As soon as the explosion took place in the middle of the city, the knight guards nearby were quickly dispatched to apprehend the one who caused it.
However, much to their shock, in the middle of the ruins and shattered church, a single kid stood alone, a red flame aura flowing around him.
On his hand was a silver cross, the same one that Father Simon of the church wears every day.
"The church lied." He muttered to himself in a daze, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
When he looked around him, only then did he finally register what he had just done.
Combined with the tens of armored knights pouring in with their blades pointing at him, the child trembled, his legs shaking as fear took hold of his emotions. His red glowing aura dispersed just as soon as it appeared.
"W-What happened?"
"You! By the order of the Knight's oath! You are under arrest for the unjustified killing of the church and its inhabitants!" A knight stepped forward and said, anger can be seen on his face, with the child's poor appearance including the blood on his clothes, made everyone assume that he's the perpetrator without looking for proof.
"B-But I was…I didn't know." The child backed away, too scared to move as he feared further angering the knights.
"Don't move!"
"Please! I didn't know! It wasn't me!"
As if they were deaf, the knights continued to advance cautiously, fronting their blades to him.
Before the knights could fully approach the child, everyone suddenly stopped in their tracks, their fiery expressions freezing in place.
As if the time itself had stopped. All the knights except for the child.
"W-What?" The child was surprised, not expecting the sudden turn of events.
"Are you okay, kid?" A voice asked him mixed with concern.
Turning around, the child saw two figures, one wearing an orange robe while the other looked familiar, wearing a cardinal robe similar to Father Simon.
It was Chamber and Diorno.
"W-Who are you guys?" It was the child's turn to be cautious. Eyeing the two weird people who came out of nowhere in suspicion.
"It's okay. We're not the bad guys. We won't hurt you." Chamber kneeled to meet the kid's eye level and said with the utmost sincerity that he could muster.
However, the child's response caught them off guard.
"You…" He pointed at Chamber and continued.
"I can trust you. But not him." Then he pointed at Diorno.
While Diorno's face turned grim, Chamber was trying his best to hold his laugh.
How ironic, a child would rather trust a devil than a cardinal exorcist.
Just thinking about it would definitely make such a joke go down in history.
"Kid…" Although Diorno wanted to boast about who he is and his profession, but seeing the mistrust in the child's eyes, Diorno decided that maybe it is better to stay quiet instead.
"So, what's your name kid? Can you tell me what happened?" It was Chamber's turn to ask.
Upon recalling, the child couldn't stop his tears from welling in his eyes.
"M-My name is Johann Faust. Father Simon, he…he didn't want to help us…" As the child, now known as Johann Faust, started to retell his story, Chamber eagerly listened, while Diorno curled his fist from behind, in disbelief about what the priest had just done.
The church never turns to its faithful followers!
This is what the church has taught Diorno and what he has always implemented every single day, even as the chief exorcist.
If Lord Michael were to know this. What would the Sword of God think?
Would Lord Michael personally deal with this or what?
"I see. Where are these parents you spoke of? You see, while you don't trust this companion of mine behind me, he's capable of healing your parents. He was sent by the angel Michael from Heaven himself."
Hearing Chamber's words, Johann's eyes widened in surprise as his big round eyes stared at Diorno with shock.
Diorno is unable to help himself from puffing his chest in pride.
'And here I thought the Sorcerer Supreme take all the glory.'
"F-Follow me! They're really really sick!" As much as Johann wanted to say he still didn't trust the huge man due to what he personally experienced with the church priest, Father Simon, his concern towards his parents was his priority.
Chamber nodded his head and traced the kid's footsteps, following behind was Diorno.
As for the knights, after a certain distance between them and Chamber, they all started to move one by one, confusion filled their faces as the kid they'd been harassing was gone.
In just a single blink, the perpetrator of the church's explosion was gone.
***
"Dad! Mom! I've brought help! They'll help you!" Barging through the door of their dilapidated home, Johann approached the two beds containing an old man and woman.
"Johann? You're back? Cough!"
The dad slowly opened his eyes as he saw his son, along with two unknown men behind him, upon seeing the clothes of Diorno, anger clouded him and he was about to lash out when suddenly, he recalled something.
Earlier, a fellow friend of his who was also suffering the same sickness as them visited him and told him about two certain men outside who appeared out of nowhere, performing miracles like Jesus who was depicted in the Bible.
Healing their sickness and bringing them back to their health.
It almost sound unbelievable if he hasn't seen that certain friend personally earlier.
His anger mellowed down and he just gritted his teeth.
"P-please, focus on my wife first. I can handle this for a day. But my Lily, she's been too quiet since this morning." Obviously, the man has noticed this the moment he woke up.
A bad feeling quickly churned inside his stomach as he saw the two men's expressions turn conflicted upon checking up on his wife.
Johann stood on the side, clearly unaware of the grave news that Chamber and Diorno were about to bring.
