Buharanse is a small city with a typical southern Iberian climate, and like most of these cities, a small river flows through the city and then joins the famous Dalville River in the south to flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

The city of Bukhalanse is small and defended by an early Gothic wall, and was one of the first places to be used as a Moorish stronghold in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, so it has a more pronounced early Saracen style than the rest of the city.

Fort Torre is located on a relatively difficult hillside not far from Bukharançe, which gives a direct bird's-eye view of the entire city of Bukhalançe, and there is a road from Fort Torre to Bukharanço, so that if there is any danger in the city, the troops stationed at Fort Torre can rush to their aid.

As the Reconquista intensified in Iberia, the region was finally retaken by the Europeans from the Moors about half a century ago, and the ancestors of the Don Bavi family were rewarded by Bukhalanse for their role in the battle.

However, because the battle situation was not very clear at that time, in order to protect the city of Buharanse, the ancestors of the Don Bavi family built this Torre Fort outside the city.

And after letting Isabella go, Pamonid Don Bavi hid in the castle, apparently believing that it was much safer than the city of Buharanse.

Alexander's reason for visiting the duke was plausible, as there was a nun in his domain who claimed to be able to receive revelation from angels.

The nun was born from the Virgin Convent of Bukharanse, which, according to the local Church, was the first convent to be established in Bukhalanse after the expulsion of the Moors, which is a bit strange at first, since it is difficult to imagine that a convent was first established in a place where the pagans had just been driven out.

However, some subsequent news gave Alexander a rough idea of the origins of the convent.

The Moors who were driven out left behind not only pagan buildings and cities, but also a large number of half-bloods, whose centuries of rule had made the places they had occupied for a long time a bloodline chaotic, and no one even dared to justifiably say that their families did not have any Moorish blood, and with the Moors being driven out, the remaining half-breeds became a big problem, and in the eyes of the victors, they were even more inferior animals than the pagans, although according to the doctrine at least nominally there should be no slaves, but these half-bloods, In particular, the newborn mestizos, whose fathers were Moors rather than their ancestors, became the biggest victims of the Reconquista.

Many of the boys were sent to work as coolies in remote quarries or lumber yards, with no one caring about their whereabouts or their lives, while their mothers were subjected to staring, abuse, and even harsh punishment for their past.

The girls, on the other hand, were sent to hastily established virgin convents because, according to the Castilian nobility of the time, they "could not tolerate such filthy descendants polluting their bloodlines."

According to this theory, the boys will continue to do the hard labor until they can no longer do it, and the girls will be forced to be locked up in a convent and left to fend for themselves.

Such an order was a draconian decree signed by the Castilian monarch at the beginning of the Reconquista, and it lasted for more than half a century, until the fall of the last Moorish kingdom, Granada, and the Virgin Convent remained steadfast in this duty.

Now there is such a nun in such a convent who claims to have received an angelic revelation, which not only completely violates the original purpose of this convent, but even makes things a little more subtle.

While Alexander was reviewing numerous records of holy miracles, he came across this rather strange record, and although the real purpose of his visit to Iberia was not to serve the Holy See at all, this strange event aroused his great interest.

And the most important of these is that it was none other than Duke Pamonid Don Bavi who proposed the review of the holy site.

Alexander could imagine what Isabella would have been like when she saw the application, but since she was so keen on creating all kinds of holy relics, it was difficult to refuse and ignore such an obvious record, which made Alexander intrigued by Duke Pamonid Don Bavi.

As the largest nobleman who directly betrayed Enrique's camp in the early days and chose to switch sides, Duke Parmonid Don Bavi can be said to have not only achieved fame himself, but also laid a huge family fortune for future generations that can be squandered for generations, but it was such a duke who expressed his disagreement with Isabella in such a way at this time, which could not but attract Alexander's attention.

The road to Fort Torre at the top of the hill was not very easy, and even though the carriage had to be abandoned, the team was guided by a guide for almost half an hour before finally reaching the castle gate.

Pamonid Don Bavi, Duke of Buharanse, is almost 70 years old this year, and the dark wounds left on his body by his many wars in his early years have found him over the years, so when someone appeared in front of Alexander with a wooden wheelchair, looking at the Duke who was sitting in a wheelchair with white hair and did not seem to be in good spirits, Alexander couldn't help but think of Camusi, the consul of Sicily.

