Chapter 125

"The Borgia's ancestral precept is to dedicate everything to Lord Novia."

When I was young, this is what the elders in my family said to me.

Why?

The child asked this question.

"Our family migrated from Rome. At that time, our ancestor was starving and on the verge of death. His parents and sister were waiting for him. Then, Lord Novia, who had brought Lucius from Anatolia to Rome, gave them food, and that's how they survived."

This... is so stupid, such foolish ancestral teachings.

The child once cried out in his heart.

He remembered what he had shouted in his heart, and this wholehearted shout was so impulsive and sudden. He felt that his ancestors were fools who stupidly uttered such pathetic and crude words that would affect future generations.

In reality, Alexander VI did not dislike Novia's theories and had his own insights into Novia at a very young age.

The world and humanity are both cold and cruel, but who doesn't believe that coldness, cruelty, and depravity are the proper characteristics of humanity?

That person didn't want to think that way. On one side were so many disgusting and unbearable acts of depravity, and on the other side were a handful of admirable noble sentiments. If he had to choose a side, he would rather choose nobility than depravity.

This wish and aspiration—described by the Church as 'not wanting a world where kindness is seen as a weakness'—to exist.

Even knowing that the world is vicious and cruel, I will never believe it is right, nor will I succumb to the cruel reality. It is not regarded as an ideal to be pursued, but as a declaration of my own dignity.

Perhaps the times a thousand years ago have changed, and the world that person Alexander VI saw is no longer the same.

Even Alexander VI cannot believe in the world or humanity as much as he did.

Even so, he believed that there was a shared expectation—

Parents give to their children without expecting anything in return. This selfless devotion brings them joy, just as doing things for friends brings happiness without expecting anything in return. The joy that comes from giving to one another out of kindness is the true essence of human relationships, and it is the most beautiful thing.

"You still haven't told me why I wanted to engage in Theological Debate with Martin Luther."

Upon hearing this, the Pope fell into a brief silence. He sat silently in his antique armchair before replying:

"Just as the original intention of the Ecumenical Council was to convene, necessary debate is essential. Let me see if this reformer Luther can be as effective as His Excellency Augustine of old."

As noon approaches, the Theological Debate that has captivated all of Europe is about to take place in full swing within the usually solemn church.

Inside the church, the soaring dome is decorated with magnificent murals depicting the legendary stories of numerous saints and messengers. Their figures appear and disappear in the interplay of light and shadow, as if silently watching the debate.

The light filtering through the stained glass windows cast dappled shadows inside the church, adding a touch of mystery and solemnity to the debate.

In the center of the Hall, a long table made of dark wood separated the two debaters. On the table were heavy scrolls and manuscripts, which were not only references for the debate but also symbols of Wisdom. The edges of the scrolls were worn by time, revealing a sense of historical weight.

The air was filled with a scent that blended incense and paper, an aroma that evoked a sense of solemnity and reverence.

An elderly man and a middle-aged man stood on either side of a long table, their figures appearing solemn and resolute in the light.

The middle-aged man was Martin Luther Luther, the Germany.

In the audience, people sat or stood, their eyes fixed on Pope Alexander VI and Martin Luther Luther, their faces filled with tension and anticipation.

"Martin Luther, come and confess to me now, and retract your disrespectful words towards the Church, how about it?"

Alexander VI smiled.

Luther snorted and stood in the center of the platform. "Disrespect for the Church? It is common knowledge that the authority and status of the Church of Rome were established by men since the fall of the Western Rome, not bestowed by God."

"Oh? Can I take that as arrogance and disrespect towards the Pope and the entire Church?"

"Without His Excellency Augustine, where would the Church of Rome be today? And in the earlier days of ancient Rome, without our Lord Jesus and the Holy One Novia, where would the Church be? Since its founding, the Church has gradually led believers from their faith in 'good' to blind obedience to Church authority."

The students Luther brought with him burst into enthusiastic applause.

Alexander VI expressionless and continued:

"So, do you acknowledge that the Gospel of Matthew is true?"

Luther nodded. "Of course it's true. How could the Gospels written by four saints be wrong or false?"

"Since you cannot deny this, then let me ask you, what does Gospel of Matthew 16:18 say?"

