You Crossed The Line

Verres watched with a relaxed look as Cicero tried to start explaining.

Unaware of Verres instigating the pirates, Quintus whispered in an anxious tone.

"How does this work? Why did Hortensius approve of Cicero's proposal?"

"You would have judged that there was nothing disadvantageous about this side. Cicero is just struggling right now."

"How can you be so sure? If you lose, my family will suffer a lot of damage. You'll be destroyed, too. Is it really okay to be this relaxed?"

"Of course, Cicero can't have collected proper evidence. Only then will I come out with a bribe from Syracuse or Messana."

One or two such pieces of evidence will fade from the jurors' minds after the lengthy first trial.

In addition, there is nothing more to see when the second trial ends with Hortensius' beautiful defense.

No one will remember evidence or witnesses by then.

"But didn't Cicero say he had a lot of evidence and witnesses to put forward?"

"Of course, it is false. Of course, witnesses may have been scraped together somewhere, but there is nothing to worry about because witnesses alone cannot be charged."

"Well, if you're so sure...…."

"If he loses the trial, Cicero will not be able to set foot in Rome for at least five years. So he's trying to raise his awareness to the fullest by causing a commotion."

Now that a plebeian has sued the highest aristocrats, he must take the corresponding risk.

In the past, Caesar also lost the trial and went to Greece to study in the provinces to have a cooling period.

Caesar was one of the most prestigious aristocrats, so it ended in about three years, but Cicero's story is different.

As a plebeian, he could not return to Rome for the rest of his life, let alone five years.

Already convinced of victory, Verres was determined to mobilize all his Clientes.

At the end of the trial, everywhere, the voice will hear condemning Cicero for disturbing Rome with unreasonable indictments.

"We'll see. I'll make you pay for showing your teeth without knowing the subject."

If Cicero has kicked out, the next target would have been Pompeius, who instigated him.

Defeating a big man like Pompeius can be a sign of self-discipline, even if it is unreasonable.

Then senators who regard Pompeius as an eyesore will also welcome him with double arms.

It is not a dream to be a candidate for the next consul with the support of the Senate.

Cicero's speech had just begun and broke the idea of Verres, who was dreaming of a rosy blueprint.

Before explaining Verres's charges, he stressed the trial's significance to the jury.

"Dear jurors. This year is the last time a jury of only senators will rule. From next year, this right will be shared by the equites and plebeians. Why did this happen? All those who have been deprived of their seats due to recent misconduct have been acquitted by the court. Shame, our senate has put a stain on its own face. And now we're at a crossroads of choice again."

Cicero took a quick look at the faces of the jury members and continued his passionate speech.

"This trial is watched closely not only by the citizens of Rome, but also by the inhabitants of all the allied cities and provinces. Your choices will determine whether this Rome can continue to rule as a stable province. I am pleased that an all-senatorial jury will rule this trial. It's because we still have a chance to prove that we can purify ourselves. This is not to say that we should make wrong judgments to please the provincial residents. Hopefully, a fair verdict will be given based on clear evidence and witnesses. May the provincials be moved by our fairness and continue to be loyal to us, so that the reputation of the Roman Senate may once again cover the entire Mediterranean! I have no doubt that the jury will make a wise decision."

Immediately after Cicero's impassioned speech, Hortensius entered into a counterargument.

"We need to be cool. When you're the governor of a region, unexpected things happen all the time. One of the magistrates may commit an aberrant act, or the provincial defense forces may commit injustice. But you can't just rely on people's words and attribute this to the governor's responsibility without clear evidence. If this precedent is established, who will be able to take the position of governor with peace of mind in the future? There is one point in the accuser's speech that I agree with. Please do not be swayed by the emotional side and look at the objective evidence."

Perhaps because both sides' arguments sounded plausible, the jury exchanged their eyes with puzzled expressions.

But they couldn't keep thinking about it.

This is because all unnecessary speeches were postponed after the second trial, so the witness interrogation began immediately.

The first witness Cicero summoned was a farmer from Agrigentum on the southwest coast of Sicily.

