Franz had brought more than just Pius IX this time. He had also brought the rulers of the states of Central Italy.
Though conservatives in every country had once again seized power and begun cracking down on Liberals and nationalists, Franz had no desire to see them regain control.
After all, foreign nobles were no asset to Franz. Controlling capitalists was much easier by comparison.
The rulers of Central Italy were likewise troubled by local powers growing too strong to control. Tuscany in particular had abolished the death penalty under the influence of its nobles and politicians.
In theory, this meant that even if someone assassinated the Archduke, the only punishment they could receive would be life imprisonment.
And since torture and hard labor had also been abolished, the murderer could spend the rest of his days in a Tuscan prison in peace, just like the demon who had carried out 77 murders in Norway.
Once the law lost its power to restrain people, it became nothing more than toilet paper—especially in the turbulent year of 1848. The cost of murder was absurdly low, and the prison guards were afraid the prisoners would fight to the death.
As a result, a prisoner could buy the right to go home for just five florins. In Tuscany, hiring someone to commit murder cost only ten.
Under such cutthroat competition, Tuscany's assassin trade collapsed one outfit after another. The Assassin Brotherhood, which had plagued Central Italy for a thousand years, vanished without a trace.
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had once been afraid to leave his own country. He had wanted to restore the death penalty, but the nobles and capitalists would never agree; doing so would weaken their power.
Francesco V, Duke of Modena, had suffered much the same fate. Although