Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 468

468. One-Sided Secret

After a short wait, the door opened.

However, the one who greeted Shin Joong-woon, who had a shopping basket, was a completely unfamiliar face.

‘Who?’ Shin Joong-woon stared blankly, and the stranger blinked back at him.

Shin Joong-woon recalled that when he last delivered money to Rembrary and left, there were many people around him. Could this be one of them?

“You’ve been working hard.”

Having made his judgment, Shin Joong-woon casually patted the person’s shoulder and handed over the shopping basket.

“Ah. Yes? Yes.”

The person who opened the door accepted the basket in a daze, and Shin Joong-woon naturally stepped inside.

Tilting his head, the person who opened the door closed it again for now.

Watching the back of the stranger walking away, a colleague cautiously approached and asked.

“Who is it?”

“Don’t know.”

It was someone who had come out of nowhere, but since he had given them food as soon as he arrived, Yoo Myeong-ah’s subordinates remained still, thinking he might not be an enemy.

Meanwhile, Shin Joong-woon wandered around as he pleased. When he couldn’t find Rembrary, he grabbed someone and asked.

“Where’s Rembrary?”

The person who was grabbed stared at him with eyes that seemed to say, ‘Who are you?’ Shin Joong-woon frowned slightly.

Why don’t they understand? Does Rembrary also use a pseudonym like that god called Lumena?

“Blond hair, red eyes, this tall, and speaks strangely.”

Even when Shin Joong-woon explained it in a way that anyone could understand, the person just blinked blankly.

As he was doing that, the person who had opened the door at the very beginning belatedly grasped the situation and shouted.

“It’s the Successor!”

As soon as that shout was heard, the person grabbed by Shin Joong-woon hurriedly stepped back and drew his sword.

Those who had been glancing at Shin Joong-woon in bewilderment also drew their weapons in droves.

Seeing this sudden state of alert, Shin Joong-woon belatedly realized the misunderstanding.

‘That kid wasn’t being kidnapped, he *was* kidnapping. And he’s not even being held here, it seems.’

As soon as he realized this, Shin Joong-woon took back the candy he had given and struck down on the sword held up by the person in front of him.

It was a clash between a sword and a piece of candy, but neither broke.

Rather, the sword struck by the candy made a ‘crackling’ sound and froze, even freezing the hand holding the sword.

“He’s using strange powers!”

“Be careful!”

“Don’t touch him!”

Seeing this, the subordinates shouted and rushed in, but those who rushed in froze automatically as soon as they entered a certain distance around Shin Joong-woon and could no longer approach.

What was terrifying was that even if they retreated in surprise after their bodies and weapons froze, the part that had frozen once continued to freeze.

“Throw your weapons!”

Later, when they realized it wouldn’t work, they threw their weapons, but the thrown weapons also froze and fell to the ground as soon as they entered a certain distance.

“Run away!”

When throwing weapons didn’t work and approaching didn’t work, someone shouted.

As soon as that sound fell, those with intact legs rushed to the doors and windows.

However, the ice that rose from the floor climbed up the walls in the blink of an eye, blocking the doors and windows.

Even when they struck with an attack imbued with internal energy [qi or life force], the ice did not break, and the subordinates looked back at Shin Joong-woon in panic and fear.

Unlike the noisy group, Shin Joong-woon was holding the candy he had taken back and hadn’t moved an inch.

“So that’s why he’s the Successor.”

The subordinates muttered in terror.

“I’m not the Successor.”

Hearing that, Shin Joong-woon sighed and muttered softly, but no one seemed to be listening to him.

At that moment. Amid the silence, the sound of someone stepping on the wooden stairs ‘creak’ from above, and someone’s voice was heard.

“Who is it that dares to enter and cause such a commotion?”

It was a sorrowful voice. It’s not Rembrary’s voice either.

When Shin Joong-woon raised his head and looked up the stairs, a subordinate frozen up to his waist shouted urgently.

“Fourth Disciple, be careful! He’s Yoo Myeong-ah’s Successor!”

Other subordinates shouted in succession.

“He uses bizarre techniques!”

“If you get close, you’ll freeze!”

