Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 348

348. Is the Author Our Comrade?

“How was the research center?”

As Rembrary’s car arrived at the Redrine headquarters, Daeju opened the car door and asked.

“It was so tightly guarded that I couldn’t properly investigate.”

Rembrary, stepping out of the car, waved goodbye to the driver as he replied.

Daeju noticed a dampness lingering in Rembrary’s hair. It wasn’t freshly wet, but rather seemed to have naturally half-dried over time.

“Your hair……?”

“The head of the research center tried to attack me a few times.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m glad I left you behind.”

“Why does the arrow always point at me…….”

As Daeju muttered dejectedly, Rembrary headed straight for his room with a good view. As soon as he entered the room, Rembrary grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his head, and asked,

“It’s tricky to sneak in there with CCTV everywhere. How should I search the inside?”

“Are you sure there’s something worth searching for?”

“Yep.”

“Shall I dry your hair?”

While Daeju brought a hairdryer and dried his hair, Rembrary closed his eyes and racked his brain.

‘No public transportation. No using the Lion Lord. If I’m caught on CCTV snooping around, Redrine’s image will plummet.’

‘So, what should I do…….’

I can’t send Daeju. Sending Ardor is even more out of the question. Asking Shin Jo-woon is a no-go since the head of that research center is also targeting Shin Jo-woon…….

“Ah! That’s it!”

“Did you come up with a good idea?”

“Remember the Tiger Head [a yokai with a tiger’s head]?”

“Tiger Head…… Ah, yes. Hard to forget.”

“I should ask Tiger to help. And Cow Head.”

“Who is Cow Head?”

* * *

‘I don’t know the location.’

It’s good that I came up with a good idea and was happy about it. But as I lay down on the bed, my excitement faded as I realized I didn’t know where the Tiger Head and Cow Head demons were.

I’m sure Tiger Head is with Lim Yu-han, who became a mermaid, and I know that Cow Head often visits them, but crucially, I don’t know their location.

“It’ll be somewhere with a lot of water, though…….”

The sea? A river? A lake? Surely they don’t live near a swimming pool. Rembrary pondered for a while and decided to seek advice from Jang Tae-ri, who seemed to be the smartest person he knew.

[Tae-ri, where do you think a mermaid would live?]

[Are you asking about my hometown?]

[Yes, but tell me about your hometown as a mermaid]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋI don’t remember my past lifeㅋㅋㅋ]

However, Jang Tae-ri seemed to think Rembrary was joking and only played along, not giving a helpful answer.

[Anchovy, do you know where a mermaid lives?]

[The deep sea]

[Where in the deep sea?]

[A place pigs can’t go. Only anchovies can go.]

[Are you talking about my stomach?]

[I see you’re enjoying the anchovies I gave you ^^]

[The head of the Awakened research center says you taste good]

[What are you talking about?]

He then sent a text to Shin Jo-woon, but it was just as unhelpful.

Rembrary received a call from Shin Jo-woon, but he rejected the call and pondered alone again.

‘Should I go to a site where hunters gather? They might exchange information among themselves. ……No. That’s not a good idea either.’

Lim Yu-han transformed into a mermaid as she became a yokai [a supernatural creature in Japanese folklore]. In other words, you need ‘eyes’ to see Lim Yu-han, who has become a mermaid.

However, as far as Rembrary knew, not all Awakened people had ‘eyes.’ It seemed that everyone with ‘eyes’ awakened, but there were many Awakened people without ‘eyes.’ Even the training center director couldn’t see the cat yokai attached to Jang Tae-ri’s shoulder.

In other words, even if he went to a site where hunters gathered, it wouldn’t be very helpful in finding yokai.

Then…….

‘Eyes!’

* * *

At the sound of the doorbell, Lim Yu-seol yawned and slowly walked to the intercom.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Rembrary.”

Lim Yu-seol was startled and quickly pressed the door-opening button. As she heard the sound of the door opening outside, Lim Yu-seol quickly ran to the entrance.

A moment later, Rembrary entered with a person wearing a lion mask, and Lim Yu-seol, both happy and surprised, asked.

“What brings you here? Oh, thank you so much for everything! I wanted to say hello, but you left right away. I was too distracted.”

“Didn’t I send a gift instead? You received all the gifts sent to Redrine, didn’t you?”

“Come in, come in.”

The person Rembrary thought of was Lim Yu-han’s younger sister, Lim Yu-seol. It was perfect. Lim Yu-seol was the one who directly found her sister, Lim Yu-han, wasn’t she? She even got hurt because of it.

Besides, Lim Yu-seol had been treated by Rembrary before, so if he asked her where she met Lim Yu-han, she would probably tell him right away.

“What brings you here?”

And as expected, when Rembrary asked Lim Yu-seol where she met Lim Yu-han, she told him right away.

“If you give me your contact information, I’ll text you the location on the map. It’s a bit complicated to explain in words.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m more grateful. I heard I would have been dead if it weren’t for you, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Thank you. I heard you were deliberately hiding your abilities…….”

“How many times are you going to say that? Every time I receive a gift, there’s a note about it. You can stop now.”

“I’m grateful no matter how many times I say it.”

“Then will you join our religion?”

As Lim Yu-seol avoided answering and looked around, Rembrary smiled faintly at the sight. He was reminded of Lim Yu-han, who had taken care of him when he was unfamiliar with acting and script reading.

