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aside the fact that Don Denis wants to humiliate Us in front of the world, laugh at the Church and mock his shepherd, there are still a few details left untold …. Imagine that, because of these shameful reasons, We don’t give him permission. What could happen?”
    “I don’t know …,” I interrupted without realizing.
    “We have not finished, freire!” he shouted. “If the Order of the Templar sees its desire to rise from the ashes in Portugal as unsuccessful, it would probably cherish the idea of a new Pope who is more compliant with its plans, and we must not rule out the possibility that, in addition to João Lourenço, who was sent to Us by Don Denis, there are other Templars camouflaged in the citadel awaiting Our reply to finish with Us if necessary.”
    “If that were the case, Holy Father,” I dared to comment, “the Templar Order would be risking the possibility that the next pontiff would also refuse to give them permission. And then what would they do? Assassinate one pope after another until one gave into their wishes?”
    “O.K., I know where you’re going with this, sire Galceran, but you are wrong! It isn’t about the next pontiff, or the next fifty pontiffs. This is about Us, freire, of Our poor life sacrificed to serving God and the Church! The question is, would the Templars dare to kill Us if We deny it permission? Maybe not, maybe the fame hanging over the Order is exaggerated. Do you remember the curse of Jacques de Molay? Have you heard the story …?”
    According to the legend circulating the world from one mouth to another, when Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Templar Master, was burnt alive, a gush of wind blew the flames to one side and the prisoner was briefly exposed. Just then, taking advantage of the wind, the Grand Master, who had his head turned towards the palace window where the King, the Pope and the royal keeper of the seal were standing, screamed at the top of his lungs:
    “Nekam, Adonai! Chol-Begoal! Pope Clement …, Knight William of Nogaret …, King Philip: I summon you to appear before the Court of God within a year to receive your fair punishment. Cursed! Cursed! All cursed until the thirteenth generation of your races!”
    An ominous silence ended his words before his image was lost forever amongst the flames. The terrible thing was that the three of them were indeed dead before that time.
    Maybe the rumors circulating about these deaths,” continued John XXII “are no more than hoaxes, vulgar gossip, lies circulated by the Order itself to increase its prestige as a secret and powerful military wing, from which no one can escape. What do you think, freire?”
    “It is possible, Your Holiness.”
    “Yes, it is possible … But We do not like possibilities and would like you to find out the truth. This is the mission We are entrusting you with: We want evidence, freire Galceran, evidence that scientifically proves whether or not the deaths of King Philip, of the advisor Nogaret and of Pope Clement were a product of God’s will or, on the contrary, of the will of that miserable Jacques de Molay. Your profession as a doctor and your renowned wisdom are invaluable for this task. Use your skills to serve the Church and bring Us the evidence that We request. Think that if the deaths were the will of Our Lord, We could comfortably deny the request of Don Denis without fear of being assassinated but if they were the work of the Order of the Temple, then all of Christianity will live under the threat of the murderous sword of criminals who call themselves monks.”
    “This is a huge task, Your Holiness,” I protested; I could feel the sweat pouring down my sides and my hair sticking to my neck. “I don’t think that I can do it. It will be impossible for me find the answers to your questions, especially if it was the Templars who killed them.”
    “It’s an order, freire Galceran of Born,” the Grand Commander of France whispered gently but firmly.
    “So be