The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 39 The Decisive Evidence 

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Marcus traveled around Syracuse and Messana, recruiting all the people on Dion’s list.

The governor Lucius only learned that Cicero had collected evidence and left after they had departed from Messana.

He was too focused on the news that Hicetas, the representative of the clients, had summoned the witnesses.

When Lucius heard that Cicero was heading to Lilybaeum, he felt suffocated.

Unlike Quintus and Hortensius, who were in Rome, he knew all about Verres’ embezzlement.

Hortensius thought that Verres had only taken bribes like other governors, and prepared his defense accordingly.

It was inevitable.

If Hortensius had known the full extent of Verres’ corruption, he would not have taken the case.

Quintus knew that Verres had committed a huge embezzlement, but he did not know everything either.

On the other hand, Lucius had to cover up Verres’ illegal acts, so he knew everything he had done.

To be honest, he wondered if he had to protect such a person even at the risk of his life.

But he had no choice.

Since some of the money that Verres had embezzled had gone to the Metellus family, they were accomplices in a way.

If Verres was convicted, Lucius might also be charged with concealing evidence.

“Damn it… Do I really have to do this?”

He was anxious because he did not know how much evidence Cicero had gathered.

“If he had gone straight to Lilybaeum as expected, I could have detained him for various reasons… But he’s too cunning and clever.”

Lucius tapped his desk nervously and muttered to himself.

Cicero was heading to Lilybaeum now, but he could change his route at any time.

He felt a creeping sense of unease that something was going wrong.

He had ordered to destroy all the evidence, but there was no guarantee that it would be done properly.

If Cicero kept roaming around Sicily like this, he might stumble upon something.

Lucius was seriously considering the final measure that Verres had suggested.

It was not his fault anyway. If something went wrong, he could just say that he did not know anything.

He made up his mind and secretly called one of his servants to give him an order.

“Go and tell them. Do exactly as the former governor asked. But don’t kill them. Don’t even hurt them badly. Never forget that they are senators.”

“Yes. I will make sure to convey your message respectfully.”

The servant left and Lucius clicked his tongue.

“He still has connections with pirates even after leaving his post… I should keep my distance from him after this is over.”

Lucius shook his head with a disgusted expression.

  ※※※※

Marcus and Cicero continued to move in their carriage.

They had achieved good results in the previous city, but there was no guarantee that everything would go smoothly until the end.

Now they had to assume that their whereabouts had been exposed and act accordingly.

That was the problem.

There were watchful eyes all over Sicily, and they did not know what kind of interference they would face.

In the rattling carriage, Cicero suddenly opened his mouth.

“When we return to Rome, I’m thinking of introducing a new trial method that I devised.”

“Do you think the current trial system is unfair?”

“Well, something like that. Actually, the Roman court is too favorable to the defense. No matter how thoroughly we gather evidence, we don’t have a solid basis to present it effectively.”

“But even if we ask them to change the trial method to our advantage, they will just refuse.”

“No. Hortensius won’t think that my proposal is disadvantageous to him. He has absolute confidence in his rhetorical skills.”

The trial procedure of the Roman court was very sophisticated, not less than modern times. 

But as sophisticated as it was, it was also slow and complicated.

The trial was divided into two stages: the first and the second. The jurors made their verdict as soon as the second stage was over.

The problem was that the last part of the second stage was the final speech of the defense team.

If there was enough time for discussion, it would be fine, but the jurors did not have that time.

In other words, the jurors had to make their decision while the eloquent speech of the defense team was still fresh in their minds.

Most lawyers thought that the court was more favorable to the defense than to the prosecution for this reason.

Of course, Cicero did not intend to propose any changes to this second stage.

The defense team would not accept it. He was aiming for the first stage.

“If you have a surefire strategy for this trial, I will just focus on the evidence and witnesses.”

“You’re doing well enough already. I don’t know what kind of trouble Lucius will cause us, but we should be able to handle it.”

“We can’t relax yet. People can do crazy things when they are desperate. He might be stupid enough to use force.”

