The Miracle in the Children's Eyes

A dilapidated church stood there.

Sparse trees and bushes grew around it, with a stone wall encircling the grounds beyond them.

The wall was pitted, and some of its corners were badly damaged. It looked as though it had been through a war, a scene of broken walls and crumbling ruins.

At that moment, a group of children huddled together, peering curiously into the church and whispering among themselves.

"Mm... it's the new big brother..."

"He looks even more handsome than big brother Chrollo..."

"Is he here to join boss Chrollo?"

The children all chimed in. Though they were still young enough to have runny noses, they spoke quite like a band of outlaws.

They were a group of orphans from Meteor City who could be said to be under the protection of Chrollo, Pakunoda, and the others.

If there were any lucky people in Meteor City,

they might have been among them.

Naturally, the person the children were talking about was Ian.

After Feitan fainted, Ian had followed Chrollo and the others to the place that could, for lack of a better term, be called their "headquarters."

Through a broken church window, Ian noticed the children secretly peeking at him.

"The children here are...?"

He winked at them, a faint smile touching his lips, before asking Chrollo, who stood beside him.

"You could say we took them in..."

Chrollo followed Ian's gaze, a trace of tenderness flashing in his eyes beneath his calm expression.

"These children are among Meteor City's failures. If we didn't protect them, they'd have a hard time surviving."

Chrollo's tone remained perfectly calm as he answered Ian's question.

Yet Ian could sense a feeling of helplessness in his answer.

At this point, Chrollo was not yet the leader of the infamous A-rank band of thieves, the Phantom Troupe, that he would become.

Even after he became the leader of the Phantom Troupe, however, most of the money he plundered would be spent on the children of Meteor City.

In a sense, to this group of Meteor City orphans,

the future Chrollo and his companions were more like Robin Hood, "robbing the rich to help the poor"—heroes in their eyes.

Listening to Chrollo, Ian looked at the children, his gaze thoughtful.

He recalled the tangled grievances between the Phantom Troupe and Kurapika from his previous life. Although he had only a partial understanding of the anime's plot, he knew that the conflict had started because the Phantom Troupe had wiped out the Kurta Clan.

Had it been solely to plunder the "Scarlet Eyes," one of the world's seven most beautiful sights?

That explanation did not hold up.

Although some members of the Phantom Troupe did as they pleased, aside from a maniac like Feitan, the others probably would not commit atrocities like wiping out an entire clan at the drop of a hat.

Only a single message from the Phantom Troupe had been left at the scene of the massacre: "We accept everything, so take nothing from us."

That one sentence told Kurapika who his enemies were and gave him a goal to live for.

Although he had no evidence from witnessing the Phantom Troupe slaughter his clanspeople firsthand.

In the anime, Uvogin had personally admitted it when Kurapika killed him.

In Ian's view, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Chrollo, and the others all retained a kind of "simple" set of values.

They disdained lying about or denying the things they had done.

At the same time, even in the face of death, they could not be bothered to explain their reasons to people outside Meteor City in hopes of clinging to life.

Giving an order to exterminate the Kurta Clan, whether out of contempt or disregard, did not match the personality Chrollo displayed.

The group of Meteor City orphans under their protection was proof enough...

Chrollo was not a cold, heartless person. At his core, he was still tender, and he had "weaknesses" of his own.

Moreover, Ian seemed to recall the manga mentioning a girl named "Sarasa." She had been lively and adorable, and a childhood playmate of the Phantom Troupe's members.

But... she had died...

She had been dismembered by people who had smuggled themselves into Meteor City, and they had filmed it...

Her death had been utterly miserable.

Perhaps that was precisely why the Phantom Troupe had been formed and turned dark, and it was also closely connected to the extermination of the Kurta Clan.

At that thought, Ian withdrew his gaze and looked at Chrollo, hesitation on his face.

As if sensing his doubts, Chrollo asked calmly,

"Is there something you want to ask, Ian?"

