First to be tried was Cardinal Bellori. He was responsible for inciting many commoners to take up arms and try to revolt against Alphonse after the fall of the Pope's faction. The damage from that action was pretty mild, and only a few lives were loss.
Victor, who was the lead judge, read out the charge to Cardinal Bellori. With the charge laid out, Cardinal Bellori tried to defend his actions. "I incited the commoners to revolt so that they would not be drawn into a bloody siege under Alphonse and his cousin. I would have had them surrender the city to you and let your justice determine my fate."
Luca cursed out the cardinal, while Alphonse just stared at him blankly. The Pope and the other cardinals did not say anything, waiting to see what Victor's response would be.
"You claim to act in the best interest of the commoners, but half a dozen innocent civilians died during your little revolt. What of their lives did you act in their best interest?" Victor coldly asked.
Bellori floundered trying to come up with an answer that would make him seem good. "They were unfortunate casualties… I take responsibility for their deaths as I could not control the unsettled mob. My only wish is that you realise I had good intentions."
Victor frowned for a moment and looked to either side of him, seeing if any of the assisting judges had any questions. There were none, so Victor turned to the jury and let them deliberate for half an hour.
When the jury returned, General Valerius, who was the foreman, read out the jury's decision. "We, the jury, find that Cardinal Bellori is sincere in that he did try to act in the best interest of the people. But inciting rebellion and causing the deaths of innocents can not be ignored. We wish to recommend you punish him, but not too harshly."
Victor nodded and signalled for Valerius to be seated. His gaze then turned to Cardinal Bellori. "Cardinal Bellori, with the jury's decision, I sentence you to 10 years in prison. You will be stripped of your title as cardinal, and your wealth will be confiscated."
Cardinal Bellori pleaded that the jury and Victor reconsider, but it was pointless. He was dragged off by Victor's soldiers to the dungeon. With Bellori escorted away, the next to face trial was Cardinal Crispus.
Crispus was charged with multiple accounts, including bribery, inciting rebellion and distributing stolen weapons to civilians before the war began.
Cardinal Crispus did not dispute the charges. "I do not deny that I did those things. But what I will say is that I am loyal to the Vicar of Christ. My actions were done under his orders, and I would do it all over again, even knowing the outcome."
Unfazed by how calm the young cardinal was, Victor asked, "So you will not say anything in your defence?"
Crispus shook his head, leaving his fate up to the jury. Once again, the jury went away, but this time it took them an hour to come to a decision. The calm demeanour of the cardinal made them question whether they believed he should be punished harshly or not.
When the jury returned, General Valerius delivered the verdict. "We, the jury, find that Cardinal Crispus did these acts on his own accord. He may be loyal, but the acts he has committed are responsible for being a spark of this civil war. We recommend he faces punishment."
Victor once again nodded. "Cardinal Crispus, you are hereby sentenced to 30 years in prison. You will be stripped of your title as cardinal, and your wealth will be confiscated."
Cardinal Crispus remained calm and nodded to Victor and the other judges. He was peacefully escorted out of the room to join Bellori in the palace dungeons. Two sentences had already been passed with six to go.
Next to the stand was Cardinal Naso. His charges were identical to Crispus's. They worked together quite regularly during this civil war and often times collaborated. Their combined efforts helped secure the southern nobles' support and helped arm the rebels in Florenzia.
Given that the charges were the same, the outcome would be the same. Cardinal Naso did try to plead his case and put on a pathetic show of empathy, but it was not convincing, which is why he was slapped with the same sentence as Crispus. He lost his title, and his wealth was confiscated.
The next five people had a lot more charges to their name, and the first person out of the five to be brought up was Cardinal Rossini. His charges were theft, bribery, kidnapping, murder and arson.
Cardinal Rossini orchestrated many events leading up to the civil war. He organised the theft of weapons that Crispus and Naso were distributing. Additionally, he planned the burning down of a munitions warehouse in Roma and kidnapped three local elders who, in his view, were spewing evil heretical nonsense that was turning people against the Pope. He ultimately killed them and hid their corpses.
Rossini was a fanatic of the Christian faith and did everything in his power to support the Pope, even if it meant sinning. He would find atonement after the Pope had won the civil war. If possible, he could purchase an indulgence.
When Victor stated his charges, Rossini rambled on about why he was innocent. "My actions were in the interest of preserving the faith and strengthening it. Our mission was one given to us by God, and you, Victor Luxenberg, have gone against his wishes. Your soul will be damned for all eternity."
This fanatical rambling did not help his case. In fact, this type of attitude showed that he had zero remorse for his actions. It showed that he had no care in the world for the lives he ruined. As such, the jury was quick to come to a decision.
"We, the jury, find Cardinal Rossini has shown no remorse for his action. He justifies it as God's will. This fanatic should not be shown any sympathies, as such, we recommend you punish him harshly for his crimes," General Valerius declared.
Victor nodded, "Cardinal Rossini, your actions are unforgivable and your delusion that they were justified shows that you have zero remorse for what you have done. With that in mind, I, Victor Luxenberg, sentence you to death."
The room gasped; the harshest punishment had finally been dished out. Cardinal Rossini did not beg for his life, but cursed everyone out in the room. He claimed they were all godless heretics that needed to face divine punishment.
He was swiftly dragged out of the room and back to the dungeon. His execution would be held at a later date.
With his sentence passed, four out of the eight defendants remained.