The old man was almost 100 years old, an age that was nothing short of a miracle in this day and age, but Camus, although Camusy looked as if he was going to die in his wheelchair at any moment, his decrepit body showed extraordinary vitality.

This made Alexander never take this kind of old man who seemed to be on the verge of death, especially if he took the initiative to stir up trouble like Duke Parmonid Don Bavi.

Duke Pamonid Don Bavi had short, silver-gray curly hair and slightly puffy eyes that were a little cloudy, but he was clearly in good spirits, especially when Alexander asked him about the miracle of the Virgin Convent, the duke, who was said to have recurred from his old injuries and had trouble with his legs, immediately danced and almost pushed his wheelchair out of his wheelchair and stood up.

"Believe me, that's a miracle," the Duke waved his thin hand to reinforce his words, "I know that many people who claim to have been inspired have turned out to be liars, but this nun named Elsmiel is not like this, she has never been tempted by any outside world, and she has not been instigated by anyone, for she has been sent to the convent of the Virgin Ladies almost from birth, and she has hardly left the convent in the decades so far, as far as the men she has seen can be counted with both hands and feet. ”

Alexander listened with interest, of course he was not attracted by the Duke's story, but was curious about the personal performance of the Duke of Pamonide Don Bavi, as Schell said, it did take a lot of courage for the Duke of Pamonide Don Bavi to make a choice to bet on Isabella, after all, at that time almost everyone was not optimistic about the princess who was not in a good situation.

But the Duke of Pamonid Don Bavi seized the golden opportunity, and when Isabella was at her most desperate and helpless, his choice not only saved the princess herself, but also gave Ferdinand the opportunity to watch Castile away.

He then stood firmly by Isabella's side in her war against the Moors, and these two consecutive bets can be said to have played a key role in Isabella's reign.

"My lord, where is that Sister Elsmiel now?" Alexander asked suddenly.

"Where else, in the convent," said the Duke of Don Bavi, waving his hand in his wheelchair as if to stand up, but had to sit back down after a long time of exertion, "to her the convent was like the Garden of Eden, she was afraid of what was outside, and although the revelation of an angel could make a person special, for Sister Elsmiel it was only a test of God for her and not something to show off. ”

The Duke of Don Bavi said in a very proud tone, and he patted the hand of the attendant beside him to signal him to push him forward, and at the same time said excitedly to Alexander, who was following him: "Duke, you do not think how excited I was when I heard about this, but you must know that it is entirely a response to the revelation I received back then. ”

"What response are you talking about?"

"It was my revelation that I chose to side with the Queen," said the Duke of Don Bavi, looking at Alexander and laughing loudly, "Do you think I would have decided on such a whim to choose Isabella, who was still a princess at the time, knowing that I was ** at the time, and the bounty that I could get for escorting the princess to the king was the most important thing." But it was at that time that I received a revelation from God.

As I was escorting the princess along the road, I suddenly saw a crossroads where a holy light came down to me, and then I saw Him, yes, that is, Him, and I believe it must be the image that God had made me see.

Then he did not open his mouth but let a voice tell me directly in my heart that what I had done was wrong, that I should correct it immediately, that I should protect this princess, for she will be the leader in the restoration of this land that has been occupied by the pagans for too long, and that she will bring this humiliating era to an end, and that if I do not obey this warning, it will be a betrayal of Him, and that if I do what He has revealed, I will not only save the heroes of this land, And so that my children and grandchildren will be favored by God for my actions. ”

The Duke of Don Bavi said as he raised his hands upward, as if in prayer to something invisible above his head.

"Obviously, you've made the right choice." Alexander looked at the ornate furnishings around the corridor and nodded, "And what about your response?" ”

"The voice told me that in the future when I am old I will have another revelation, and that is my own leader, because I have done good deeds, so when I am about to die, this leader will appear, and he or she will guide my soul to heaven."

"Do you think this Sister Elsmiel is the leader?"

"There is no doubt about it." "God has chosen this Sister Elsmiel to convey His will to me, so I am obligated to report all this to the Vatican, isn't it?" ”

"Yes, Duke, that's why I'm here." Alexander looked at Don Bavi Duke, he was a little curious at this time, Don Bavi's words sounded so sincere, if he made it all up, then this duke was really a great actor.

