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The current pope, Leo X, was reading a piece of paper. It was a note that had been sent via a pigeon messenger. It came from the Elector of Saxony, but no doubt, it passed through a few hands before being forwarded to him. The wax seal wasn’t broken, so he wasn’t worried about the contents being found out. Even if it had been broken, the message wasn’t confidential. Frederick III was asking for people to gather, to hold another Diet of Worms, but in Coburg—essentially a Diet of Coburg. The reason was simple. Martin Luther may have tried to go against the church, but he wasn’t violent. Thomas Müntzer, however, incited a peasant uprising due to his views. The diet should summon Thomas Müntzer and declare an edict similar to the one Martin Luther had been subjected to.
Leo X frowned. The Elector of Saxony was just that, an elector. Under what grounds did he dare to convene an imperial assembly? It was a good idea, Leo X had to admit, but the order to gather should’ve been given by someone higher up like the emperor or himself. Frederick III even shielded Martin Luther and had been going against the Holy Roman Empire. Did he think he was invincible? A sneer appeared on Leo X’s lips, but it faded not even a moment later. He quickly wrote on a piece of paper and rang a bell. A nun knocked on his door before entering his room. “Send this message to everyone on the list,” he said, handing the paper to the nun. If the Elector of Saxony wished for everyone to gather in his lands, then so be it. After the diet was over, there’d be a new Elector of Saxony.
Moments after the nun left, there was another knock on the door. Leo X didn’t even have a chance to put away the ink he had taken out. “Yes, did you forget something?”
The door opened, and a priest came inside with a rolled-up scroll. A bright red wax seal kept it from unfurling. Leo X received the paper and gestured with his hands, dismissing the priest. When the door closed, a small furrow appeared on the pope’s forehead, but it went away when he cut the wax seal, opening the scroll. Not long after, his eyes bulged out of his head, and veins rose to the surface of his neck as his face turned red. He slammed the paper onto the table and rose to his feet. “A measly archbishop wishes to take my spot as the pope!?” He grabbed the paper and read it again, fire burning in his eyes. “He thinks he’s powerful since those twelve listen to him, but doesn’t he realize they only listen to him under my orders?”
Leo X snorted and whisked out a sheet of paper. It was a good thing he hadn’t put his ink away. He quickly penned another letter, instructing Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor to execute the Archbishop of Saville for becoming a heretic and practicing witchcraft. There wasn’t any doubt about it being done. Charles V didn’t like the Holy Roman Empire interfering with his rule in Spain despite being both the king of Spain and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He wouldn’t give up a chance to remove the church’s power from his lands. The overreaching archbishop was about to be taught a very harsh lesson. Leo X read over the letter before nodding. He rolled it up, placed his seal on it, and dripped hot wax into the mold. He let it dry before ringing his bell, and a nun, different from the last one, came in. “Send this to the emperor.”
The nun nodded and received the scroll. “Yes, Your Holiness,” she said and backed out of the room.
Once the door closed, Leo X sighed and covered his inkwell, pushing it to the corner of his desk. As soon as he aligned it just the way he liked it, there was another knock on the door. His brow furrowed, and he took in a deep breath, calming his countenance. Some days, there weren’t many matters he had to handle. Other days, the matters he had to deal with were endless. Today was just one of those days. “Come in.”
A priest pushed open the door. His face wore a strange expression. It was so strange that Leo X had no clue what the priest was thinking or feeling despite being an expert at reading people’s faces. “Your Holiness,” the priest said and slightly tipped his head down. “There is a tramp outside, and he is … singing.”
“Does he wish to join our choir?” the pope asked and raised an eyebrow.
“We don’t know,” the priest said in a slow voice.
“You didn’t ask him?”
The priest gave the pope a wry smile. “We asked him what he was here for, but he didn’t answer us. He just continued singing at the top of his lungs. I hesitate to call it singing, but he’s reciting the hymn, Be Thou My Vision, while … screaming.”
Leo X’s mouth parted. He closed it before opening it again, asking, “Why?”
“We don’t know.” The priest shook his head. “He won’t give us a response when we talk to him. If you open your window, you can see him at the front of the church.”
Leo X rose to his feet and approached the window behind himself. He frowned. “Which one?”
The priest raised an eyebrow and came over to the pope’s side. “What the heck!” he said. “There’s two of them now!”
Leo X frowned and opened the window. There were two dirtily dressed tramps standing in the plaza below, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam!”
“Is that All Creatures of Our God and King?”
“It certainly sounds like it, Your Holiness,” the priest said. His eyes widened, and he shoved his arm out the window while pointing. “Look, three more tramps are coming to the plaza! Are they here to sing too?”
Leo X squinted with his mouth open. What the heck was going on? Was this a divine revelation or something?