Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 290

290. Puppet Lord (3)

The Lord glanced at the early dismissal agreement on his palm, a faint smile playing on his lips, before returning it to Rembrary.

“Business can wait.”

The voice returning the agreement was markedly different from his earlier, somewhat awkward suggestion of dinner. This time, it resonated with confidence and decisiveness.

‘Why the sudden change in tone?’ Rembrary wondered.

Puzzled, Rembrary looked at him, and the Lord responded with a bright smile, gesturing down the hallway.

“Shall we go?”

* * *

The dining area, as guided by the Lord, presented a stark contrast to the gritty atmosphere outside. It felt like a king’s residence, albeit one striving for understated elegance.

Rembrary’s eyes darted around, taking in the scene. Uniformed staff bustled about, bearing an endless stream of dishes. The massive table, easily seating two dozen, groaned under the weight of elaborately decorated food.

‘Quite extravagant indeed,’ he thought.

The restaurant’s interior practically screamed wealth, a jarring contrast to the squalor outside, where one might question how non-hunters managed to find a single meal.

“People outside the city often starve, struggling to find even a scrap of food. This Lord must be exceptionally cruel,” Sacasm whispered, his voice laced with disapproval, noticing the disparity. Rembrary, who was about to devour the most delectable-looking dish, paused, his gaze shifting to Sacasm.

“…….”

As Rembrary slowly lowered the food, Sacasm swiftly grabbed his wrist and shoved the morsel back into his mouth.

“I didn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it.”

Just then, a burst of laughter echoed nearby. The Puppet Lord had already pulled up a chair and was sitting close to them.

‘Did Sacasm’s words reach his ears?’ Rembrary wondered, chewing thoughtfully.

The Puppet Lord beamed, gesturing expansively for him to indulge.

“The pale Hunter speaks the truth. Food is scarce outside. Shouldn’t we, at least, savor this precious bounty and leave nothing behind?”

Instead of replying, Rembrary placed his chopsticks down. His appetite had vanished.

The Puppet Lord tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Why aren’t you eating? Is the food not to your liking? Or perhaps you’re not hungry?”

Rembrary dabbed his mouth with a napkin, his voice calm as he replied.

“I appreciate delicious food. I also enjoy feeling full. But I’m unwilling to partake in someone else’s flesh.”

His words hung in the air, surprising both the Puppet Lord and Sacasm.

The Puppet Lord hummed thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand, his gaze shifting between Rembrary’s discarded chopsticks, Sacasm’s untouched plate, and the Lion Lord’s equally untouched meal.

“It seems my hospitality is not well-received?”

In truth, the Lion Lord hadn’t touched his plate due to a strong suspicion of poisoning, a fact unknown to the Puppet Lord.

In the Puppet Lord’s eyes, the three hunters, who had barged into his territory and stirred up trouble, were now rejecting his gesture of reconciliation.

“I see. One might resort to eating another’s flesh if driven by hunger, I suppose.”

With that, the Puppet Lord abandoned his earlier, almost shy demeanor, resting his head on his arm, a heavy silence descending upon the table.

The staff, who had been diligently serving food, froze in place, exchanging nervous glances.

Their expressions betrayed their fear, a palpable emotion even Sacasm, a newcomer, could sense.

Time seemed to stretch, thick with tension. Just as Rembrary was about to subtly retrieve the early dismissal agreement, unable to bear the oppressive silence any longer, the Puppet Lord spoke.

“You three appear to be quite skilled hunters. Would you consider working with me here?”

Finally, the Puppet Lord broke the silence, his unexpected offer surprisingly amicable after the preceding unease.

“No, thank you,” Sacasm retorted immediately.

“Sign this first,” Rembrary added, seizing the opportunity to present the early dismissal agreement once more. The Lion Lord, meanwhile, retreated slightly, stroking his sparse beard, pointedly ignoring the Puppet Lord’s question.

“That’s disappointing.”

Witnessing their collective rejection, the Puppet Lord sighed softly, lowering his arm from the table.

“I extended a generous offer, assuming you weren’t here to seize my territory. But I’ve been rebuffed twice now.”

At the Lord’s words, the workers, who had been frozen in place, watching the scene unfold, scrambled to flee.

However, their attempt was futile. None managed to escape.

“Since my guests are so unyielding, perhaps I should provide some entertainment.”

With a snap of the Lord’s fingers, the fleeing workers were lifted into the air, suspended like puppets with tangled strings.

‘So that’s why they call him the Puppet Lord,’ Rembrary mused.

No visible strings connected to the workers’ bodies. The mechanism remained a mystery, but the ability was undeniably eerie.

With another snap of the Lord’s fingers, a slow, heavy thumping sound began to emanate from beyond the archway connecting the dining hall.

‘What is that sound?’ Rembrary wondered, frowning slightly and leaning forward.

The workers, now the Lord’s puppets, seemed to recognize the sound, their expressions contorted with even greater fear, yet they remained silent, trembling.

Like a roller coaster slowly ascending to its peak, building anticipation, the source of the heavy thumping revealed itself: a stone monster. The same type of stone monster that had attacked the Lion Lord’s vehicle.