“Ha ha, I doubt he’s that dumb.”

But as they say, words have power.

Their conversation was not even finished yet.

The speed of the carriage suddenly slowed down, and they heard Spartacus’ voice from the driver’s seat.

“Sirs. There are some people blocking the road ahead. They look suspicious, so be careful.”

Marcus and Cicero exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously snorted.

“He is an idiot after all.”

“I can’t believe he’s so reckless.”

When they peeked outside the carriage, they saw almost twenty people blocking their way.

They had prepared horses so that they could chase them if they tried to turn around and run away.

“They brought more people than I expected.”

The leader looked like a sinister man with one eye covered by an eyepatch.

He and his men were all armed with sharp weapons, as if they had been waiting for them.

The road they were passing by was a deserted place, but they had never heard of any robbers here.

But seeing them come out like this, their purpose was obvious.

They knew they would not let them go easily.

Amidst a faint tension, Marcus calmly stepped out of the carriage and spoke.

“If you block the road like that, we can’t pass by. How about you move aside?”

“What? Don’t you get what’s going on?”

The leader narrowed his squinty eyes and retorted.

They were not intimidated by the fierce eyes of the nearly twenty thugs.

“Are you trying to kidnap us and ask for ransom? How much are you expecting, if I may ask?”

“Forget about the ransom. You just have to come with us. We won’t treat you badly, so don’t resist too much. We’ll keep you for a few months and then let you go.”

“Judging by your outfits, you’re not bandits but pirates… Did someone tell you to capture us?”

“That’s none of your business. You just have to follow us quietly.”

Normal pirates would have asked for ransom, not kept them for months.

This alone confirmed their suspicion.

They had blocked the road like bandits, not attacked their ship, because it was too risky to raid a ship going from Sicily to Rome.

The western part of the Mediterranean was under Rome’s control, unlike the south or the east.

So they chose this method to avoid being caught as much as possible.

‘He really resorted to this desperate measure. Was he that afraid of Pompey?’

Marcus scratched his head and sighed lightly.

“I don’t think you realize what a bad choice you made, but I’ll give you one chance. I’ll add some extra money to the fee you were offered and ask you to join my side. That’s better for you in any way.”

“…You’ll pay us more?”

The pirates’ faces showed a moment of confusion.

But the leader did not hesitate at all. He raised his hand and stopped his wavering men.

“It’s a tempting offer, but we can’t accept it. This is not a simple matter of money.”

“Is that so? Do you know that this man here is a senator of Rome and still say that?”

“That’s why we’re listening to you right now. But we don’t have time for more chit-chat. Just come with us quietly. If not, we’ll have to use some rough methods.”

They had already obtained all the information they could get from the pirates’ reactions.

They knew that Cicero was a senator and still tried to kidnap him, and they refused the offer of more money.

That meant that there was someone with more power behind the pirates.

There was no one else who would do such a ridiculous thing except Verres.

Marcus knew that too, and deliberately wasted time.

The pirates would have attacked them without any words if it were normal, but they got caught up in Marcus’s words because they were ordered not to hurt them badly.

That sealed their fate.

“I gave you a chance, so don’t blame me too much.”

As soon as he said that, one of the pirates who was watching behind ran up in a hurry.

“Boss. There are quite a few carriages and wagons coming from behind.”

“What? This is usually a quiet place at this time… Damn it, we have no choice. If there are any witnesses, capture them if they are Roman citizens, or kill them otherwise. And hurry up and grab that senator and the young man. Don’t kill the driver either if he’s a Roman citizen.”

“Yes!”

Two of the pirates drew their weapons and approached Cicero and Marcus.

But Marcus did not seem to feel any sense of crisis at all.

Spartacus stood firmly in front of him with a calm expression.

He spoke in a serene voice to the pirates.

“If you come any closer, I can’t guarantee your lives.”

  “What are you talking about, you insolent driver? If you want to serve your master well, don’t resist and just follow us.”

One of the pirates moved forward with his sword threateningly.