“But why are you trying to meet my sister?”

“I want to check on Lim Yu-han’s condition and meet anyone who might be by Lim Yu-han’s side.”

“Do you know my sister’s condition?”

“I heard a little bit. That she periodically loses her mind.”

“Can my sister…… be cured?”

“I don’t know either. Lim Yu-han’s symptoms are hard to call a disease.”

“Not a disease? Her memory disappeared, and her personality changed completely?”

‘That’s because it’s a symptom of changing species…….’

Rembrary hesitated, wondering if he should even tell Lim Yu-seol this, but he decided to tell her only the best possible outcome.

“We should hope for the best.”

Lim Yu-seol’s eyes shook greatly, but she nodded, smiling sadly.

“I guess so.”

Then, as Rembrary got up from the sofa, saying he had to go, Lim Yu-seol packed various foods and handed them to Rembrary in a bag, asking.

“Um, the person you’re going to meet? Should I call them a person? Anyway, the person you’re going to meet, do they have a tiger-shaped head…… is that right?”

“Do you know Tiger?”

“Yes. When my sister lost her mind and attacked me, that yokai saved me.”

“Tiger did?”

“That yokai also told me that my sister is in a bad state now, but she didn’t attack me on purpose.”

“Tiger did…….”

‘She must really like Lim Yu-han a lot,’ Rembrary admired inwardly.

“Can you tell him thank you when you see him?”

“I certainly will.”

* * *

Thanks to Lim Yu-seol, Rembrary immediately found out the location, showed the Lion Lord the navigation, and asked him to take him there.

It wasn’t a very short distance, so they had to repeat the teleportation dozens of times, but still, before the sun set, Rembrary was able to arrive at his destination.

“I think it’s here.”

The place was a forest so dense with trees and bushes that sunlight streamed in like rays through a perforated shade, thin beams pouring into the darkness.

The lake was the only place in that dark forest not covered by the tree shade, the entire large lake shimmering golden in the sunlight.

“No one’s here? The scenery is nice, though.”

“Lion, do you have ‘eyes’?”

“Collected eyes? My eyes?”

“Eyes to see yokai.”

“Everyone can see yokai, right?”

“You don’t.”

“I can see them, I tell you?”

“There’s another yokai besides that yokai.”

While the Lion Lord didn’t understand and groped around his eyes, Rembrary walked to the lake, put his hand in the blue water, and gently released divine power into it.

If Lim Yu-han or another mermaid yokai was in here, there would definitely be a reaction. He was waiting for that.

“……”

After about 30 seconds, he felt something swimming quickly inside, and at the same time, several mermaids successively poked their faces above the surface.

Since they weren’t showing their tails, they all looked like ordinary people in the water at first glance.

While the mermaids stared at Rembrary with curious eyes, like meerkats gathered in groups, Rembrary also looked at each of the mermaids’ faces.

“She’s not here.”

“What’s not?”

“Lim Sunbae [a term of respect for a senior colleague or mentor].”

“I don’t think we’re sound from earlier.”

The Lion Lord couldn’t even see the mermaids who had come out of the water, so he looked at Rembrary tilting his head at the empty air as if he were looking at a crazy person.

But there was one thing the Lion Lord could feel.

“You smell good.”

“What?”

“You always smell good…… but it’s stronger now.”

As the Lion Lord approached Rembrary and sniffed with his nose slightly distanced, Rembrary shook the water droplets on his hand at him and stood up from his crouched position.

At that time.

[Is that lion head our comrade? His head is weak. The smell is different, though.]

The voice of the Cow Head demon was heard not far away. The sound didn’t come from the lake. It came from behind.

When Rembrary turned his head, the Cow Head demon and the Tiger Head were coming out of the bushes behind him side by side.

“Cow Head! Tiger!”

When Rembrary found them and waved his hand, the Cow Head yokai’s eyes widened, and he frantically stomped his feet in place before rushing towards him.

[It’s the Great Demon, it’s the Great Demon, the Great Demon came here to play! Did he come to see Cow Head! Did he miss Cow Head!]

“Who are you calling the Great Demon?”

The Tiger Head was momentarily confused because he was seeing Rembrary’s true form for the first time, but when the Cow Head demon pointed at Rembrary and said, ‘Great Demon. Great Demon,’ he quickly greeted him.

[Did the Great Demon come?]

While Rembrary was greeting the Cow Head and Tiger Head, the Lion Lord tilted his head, wondering, ‘Is Rembrary really crazy?’

In the Lion Lord’s eyes, it only looked like Rembrary was talking to the empty air, pretending to shake hands, and nodding with a solemn smile.

While the Lion Lord stood a little distance away from Rembrary, Rembrary told the two demons what he needed.

“I came to try to heal Lim Yu-han Sunbae and to ask you for a favor.”

The Tiger Head was startled by Rembrary’s words and asked.

[Can you heal Nangja’s [archaic term for ‘lady’ or ‘miss,’ used here to affectionately refer to Lim Yu-han] memories?]

“It’s not a disease, so I don’t know if it will work or not. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?”

Rembrary patted the shoulder of the Tiger Head, whose eyes had become teary.

[Thank you. I will often be in your debt. Whether you heal her memories or not, I will definitely grant you a favor.]

“My favor is easy, so don’t worry. But why isn’t Lim Sunbae visible?”