Verres, who checked the farmer's face, first showed agitation.

According to reports, Cicero should not have gone to Agrigentum. No, he shouldn't have gone.

The farmer, who had been farming on the same land for five generations in Agrigentum, began to testify while staring at Verres.

"My family has been growing wheat on land that we have inherited from generation to generation until two years ago. However, shortly after my father passed away, a magistrate who worked under the governor came with a document. They said something absurd that my land had been sold. It was even ridiculously cheap. I protested that it couldn't be, but he brought in my father's will as evidence. But I swear my father never drew up a will like that."

Cicero lifted a piece of the document above his head so that the jury could see it all.

"This is the will in question. Please note that this is not the only case. Just from what I've checked, there are over 30 of them in each region. I've brought other wills here as well. Do you think it makes sense to sell all of the yolk land inherited from your ancestors at a bargain price to the governor? You forged the will!"

"It is a lie!"

Verres jumped out of his seat and shouted. He pointed the finger at Cicero and the farmer and spat out of his mouth.

"It's all a lie! I have never forged a will!"

"Verres, lower your voice."

The presiding judge cautioned him in a quiet tone.

"Leave the defense to the lawyer. And I have something to say, so answer me when I ask."

Verres chewed his lips and sat down again.

Then he whispered in an annoyed voice to Hortensius, who looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"That's all a lie. Would you be able to lay down all those lies? Ask him to show me proof that I fabricated it."

"I'm about to."

Hortensius approached the witness and opened the interrogation.

"Witness, are you sure the will was forged?"

"Of course."

"Why? Do you have any physical evidence? The argument that it simply can't be is just a testament. If we punish people simply by such circumstances, we can send more than half of the people in the world to prison."

Cicero submitted another document as if he had been waiting for Hortensius' words.

It was one of the conclusive pieces of evidence that Marcus had obtained with his help.

"This is the original will I received from the magistrate who works in Agrigentum. It was ordered to be destroyed, but it was kept by a magistrate who was worried that he might use poison if things went wrong. This original says that you should not hand it over to anyone because you do not intend to sell the land. He is also asking his son to protect the land he inherited from generation to generation."

Hortensius' expression was completely distorted. The will was undoubtedly genuine. He gritted his teeth by looking back at Verres.

From the circumstances, it seems clear that Verres did it, but he couldn't admit his guilt.

"Jurors! It seems true that the will was fabricated, but there is no guarantee that it was done by the former governor. The possibility is still open to the possibility of corruption by someone who sold the governor's name. There have been numerous cases of impersonating the governor's name and causing a crime."

"The magistrate testifies that there was an order from the governor."

"Maybe the magistrate is trying to blame the governor for his corruption."

"So, the defense team is saying that a magistrate is selling the name of the Governor. And also, they fabricate the will and try to overwrite it again. Since we have decided to skip the discussion process, we will leave the judgment to the jury."

Cicero immediately summoned another witness. He was an equites who lived in Syracuse, where the governor's residence has located. He was a merchant who transported wheat.

"Verres has been threatening to exclude me from the business of transporting wheat and has been asking for a price. And on one occasion at a dinner party, he openly extorted the art and the gold tableware in my house. I didn't even get paid. He had been determined to bring a large battery and instructed the slaves to sweep it all away. If you go to Verres's mansion, you will find all the items that I have been taken away."

"For your information, the artwork and goldware were produced by Polydias, a recently emerging artisan. Here's a receipt to prove that Polydias sold his work to this merchant."

The blood drained from Verres's face.

The jury and Hortensius looked at him in unison, looking dumbfounded.

The viciousness of crime aside, it was a very undignified way.

The murmur of a citizen watching the trial represented everyone's feelings.

"This isn't even a beggar...…."

While Hortensius was at a loss, Cicero continued to summon witnesses.

He threw a piece of clear evidence that the loan business was above the legally established interest rate.

Hortensius was just tearing his hair out and making lame excuses.

The first day of the trial ended with a one-sided attack by Cicero.

And this trend didn't change at all on the second day.