Luther slowly walked to the front of the stage, facing the students he had brought with him, and began to recite. "I also want to tell you..."

With Luther leading the way, his students recited the rest of the text in unison, and even members of the Church began to recite it.

"... You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, which the forces of Hades will not overcome. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, to all you have bound on earth..."

"Alright, that's enough for now." Luther's gesture interrupted the recitation, but a few still quietly finished reciting the last few lines: "In heaven they will be bound; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." The voices of the last few lines gradually faded.

"Since you don't deny the Gospels, how do you interpret Jesus Christ's words about Peter establishing Church?"

The Pope patiently waited for the room to quiet down before asking his questions.

"Pope, you are a world-renowned theologian, having studied the Bible for decades and recited scriptures day and night, yet you remain oblivious and deaf."

"Oh, then tell me how to interpret this sentence."

"Because you've been reading this sentence day and night all these years, and you've understood it completely wrong."

"Wrong?"

This time, not only Alexander VI looked bewildered, but many of the audience members also showed blank expressions.

"Yes, I'll ask you, what does the name 'Peter' of the Apostle Peter mean?"

"The original meaning of 'Peter' is a small stone; in Latin it is Petrus."

"So, what is the Latin for stone?"

"Pedra."

"That makes sense now, Petrus is a diminutive of Pedra."

Luther pointed out the connection, but still kept it a secret and didn't explain it clearly.

Then he waved his hand and slowly said, "Therefore, the verse in the Gospel of Matthew, 'You are Peter; on this rock I will build my Church,' does not mean what you understand: that the Lord Jesus wants Peter to build Church. Rather, Jesus is saying to Peter: You are just a small stone; the Church cannot be built on small stones, but on a rock. The 'rock' in this verse refers to Jesus Christ."

Luther paused, looked at the Pope, and said, "Therefore, Jesus used a parable in this statement, saying that the Apostle Peter was not capable of this great task, and in fact, it was Novia who was capable of this great task, neither Peter nor Augustine. The Church of Rome today does not have spiritual Authority!"

Martin Luther Luther upheld the truth that "the righteous will live by faith."

Its source is the passage from Book of Rome: "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is shown, which is by faith from first to last. As it is written, 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

"Through God's righteousness, God justifies us by faith through grace and mercy," this is the cornerstone of Luther's theology. Later, this idea led to the denial of Indulgences, and further to the denial of the Church and the Pope's Authority to forgive sins, as well as the denial of Church liturgy, thus parting ways with the Church of Rome.

Alexander VI understood Luther's meaning, but with a smile, he shook his head and said:

"That's sophistry. According to your logic, everyone has the right to interpret the Bible. Since everyone 'Human Order is different, how can you be sure that your own understanding is the truth, the sacred word?"

"You're right. Everyone has the right to understand the Bible; it's not something the Church of Rome can uniformly manage and interpret. Everyone can be justified by faith, as long as they are devout. Everyone has this right, just as St. Novia said, 'For everyone, you have the key.'"

At this point, Luther turned to his audience, "We don't need the Church to teach us how to understand. Take this last statement, for example; your Church's interpretation has misled us believers for thousands of years!"

"Yes! We don't need the Church of Rome! We don't need the Pope!" a radical student in the audience shouted, prompting the crowd to join in, "We don't need the Church! We don't need the Pope!"

Seeing that only Luther's students responded with their shouts, Alexander VI sighed slightly, "Martin Luther, you are following the same path as Jan Hus, who was condemned as Heresy a hundred years ago. You are rebelling. I want to advise you, do you want to be burned at the stake?"

— On the morning of November 7, 1455, Notre-Dame in Paris, France, was packed with people.

All the priests and citizens who rushed to the scene looked at one woman.

The woman was sixty-seven years old, pale-faced, and tearful. Her name was Elizabeth Darcy, Jeanne d'Arc's mother. At this moment, supported by her two sons, Elizabeth wept uncontrollably as she recounted her story.

"My daughter, who grew up in fields and pastures, was baptized and confirmed by me, and raised in an atmosphere of reverence for God. Given her age and simple living conditions, I did my best to teach her to respect Church traditions."

Her words came out in fits and starts.

