Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 141

< Chapter 141. The High Priest's Habit >

Rembrary’s hand began to move, making rustling sounds.

Shinjo was in a cheerful mood, watching Rembrary’s hand move busily.

There was no clear reason, but he assumed that Rembrary would naturally be bad at drawing. It was just a feeling.

But… as he watched, it was strange.

‘Huh?’ Shinjo raised his eyebrows.

He stared at the figure slowly appearing on the white paper with disbelief.

‘He’s good at it?’

Rembrary was surprisingly good at drawing.

It was a light, unique, and peculiar style, but beyond that, he was good.

At first, it seemed like he was just scribbling with a pencil, but after a few seconds, those lines were essential for the story.

The lines were cleverly connected to create a form.

The demon, too, seemed amazed by the drawing unfolding before his eyes, and he closed his mouth and stared intently at the paper.

How long had it been?

“I can’t. Get out.”

Rembrary, who was drawing well, suddenly demanded to Shinjo.

“Me?”

Shinjo pointed at himself with his finger.

“Are you telling me to leave?”

Rembrary nodded.

“Yes. I can’t concentrate.”

Shinjo felt wronged. He hadn’t made a sound and was just watching, but suddenly he couldn’t concentrate?

The demon, who had been fixated on the drawing, glanced up.

Shinjo and the demon’s eyes met in the air.

“Do I really have to leave?”

Shinjo resisted leaving, but Rembrary said once again, “Get out.”

The demon didn’t take his side or even look at him.

Shinjo didn’t want to leave, but he was curious about what kind of conversation the crazy guy and the demon would have.

To do that, he had to leave.

After all, he could always ask Labrum about the question the crazy guy asked the demon later.

Finally, they were left alone in the car.

Rembrary then asked Labrum directly.

“What is your purpose?”

[Why suddenly me? Why me? Are you curious about me?]

“What is your purpose?”

Rembrary asked again.

[Why is that important? Why is it important? You said you wanted to draw me?]

The demon retorted, as if dumbfounded.

“What is your purpose?”

Rembrary repeated the same question this time as well.

The drawing was just an excuse from the start. In reality, the biggest reason he came was this.

“And just in case, let me tell you in advance, watch your mouth when you speak. If I hear what your purpose is and it bothers me, you might have to go back to hell and spend 100 years sewing your torn neck.”

Labrum kept asking why? why? why?, then flinched at Rembrary’s gentle threat.

He was puzzled by the sudden change in tone, but it was because of the content of Rembrary’s words.

It wasn’t that the content of the words was scary. He was surprised because the content of the words was so realistic.

Among the demons, there were those who actually had their arms or legs torn off and were patching them up here and there.

Ordinary people can’t tear apart a demon’s body, but even if they somehow manage to tear it off, the demon can just reattach the torn body.

No matter how finely it’s broken, the body sticks back together.

The problem was that while it was difficult for others to tear off the body, it was difficult for the demons themselves to sew it back together.

Of course, the flesh would naturally reattach without sewing, or new flesh would grow altogether, but natural healing took too long compared to sewing it up with thread.

Unless they wanted to spend hundreds of years focusing solely on recovery, it was more advantageous to just squat down and sew their own neck or arm, even if it didn’t look perfect.

However, the number of people who knew this story was very small.

No, almost no one knew except the demons themselves.

They didn’t bother talking about it and it could be misused, so the demons didn’t talk about this much.

But when a human, who was talking to him for the first time, brought up this story, he became curious.

[How did you know? Sewing? Have you done it?]

When Rembrary only glanced sideways, the demon felt a chill and took a step back.

[Crazy? Crazy? Crazy?]

The moment their eyes met, the feeling was very strange.

The feeling was truly bizarre.

It felt eerie, unpleasant, but there was definitely the scent of delicious prey, and on the other hand, it looked very cool.

Like Shinjo said, is this what happens when you mix everything together?

“Answer. Are you not going to answer?”

[What bothers you? What bothers you? What kind of answer would bother you?]

“Any answer that harms my believers, people who live righteously and faithfully, innocent people, will all be treated as bothersome.”

Even in the midst of this, Rembrary’s hand continued to move.

The sound of the pencil and paper colliding quietly permeated the silent car.

The demon tilted his head this time.

Rembrary’s answer was too strange. Really strange.

He felt a bit like a fellow…

But just listening to him talk, he seemed like an extremely annoying saint.

But since he didn’t feel like a saint at all, he was confused.

[What are you? What’s your identity? You’re a bit strange.]

“Answer first. 6 minutes left.”

[Me, Shinjo’s contractor. I help Shinjo. My purpose is to help Shinjo.]

“Do you harm people in the process?”

[No. No. I don’t think so?]

Rembrary put down the pencil.

It wasn’t because he believed those words and the business was over, but to carefully analyze those words for a moment.

‘It’s not a lie, but it will be a lie.’

The demon’s purpose wasn’t to kill, but he killed people to achieve his purpose.

Listening to the demons’ words, there were many plausible and seemingly righteous things.

You had to think carefully about the demon’s words.

