Palazzo Picromini.

One of the monks stopped suddenly, stunned, for he had seen something incredible, and he immediately raised his hand and wiped his eyes, yes, not a hallucination—in the warm sun, in the bright courtyard, on the grass that still had a hint of greenery, Cardinal Picromini was dancing with a pleasant face.

"God!" He exclaimed, "Have you accidentally eaten moldy wheat?" (note 1)

"Of course not," replied Cardinal Picromini happily, "the food in the kitchen is fresh." ”

"Are you praying or sacrificing to St. John?" (note 2)

"It's not holy yet."

"So which devil got on you?"

"Oh, stupid." Cardinal Picromini shouted: "How can I have such a foolish squire as you, don't you see that I dance for joy?" ”

"But you haven't danced like this in forty years, and the last time you danced, you had a pretty girl by your side."

"There's more than one pretty girl who can make you want to dance," said Pictromini, shrugging his shoulders and tiptoeing, "Isn't it worth dancing to congratulate me on the last nail that has been removed, and I can do whatever I want in peace?" ”

"If you want me to say," said the monk, "Joshua is not a bad boy, and doesn't he love you very much." ”

Cardinal Picromini grimaced: "Good John," he said, "you have been with me for almost thirty years, from Rome to Florence, from Florence to Assisi, from Assisi to Pienza, and from Pienza back to Rome, you can also say that you watched Giulio grow up, come, tell me, who was the first person to save Joshua's life?" ”

"It's Julio. Medici. ”

"Yes, from the gloomy mausoleum, from the sarcophagus of the dead, from the noose of the assassins sent by his father, and even from the hands of death, is Julio. The Medici gave him a chance to be reborn. Okay, tell me again, who saved Joshua's life a second time by putting a burned Joshua under the icy water, replacing the burned skin with fish skin, and remembering to cool him down with a soaked cloth every hour?"

"Julio. Medici. ”

"Correct answer, Brother John, then, for the third time, from the irascible and cruel Luigi. Under Borgia's sword, with a book and a handful of sulfur powder, Joshua was saved. Who is the one whose head does not roll all over the ground? ”

"It's Julio. Medici. ”

"Yes, it's him, Brother John," Cardinal Picromini paused, "I ask you, if someone saved you three times in this way, would you be grateful to him, and would you repay him with your life?" ”

"Of course, it doesn't even take three times, just once, and I'll do that, sir."

"Brother John, you are a fool, and you can't memorize half of the Bible, but you know that if someone saves you, you will be grateful—but Joshua, who came to me, said to me, that his love for me as a son and for a father came from the Endri which I had done to him, and you say, Brother John, that he was so clever that he really did not know that I was willing to heal and take him in because of Julio's request?"

"Then he must know, even I know."

"Exactly." Cardinal Picromini said: "Then John, why do you think he would ignore those to whom he should be grateful, and yet hold on to me?" ”

"I can't guess that." Brother John grabbed what little hair he had left.

"That's because, even Julio must rely on me to gain a foothold, so why should he give up his roots, if he can be valued by me, will he still need Julio?"

Brother John gave a look of realization, "I understand, my lord," he shook his head, "but he looked very sincere." ”

"Perhaps he himself did not want to think of himself as a man of injustice," said Cardinal Picromini, "how bad is that, look at our Holy Father, who does not consider him the most pious, honest and forgiving man in this world?" ”

At this moment, even Brother John couldn't help but hold his stomach and laugh.

——————

Pope Alexander VI did not know that he was being used as an example and a joke, and that he had been suffering more and more from his sickness and that he could not sleep, and that the doctors kept bleeding him, but only weakened him, and in a fit of rage, he beheaded two of the doctors, and no longer allowed the doctors to give him blood, enema, or other treatments that were common at this time; He also prayed to the icons and drank holy water, but since God did not want to bless, let us see what the devil had, so his secretary Duarte sought out the wizards and witches, and after making a series of black masses with the brains of babies and the ashes of the dead, the intestines of owls, the menstrual blood of women, etc., which would make the people of the day faint instantly, Alexander VI did little except become more violent and gloomy.