"This is a document submitted by a magistrate working in Syracuse. There is clear evidence that Verres and the city faked all sorts of illegal activities. He embezzled the treasury, fabricated the figures and reported them to Rome. If you compare it with the original here, you'll see that the traces of manipulation of the figures are very evident."

Hortensius accepted the document and tablet with trembling hands.

His hands trembled with anger and absurdity. When he saw Verres' face, he felt like he was going to curse, so he couldn't even look back.

For three days, four days, and seven days, evidence of embezzlement committed by Berreth poured endlessly.

In the end, a simple list of evidence and witnesses easily passed over ten days.

After Sextilis's Ides (August 13th), Verres had to leave among the slaves to avoid being beaten to death by an angry crowd.

He intensively revealed the most serious of Verres' crimes on the last day of the first trial.

In particular, the reaction when it has revealed that pirates had looted the temple's artworks and sculptures was a masterpiece.

Citizens, judges, jurors, and even Hortensius could not hide their astonishment with their mouths open.

"Even the ship was secretly built to move this thing to Rome, and the process is spectacular. They did not pay any remuneration to the craftsmen because they were illegally built."

The craftsman who came out as a witness testified in detail about how Verres built the ship illegally.

Hortensius did not even dare to defend now but just listened to the witnesses.

Verres shuddered to realize that the pirates had not properly carried out his orders.

It was fear, not anger, that filled his mind.

The pirates apparently cut off the hem of Cicero's toga and sent it as evidence. In other words, it is clear that they have contacted Cicero.

If, however, they betrayed him, it can have inferred that, for some reason, they sided with Cicero.

In other words, it is possible that he found out all of his orders to kidnap Cicero.

And that anxiety soon became a reality.

Cicero summoned a person who no one expected as the last witness.

"The last witness I ask to testify is Marcus Licinius Crassus! As the eldest son of the current consul, he will tell you the truth without any lies."

As Marcus walked out, the jury and Verres's eyes opened wide as if they were tearing.

Why did the eldest son of the Crassus family, the leader of the Optimates faction, side with Cicero?

However, the question has immediately resolved by Marcus' testimony.

"I was objectively investigating this case on my father's orders. If Verres' corruption is true, it will be a huge obstacle to ruling the province in the future. The reason why Verres was able to rule Sicily for three years was because of the rebellion caused by Crixus. If my father, no, if the governor was intent on plundering in the province while the Roman citizens were fighting fiercely against the rebels, this would be a disgrace to the whole of Rome. The honor of the aristocracy is at stake!"

The jury also nodded in unison at Marcus's solemn speech. His words came from a prestigious aristocracy and were different in weight from other witnesses.

"But there was also the possibility that all of this was a fabrication to impeach Verres. So I watched the investigation from the side of Senator Cicero. Is he not manipulating witnesses or evidence, or is he creating a crime that is not there through an unreasonable investigation? I am confident that I have observed the whole process fairly. But there was no manipulation or denial here. All of Verres's allegations turned out to be true, as the earlier evidence and witnesses said. But the reason I'm here is that one thing still remains: the worst crimes have not been uncovered."

Questions were raised in the eyes of the jury and citizens watching the trial.

It is not enough to say that the evidence so far has been the worst, but what more is there?

Marcus looked around the crowd once, looking straight at Verres and threw a move that would be the last blow.

"Verres did everything he could to conceal all the evidence that had come to light. However, unable to find a way to stop the accuser, he eventually turned to his own pirates. He wants the prosecutor, who is now roaming Sicily, not to gather any more evidence. Fortunately, because I and my escort were there, the prosecutor was able to get out of harm's way."

"That's ridiculous!"

One of the jurors raised his voice in disbelief. It was unacceptable to incite an attack on a Roman senator.

The Senate is like the representative of Rome. Threatening them is treated like throwing a sword at Rome.

Marcus calmly continued his explanation to the stunned jury.

"If Verres's crimes so far are caught, his destruction is definitive. To avoid destruction, they tried to prevent the prosecutor from collecting evidence. If the trial was postponed until next year, the trial itself could have been overshadowed by the power of family and connections."

