Alfonso caressed the cross on his chest, which he did whenever he was upset, originally to get comfort from the holy relics, but over time he felt that touching the cross in this way gave him more of a sense of mission.

Alfonso's belief that he had been inspired by God was a difficult feeling to explain, and every now and then he received some inspirational inspiration, and even when he realized that he had been taken advantage of by the Duke of Orleans, he relied on this enlightenment to get himself out of his predicament, and even took the opportunity to win the hearts of many people, and then became the bishop of Palermo.

But now Alfonso's hand stroking the cross was not so calm, but trembled slightly.

He knew why he was so excited, because maybe soon he would know the result of a secret that always involved him in his heart.

Alfonso's disappearance had always reassured Alfonso, who trusted him more, at least more than his siblings, and in Alfonso's opinion, Crean was too cunning, compared to Kunto's unwavering loyalty.

Especially now that Krion has seized his grip, after all, Monteiro's death is more or less directly related to him, although even if he opposed it at the time, it could not prevent Clian from killing Monteiro, but for him who now seems to be the heir of Monteiro, any unfavorable rumors are very bad.

Monteiro's reputation may not be very good, after all, in everyone's mind, this man is Alexander VI's echo worm, but he is a cardinal after all, and this alone is enough to make many people bow down to him, and now that the cardinal is dead, and the vacated position he has become fat in the eyes of many qualified contenders, which makes Alfonso not moved.

Alfonso knew very well that he did not have much qualifications to fight for the position leading to the papal throne, not only because he had been a bishop for too short a period of time, but more importantly, in the long history of the Holy See, except for Martin I, there has never been a second pope in Sicily, which even led to the fact that the number of cardinals from Sicily is not very large.

Because of this, Alfonso has unspeakable gains and losses about whether he will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to ascend to the cardinal throne this time.

But none of this is worth mentioning compared to the secrets about Kunto.

"Why is Kunto's short crossbow in the hands of that bohemian woman?" Whenever he thought about it, Alfonso felt uneasy, and he was even more nervous because he knew too well what Quinto was doing.

Outside, the attendant knocked softly on the door, and as the wooden door opened, Alexander's figure appeared in the doorway.

It was the first time Alexander had met Alfonso alone since leaving Sicily, and unlike the previous hurried meeting at the Vatican, there were only the two of them.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Alexander suddenly had the illusion that too much time had passed, even though in reality they had not seen each other for most of the year.

Seeing Alexander bow slightly, Alfonso exhaled softly with a little emotion.

Just half a year ago, the young man in front of him had to face him with a humble attitude, but now he stood in front of him so calmly.

But these are not the most important things, what makes Alfonso really care is what he can't believe when he hears it, it is the young man's encounter in Naples.

Whether it was saving the Neapolitans from famine or becoming lord of a small place called Agri, Alfonso didn't care, what he really paid attention to was the young man's relationship with the Modillo family.

Kunto's short crossbow was in the hands of the bohemian woman, and Alexander was involved in the Modillo family, which made Alfonso feel suffocated just thinking about it, and he couldn't help but breathe a little rougher when he saw Alexander standing in the doorway.

"It's not easy to invite you," Alfonso tried to make his voice sound casual, he didn't want the other party to notice that he cared about this meeting, or that he didn't want the young man in front of him to think that he was taking advantage of it, "Now you are a big man in Rome, a member of the Council of Order, I heard that you have a close relationship with the Archbishop of Valencia, right?" ”

Alexander looked at Alfonso with interest, if he hadn't used this look in front of the priest at that time half a year ago, because he knew that he was completely a small character who was bullied at that time, and even a small squad leader under the Sicilian palace minister could try to insult Sofia in front of him, but now everything has changed, and the person who has become the bishop of Palermo in front of him can no longer boast of his authority to him at will, on the contrary, at this time, he should have asked for his own needs at this time.

"My lord, I think you know as well as I do that we don't get along well in Sicily, so your invitation has somewhat surprised me, so I would like to know what I can do for you." Alexander smiled lightly, he didn't come to reminisce this time, in fact, he had the same thoughts as Alfonso, Alexander was also pondering the memories that always lingered in his heart, it can be said that he couldn't completely unravel the original mystery one day, and he felt uneasy that he was always being watched in the dark, which was related to the portraits of the attackers on the way to Sanilo.

Alfonso's words annoyed Alfonso, but he also knew that this young man was no longer the same personal librarian he had been.

However, the Sicilians had apparently mistreated him, and even after he had calmed the troubles of the Bloody Night, they happily drove him out of Sicily, and although it seemed to be a decision made by the Council of Nobles, Alfonso felt that it was clear that the young man had a grudge against all Sicilians.

It's just that Alfonso doesn't think that this young man has taken the initiative in today's conversation,

"My friend, I remember very well, you told me that you were from Crete," Alfonso looked at Alexander, his hand involuntarily touching the cross on his chest, because he felt that he needed a revelation from the holy relics, because he did not know what the next words would lead to, and now you seem to have some kind of relationship with the Modillo family in Naples, but as far as I know, the Modillo family has nothing to do with any family in the East, so can I understand it so, Whether you're from Crete or related to Modiglo, there's something you've lied to me about? ”

Alexander listened quietly, he had already thought of the scene in front of him from the moment he accepted Alfonso's invitation, although he did not know that Alfonso had discovered Sophia's short crossbow, but he believed that the bishop's habit of always liking to blackmail people should not have changed.

