Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 144

< 144. One of Three >

A person attending the gathering stole something?

Good heavens. Rembrary clicked his tongue. His original followers would never have imagined such a thing.

To dare steal from a priest, and at a gathering no less.

“Aren’t you being too lenient? Sometimes you need to be scary.”

“Did High Priest use both the whip and the carrot?”

“Well, not really.”

In the world Rembrary lived in, everyone knew of the existence of gods, so they wouldn’t touch a priest’s belongings, even if they felt uneasy about it.

But those gathered at the meeting were drawn to the Archon’s abilities rather than completely believing in and following Redrin.

Therefore, they were clearly less afraid of divine punishment.

“It’s not just about the money; it’s an item with severe side effects. We must retrieve it.”

The Archon rummaged through the room, just in case, and Rembrary followed closely behind, asking.

“What are the side effects of that brush that you’re so concerned about?”

“If used excessively, it doesn’t just eliminate negative emotions.”

“Then?”

“There’s a chance all emotions could disappear.”

“Well, what’s the problem with not having emotions?”

The Archon, who had been answering seriously, turned around with a look that said, ‘Is this guy talking nonsense?’

“Excuse me?”

“As long as the five senses are alive, there’s so much to enjoy in the world.”

“What’s the point of eating delicious food if you don’t feel happy eating it?”

“Is that so?”

Maybe. As Rembrary was understanding, the Archon continued in an even darker voice.

“Besides… eventually, the face disappears.”

“Do you mean the head falls off?”

“You could say the eyes, nose, and mouth gradually disappear.”

Rembrary was startled as he lifted the cushion where the brush had been placed.

Emotions disappear, and then the eyes, nose, and mouth gradually disappear, causing the face to vanish?

Immediately, the faceless demon came to mind.

But he soon shook his head.

It might look similar, but it’s a completely different monster.

Demons aren’t created that way in the first place.

That demon may appear to be faceless, but it can manifest its face when needed.

As Rembrary understood it that way, the Archon added grimly.

“In other words, it becomes a yokai [a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore].”

This time, Rembrary recalled the time he spoke with Sa Gamjae.

When Rembrary was just learning about Lavrum.

He had asked Sa Gamjae about the ‘faceless demon.’

Then Sa Gamjae had confirmed whether he was talking about a ‘demon’ or a ‘faceless yokai.’

At the time, he just brushed it off.

But now that he thought about it, didn’t Sa Gamjae’s words imply that such a yokai existed?

Could that yokai be a yokai created by the side effects of this brush…?

“Ah, Archon.”

“Yes.”

“The culprit wouldn’t be Maeng Wooshin. He’s been with me the whole time.”

As the two came out of the room, the guards immediately greeted them.

Their expressions were calm, probably because the soundproofing was thorough.

“Has anyone entered this room?”

“No, sir.”

“No one has come near either.”

“Have you left your posts?”

“No, sir.”

“The gathering has only just begun, so we haven’t rotated shifts yet.”

None of them seemed to be lying.

However, the guards’ calm demeanor changed as the Archon began to question them in detail.

“Has something happened inside?” one of them asked perceptively, and the Archon answered honestly.

“Yes… someone stole something.”

“Good heavens.”

The guards were surprised and whispered among themselves, then unanimously said that no one had entered.

The Archon calmed the guards down and returned to the hall where the gathering was being held.

Rembrary crossed his arms and pondered.

In fact, he had the power to reveal the truth. Just like when Hye-gyeol was involved in school violence rumors, he could use ‘Truthful Bet’ on the gathering participants.

It would be cumbersome, though.

But to do that, he would have to expose his forehead, which was essential. If he revealed his face and bombarded them with strange questions, those who had come with their faces covered would strongly resist.

Above all, if he used his ability on everyone here, it would look suspicious to anyone.

The Archon was a priest from another world chosen by the god Redrin, but those gathered here were ambiguous as to whether they were followers of the god Redrin.

They didn’t believe in the god Redrin itself, but rather believed in angels, and so on.

Besides, he had heard that even non-believers were mixed in here.

To reveal all his abilities among such people? That would not do.

‘I must be as careful as possible.’

In the end, Rembrary couldn’t be of much help and looked around the hall with a serious face.

‘There’s also the possibility that the culprit isn’t human.’

As he was doing that, Maeng Wooshin approached Rembrary and grumbled.

“What were you talking about with the Archon earlier?”

“It wasn’t anything important.”

“Since it wasn’t anything important, you can tell me what you talked about.”

“The Archon had something he wanted to try,”

“Wanted to?”

The moment he was about to say that someone had stolen something.

The host, who was eating bread in the corner of the stage, suddenly shouted, “It’s recreation time!”

Maeng Wooshin flinched and carefully asked.

“The Archon wants to do recreation?”

He looked very bewildered, and in fact, it was understandable for him to be bewildered.

Recreation at a secret gathering that only meets once a month?

It’s not like they came to a middle or high school group retreat?

“Sunbae [term used to address senior colleagues or mentors]. What is recreation?”

“I don’t know. It’s like playing games together and stuff. But, don’t you even know what recreation is? What school did you go to? Didn’t your school have extreme training retreats or anything?”

Rembrary, who had no way of knowing which school Woo Yeonwoo had attended, avoided answering and surveyed the surrounding atmosphere.