As the subordinates shouted one by one, the person called ‘Fourth Disciple’ stopped on the stairs, holding onto the railing, and looked down at Shin Joong-woon.

Shin Joong-woon, disliking the angle of someone looking down at him, frowned and looked back. The person called Fourth Disciple asked in disbelief.

“You’re… the Master’s Successor?”

“Even if I say I’m not, no one seems to want to listen. It seems like you guys want me to be Lumena’s Successor more than anything else.”

Even when Shin Joong-woon mocked him, the other person only spoke his own mind.

“Someone who can’t even pronounce the Master’s name properly is the Successor…”

“…”

The Fourth Disciple put a hand to his eyes, sighed sadly, and looked at Shin Joong-woon through his fingers.

The moment Shin Joong-woon felt that the eyes looking at him were unusual, unlike the sad and gloomy voice.

Shin Joong-woon immediately floated ice in the air like a shield.

Almost simultaneously with the appearance of a large shield-shaped ice mass in the air, flames collided with the shield and scattered.

‘Fire?’

Shin Joong-woon looked up.

The Fourth Disciple was standing with a flame blooming like a flower in one hand.

The flame soon transformed into a long, dragon-like form and wrapped around the Fourth Disciple’s arm.

“If the Master has chosen you… show me. What is it about you that the Master has recognized?”

‘He’s not using the martial arts used by the people here. It’s closer to the power used by those Redrin followers.’

Moreover, it’s the first time he’s facing a power that’s the opposite of his own.

‘Troublesome,’ Shin Joong-woon muttered inwardly, and floated ice in all directions.

He had to attack while maintaining a defensive wall, as he didn’t know where or whose attack would come from. It required concentration.

But then, something strange happened.

The Fourth Disciple, who had been ready to attack at any moment, suddenly lowered the hand wrapped in flames and began to look around.

‘Why is he doing that?’ As Shin Joong-woon watched in bewilderment, someone knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened with a thud, and as soon as the door opened, the Fourth Disciple shouted, “Master!” and hurriedly began to run down the stairs.

Shin Joong-woon, turning to look at the door, discovered that the person who had entered was Lumena.

She said she was going to find a way to eliminate the Demon King’s fragment. She suddenly appeared.

In the meantime, the Fourth Disciple had already arrived in front of Lumena, his eyes glistening, and was muttering to Lumena.

“Master. Where on earth have you been…”

Lumena did not answer, but patted the Fourth Disciple’s back and said to Shin Joong-woon.

“Stop tormenting my children and release them.”

As soon as Shin Joong-woon willingly withdrew his power, the subordinates were released from the ice in an instant.

They hurriedly checked their hands and feet.

Thanks to the power that was different from ordinary ice, their hands and feet were fine even though they had been frozen.

They looked at Shin Joong-woon with even more fear, but Shin Joong-woon only frowned as he watched the grown-up Fourth Disciple calling Lumena ‘Master, Master’ and reddening his eyes in front of her.

It wasn’t a very pleasant sight.

However, Lumena seemed to find such a Fourth Disciple cute, smiling contentedly and patting his back, unlike Shin Joong-woon, who disliked it.

“Good boy. Let’s talk later.”

When she even coaxed him, Shin Joong-woon raised his eyebrows even higher, but the Fourth Disciple asked in surprise.

“Master? Later?”

“Good boy?”

Lumena, having patted the Fourth Disciple’s shoulder again, now spoke to Shin Joong-woon.

“Shall we talk for a bit?”

When Shin Joong-woon nodded, Lumena went outside, and Shin Joong-woon followed behind her.

As soon as the two of them left, the Fourth Disciple’s legs gave way, and he staggered.

“Fourth Disciple!”

The subordinates hurriedly approached to support him, but the Fourth Disciple waved his hand, saying he was fine.

However, he only waved his hand, and in reality, he couldn’t even stand in place.

In that state, the Fourth Disciple resentfully stared at the door through which his master had taken the Successor and left, muttering.

“Yes. Of course, the Successor will be treated differently. The Successor will be special to Yoo Myeong-ah as well. Because he’s the Successor. Originally, the Successor is special.”

The subordinates looked at his rambling appearance with concern.