However, this stone monster seemed even more terrifying than its predecessor. Not due to its appearance or size, which were virtually identical to the previous one.

“Please save me!”

The difference lay in the figure tied to the stone monster’s back.

“That guy……?”

Rembrary recognized the captive and his eyes widened slightly. It was the man who had attempted to deceive Rembrary with lies.

“Isn’t that your subordinate?”

Rembrary turned to the Puppet Lord, who responded with a bright smile, seemingly unconcerned about his subordinate’s imminent danger.

“You have quite the peculiar taste,” Rembrary remarked.

The Puppet Lord smiled, as if embarrassed, and looked between Rembrary, the Lion Lord, and Sacasm, offering a proposition.

“You require my signature, correct? If even one of you dispatches that monster, I shall grant it to you.”

At this point, Rembrary’s curiosity piqued. Why had the Puppet Lord invited them in the first place?

Initially, Rembrary had assumed the Lord sought to apologize for his subordinates’ and monsters’ easy defeat at their hands. Given the constant power struggles inherent in the Lord’s position, needlessly creating enemies seemed unwise.

But had he been mistaken? The Lord’s current demeanor betrayed no fear.

Perhaps the Puppet Lord simply didn’t care whether Rembrary’s group eliminated his subordinates or not.

However, the Lord’s motives were secondary. The immediate concern was the person bound to the stone monster’s back.

Rembrary knew that Divine Power would be ineffective against the stone monster, preventing him from acting immediately.

Furthermore, using the Authority of God to subdue the monster carried the risk of it stumbling backward, crushing the captive to death.

Sacasm, on the other hand, could easily obliterate the stone monster, but he knew that the captive would be caught in the blast, preventing him from acting as well.

“This is faster than that.”

The Lion Lord, who had remained silent throughout, suddenly stepped forward. In a blur of motion, he appeared beside the Puppet Lord and reached for his eye. Just as he was about to plunge his fingernail into the Lord’s eye, succumbing to his old habit.

“Oh, dear.”

With a smile, the Puppet Lord sent the Lion Lord hurtling upward, slamming him against the ceiling.

“Kuh.”

The Lion Lord coughed violently, clutching his ribs, clearly injured from the impact.

The Puppet Lord watched with satisfaction.

“Your ability is quite intriguing. But you can only use your power upon making ‘contact,’ correct?”

“You bastard……,” the Lion Lord spat through gritted teeth.

The Puppet Lord smiled lightly and turned to Sacasm, inquiring, “That person is quite strong, but he seems unable to attack people.”

“Were you analyzing us while sending your subordinates to attack?” Sacasm protested.

The Puppet Lord’s smile deepened as he turned his attention to Rembrary.

Rembrary felt a strange sense of anticipation, looking at the Puppet Lord. This wasn’t the time, and it wasn’t important, but seeing that the other party had analyzed his companions so keenly made him feel strangely expectant.

Besides, wasn’t he the last in line? People who are last in line tend to have higher expectations.

“That person is…….”

‘Am I?’

* * *

Shin Jo-woon, having navigated the tunnel and entered the non-city, stopped abruptly upon discovering the wrecked car.

‘That?’

Wrecked cars were hardly a rarity, but there was a distinct difference between a recently wrecked vehicle and one that had been abandoned long ago. This car reeked of recent damage.

‘Did that blonde trainee ride in this?’

Shin Jo-woon exited his vehicle and examined the wreckage. He found no sign of Rembrary or the shirtless lion-masked individual who was said to be accompanying him.

‘Was he injured?’

Concerned, he searched for clues, discovering a pile of stones near the car, stained with a small amount of blood.

Shin Jo-woon was startled, but quickly regained his composure. He also noticed traces of a recent fire, suggesting food had been cooked nearby. It appeared they had been attacked, but not seriously injured.

Shin Jo-woon quickly attempted to call Rembrary’s number.

―The power is turned off…….

Rembrary’s phone was completely dead.

Shin Jo-woon was dumbfounded, shoving his phone back into his pocket. It was truly absurd. How could he be so unprepared and still expect to leave early!

He didn’t want someone so unprepared as a subordinate. Even if Rembrary succeeded in early dismissal and joined Worldboom, Shin Jo-woon wouldn’t be willing to accept him right away.

‘I thought he had something in common with the pig [derogatory term for Woo Yeon-woo]. But he’s completely different in this respect.’

The ‘Woo Yeon-woo before losing his memory’ that Shin Jo-woon remembered, while seemingly sloppy, was always thoroughly prepared. Of course, he had never actually witnessed him preparing anything directly. Regardless, he always looked after his own interests.

But this blonde trainee, who seemed to share a similar personality, was only similar to the pig in that he had a bad temper, and had no preparation whatsoever…….

―Bang!

At that moment, as he was mentally comparing Rembrary to the pig, he heard a faint but distinct sound. The sound of something large falling. Or the sound of something being smashed.

Shin Jo-woon quickly turned and ran towards the source of the noise.