"Do you have any evidence?"

"Of course, we captured a pirate who was ordered by Verres. And if you look at this document that I received from him, it's very detailed about the process of receiving orders from Verres."

Marcus did not say that Verres intentionally tried to kidnap them.

Of course, trying to kidnap a senator is a felony, but murder is more shocking than kidnapping.

Jurors and citizens were shocked to accept that Berreth had committed murder against Cicero.

In addition to the evidence from the pirates, Verres had no way to deny it.

Not only citizens but also aristocrats seemed to admit that Crassus's eyes were right.

It is much better for the aristocrat to condemn the aristocrat than for the plebeian to drag down the aristocrat.

The jury had practically already made up their minds.

Praetor Glabrio looked at Verres with a cold stare and said a word.

"If it is true that you tried to kill a senator, this is a serious crime that can never be forgiven. Do you have something to say?"

In a complete corner, Verres glanced around. But no one tried to make eye contact with him.

Not only Quintus, but even Hortensius, the lawyer, avoided his gaze.

Citizens clamored for condemnation of the murderer.

Verres, who had lost his mind halfway, screamed ferociously and shook his head.

"No! I didn't order murder! I told them to just kidnap him, kidnap him, and then release him! I am..."

Verres, who was speaking as he could, realized what he had said at the moment and hurriedly covered his mouth.

But it's already spilled water. His gaze at him, who had confessed his sin, became a sharp knife and stabbed him all over.

Cicero slowly raised his finger at Beres, who was in a state of confusion.

"Gaius Verres, your hideous crimes and conspiracies are exposed! The praetor, the senate, and all the people now know. If you are truly a Roman aristocrat, if you have even a sliver of conscience left in you, do not deny it ugly anymore, but admit your guilt proudly. Perez, you have crossed a line that should not be crossed as a Roman aristocrat. The line is the road of death that eventually leads to ruin. The immortal gods and the spirits of great ancestors will want you to be punished. Jupiter, the great patron god of Rome, and Minerva, who presides over the law! Thank you for bringing to light the true face of this terrible and heinous crime."

Cicero shouted passionately to heaven and bowed politely to the judge.

"Your Honor, Verres will not pay the price of sin. He's in danger of running away at night today to protect even the slightest bit of property. So please allow him to be detained in the mansion until the trial results come out. There is evidence that the defendant, who is clearly feared to flee, can be arrested."

This was a reminder from Marcus. According to history, Verres must have made a late-night escape, even in the middle of the night.

Then, even if they confiscated the property remaining in Rome, he could recover the property hidden in various places.

Marcus had no intention of allowing even that kind of mercy.

To Verres, Cicero's finger pointed at him looked like the sword of Justitia, the goddess of justice.

The weight of the scale that was held in the left hand of the goddess of justice finally tipped to one side.

"This is ridiculous! I am an aristocrat and a propraetor! Detention at home like a petty criminal?"

He screamed like a madman, but there was no way for Verres to escape.

Glabrio closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"As the prosecutor's argument is reasonable, Verres cannot leave the mansion unless necessary until the day the results of the second trial are released. The perimeter of the mansion will be guarded so that no one can enter without permission."

"No! I can't do that!"

Verres's eyes have stained with madness. Did he really think it would be the end if he stayed still?

He left his seat and ran away without looking back.

Unfortunately, however, the surrounding area of the courtroom was already crowded, and he could not even easily pull out.

"Oh, he's running away!"

"Catch!"

An angry mob immediately blocked Verres's path and seized him.

Verres's struggling gesture predicted a disastrous end.

"No! I...… I'm a former governor! You lowly bastards, can't you let go right away! I'm a former governor, ohhh!"

Verres, who the citizens dragged, was delivered to the soldiers.

The judge's solemn voice covered the struggling Verres.

"Since he fled the scene, there is nothing to see anymore. Take him away and keep him in custody until sentencing. Make sure you are well-prepared so that he can never escape."