Chapter 45.2 Execution
The elderly judge straightened up and looked at the Pope for a few seconds. He saw some hints in the eyes of the young and handsome pontiff that he had long hoped to see, but at this moment, he desperately hoped that he hadn’t understood anything.
“I declare that they shall be executed in the most extreme manner, pierced through their limbs with blades, and doused with boiling sulfur water. Their skin shall be peeled from their limbs and torso, and finally, they shall be drawn and quartered by five horses.”
The Judge glanced discreetly at the Pope after each word, trying to discern from his face what he should say next, but it was clear that the Pope had no intention of giving him any hints. So, the Judge could only slowly finish saying these words.
This terrible punishment was created by Emperor Lav III of Rome. He used this set of punishments to punish rebels who tried to assassinate him. It was said that most of those who had been subjected to this punishment still retained consciousness before being thrown into the fire, which obviously exceeded the limits of people’s imagination.
Many people fell silent after hearing these words, but soon they shouted and cheered again, “That’s right! We can’t let them die so easily!”
After the Judge finished saying these words, Piero, the fattest of the defendants, began to slide down without a word. The black-robed monks beside him forcefully lifted him up from both sides. The others were no better. They instantly became a puddle of mud, and someone had to pull them to prevent them from falling to the ground.
“No, no, no… Your Holiness! I plead guilty! I was wrong! I’m willing to offer you all my possessions!” Quentin, who had the quickest reaction, shouted at the Pope on the stage, “My estate, my land! I have two ports in Calais! And six trading ships!”
His hoarse shouting failed to attract any attention from the Pope. Rafael slowly flipped through the book—this was the second time, but even the most boring rambling seemed more interesting to him than the lord’s tearful plea for mercy.
The black-robed monks walked over expressionlessly and dragged the five lords to the center of the empty square. Only then did people realize that several simple wooden platforms had been erected there at some point, with cross-shaped wooden racks inserted into them, clearly a simple execution platform.