"I'm sorry but she's….gone," Chamber muttered, but loud enough for Johann and his father to hear.
"I knew it…" Johann's father mustered a pained smile, not wanting to show weakness in front of his son.
Johann on the other hand, couldn't believe what he heard.
"M-Mom's gone? No…No! She's not dead yet! S-She was just alive…this…morning…" Before Johann could finish his words, he remembered how unresponsive his mother had been since this morning.
"Mom? Y-You're not gone yet, right?" Johann slowly approached the aged woman, who was smiling softly as she lay on the bed. If it wasn't for Chamber's words, Johann would've thought that his mother was just having a dream and is still very much alive and well.
"I'm sorry, child. Just know that your mother is now in God's embrace, he'll make sure she's happy in heaven." Diorno wore a strained smile on his face as he patted Johann's shoulders.
"We were late," Chamber muttered to himself.
He too, felt sad by this. If only they have been faster. Maybe they could've saved Johann's mother.
'If only I could turn back the time…' Chamber sighed.
However, as soon as he registered his words, his eyes widened in realization.
'Time. I have the power of time on my side. Maybe I can bring her back.'
Saying this to himself, Chamber remembered how Doctor Strange was able to save tens of Sorcerers and civilians during Dormammu's invasion, simply by using the power of the time stone to bring everyone back to life.
Then there's also Thanos using the time stone to bring the dead Vision back to life, including even the Mind Stone.
Such a display of power shows how strong the power of time is.
"Johann, do you trust me?" Interrupting their weeping session, Chamber approached the kid and asked.
'If I'm successful, this might change many things, including gaining this kid's trust. I can sense the power inside him. If he were to become my student, it would be wonderful.' Of course, in this world, kindness can't remain unpaid.
There will always be payment in exchange for something. You can't blame him for that.
"Chamber. What are you doing?" Diorno, not wanting to hurt the child's feelings, pulled Chamber's arm and asked in a whisper.
"I know what I'm doing." Chamber stared at Diorno's eyes directly, causing the exorcist to release his arm.
"Just know, this child won't be able to endure if this hope you give him turns out to be a dupe." Diorno whispered in his ear, giving Chamber a final warning.
"Please. I beg you! Please don't let God take my mom away from me. From us!" Kneeling on the ground, Johann wanted to go even further and grovel when Chamber himself stopped him.
"Don't do that, Johann. I'm doing this for my sake too." Chamber shook his head and said, though he was muttering the last sentence to himself.
Stepping onto the bed where his mother lay dead, the pocket watch hanging from his neck glowed in green light as he mustered the depths of Chronos Requiem's time power.
Chamber could feel it, the power of time flowing in his veins, starting from the Sacred Gear situated inside his soul, up to his physical form.
Diorno, Johann, and his father watched with held breaths, their eyes never leaving the flowing green aura surrounding Chamber's body.
"That…" Diorno muttered in shock, unable to believe his eyes.
Although he doesn't know what Chamber intends to do, he could feel the strange power within him.
Its intention is enough for him to feel from a distance.
Chamber is truly bringing the dead back to life.
Minutes passed and within the silence ensued in the room to the point that even a pin dropping on the ground could be heard.
The bed creaked.
Johann's mother, who was in death's embrace, starts to stir awake, her eyes fluttering as she takes a moment to register her surroundings.
Then she made a sound.
"Where…am I?"
"MOM!"
"Lily!"
***
Outside their home, Chamber left the family to share their small reunion after Diorno healed both Johann's mother and father.
Chamber stood outside with a complicated expression.
He brought someone back from the dead.
He's like a god. Or at least he feels like one.
"I'm not going to ask how you did that back there…I can't believe I'm going to say this but, you're a good man, Sorcerer Supreme. It would take God himself to change my opinion of you." Diorno appeared behind him and patted Chamber's shoulder, expressing himself to him.
"I don't know. If you define good as doing something beneficial to others, then maybe I am. But at the same time, it's not. If I revived her and brought her back to life, what about the others? Wouldn't it be unkind of me if she's the only one I brought back to life and not the others?"
"Would I be called selfish then?" Chamber spoke with a complicated expression. Directly refuting Diorno's encouraging words.
He's not a good man. Never was. And never will be. Everything he's doing until now is just to benefit himself and to survive in this unprecedented journey towards the unknown.
"I can't answer that." Diorno solemnly replied.
"But if it makes you feel better. In my eyes, what you just did is equal to a thousand acts of kindness."
"….Thanks." Chamber softly chuckled. Gaining more than just a student in this short journey of his.
Just as Chamber and Diorno stay rooted in their places, Chamber's senses immediately picked up the presence of someone brimming in mana.
A human. But its mana far exceeding even a full-fledged Mid-class devil. Almost borderline High-class.
'Who is this?' Confusion filled Chamber's face.
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[Next Chapter: Ch. 56 - Sorcerer Meets an old Wizard [2]]
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