[Notre Dame de Paris] Papal Way

In John's perception, Claude has always been a "good brother".He didn't care much about John, but he also fulfilled his elder brother's obligations. He never treated him badly in terms of education, food and clothing, and even settled many troubles for him.But other than that, Claude didn't do anything else.When confronting him, John always felt that he was dealing with a sculpture with programmed behaviors rather than a real person.

However, today's Claude made him break his previous cognition.First, he showed a rare interest in something, and then he generously handed over the power of his parents to him. Just now, he showed an unprecedented strength... When John came back to his senses, they had already Leaving the St. Michel Bridge, gradually approaching the area where Notre Dame is located.

What happened today is really confusing... John thought about it, and couldn't help asking: "Where are you taking me, brother?"

Claude, however, seemed to be interrupted from his contemplation, and turned around in surprise: "Why are you still here, John?"

John: "...Didn't you say you were going to take me away?" This Claude looks much more lively than before, but it also feels much more hateful!

"I thought that when you were 16 years old, you should understand what kind words are." Claude said coldly, and waved his hands perfunctorily, "If you have nothing to do, please do what you want."

John held his breath, and said after a while, "But, what about that old man?"

"...Old man?" Claude had a strange expression this time.

"Yes, that's the old man in the black cloak who pulled me there to talk." John said, "You seem to know each other? Does he have anything to do with the Frollo family? Just now he was like an old father, caring asked me a lot of things..."

John's mind is not entirely on making money, he is also interested in the old man himself.At this age, it was the first time for him to hear people asking questions purely with concern, and it felt very novel.For no reason, he suddenly hoped that Claude would no longer follow the fixed pattern of "good brother" as before, but could ask him a few questions like Louis XI.

Aren't he and Claude the only relatives in the world to each other?

Claude was silent for a while: "...you'd better not have any contact with him in the future, John." After speaking, he didn't explain anything, turned around and strode away.

Leaving John looking at his robe fluttering in the wind: "..."

So what's going on? Hey!

-

The grudge between Claude and Louis XI dates back to 20 years ago, when he was a 14-year-old boy.

The parents of the Frollo family thought at the time that a child in the family should devote himself to the priesthood, so they trained him from a very young age, let him learn to read from Latin, and cultivate his character and ability.Later, he found that Claude was very smart, and Mr. Frollo sent his son to Torcy College in the University City with confidence, allowing him to study theology there.

When he was young, Claude was raised by his parents to be taciturn, and he was very diligent and unfocused in his studies, and he was quickly appreciated by his teachers. At the age of 14, Miller Dillier, a doctor of theology, took the initiative to find Claude, hoping to accept him as his disciple.Of course, Claude would not have any opinions, so he met Louis XI because of this.

Mr. Dillier is nominally a doctor of divinity at the Chef Saint-Denis school, but in fact he is an alchemist serving Charles VII.After the death of Charles VII, Louis XI was crowned in Reims Cathedral.Since the relationship between the father and son was not very good, Mr. Dillier couldn't help being a little worried about his own life. After many observations, he chose Claude as his disciple.

In less than a year, Claude had learned everything Dillier could teach.But he was not interested in alchemy, and only because of Dillier's request, he reluctantly dabbled in some.At this time, the old disease Louis XI suffered from in exile in the early years began to break out. Dillier thought this was a good time to climb up, so he took his research results and disciples to meet the new king.

Turning stone into gold, rejuvenating youth, and immortality are the common pursuit of almost all human beings, and it is the goal that alchemists want to achieve.For hundreds of years, there has been a saying among alchemists that if one can pursue the ultimate alchemy, one can create the Philosopher's Stone and achieve these three goals at the same time.

As a qualified alchemist, Mr. Dillier certainly wanted to achieve this great achievement.But there is really no precedent for how to do the red liquid medicine (the Philosopher's Stone).Relying on his many years of moso and the generous help of Charles VII, he finally achieved some results, but it is a pity that Charles VII could not wait until that time, and the research required a lot of funds...

Even for money, Mr. Dillier had to establish a good relationship with Louis XI.

Louis XI was originally interested in these researches, after all, no one would take his life too long.But when he heard Mr. Dillier say that in order to refine the "red potion" (the Philosopher's Stone), the sacrifice of close blood relatives is necessary, this interest disappeared immediately: "Sacrifice?"

"Parents, brothers, or sons." Mr. Dillier said frankly, "The essence of alchemy is the exchange of equivalents. A beam of sunlight can be turned into gold after being buried in the ground for thousands of years... It takes 800 years for a lead block to Time goes through four periods before it can be transformed into silver...Maybe the dead can be turned into angels with flesh wings after being buried underground for thousands of years, but by then, where will your relatives go? It is better to do it first Prepare for sacrifice, only by prolonging your own life can you witness more miracles..."