Everyone seemed as bewildered as Maeng Wooshin by the sudden talk of recreation.

“Ah, what is this?”

“Why recreation all of a sudden?”

“Am I going to end up doing recreation at a secret gathering?”

‘It’s definitely not an event they’ve done before…’

Looking towards the Archon, the Archon was having a serious conversation with the host.

‘Recreation seems to be for finding the lost item…’

And as expected. The host, who had heard something from the Archon, grabbed the microphone and said this.

“You may drop or lose items, so please put all your belongings in the cabinets in the next room.”

Maeng Wooshin was horrified.

“How intense is it going to be?”

Most of the participants’ reactions were no different from Maeng Wooshin’s, but still, the majority stepped forward to participate. Only three people did not participate, citing illness.

The people went out into the hallway with dissatisfied faces.

Rembrary followed them and saw them entering a room next to the hall.

Upon entering, he saw neat cabinets lined up in the room.

The people put all their belongings into the cabinets.

Rembrary was convinced that the Archon had deliberately arranged the recreation.

‘He’s trying to get everyone to take out their belongings.’

It doesn’t seem like there are CCTVs here either. But there must be some way.

And Rembrary’s guess was correct.

There were no CCTVs here either, but there was a master key.

While the gathering participants were doing recreation, the Archon was planning to check the items that the participants had left behind.

He had asked them to move their bodies vigorously during the recreation as much as possible, so even if they didn’t leave the item here, it would be immediately obvious.

After the recreation began, the Archon, along with a few close aides, checked all the items in the cabinets.

However, the brush was not found.

The Archon, who had re-entered the hall, stared at the three people who were not participating in the recreation and were standing aside.

Now that things had come to this, there was a high probability that those three were the culprits…

* * *

Rembrary, who had been glancing at the Archon from afar, approached the Archon immediately after the recreation ended and asked.

“Did you find it?”

“I couldn’t find the brush.”

“What about the three people who didn’t participate in the recre… thing earlier?”

“I couldn’t search their bodies. But in the current situation, those three are the most suspicious.”

Rembrary clicked his tongue.

Indeed. It would look really strange if the Archon searched clothes there.

“So, High Priest.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you the names of those three people, so could you go and sound them out while passing by?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re the only celebrity who knows about this, Archon. You don’t need to actively dig up information, just sound them out once while passing by.”

“Who are the three?”

“They’re all celebrities.”

“Alright. I’ll ask if I happen to run into them.”

“Gi Seungmin, Song Seoyoung, Jo Sayeon.”

The Archon told him the names, and Rembrary was about to answer that he understood, but he paused.

One of the three names… Jo Sayeon.

Just one name sounded very familiar.

‘Where have I heard it before?’

* * *

“Remember the names of the participants on the same program. Huh?”

The next day.

The members who didn’t have schedules yet hadn’t returned to the dorm, and Jongwoo and Sa Gamjae came to Rembrary’s dorm first because of his schedule.

Afterwards, Rembrary only asked Jongwoo about ‘Jo Sayeon’ in the car.

He had tried searching online, but just by looking at the face, Rembrary knew almost nothing about this person.

There was a lot of information coming out, but it was difficult to distinguish ‘Am I close to this person?’ just by looking at it.

But she was a participant in the same program.

“I’ve never seen her face before?”

“Of course not. You’re on the Two-Timing Team, and that person is a member of the Transfer Team.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, that was right. At first, he found the names in the script and memorized them. But since there was no reason to see them, he forgot.

But Rembrary frowned with worry.

The Archon had asked him to go and sound out those three while passing by.

Judging from the broadcast pattern so far, Rembrary would have no chance to run into Jo Sayeon even while passing by.

But what was this?

The VJ [Video Journalist], who had been listening to the conversation quietly, shouted excitedly.

“Ah, that’s right! We’re filming with the Transfer Team members today!”

Jongwoo asked in surprise.

“With the other team? Is that okay?”

“Originally, they were considering a crossover based on the reactions. But the colors of the existing teams were so strong and the chemistry was so good that they were leaning towards not mixing them.”

Anyway, it was fortunate for Rembrary. He would be able to see her face while passing by, as the Archon had asked.

“Ah, first, I’ll explain how we’re going to proceed.”

The VJ, alternating between Rembrary, who was smiling gently but inscrutably, and Jongwoo, who was worried about ‘Is this okay?’, told them about today’s concept.

“You know that there are three members on the Transfer Team, right? The team’s concept is that Caitlin, who is popular in foreign entertainment, is dating top star Jo Sayeon, but Jo Sayeon’s heart is gradually turning to her fan, Joo Minseo, who has been by her side for a long time.”

“I know.”

“Yes, I was just reminding you in case you forgot. Anyway, that’s the concept, and so far, the focus has been on Caitlin and Jo Sayeon’s relationship, right? But now, we’re going to film Jo Sayeon’s heart changing as she sees Joo Minseo getting close to another man. That other man is Woo Yeonwoo.”

The VJ smiled and handed Rembrary a printed paper.

“Here, this is today’s concept.”

Rembrary took the paper and was about to look at the script when he raised his eyebrows.

“There’s no script?”

“Woo Yeonwoo said he acts even stranger when there’s a script, so we just took it out.”

“?”