The other one, however, felt uneasy when he saw Spartacus’ physique and aura.

He was about to tell him to wait, but it was too late.

The pirate who had reached Spartacus’ nose threw himself lightly.

It was a foolish suicide attempt that only someone who did not know his opponent’s skill could do.

He only felt something flash. 

The pirate’s neck flew in the air, cut by a sword that stretched out like lightning.

The pirate’s blood and body decorated the ground without a sound.

Human flesh and bones are not as easy to cut as one might think.

It was a shocking sight for the pirates to see a person’s neck cut so cleanly with a single sword.

The equipment that showed through the shabby tunics glittered in the sunlight.

The quick-witted leader had a bad feeling that something had gone wrong.

At the same time, the carriages and wagons that had followed Marcus at a distance arrived.

The escorts, who had been prepared for any situation, revealed themselves one by one in full armor.

They were not simple slaves.

They were all former soldiers who had received proper training and were skilled in combat.

Marcus had absorbed a large number of soldiers who had been half-militarized after suppressing the slave rebellion.

It was a worthwhile investment, since he needed force like this sometimes for his business.

The subordinates who formed a line waited for Marcus’ order.

“Spare those who drop their weapons and surrender. Kill the rest.”

“As you wish.”

Marcus’ escorts, led by Spartacus, charged at the pirates.

The pirates, who were completely confused, looked at their leader with resentful eyes.

“This is not what you said! You said we only had to kidnap three or four people!”

“Look at those bastards! They’re obviously trained soldiers! How can we beat them?”

“You idiots! Stop talking and stop them first!”

The leader tried to give an order, but it was too late.

In an instant, two more pirates were slashed and collapsed by Spartacus’ sword.

The pirates, who had lost their morale, could not even put up a proper fight against the organized escorts and fell apart.

Spartacus killed the ones near the horses first to prevent them from escaping.

Cicero watched him sweep away the pirates with admiration and opened his mouth.

“Did you expect this to happen? Is that why you told them to follow us at a distance?”

“Of course not. I brought them just in case something like this might happen. I told them to keep their distance so they wouldn’t attract attention.”

“Honestly, I was a bit unhappy that the escorts were hiding their excessive weapons. But now I see that it was thanks to your caution that we could avoid danger. I guess I was short-sighted.”

“It was just luck. But it will make things easier for us.”

The leader, who realized that he had no chance after his men suffered a near-annihilation, threw away his weapon and surrendered.

There were less than five pirates left alive.

The leader knelt down and lay flat on his face. 

His expression was filled with fear.

He looked up at Marcus, who came closer, with a desperate expression.

“Please… mercy…”

“You should have cooperated when I offered you money.”

The leader’s eyes shook at the cold tone. 

Marcus ignored his fearful reaction for a moment and continued.

“But you still have some use, so I’ll decide your fate after hearing your answer. How about it? Do you still want to keep your loyalty to the one who hired you?”

“No, of course not! I’ll do anything you want, just spare my life.”

“Really? Then first, tell me who told you to kidnap us. It must be Verres, right? Do you have any evidence that he hired you?”

The leader nodded his head like crazy.

“Of course. I can definitely get it!”

“Good. And one more thing. Tell your employer this. You succeeded in your mission, and you’ll keep the hostages well and release them in a few months. Of course, I can’t trust you, so you’ll have to stay here as a hostage until I confirm that you followed the instructions. Send one of your men to deliver the letter.”

“Yes? I’ll do as you say, but…”

Unlike the bewildered pirate leader, Cicero understood Marcus’ intention.

“That’s a good idea. Verres and Lucius will think that we’re imprisoned and lower their guard. We can move freely and discreetly from now on.”

“Yes. Let’s give them a nice surprise while they’re celebrating their victory.”

Cicero laughed heartily as he imagined Verres’ face when he was caught off guard.

It was a trial that everyone expected them to lose.

The evidence collection had gone smoothly, but he had felt a slight anxiety that did not go away.

But not anymore.

He had never looked forward to the trial date so much in a long time.