Sure enough, Alfonso seemed ready to blackmail him from the start.

"My lord, when did you talk about it?" "If you are referring to the events at the banquet at your Priest's Palace, I don't think you will forget that there must have been other guests present, and I wonder if they will bear witness to your words." ”

Alfonso's gaze froze slightly, and his hand stroking the cross paused before continuing to move slowly, but the way he looked at Alexander became somewhat angry.

He was threatening him, and Alfonso was completely sure that the young man was threatening him.

No one knows better than Alfonso who those so-called guests are, they are French, and they are also the murderers behind the riots in Palermo, although even he did not expect that it was these "guests" who later played all the Sicilians, including him, but if others knew about his previous relationship with those French, not to mention that the Sicilians would not forgive him, even Ferdinand II of Aragon would never spare him if he knew.

In Aragon and Castile, although the Church had great power to judge and punish cruelly, it was always the king and the nobility who really had the power to decide everything, and in this respect the European monarchs were the envy of these two countries.

So Alfonso knew that even if he was the bishop of Palermo, once it became known that he was in collusion with the French, Ferdinand II would not let him go easily.

Despite his anger, Alfonso knew very well that the young man was right, and more importantly, he didn't want to get too entangled with Alexander in the first place, or that in his opinion, all he wanted was to get something from Alexander, not to ruin the young man.

It was completely meaningless to him.

"Let's all be honest," Alfonso decided not to go around in circles any more, "I found something strange in that bohemian woman of yours, I just want to know how it got into her hands, and as for what you said to me, I can assume that I have not heard it at all." ”

Short crossbow, he found Kunto's short crossbow from Sophia?

For a moment, it occurred to Alexander that there was only this.

"What are you talking about?" Although he thought about it, Alexander asked quietly.

"Be honest, young people, as I said before, only honesty can keep our conversation going, and don't forget that this is Rome, and we are all outsiders to this city, doesn't that make us all more honest?" Alfonso looked at Alexander with some dissatisfaction, "Tell me where that short crossbow came from on that woman, believe me is important to you and to me, maybe a lie can cost us all our lives, so tell the truth for God's sake." ”

Looking at Alfonso's impatient expression, Alexander couldn't help but wonder if what he said was more true, or more just pretending.

Still, thinking of the people who had attacked him in the first place and the portraits in their hands, Alexander decided to say something.

"I know of a man who looks like a stranger to the merchant who always brings all sorts of goods to your priest's palace," Alexander smiled slightly sarcastically, "I'm sure you must remember his name, his name is Cleion." ”

Alfonso's hint surprised and annoyed Alfonso, but his anxiety to find out Kunto's whereabouts made him decide to ignore it.

"Where, where is the man you are talking about?" Alfonso felt his breathing a little short, he wanted to calm his voice but couldn't, so he simply stopped hiding it and just stared at Alexander, "I think you can see that this is important to me, and I will repay you." ”

"Quinto, his name is Kunto," Alexander did not answer directly, but continued to speak to himself, noticing a change in Alfonso's expression, apparently because of the name of Quinto, "I met him in a place of Calibo in the south of Sicily, and I think you already know that there is a monastery there called Saint Sebaron. ”

Alfonso's eyes were slightly glazed, or rather incredulous, for a moment, and he looked at Alexander in a daze, as if he had never seen him before.

"You mean you came out of that monastery?" Alfonso asked in a voice so light that he couldn't even hear himself, while his hand touched the cross, and his neck ached as he clung to the lanyard so hard that he clung to the lanyard, "No, you can't be from that monastery, you're a Greek, and you look like a Greek, you can't fool me." ”

Alfonso said as he walked a few blank steps, then slowing down until he stopped and turned to look at Alexander.

It seemed that he had calmed down in this short time, and the gaze that looked at Alexander was only inquiry.

"Kunto, where is he now?"

Alfonso's voice couldn't help but raise slightly, Kunto's disappearance always made him uneasy, although he knew that it was likely to be bad luck after so long, but thinking of his mission, Alfonso couldn't help but hold on to a glimmer of hope.

"He's dead."

Alexander's calm voice echoed through the room, and then he saw the stunned look on Alfonso's face for a moment.

"Dead?" Although he had already guessed this result, Alfonso, who was still a little out of shape because of the deep disappointment when he heard it with his own ears, couldn't help but whisper to himself, and then his gaze slowly fell on Alexander's face.

Alfonso's eyes were a little confused, a little suspicious, a little vaguely complicated in anticipation, and his hand ached from clutching the cross too hard, and then he finally spoke

"You said you came from Saint Sebalon, so did Kunto say anything to you?"

"Yes, he did."

Alexander nodded, looking at the excitement that flashed across Alfonso's face, and he said in a low voice, "He said to me, 'Go to Palermo and find the priest, priest Alfonso. ’”

"That's it?" Alfonso's voice was a little higher again, and he watched Alexander's gaze become hot, "Didn't he say anything else?" ”

"Nope."

Alexander's affirmative tone made Alfonso's heart skip another beat.

Looking at the bishop's expression, Alexander's heart floated in Kunto's inexplicable words before he died.

From now on, the noble crown will remain......