Chapter 7
Before the trial began, I had completed all preparations.
With the current Archbishop and Duke on my side, who were even more powerful than a lawyer with connections, I had said all that needed to be said.
At this point, even if I openly killed someone on the street, I'd get off with a slap on the wrist.
However, I was still putting on an act.
Pretending as if I hadn't made any preparations despite the impending trial.
"Antonio, since we don't know when customers might come, we'll keep the currently employed staff. We'll pay their daily wages as promised."
"Yes, young master."
"And while coffee is delicious, how about we try serving juice made from blended fruits instead of coffee? Something like lemon juice."
Antonio couldn't properly respond after hearing my words.
He gave me a slightly pitying look.
"Young master, are you really alright? How could Assistant Bishop Christian charge you with such an absurd crime..."
Due to Christian prosecuting me and this cafe in the church court, we had almost no customers.
Once a church trial was involved, it was extremely difficult for someone like me, who officially had no backing, to survive.
Getting involved could tarnish one's reputation as a noble.
"It's fine. Deus knows I'm innocent, so why worry? The church will surely clear my name."
Though I said this, I didn't trust the Tuscan Empire, or rather, the Deus Church.
There might be a god since transmigration exists, but these church clergy create illegitimate children without proper marriages.
They even run laundering machines exclusively for social status, promising to make these illegitimate children nobles.
When they're trying to ruin someone like me, who's done nothing wrong, by dragging me to a church trial.
How could I trust the church?
"If that's what you say, young master, I'll accept it. Just please don't forget that we're always praying for you."
Having transmigrated, I won't deny the existence of God, but what good would come from believing in this Deus?
Still, it feels good that they worry about me with such sincere expressions.
"This is a rosary the employees pooled money to buy. Father Pio, who often visited our cafe, blessed it. We bought it hoping your innocence would be revealed."
A silver rosary that could be worn around the neck, which nobles don't use.
But if a priest blessed it directly, it must be quite valuable.
Did all the employees pool a week's worth of wages?
It's been 20 years since I transmigrated to this world, but I feel a lump in my throat for some reason.
All the employees looked at me and cheered me on.
Saying things like my innocence would surely be revealed, that it was impossible for a good noble like me to lack faith, and so on.
That's why I absolutely couldn't tell them.
That this was all a show put on by the Archbishop, the Duke, and me, with a not guilty verdict already arranged.
And the reason why I was bothering with this troublesome act...
With the sound of someone kicking the door open, a group of people rushed in.
"Is the owner of Cafe Medici, Fabio de Medici, here?"
"Here he is."
"By order of Assistant Bishop Christian de Tolone, we arrest you for promoting lewd customs among young people, an act against faith! If you resist, we'll consider it disobedience to the church's authority and hand you over to the heresy inquisitor!"
Generally, even for a second son of a noble family, they don't arrest you in public.
That's the rule of noble society.
But this Christian fellow seems to hold such a grudge against me that he's breaking even this taboo.
It looks like I'm going to be tied up with ropes and dragged away in front of everyone.
"Arrest him!"
The church priests quickly tied me up with ropes.
It felt like becoming a traitor tied up with ropes like in a historical drama.
"Drag him away!"
**
I was immediately dragged to the religious court.
There were Assistant Bishop Christian and Viscount Valiano who had reported me.
In addition, clergy who would act as associate judges and church subordinates were glaring at me.
It seems that the bastard of an Assistant Bishop filled the trial staff with his own subordinates to sink me.
The priest dragging me sneered.
"Listen here, young master Medici."
"What is it?"
"Let's end this nicely. If you just admit your guilt when you appear in court, they won't sentence you to death, but end it with something like house arrest. This is mercy directly bestowed by the Assistant Bishop."
You want to kill me so badly, but you're afraid you can't handle the aftermath of killing the second son of the Medici baron family over something like this, right?