Louis XI had few heirs, and the queen did not give birth to her eldest daughter Anna until the year of her coronation.Dillier's original intention was to let him sacrifice his newborn daughter to gain a longer royal power and lifespan, but Louis XI mistook him for sacrificing his unborn son, and he was furious and unceremonious The local people beat Dillier and drove him out.

This setback did not deter Dillier.The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was a good idea to experiment with the royal family—if Louis XI could gain long-term rule, France would definitely become very powerful. will be famous all over the world...

The Philosopher's Stone is just a legendary idea, no one has witnessed its birth, and no one has tried its efficacy.The only thing that can be determined is the principle of equivalent exchange - to refine such a precious treasure, you must pay an extremely huge price.The "red potion" that can be exchanged for life by only paying blood relatives is not the real Philosopher's Stone, but this alone, if it can be spread, is enough to make people crazy.

Louis XI is not willing to sacrifice his own child, there will always be someone who is willing to sacrifice... Besides, Princess Anna is the first healthy child of Louis XI, so it is understandable that he would have deep feelings for his eldest daughter.However, if there is a child who is not so outstanding...

Claude didn't know what Dillier had done. Anyway, in 1464, Princess Jeanne was born.Unlike her beautiful and bright sister, she was deformed and not very intelligent, she was like a monster—obviously, Louis XI would not like this child.

After getting the news, Dillier immediately asked for an audience with his disciples, and saw the king again.He couldn't wait to make the previous proposal to Louis XI, but he was beaten even more violently - no matter how much he hated this daughter, Louis XI would never use her to seek longevity.

Fortunately, he didn't know that his daughter's disability was caused by Dillier, otherwise, let alone a severe beating, he would have pulled out the rapier and stabbed him in the heart immediately.

Dillier still didn't give up.He thought that since Louis XI cared about the child born to the queen, if it was an illegitimate child, he might not have so many worries.So he immediately started his activities, condescending to make a dose of X medicine, and quietly arranged for Louis XI to share a room with the queen's maid.He even ordered his apprentices to monitor the king in order to ensure the success rate.

When Louis XI realized something was wrong, it was too late.After a long time, he got up from the queen's maid, and when he was thinking about how this incident happened and how to deal with it with a headache, he met a pair of blue eyes.

——A long and narrow hole appeared in the door of the small dressing room, and the owner of the eyes sat behind the hole, watching quietly all night.

Louis XI: "..."

Claude: "..."

Louis XI took Claude away with a sword, and he forged a deep hatred with this handsome voyeur ever since.

No matter how unscrupulous Dillier was, his ruse worked.Louis XI was so ashamed that he didn't set foot in the Queen's room for a long time, and he didn't even look at her maid.The queen's maid also felt very wronged, but her belly grew bigger day by day.Knowing that Louis XI disliked his mistress, she did not disclose this matter, but took a leave of absence to go home and quietly prepare for childbirth.

In 1465, she gave birth to a healthy green-eyed boy.After Dillier found out about this, he originally wanted to take the child back quietly, but both he and Claude were already under the close surveillance of the king, and suddenly bringing back a child would definitely cause Louis XV One's attention.Maybe Louis XI didn't know the existence of this child, but because of their actions, he found out by accident.

After two failures, Dillier was much more cautious this time.He resolved to wait until John grew up a little, and Louis XI and the Queen had a son.A son is different from a daughter. If Louis XI had never had a son and knew the child's life experience, he might quietly let the queen recognize him for the passing of the French throne. Although the possibility is very low, it is not impossible. .Louis XI had a bad relationship with his younger brother, and it was impossible for his younger brother to inherit the throne.

Claude, however, was tired and confused by this kind of behavior. He didn't understand why his mentor was obsessed with refining such an evil thing.There are also many conflicts between alchemy and theology. When he was young, he still couldn't understand what he needed... He was educated to devote himself to the priesthood since he was a child, but the teacher he respected told him that he was a born alchemist and pursued The Philosopher's Stone is what he really needs...

Claude, who has grown into a handsome young man, left the teacher's laboratory and wandered aimlessly on the street.Perhaps out of sympathy, a dark-haired woman with an aging face who could still see that she had been quite beautiful took him home, and then went out to buy bread and beer.Claude locked himself in a wardrobe made of random wooden slats, sat in a daze, thinking about the major events of his life.

However, after the prostitute went out for a while, she walked in with a man who was staggering drunk.The man looked like a poor man in a gray coarse robe and a battered hat, but there was a pearl-studded cross peeking out from under his clothes—it was his acquaintance Louis XI.

