Having gathered enough men and ascertained the situation, Augustus returned to Rome with great fanfare.
Seeing Faol standing at the city gate from afar, Augustus felt relieved; it seemed he had indeed worried too much this time.
If the mastermind had the ability to unite forces against him, there would be no need to use such despicable methods to kill him.
However, it didn't matter; caution prevented major blunders, and when it came to his enemies, it was better to overestimate than underestimate them.
Seeing Augustus from a distance, Faol scurried forward to greet him: "Your Holiness, you've finally returned.
Everything in the Papal States is as usual, and I have successfully completed my mission."
"Good, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me," Augustus said approvingly.
Faol was surrounded by attendants and close retainers, with no other ministers in sight, so Augustus casually asked, "Where are the others?"
"It's working hours, and they are all performing their duties.
I decided on my own not to have them come, as I believe they shouldn't leave their posts.
Please forgive me, Your Holiness."
"What is there to forgive?
This is excellent.
It seems you can truly manage the Papal States in an orderly fashion, which is wonderful.
I'll have a much easier time from now on," Augustus joked.
Faol also looked behind Augustus and saw no carriage; only a dozen of the Swiss Guard who had left had returned, all on horseback, though they hadn't had horses when they departed.
Behind them followed an army stretching as far as the eye could see, and he couldn't help but look puzzled.
Augustus noticed Faol's thoughts and explained, "Something happened on the way back.
I was worried that the other side might target Rome, so I abandoned the carriage and left the main force to rush back immediately.
The others will return in a day or two."
Faol turned pale with shock, moving his lips but too stunned to speak.
Augustus continued, "Because I was worried about unforeseen changes in Rome, just in case, I found Karl on the way back and had him bring a regiment with me.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
However, Rome's city defenses also need to be strengthened for a while, so bringing them was still the right decision."
Calming his emotions and realizing the seriousness of the situation, Faol suggested, "Your Holiness, there are too many eyes and ears here, and this matter is too important.
It's best not to let too many people know about it for now.
Let's discuss it inside."
"Very well, Karl, Dracula, come over here.
I want to hear your thoughts."
"Yes, sir," Karl and Dracula replied in unison from the side.
Back in the Papal Palace, Augustus desperately wanted to lie down and get some good sleep.
His eyelids were heavy from traveling all night, but he couldn't yet; he had to push through.
"Do we need to gather the ministers for a meeting to discuss this matter together?" Faol asked.
"No, they don't need to know yet," Augustus waved his hand.
"As you said, the fewer people who know about this now, the better.
There's no benefit in telling them."
He had rushed back precisely to exploit the time difference in the spread of this news.
Augustus judged that the enemy was in Rome.
If he let everyone know immediately, his rush would have been for nothing.
He couldn't expect the mastermind to step forward, and it would also alert the enemy.
If he escaped, it would not only damage the Pope's authority but also pose a potential threat.
"Dracula, you explain what happened."
Professionals would certainly be more thorough in their assessment, and Augustus himself was unclear about some parts of the events, having not asked during the journey.
...
Dracula recounted the entire incident from beginning to end in detail.
Karl then raised questions, including some minute details Augustus hadn't noticed, and Dracula answered them, making the account much more comprehensive and detailed.
Karl slowly began his analysis: "The crossbows used by that group of mercenaries are a very important clue; perhaps we can find something out from them.
I find it very strange.
Why would someone capable of providing such a batch of high-quality crossbows hire such low-class mercenaries to do something so high-risk?
Didn't he know these people were unreliable?
Surely such an important matter would warrant an investigation, or did he know the outcome and still conceal the target's identity, tricking them into coming?"
"Then what was their purpose?
Wasn't it to assassinate His Holiness?" Faol asked, puzzled, then suddenly seemed to understand and answered himself, "Are you saying their purpose wasn't to assassinate His Holiness at all, but to frame someone?"
"I think that's a possibility," Karl nodded.
"Such a framing method is a bit too clumsy," Augustus scoffed.
"Most people are prone to making foolish mistakes when their lives are threatened, and a wise and brilliant Pope like yourself is clearly not among them, which shows that the other party doesn't understand you at all," Karl teased.
"That's good, then; they only wanted to frame someone, not truly assassinate His Holiness," Faol murmured.
Augustus stated unequivocally, "What's good about it? Whether they truly wanted to kill me or frame someone else with such an act, it is absolutely unacceptable.
The true culprit must be found and severely punished!"
"Yes, of course, they must be severely punished!" Faol first agreed, then explained, "When I said 'good,' I was considering your personal safety, since they weren't truly trying to harm you."
"I'm not so sure.
Regardless of the motive, even if this time was a feint, since they've already resorted to such methods, it's not impossible for them to try a real one next time.
And if I had been truly unlucky, I would already be dead this time.
Therefore, I actually think it's not that the other party wasn't aiming to kill me; they just made two preparations."
Augustus disagreed with Faol's view.
At this moment, Dracula, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke: "I believe the mastermind behind this incident is most likely someone from within our own ranks.
If it were another country, the attackers they sent would likely not be so incompetent.
Our internal personnel, however, might not be able to mobilize military forces without anyone knowing, which is why they were forced to find them."
"That's my view as well," Augustus agreed.
"Since the other party gave the name Enzo, let's consider who has a bad relationship with Enzo and who would benefit if Enzo fell."
At these words, all three fell silent.
After a long pause, Faol finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "It seems I haven't found anyone who has a good relationship with him, and it seems the other ministers would all be delighted by his downfall.
Enzo more or less holds some leverage over them, posing a considerable threat.
If Enzo dies, these matters will all be buried with him.
From that perspective, I feel like no one can be ruled out."
Augustus thought for a moment; it indeed seemed to be the case.
Since others' suspicions couldn't be ruled out, how could Enzo's suspicion be completely cleared?
Currently, it was only suspected that someone was framing Enzo.
If it could be confirmed that Enzo was unrelated to this matter, then entrusting the investigation to him would be an excellent choice.
In this area, these few of them were amateurs, but it was what Enzo excelled at most.
Sigh, winter break is busier than school.