But Alexander also knew that there was no such thing as divine revelation.

Some people may have some visions in their minds for various reasons, or see something incomprehensible because of some coincidence, but even if it can't be explained, it can't be attributed to any revelation, just like the French country girl Joan of Arc, when she raised the flag to call on the French to resist the invasion of the British, people saw only a saint who claimed to have received an angelic revelation to save the fate of France, and few people noticed that it was from the time she appeared, The nobles who came later, Charles VII, became much more active than ever, and she was not so much a great military commander throughout the war as a spiritual leader who was expected to be hoped for by countless people, and even the generals who fought with her on the battlefield, and later used the meaningful description of the victories in the battles commanded by Joan of Arc.

In short, Alexander did not believe the nonsense of this duke at all.

On the contrary, the response that the Duke of Don Bavi deliberately emphasized against him caught Alexander's attention, and for some reason, he had a hunch that everything the Duke said was just to make people pay attention to this so-called response.

"Shall I see Sister Elsmiel right away?" Alexander asked, noticing that the Duke seemed to hesitate slightly, and he smiled, "Or is it not right now?" ”

"Of course not, but you may be disappointed, the Duke, knowing that the convent is forbidden to men, even I have never entered this convent, and now the convent is taking a vow of silence, so if you want to see her, you will probably have to wait until the end of this vow period, and then the abbot of the convent will decide where you can meet Sister Elsmiel."

Alexander nodded silently, he knew what the silent vow was all about, for many monks, silence was not their character but a kind of practice, and the silence was used to temper people's will in order to achieve the goal of abandoning worldly distractions and comprehending the spirit of God, which is obviously the common understanding of many practitioners in the East and the West.

It seems a bit of a coincidence that he began to take a vow of silence just after the miracle was announced.

Thinking of the signs that Isabella was now sparing no effort to prepare to attack the powerful nobles, Alexander suddenly felt that this Duke Don Bavi was really a smart man.

"Duke, you can live in the castle or in Bukharanse," said the Duke of Don Bavi, spreading his hand to Alexander, "I know that you may not be used to everything here, but this is all we can offer you, knowing that for us we must plunder from the battlefield in order to obtain wealth, and when there is no war, our days are bad. ”

Alexander smiled noncommittally, he knew that the Duke of Don Bavi was obviously not telling the truth, this duke not only had many good granges, but also vineyards, mountains and several marshes, and he also had a large and good business in the port of Ceuta, and it could be said that this duke was one of the richest and richest people in Castile today.

As for Alexander knowing so much about him, in addition to the fact that the duke was too famous, it was also due to the list that Count Mordillo had left him.

For Iberia, Modillo did spend too much effort, and even most of his life was permeated by the longing for this land.

The walls of Bukharançe had fallen into disrepair, so when the Castilians attacked, the city surrendered with little respectable resistance.

Today, the battlements destroyed by the artillery have been obscured by large patches of growing plants, and even if only large clumps of yellow branches are left in winter, the traces of the original are no longer easy to see.

However, the exotic buildings that can be seen everywhere in the city, as well as the black-haired and black-eyed residents on the streets, can still see the indelible past.

The presence of Alexander's party did not attract much attention, as it was a tributary of the Dalville River, and there was a great deal of goods transported from the interior of Castile to the seaports on the Atlantic coast, and of course there were many merchants.

Alexander walked down the street, looking at the crowds peeking out from under the eaves on either side of the motley of canopies that were about to cover the narrow streets, and wondered about the Duke of Don Bavi.

In Isabella's court, the Duke of Don Bavi was two rather special figures, along with Gonzalo.

They both had great influence in the Castilian court, and they were both the queen's most relied ministers.

But Alexander did not think that the duke, like Gonzalo, had a heart that remained loyal to Isabella.

To be precise, Gonzalo's rise was entirely due to Isabella's appreciation, and Don Bavi's Duke was due to his original choice.

Alexander had imagined more than once what would happen if he confessed his so-called background to Gonzalo.

But no matter how you think about it, it feels really dangerous.

Gonzalo would probably have handed him over to Isabella without saying a word, and if that would have been his case, it would have been nothing but tragedy.