It was because Louis XI had a quarrel with the queen that he ran out to drink away his sorrow.The queen somehow found out about his affair with the maid, and quarreled with him angrily... He was a good drinker, but if a person wants to get drunk, it has nothing to do with alcohol.In a daze, he began to flirt with others, but he didn't know that the person under him was not his queen.

Of course, when he woke up, it was already too late.Louis XI regretted so much that he quietly took off his valuable jewelry and left it to the prostitute. When he was about to leave, he suddenly felt a gaze and turned his head away.

...he met another pair of blue eyes.

Louis XI: "..."

Claude: "..."

Louis XI fled.However, Claude has since fallen in love with this prostitute—following a certain premonition in his heart, he has been paying attention to this down-and-out woman until the day she gave birth.

—and she gave birth to a son, who was as beautiful and lovely as an angel, with black hair and green eyes.

In the summer of 1466, Dillier felt that his life was not long.In order to gain longevity, he even experimented with himself, which of course damaged the foundation of the body.He was not worried about his own death, but he hoped that before he died, he could see Louis XI adopt his proposal and use the "red medicine liquid" to prolong his life.

He went to visit Louis XI for the last time and was of course rejected.The last encounter with Claude made him think that Dillier had been watching him. No king could tolerate such behavior. He was tolerant enough to let Dillier live until now, so how could he agree to meet?

Dillier left the palace gate in despair, and then suddenly disappeared.At this time, Claude was listening to the teachings of Bishop John de Labalus in Notre Dame.

The plague was prevalent this summer. Although Claude had a cold personality, he still cared about his relatives.He would go home to see his parents every once in a while. This time, because he heard that the plague had spread to Teilsharp Street where his home was located, he rushed there the next day.However, when he stepped into his home, he saw his parents' bodies lying on the ground, all internal organs and blood were taken out...

Parents died tragically at home, and the appearance of their corpses was very familiar... Claude's mind went blank, and suddenly he heard the cry of a baby - a child who was at most one year old was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed on the shelf on the table with the Bible.He subconsciously walked towards the baby, but suddenly his feet were empty, and he fell into a bright red abyss...

—He heard Dillier's wild laughter.

When he climbed up again from the abyss, he could no longer be called a "person".He was as cold as a corpse, and he lost all emotion. What flowed in his veins was no longer blood, but the "power" of alchemy... and his appearance was permanently stopped at the age of 19.

Dillier died smiling.Claude held the baby and stepped over his dead body expressionlessly.When he opened the door, he saw the gray-haired king standing alone outside.

All it takes is a glance inside for Louis XI to know what's going on.He originally planned to ask the teacher to inquire about the crime, but now he couldn't say it no matter what... After a long silence, he said, "I handed John over to you."

The blond baby is soft and cuddly, with an angelic smile.He grabbed the blood-stained cross on Claude's neck with his chubby hands, and made a curious babbling sound.

——Claude suddenly had a crazy idea in his heart.

He has lost everything, and he is no longer a human being... But Dillier, who plotted against the king, killed his parents, and turned him into what he is now, was not punished, and went to Satan's place with satisfaction. embrace.

Judas betrayed Christ, but only hanged himself out of his own will; Cain killed Abel, but God could not punish him with the same punishment for killing his own relatives... Is there any thing described in the Bible? How much is correct?No one will ever know the life and death of a person, but his own life and death are decided by himself!

As if a door was opened to Claude, he suddenly understood what he wanted and what he wanted to do.

——He wants to get the supreme power... He wants to find out what kind of existence God is...

—and to get this, certain things have to be done.

Looking down at the blond baby, Claude made a decision in his heart.

On Easter in 1467, a group of wanderers came from outside Reims.

He stood in that dilapidated small building for two days without sleep, and waited until the brunette woman held the child to read the palmistry, and the next morning she couldn't wait to get up to show off to her neighbors, and then quietly walked into the wretched building. Room.

The child was dressed in expensive and soft cloth, and on his small feet were a pair of small shoes of exquisite workmanship that even the king would envy—the shoes were inlaid with small pearls, which were taken from the cross of Louis XI. cut out.

He also had beautiful bright green eyes... as beautiful as emeralds.

Claude took off a small shoe and threw it on the bed, then wrapped the quiet child in a cloak, and left the small building without a sound.

He tried to use a force he was not familiar with to set up a guarantee for the child, and then handed him over to the Egyptians.

At night, he quietly returned to the room and threw a deformed four-year-old child to the ground.

On Quasimodo's day the next morning, he picked up the child from the foundling block and named him Quasimodo.

—he never expected to see that child again.

That boy who has grown into a handsome boy with a pair of bright green eyes.