After a moment's thought, Ian put aside his questions about Sarasa.

Given where they were in the timeline, Sarasa had probably died long ago. Even though he had the 4D Pocket, there was nothing he could do to bring her back until he drew a sufficiently powerful magical item.

There was no need to make a promise now. That would only give them hope too soon...

Ian changed the subject. He glanced around, took a brief look at his surroundings, and smiled.

"To these children, you've given shelter and protection..."

"I imagine that's also why you don't want to leave Meteor City."

As though Ian had guessed what was on his mind, Chrollo fell silent. Pakunoda, who was standing nearby in the church, gave Ian a long look before speaking.

"We have nothing, so we don't want to lose a single thing more."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and looked at the children, a hint of tenderness in her eyes. She said softly,

"Neither do they."

"If we could, we really would like to stay by their side..."

"Unfortunately... without enough strength, we can't protect this peace..."

Hearing her, Ian sighed and glanced at Machi, who was standing nearby in a slight daze. He shook his head gently and said to Pakunoda in a mild tone,

"Trying to protect a little peace in a place like Meteor City... it really hasn't been easy for you..."

"Before we decide to leave, perhaps I can leave them a gift."

Pakunoda looked puzzled, seemingly wondering what Ian meant by a gift.

Ian raised a hand and rubbed his chin. Then, as if he had hit upon a good idea, his eyes lit up and a smile curved his lips.

"How about we restore this church?"

Everyone present was a little stunned by Ian's words. Only Machi seemed to think of something, her eyes lighting up as well.

"Restore... the church? A project that size can't be finished overnight." Even Franklin, who was usually a man of few words, could not help scratching his head as he spoke.

Chrollo looked at Ian in equal confusion.

Even though they were Nen users, stronger and more enduring than ordinary people, it was just as Franklin had said.

Restoring the church was no small undertaking.

To complete it, they would need a clear set of plans, building experience, materials, and manpower.

Even with all that, they could not do it without enough time.

As Chrollo saw it, Ian was clearly planning to leave Meteor City as soon as possible.

Had he changed his mind?

Ian paid no attention to what the others were thinking.

He simply wanted to leave a small, beautiful dream for the Meteor City orphans protected by Chrollo and the others.

Living in this world was not easy, and surviving on the land of Meteor City was harder still.

These children's starting point in life was so low.

Ian did not want to spread religion, but if it could encourage these little ones to be positive and do good, and give them the courage to survive, he did not mind spending a little power.

With the thought in mind, he got straight to work!

With a thought from Ian,

[Set-Building Machine]

the next moment, he took out a pink gadget that looked like a video camera.

Everyone present was astonished by what he did.

Uvogin and Nobunaga finally caught on, and grins spread across their faces.

"That's Ian for you! With that gadget out, he can definitely build a new church in no time!"

"That's right. Ian himself said he could build even a palace in an instant. I can't wait to see how it turns out..."

Ian held the Set-Building Machine before his eyes and recalled St. Peter's Basilica, the breathtaking church from his previous life that brought together the pinnacle of Renaissance art.

As he imagined it, the dim, dilapidated interior of the humble church around them began to change.

It was as though the building were being transformed, a majestic music resounding within the body of a giant god.

As everyone watched, dumbstruck,

a dome spread overhead and pillars rose. Countless intricate, beautiful sculptures and portraits emerged from ripples, then settled onto the stone walls.

In the blink of an eye, the entire church interior had been transformed. It was magnificent and richly adorned, its light dim and its atmosphere mysterious, while marble steps rose high above them.

On either side stood a towering angel statue, guarding the indistinct figure at the center of the basilica, suffering upon a cross, its face impossible to make out.

"G-God..."

Outside, the children who had been watching the church interior had collapsed to the ground, their eyes wide and round, afraid to miss even the smallest detail.

It was an astonishing sight that would be engraved on their hearts for the rest of their lives.