In other words, answering like that meant that if Shinjo wanted to harm people, he could help…

Rembrary rolled the pencil, nodded, and then gripped the pencil again.

Labrum wondered what that human was doing.

At that moment.

Rembrary, holding the pencil in one hand like a weapon, grabbed the demon’s collar with the other hand and pulled him closer, as if he was going to stab the pencil into Labrum’s eye.

It happened in the blink of an eye, but the demon didn’t even flinch.

The demon stared intently at Rembrary, ignoring the pencil that had stopped just barely in front of his eyes, without even blinking, like the eyes embedded in a doll or statue.

“Hmm.”

Then Rembrary smiled and let go of the demon.

He started drawing again with the pencil he had held like a weapon.

Once again, only the sound of the pencil scratching was heard.

Exactly 3 minutes before the time Rembrary had said, he placed the pencil on his lap.

Rembrary reached his hand to the driver’s seat and knocked on the front window. Shinjo, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and came inside, asking.

[Did you finish drawing?]

“Yes. Let’s go back now.”

Shinjo sat down and checked the drawing Rembrary had drawn first.

However, the drawing was barely visible because the sketchbook was turned over on his lap.

“Did a masterpiece come out?”

Even when Shinjo asked a deliberately joking question, Rembrary answered calmly.

“Depends on who’s looking.”

He could ask Lambroom later about what kind of conversation they had.

In the end, Shinjo didn’t ask Rembrary any further and obediently moved to Wild Animal’s accommodation.

The demon watched Remb’s profile with his eyes, nose, and mouth all exposed.

Rembrary was leaning back leisurely in the back seat with his eyes closed.

“We’ve arrived.”

Finally, when the car stopped near the accommodation, Rembrary turned over the sketchbook that had been turned over.

But before Shinjo could check the drawing, he tore off a sheet of paper.

He tore off the paper and placed it face down on the seat where he had been sitting before getting out.

As Rembrary entered the apartment entrance and disappeared, the demon slowly turned over the drawing.

“What the heck is this?”

Shinjo, who had been curious about the drawing since earlier, turned his body and looked at the drawing in the demon’s hand.

The moment he saw the drawing, a low groan escaped from Shinjo’s mouth.

In the drawing, the leash around the demon’s neck was fastened around Shinjo’s neck.

The demon was holding the end of the leash.

The corners of the demon’s mouth turned up into a smirk as he saw that.

He was indeed a strange human.

The demon’s contractors think they control the demon, but in reality, it’s the opposite.

That human had just pointed that out to Shinjo through the drawing.

[This seems to be yours. It seems like he’s giving it to you. It’s you, you.]

The demon handed over the drawing.

Shinjo reluctantly received the paper and asked.

“Did you two draw this together? Is this why you told me to leave, to draw this?”

[Strange crazy. Strange crazy. Possessing the energy of a demon and speaking good words……]

Shinjo started the car, and the car smoothly drove away from there.

As the car drove away, the reddish-orange light of the street lamp flickered once.

Under a window where the flickering light reached, a black figure appeared and disappeared.

The figure had been standing there like a stone statue, staring at the car, at the place where the car had passed, but when he heard a voice from behind saying, “Shin Jo-un,” he finally took a step back and turned his head.

“Why?”

“Why, you ask? Why are you striking a pose there instead of cooking? Aren’t you going to finish this? It’s almost time for Yeon-woo to come?”

“Ah. I was just looking at something.”

“Keep an eye on the gas stove. When should I turn off this fire?”

* * *

When Rembrary returned to the accommodation, the cooking was not yet finished.

“15 minutes exceeded by 2 minutes.”

Jang Tae-ri said with precise calculation, but it was fortunate that the cooking was still not finished.

“It’s because of the travel time.”

Rembrary went into the bedroom, put down the sketchbook and pencil, and went into the bathroom.

When he came out after washing his hands, Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-un were setting some dishes on the table.

The space, which was narrow and desolate when he was alone, was instantly filled with vitality, warmth, and delicious smells.

“It smells delicious. Are you really good at cooking?”

“Yeon-woo, sit here.”

As Jang Tae-ri and Rembrary sat side by side, Shin Jo-un placed plates and piled food on each of them.

Seeing the food, Rembrary became urgently hungry and swallowed hard.

Shin Jo-un also placed a plate in front of him and sat opposite Rembrary and Jang Tae-ri.

“Pig.”

But before eating.

Shin Jo-un called Rembrary first.

Rembrary, who was holding chopsticks and waiting to eat, raised his head.

Shin Jo-un asked in a casual tone, as if it was nothing.

“What did you do?”

“I went to draw.”

“What kind of drawing?”

“A big picture.”

“You drew a picture in 15 minutes?”

“It’s not a finished piece. Just a rough sketch. Why do you ask?”

“No……”

Shin Jo-un paused for a moment, then smiled and recommended.

“Eat a lot.”

But in his heart, Shin Jo-un recalled the car he had looked down on earlier.

That car… I’ve seen that car before while hunting Nakru [a type of monster].

< Chapter 141. The High Priest's Habit > End