Really, what funny fellows. They'll have their skulls cracked by the Archbishop who will coincidentally arrive when the verdict is about to be given.
"Deus is on the side of the righteous. My righteousness will be revealed in court."
"You seem to have read some Bible despite not even going to the academy."
I've read it over and over for 20 years since transmigrating, thinking there might be a use for it.
Because even just having a general grasp of the Bible can make you be treated as a very cultured person.
"If you don't admit your guilt, the Assistant Bishop might sentence you to be burned at the stake. Think carefully."
Even Galileo Galilei's religious trial was conducted in this way.
If the church marks you as an impure element, you get interrogated in the church court.
After the interrogation, you're given a chance to repent, and if you do, your sentence is drastically reduced.
Even Galileo's original sentence of burning at the stake was reduced to lifelong house arrest (with limited freedom of movement).
Christian, sitting in the highest seat, immediately declared the admission of spectators and the start of the trial.
True to the empire where even watching a trial becomes entertainment, nobles of all ages gathered.
[The man leading Florence's trends, turns out to be a heretic?]
If translated into Korean style, it would be an article with such a headline, so it's not strange that they came.
The reason I bothered to come here was also because of this.
In a world where fame becomes power, to gain the title of a dignified man who expresses his convictions even in the face of death at a religious trial.
"We will now begin the trial. Does the defendant Fabio de Medici admit to all the acts he's been charged with?"
"I cannot admit to any of them."
At those words, the nobles who didn't know the situation looked at me with interested gazes.
"Very well, then let the plaintiff, Viscount Valiano, directly recite his charges."
Valiano stood up and began to recite my charges one by one.
"The defendant Fabio opened a lewd establishment called Cafe Medici, corrupting the morals of Florence, the capital of the empire!"
In the 21st century, moral corruption would end up as a misdemeanor unless it's in the realm of rape or sex crimes.
But in this era, moral corruption could get you killed.
In some sense, it's almost at the level of murder.
"These are the pieces of evidence I've heard and witnessed. And respected Assistant Bishop, originally marriage is a blessing where a man and woman chosen by their parents are paired together. How can noble men and women gather shamelessly in a place called a cafe, engage in conversation, and fall in love with each other in such a lewd manner?"
The younger generation reacted coldly to those words.
"What is that old-fashioned person saying? It's okay to fall in love at a ball, but not okay at a cafe?"
On the other hand, a minority of old-fashioned grandfathers somewhat sympathized.
"Of course, marriage between men and women should be based on family interests. These days, young people are so brazen, tsk tsk. In my day, we couldn't even think of such things."
I couldn't say anything to these old-fashioned gentlemen right now, but...
You arrange political marriages for noble young ladies and lock them up at home, while you show off your virility to courtesans and maids.
Wasn't that abnormal?
Deus taught that man and woman should become one flesh.
These gentlemen who pretend to be devout believers with their mouths.
However, Christian, who was the judge and Assistant Bishop at this place, made the sign of the cross after hearing those words.
"Oh Lord, for such a disgraceful thing to happen in the world... The world is truly in its last days."
No, it's your head that's on its last days.
What must be in your head to think that men and women immediately have relations just by talking?
You seem to be about 50 years old.
Do you still have that much energy at that age?
"However, I will do my duty."
The Assistant Bishop bastard tapped the ground with the staff in his hand.
"Besides Viscount Christian, there are as many as 15 others who have given similar testimonies. We can't put them all on the witness stand, but they've all sworn to Deus and submitted written testimonies."
The content of the testimonies was obvious without even looking.
If you untangle all the logical relationships, it would be nonsense.
However, those who testified must be people of quite high status.
In a society where status equals credibility, it's useless to protest against that.
But what is he trying to do?
The Grand Archbishop of Florence will soon come and sort out the whole situation.
So I just need to show the best possible image in a fight where the outcome is already decided.
Pretending to be composed even in the face of death.
"Oh Deus, I beseech you to recognize my innocence."