But that's just for now, Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly, the news sent from Aragon before let him know that Tiego had begun to act, maybe nothing will change for the time being, but Alexander believes that over time, the rumors that have been circulating in Aragorn against Gonzalo will gradually corrode Ferdinand's trust in the Castilian general, and then this shadow of distrust will gradually affect the original harmonious relationship between the Castilian monarchs and ministers.

Maybe there will be a chance then, but now it will definitely not work.

Alexander couldn't help but shake his head, and then he thought of Don Bavi again.

The Duke was able to choose Isabella in the first place, but now what?

Alexander didn't believe the bizarre story Don Bavi told.

He was concerned about what had led Don Bavi to make that decision.

And is there a possibility that the Duke of Castile will also make another unexpected decision in the future.

Alexander pondered and walked until he was awakened by the commotion that lay ahead.

He heard the sound and went to see a crowd of black people appear on the street in front of him.

At the front were several soldiers, their duckbilled helmets glistening from the sun.

Behind them, a large crowd of locals shouted as they pushed and shoved a few pale, trembling men and women, who looked really frightened, and walked forward.

A priest strode forward with a cross tied up with two dead sticks in front of him like a general leading a large army, his clothes were plain and even a little old, and the boots on his feet, which were of little value, were a little furry because of the long hike.

The priest saw Alexander and his party standing in the middle of the street from a distance, and perhaps because the street was quite wide, he simply stopped, turned around, raised the cross above his head, and waved it vigorously at the crowd!

The crowd slowly stopped in a roaring roar, and everyone looked at the cross as if they were looking at the lighthouse that was guiding the ships at sea.

The priest walked up to one of the oldest of them, and he stretched out his hand as if to touch his face, but withdrew it when he was about to touch it.

"Mandoza, you are my brother, and I still remember when we were growing up together."

"Yes, Gado, we are brothers," the middle-aged man shouted tremblingly, "help me, you know that I am not a heretic, I am a devout believer, I love the Duke and the Lord, I am the most obedient peasant, you know it, don't you?" ”

The middle-aged man cried out in panic, but as his brother slowly stepped back and then raised the cross in front of him, the middle-aged man let out a de-toned cry out of fear.

"He's asking the devil for help, stop him!" Someone started screaming.

"They are all heretics, and everyone in this family has been tempted by the devil!"

"Punish them!"

"Punish these devils!"

"Hang them!"

"No, they should be burned!"

People flocked forward, some lifting the farming tools they had brought, others beginning to tear down the wood used to build sheds on the side of the street.

Amid the frightened and desperate cries of the family, a makeshift burner made of broken wood appeared.

Then, as someone set some flammable materials on fire and threw them into the pile of broken wood, it didn't take long for the fire to burn.

The scorching flames swayed in the cold wind, like hungry beasts licking their tongues, and in a burst of desperate cries, the family was bound and carried by a group of men to the fire.

"Gado, I curse you! If I die, I will curse you to hell with me! ”

The middle-aged man struggled and writhed, but it was useless, and after such a terrifying cry at the moment when he was lifted high, he was thrown directly into the raging fire.

In the flames, the men kept screaming and screaming, and after being burned to break the ropes that bound them, they struggled desperately to escape from the fire.

But they were stabbed back by soldiers and peasants armed with spears and pitchforks, and in the smoke and the stench that had already emerged, the burned bodies twisted and danced in the flames, until at last they slowly curled up and were no longer silent.

"By God-given divine duty, I declare this to be punishment and judgment for heresy," the priest named Gado proclaimed aloud into the flames, and then he turned to the people and said, "I hereby renounce all the inheritance of the Mandoza family, because it is money tainted with evil, so their property will be confiscated by the Church, may the glory of God and Jesus Christ wash away all evil." ”

"Long live Pastor Gado!"

"May God bless Pastor Gado!"

"Priest you should go to Córdoba, you should become the archbishop of Andalusia!"

The people shouted wildly, and a few people simply lifted the priest up and sat him on their shoulders, and the crowd rushed forward with cheers.

Only the few fires in the middle of the street were still burning and emitting black smoke.

Alexander watched the scene in silence, even as the crowd threw the men into the fire.

Instead, it was Shel, looking at the fires with a look of disbelief on his face.

"My lord, this is ......"

"This is Bukhalanser," Alexander said, turning his head to the faint corner of Fort Torre on the hillside outside the city, "trust me Schelle, there may be more interesting things waiting for us." ”