“Fourth Disciple. Are you alright?”

Eventually, one of the subordinates asked outright, and the Fourth Disciple replied a beat late.

“Yes.”

However, the Fourth Disciple, who immediately corrected his answer with “No,” could no longer bear it and followed his master outside.

The subordinates exchanged worried glances with each other, but it was not their place to intervene.

* * *

Outside, the sky was gradually turning crimson as the sun began to set.

Lumena led Shin Joong-woon along a secluded path, and Shin Joong-woon silently followed behind her.

Then, when there were no people around at all, Lumena opened her mouth.

“I haven’t found a way to completely eliminate the Demon King’s fragment, but I have found a way to put it to sleep for nearly eternity.”

“Is that true?”

“There is a god who uses all of his power to remain asleep.”

“?”

“You can put the Demon King’s fragment into that god.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However, there’s one problem.”

As Shin Joong-woon answered calmly and glanced to the side, Lumena stopped walking, put her hands behind her back, and muttered.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, the Demon King’s fragment doesn’t move according to Rembrary’s will.”

Shin Joong-woon frowned. He can’t send the Demon King’s fragment there according to his will?

“Then it seems useless.”

“It does have some use. We can make the Demon King’s fragment go there on its own.”

“…You mean trick it. To go there voluntarily.”

Lumena nodded, but still remained standing and didn’t walk any further.

Shin Joong-woon deduced one more reason why Lumena was hesitating, and his expression hardened.

“Do we have to trick Rembrary too?”

There was no reason for Lumena to hesitate like this unless that was the case.

Lumena nodded with a regretful expression.

“If he’s asleep, there’s no way to send it out at all. If he’s awake, he’ll use the child’s sight and hearing. Rembrary must not know this fact.”

The unique way of speaking, with subjects and objects omitted here and there, remained the same, but Shin Joong-woon understood everything perfectly and frowned.

“It’s quite difficult.”

Rembrary usually acted as if he had no thoughts, but when it came to crucial moments, he was quite perceptive.

To trick both Rembrary and the Demon King’s fragment inside Rembrary and make the Demon King’s fragment go to that ‘sleeping god’? Even at first glance, it was clear that it wouldn’t be easy.

Instead of answering, Lumena suddenly turned around.

As Shin Joong-woon turned his head accordingly, he saw the Fourth Disciple, who had only half his head sticking out from a wall in an alleyway.

When the Fourth Disciple saw Lumena looking at him, he hurriedly jumped out to the side and knelt down.

“I’m sorry, Master. I tried to follow without being noticed…”

Shin Joong-woon thought that Lumena’s followers were all somewhat lacking in independence, but since it wasn’t his business, he didn’t bother to point this out.

For a while, the Fourth Disciple begged Lumena to see his fellow disciples as well, and kept asking her to stay by his side because he had so much more to learn, and Lumena kept praising him, saying, ‘You have grown enough that I don’t have to take care of you every day.’

Then, when Lumena sent the Fourth Disciple back, saying she would visit later, Lumena looked at Shin Joong-woon again and said.

“You have the token I gave you, right?”

“Are you talking about this?”

When Shin Joong-woon showed the token, Lumena nodded and gestured for him to put it back.

“I breathed my breath into it, so it’s easy for me to find your location. Child. First, gather your companions, and when you meet Rembrary, ask him if the Demon King’s fragment has awakened. Don’t believe him right away even if he says it hasn’t awakened. The Demon King’s fragment might be pretending to be asleep on purpose.”

“What happens after that?”

“Tell Rembrary about the ‘sleeping god,’ but make the Demon King’s fragment mistakenly believe that he might be able to use the ‘sleeping god’s’ body.”

Shin Joong-woon, not liking the idea of having to trick Rembrary, Lumena smiled and comforted him.

“Let’s end it with two attempts rather than suffering three times. The child of Redrin isn’t so narrow-minded that he won’t understand that.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’m going to go find the ‘sleeping god’ now.”

“When I’ve gathered all my companions. How should I contact you? Are you going to suddenly appear like this again?”

“No. Give Rembrary the token I gave you. I’ll be able to hear that child’s voice well.”