Parallel Memory

Zero worked tirelessly alongside Saintess Amelia and the other volunteers to help with the cleanup and reconstruction efforts. The destruction caused by the battle with Cardinal Hildred had left the once-beautiful cathedral in ruins, with debris and rubble scattered everywhere.

Saintess Amelia worked tirelessly to help those in need, organizing relief efforts and providing healing to those in need. Her efforts earned her the respect and admiration of the people, who looked up to her as a beacon of hope in their darkest hour.

If not for Saintess, they knew that they would be in chaos. Luckily, Saintess Amelia showed amicable leadership in this situation.

As for Zero, he continued to assist with the relief efforts, using his skills to help rebuild the damaged buildings and infrastructure.

In the days that followed, the city slowly began to recover from the devastation. Buildings were rebuilt, people were given shelter and basic services were restored.

Despite the daunting task ahead of them, Zero felt a sense of satisfaction in helping those in need.

After the situation was under control, Saintess Amelia gathered all the people and decided to explain what had happened.

Most of them had no idea what happened and even though they were curious, with their fellow people dying, they had to concentrate on saving them instead of asking questions.

Now with all the people saved, there was one question lingering in all of their minds, "What the hell happened?"

As far as memory goes, all they could remember was attending the ceremony for the dead who died protecting the saintess. And when they woke up, the number of people killed just increased. They didn't know the culprit or the reason why they didn't remember anything.

Saintess Amelia also didn't want to delay any longer as she could see confusion in their eyes. It was better to explain and ease their tension.

"During the ceremony of death, many of us had fallen to the effect of the artifact called Nexus Scepter which controlled our minds. It is the reason why you don't remember what happened after that event."

Saintess Amelia said.

"T-This-"

"Is this why I don't remember what happened that day?"

"Dammit! How could we? What were the guards doing? Letting the enemies in!"

"Who was the one to control our minds? Is this destruction caused by us? B-by any chance, did we kill our own people?" …

Saintess Amelia's answer only caused more chaos among the people. Their doubt began to grow and some were even afraid that they had killed those Holy Knights that Zero had killed previously.

More importantly, they wanted to know the person behind the mind control. Who is their enemy and did they already deal with him?

Many questions remained to be answered and they waited for Saintess Amelia to give them the answer. Only she was the one who knew all the answers to their questions.

"The culprit has already been taken care of. You don't need to worry about being mind-controlled again as the artifact is destroyed."

Saintess Amelia continued. She did try to tell everything but kept some things hidden like the betrayal of Cardinal Hildred and others.

It was to keep the people from panicking and also because the thought of getting betrayed by someone so prominent would not be good for the Church.

Anyway, Saintess Amelia decided to discuss this issue with the Pope first, before deciding whether to reveal it to others or not.

"It is with the utmost reverence that I must bring to your attention that Sir Jester, without any hesitation or regard for his own safety, placed his life on the line in order to ensure our survival. I implore you to consider expressing your sincerest gratitude to him for his heroic actions."

Saintess Amelia said while pointing towards where Zero was sitting. She didn't forget to mention Zero who had saved them all.

-CLAP! -CLAP!

The words spoken by the Saintess were met with resounding agreement from the rest of the crowd, who were already in the process of expressing their appreciation for Sir Jester. The cheers and applause grew louder and more enthusiastic as they recognized the bravery and selflessness that he had displayed in the face of danger.

"Thank you, Sir Jester!" someone yelled from the back, while others echoed similar sentiments. "We owe you our lives!" and "You're a hero!"

They already knew that Sir Jester was strong but being able to handle things that even Rank-S Holy Knight failed, their evaluation of Jester increased. They already had a good impression of Jester because of him saving Saintess and other Holy Knights, now that only increased because of him saving their lives.

Not only that, but Zero was also helping everyone with clearing rumbles and saving people for the past few days. Their impression of Zero only got better and better.

Zero was bowing in acknowledgment of the crowd's applause. He did not enjoy being the center of attention.

"The cathedral is destroyed but luckily most of us are alive. Nothing matters more than our lives. We can rebuild any building we have lost. The Pope is also on his way back."

Saintess Amelia said.

She was able to contact the Pope and she shared what happened here. She didn't know how the Pope reacted to the story but after waiting for a while for the Pope's reply, the Pope said that he would come back as soon as possible.

Anyway, Saintess Amelia said that the danger had been taken care of. Only the aftermath of the destruction was left. But it seems that the Pope is very concerned about what happened there so he decided to come back quickly.

He seemed quite shaken by the fact that Cardinal Hildred had betrayed them.

The Pope's voice trembled with a mix of anger and grief as he spoke, "I can't fathom that Cardinal Hildred would have been betraying our Church for so long. How could she do such a heinous thing? After all the trust we placed in her, all the power we bestowed upon her, this is how she repays us? It's unforgivable."

The Pope had known Cardinal Hildred longer than anyone else. He had always taught her when they were younger and he was not a Pope.

"I am responsible for all these deaths! All these innocent lives were lost because of my blindness! How could I have been so foolish? How could I have let this happen?"

Saintess Amelia wanted to say something but she didn't know what to say. Even she was shocked and felt betrayed when she found out about Cardinal Hildred's betrayal, not to mention Pope who had known Cardinal Hildred for years.

"I have sinned! I have failed the Church and all those who trusted in me. How can I ever make amends for the blood on my hands?"

He lamented his ability to manage the Church which caused many innocent deaths.

"Saintess Amelia, I cannot express the depth of my gratitude towards your friend for the aid he provided us in our darkest hour of need. The debt I owe him shall forever be etched into my very being, never to be forgotten or overlooked. The bravery and selflessness he displayed on that day have left an indelible mark on my heart, and I shall forever remember him as a hero in my eyes."

The Pope said. The weight of his failure was crushing, and he struggled to find a way forward. But in his heart, he knew that he could not give up. He had to find a way to make things right, to redeem himself in the eyes of those he had failed to.

Their conversation ended.

*SIGH!

Saintess Amelia was relieved that the Pope and others were coming back. With them, it would be easy to ease the uneasiness that people were feeling.

People were also feeling quite relieved to hear that the Pope was coming back. With him and the Holy Knights, they would be much safer.

"Let's endure for a few more days. I assure you that everything will be alright!"

Saintess Amelia ended her talk with these words. She knew that right now, the situation for Sanctum Aurea was not looking good. But it was improving and soon it would recover to what it was.

People went back to their shelters. Everyone was deep thinking and was worried about their future. They believed, however, that the Saintess and Pope would get everything sorted out.

"Jester!" Saintess Amelia called out to Zero, her voice tense with worry. Her heart raced as she tried to express her thoughts, but before she could form a complete sentence, a deafening explosion interrupted her.

-BANG!

The sound echoed through the air, startling both of them. They both assumed it was the work of their enemies and quickly sprang into action, ready to face whatever danger lay ahead.

However, contrary to what they thought, the person who caused such a loud noise was someone that both of them knew well.

"Zero! Amelia! Is everything alright?"

Mia Frostine arrived!