"Isn't it going to make Joshua. Lovere...... Duarte asked worriedly.

"No," said the Pope, "let Lovere suffer a little longer, he should have been left with his head on the ground, but he was only subjected to some torture, and I have been very forgiving." ”

Duarte had to keep his mouth shut and retreated. Borgia was disappointed, the Pope was also wary of this son, and he did not let Cardinal Picomini near him because Cardinal was the closest bishop to the triple crown - sometimes, Alexander VI even regretted that he should not have agreed so easily to allow Cardinal Picomini to return to Rome, his family's power in Rome can be said to be deep-rooted, compared to the Borgia family, who migrated from Valencia, Spain, to Italy decades ago, but as long as Caesar. Borgia was able to accomplish this great feat, and the Borgia family's bull coat of arms will forever be on the flag of Italy.

Thinking so, he got up and walked to his private prayer room, where even Duarte could not enter, moving the icon on the wall, the triangular cabinet fixed in the corner of the wall would be removed, revealing the staircase inside, and from the stairs down, through the dark corridor, you would come to a secret room, which was located below the Hall of the Sacristy, in the middle of the Grand Monastery where the Vatican Palace and the Knights Templar were hidden, when Alexander VI, as the Grand Master of the Order, wanted to meet someone from the Knights Templar in private, He usually chooses here.

The Pope lamented the death of Brother Thomas, the Templar's Inspector General several years earlier in an encounter with the Brotherhood Assassins, for the new Inspector General was a young monk who was originally a "farmer", the person in charge of the Templars' finances, who took his duties very seriously, but was not smart enough, at least, Alexander VI did not know how stupid he was.

"What are you babbling nonsense," said the Pope, "is that how God tells you to speak to his benefactor?" ”

The Inspector General cowered in despair, he was no match for the previous Inspector General Thomas, whether in terms of martial arts, wisdom or experience, it can be said that he was completely promoted by the Supreme Master Alexander VI, and he was indeed as the Pope hoped, almost always remained silent, as if there was no such person, but this time, he had to- he knelt down, knelt in front of Alexander VI, hoping that he would change his mind.

"Please." The cowardly monk clasped the Pope's feet and said, "Don't give the Holy Golden Rose to your son, don't give such great authority to Caesar. Borgia. ”

"Why not," exclaimed the Pope angrily, "isn't he a member of the Knights Templar?" Wasn't it the Supreme Master of the Order who taught him? ”

"But he didn't have that kind of merit and virtue!" The monk also shouted, his cheekbones glowing an unusually bright red: "You can give him your army, or you can give him the army of the Church, but you can't give the Templar Order your private property to a guilty mortal!" We are here for God, and you want us to fight for the greed of the common! ”

The Pope's face suddenly became very terrifying: "Isn't it mine!" He kicked the monk viciously, knocking him to the ground: "When I took it over fifty years ago, it was nothing more than an empty shell, it's me!" He pointed to his chest, "It's me, it's me who is trying to feed it on the contrary, so that it will be strong and prosperous again!" Every horse, every piece of armor, every weapon, every piece of money, and even every letter had Borgia money flowing in it! If it weren't for me, you, you would have died silently in the Great Abbey, and it was I who restored the Knights Templar's glory and power! ”

"No need for such glory and power," cried out the monk desperately, wiping the blood from his mouth, the pain of long-suppressed repression, humiliation, and betrayal of the faith finally overpowered the bitterness of the repression. Borgia's fear, "Let's go back in time, Hugo. Morality. When the Knights were founded, they had only eight brothers, and those eight brothers had to share a horse, but even then, poverty did not hinder their piety, so let's go back to the beginning—we don't want anything, horses, armor, weapons, and even clothes, and you will rot with your golden florin! ”

"Traitor!"

"You were the first to betray us!" The monk said loudly, holding on to the wall with difficulty, slowly getting up, and turning around, ready to open the secret door and return to his brothers.

His movements suddenly stopped, and his eyes were full of surprise and disbelief.

"It seems." Alexander VI stabbed the dagger he had drawn from his sacred vestments a little deeper, and said with a sinister grin: "You will rot before me." ”