"I achieved great success. She spent most of her time in church, confessing and receiving communion every month because she had great compassion for the people of France who had suffered so much. Despite her youth, she fasted and prayed for them with great devotion and passion. She never thought, said, or did anything contrary to her Faith."

Her voice rose and fell.

"She was summoned by certain enemies during the religious Judgment. Despite her explicit denials and appeals, she was subjected to a perfidious, Violence, unjust, and guilty Judgment without any defense. The judges brought false, heinous, and criminal charges against her and cruelly burned her to death."

The elderly mother spoke with sorrow, but not despair, for she held in her hands the hope of her daughter's exoneration—a bull issued by Rome Callixtus III, ordering the Bishop Pope Bishop of Paris and the Archbishop of Reims to re-examine the charges against Jeanne d'Arc of Arc.

From that day onward, a series of investigations into the Jeanne d'Arc case were launched at Notre Dame Notre-Dame in Paris.

In 1456, twenty-five years after Jeanne d'Arc's death, Pope Callixtus III declared that Jeanne d'Arc had died in defense of her religion, her country, and her king, and that she was a true Martyr.

In fact, the fact that Jeanne d'Arc's mother's cries for justice echoed in Paris Notre-Dame already explained everything.

"--Is that so? The France people heard the voice of God, which went to save the people in what seemed to be a sorrowful yet calm voice."

Those who dream of tomorrow, for their village, for their country, for their Lord, chose the path of battle. Farewell, Jeanne d'Arc of Domrémy, the happiness you dreamed of still lingers in the skies of Domrémy, still resides in the world Protection by Lord Novia.

The light that swept across the village was faint, yet beautiful; even without seeing the brilliance of the sky, it was still beautiful.

This happened more than sixty years ago.

For Alexander VI, those were undoubtedly his golden years.

"Throughout the millennia, how many of Jesus' apostles and Saint have been burned at the stake! I, Luther, merely do not acknowledge the authority of the Pope and deny the Authority of the Church of Rome, but this does not mean I intend to rebel."

"Martin Luther, how many rebellions and bloodshed have been caused by Heresy throughout history?"

At this point, Luther was no longer able to listen to anything. He addressed the students he had brought with him, shouting...

"Since this theologian has already said that we are Hussites, then let's boldly admit it: we don't need a pope! We don't need the Church!"

"We don't need Pope!"

"We don't need Church!"

The shouts of the young people burst out of Rome and drifted into the Western Europe world.

However, how could a Theological Debate end so quickly?

In this situation where neither side could convince the other, the only option was to extend the time, eventually leading to a truce.

After today's debate, as everyone slowly left the venue, Alexander VI, who remained gazing at the murals, inexplicably glanced at the departing figures of the 'Artists'.

"You--"

In that instant, amidst those blurry figures, amidst those blurry figures, there was a voice that seemed more distant than the eternity of Rome. That person seemed to realize his gaze and looked towards Alexander VI.

For Favia, who witnessed the entire event, he didn't know if it was a hallucination, or perhaps it really was.

For the infamous Alexander VI, he was reminded of a child he had encountered in Rome times—no, to be precise, all such children.

Malnourished, skin and bones, ashen-faced, gaunt, ragged, and with lifeless eyes—all such children were easily distinguishable from the fair and round faces of children from wealthy families.

"Sir, thank you for God's grace."

"Okay, then take more."

"Really? Even if I die, it's okay... My sister, Mom, Dad... they're still waiting..."

"If you're waiting, then hurry back, don't keep waiting."

"Thanks..."

Memories flooded her mind, and when Favia looked up, she found the old man had stumbled towards her.

"Rodrigo, you are a worthy believer."

This simple statement clearly conveyed Favia's heartfelt words.

That alone is enough for the elderly.

The voice that echoed in the Eternal City was the final and greatest blessing for the old man in this debate.

However, Alexander VI couldn't help but say one more thing.

"Thanks..."

What flowed from the old man's lips was not a prayer, but merely a word of endless gratitude, just like that child in ancient Rome times.

Actually, I'm the one who should be saying thank you.

Favia stroked the old man's face.

It looks like he's angry.

It sounded like a sigh.

It's like a memorial service.

It's like they're happy.

Like someone in Sorrow.

It's like cherishing it.

After doing so, the old man's blank face appeared slightly more peaceful.