented the human and material evidence and answered all the questions raised by the nobles one by one.
He, too, was well-prepared, and everything seemed impeccable.
The nobles also seemed unable to find any flaws.
One noble, unwilling to give up, actually said, "The camp is full of your people, so I suppose it wouldn't be difficult for you to fabricate some false testimony.
We have reason to suspect you fabricated charges and murdered a noble officer."
"Innocent until proven guilty," Augustus said calmly, then added, "Of course, you can be suspicious of anything, but mere suspicion clearly cannot lead to a conviction.
You must provide evidence, otherwise, this is merely slander.
I know this is your first time in a military camp, so asking you to produce any evidence is clearly asking too much.
Therefore, I can allow you to form an investigation team and stay here longer to investigate this matter."
Looking at the fully armed soldiers around him and Juan's murderous gaze, the noble who had just spoken couldn't help but shiver.
"That won't be necessary. I was overthinking it. I apologize for what I just said," the noble said, bowing deeply to Juan, his etiquette impeccable.
Just as he had said, this was their territory.
If he stayed, it would be easy for them to arrange an accident for him.
After all, he had done similar things himself, and judging others by himself, he believed Duke and his men would do the same.
Juan accepted his apology very magnanimously, and the nobles had no other questions.
Augustus and the nobles embarked on their journey back to camp, and this matter was thus concluded for the time being.