Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 469

◈ 469. Someone Like That

Shin Jo-woon sat alone on the second-floor stairs, breaking off pieces of the candy he had bought, watching Lumena take care of Weeper 1 through Weeper 33 downstairs.

*It would be easier to just let them run around until their tears dried if they keep crying.*

*Why does she care so much? Is it because she’s a god? Is her affection that deep?*

He didn’t understand, but he didn’t need to understand things that weren’t his business, so he just chewed on his candy instead of trying to understand.

Although Rembrary wasn’t actually being held hostage by Lumena’s disciples, Shin Jo-woon had definitely heard that Rembrary had been kidnapped.

This was why Shin Jo-woon was waiting in this strange space without moving.

Once that overprotective person left, he needed to properly ask the Four Disciples where Rembrary had been taken.

The overprotective person left around sunrise, telling the Four Disciples, “I’ll come again later,” and disappeared.

Instead of opening the door and leaving, she literally disappeared.

The Four Disciples, who had been forcing themselves to stay awake, burst into tears again as their master disappeared before their eyes.

But it was no use crying now; Lumena was gone.

Shin Jo-woon counted to 30 in his head, and when Lumena didn’t reappear, he slowly got up and went down the stairs.

The Four Disciples, who had been sobbing with pained expressions, looked up, half their souls gone, when Shin Jo-woon’s foot came close.

But Shin Jo-woon wasn’t Lumena, so instead of comforting Weeper 1, he handed over the remaining candy and asked,

“Rembrary. I heard you guys kidnapped someone with blond hair, red eyes, and a strange way of speaking. Where is he?”

“Blond hair?”

“Yes. Blond hair.”

He wondered if he should use a more direct method if the Four Disciples didn’t answer properly, but surprisingly, the Four Disciples answered readily.

“I don’t know. I only heard that the Eldest Disciple kidnapped him.”

“Useless.”

“But the Eldest Disciple is mostly in the capital. He’s probably there.”

“A little useful. Where in the capital?”

“I didn’t ask that much. But… the Eldest Disciple is the leader of the Imperial Theater Troupe, so he shouldn’t be hard to find.”

The Four Disciples looked at Shin Jo-woon with dissatisfied eyes, considering how readily they had answered.

Still, they told him that the Imperial Theater Troupe’s name was ‘Wamansi,’ so it seemed Lumena had coaxed them into cooperating.

“An idol group and a theater troupe.”

*Did Rembrary have some connection to singing?*

Shin Jo-woon chuckled at the theater troupe story, and when he saw that the Four Disciples still hadn’t found their lost souls, he took out another candy and handed it over before leaving without taking the shopping basket he had brought yesterday.

There wasn’t even a farewell.

Because of this, the Four Disciples’ subordinates, who thought that the successor had only gone out for a short break, realized that the successor had completely left after about an hour and buzzed among themselves.

“He was a really strange person, right?”

“I don’t know what Lumena saw in such a heartless person.”

“He was incredibly strong, though. Maybe she just liked him because he was strong?”

Even while listening to the commotion, the Four Disciples just sat there blankly, and when a close subordinate came and called out, “Four Disciple?” they finally shrank their shoulders like snails.

The Four Disciples’ expression was full of sadness, so the subordinate panicked and crouched down to check on them.

“Are you alright? Four Disciple?”

The Four Disciples had always been self-deprecating and often lost in sadness, but today’s expression was more severe than usual.

“Four Disciple?”

The subordinate carefully touched the Four Disciples’ arm, and the Four Disciples mumbled weakly.

“Master said I could live well on my own. She only took care of the successor until the end. That guy seems like he can really live well on his own, though.”

“Well… isn’t that because he’s the successor?”

“….”

The Four Disciples buried their faces in their knees at the correct words. But after a while, their eyes turned fierce, and they raised their heads again.

“That guy is looking for someone with blond hair, red eyes, and a strange way of speaking. His name was definitely Rembrary.”

“Yes? Ah… yes. He seemed to be looking for that name.”

“I overheard Master talking about it at the end.”

“Yes?”

“He was calling Rembrary a fake.”

“Ah. Why would he do that?”

“I should tell that guy about it.”

The subordinate blinked, utterly bewildered, as the Four Disciples suddenly jumped up. *’Why would you do that?’* was written all over their face.

Why? The Four Disciples left the room with a stiff expression. The successor seemed to be friends with the guy who was kidnapped.

“Revenge.”

* * *

“Anchovies are anchovies, but I’m worried about our Moolu.”

While eating lunch in a gazebo built on a large lake in the palace, Rembrary suddenly muttered seriously.

The group stopped moving their chopsticks and looked at him, and Rembrary turned to Sa Gam-jae and asked,

“Gam-jae, have you thought about how to bring our Moolu back?”

It wasn’t said to ruin the pleasant atmosphere on purpose.

He was just thinking about it now.

He had heard that Moolu was in a strange and closed group called the Blood Cult on the day he reunited with Sa Gam-jae, but he hadn’t been able to talk about it in more detail because he had been called around here and there.

Sa Gam-jae muttered, “Ah,” as if he had just remembered, making Hwasa click his tongue.

“Ah? Look at how you talk.”

Hwasa clicked his tongue suspiciously, and Rembrary stared at Sa Gam-jae.

Sa Gam-jae confessed honestly.

“I promised Moolu that I would tell you if I met you. I forgot because I had several busy things to do.”

“I know. You forget things easily.”

Rembrary, who had seen Sa Gam-jae’s slacking off more than anyone else when he was a manager, thought it was possible and agreed.

But forgetting it until now was one thing. Now that he remembered, he had to send the message.

“Then go and tell him quickly.”

When Rembrary urged him, Sa Gam-jae put the rest of what he was eating in his mouth and stood up.

But he immediately sat down again and asked,

“Telling him is one thing. The problem is how to bring Moolu back.”

Hwasa nodded and muttered,

“Yeah. Almost all of the group is gathered here. We have to move together when we return to the original world, but it’ll be difficult if only Moolu is separated.”

Sa Gam-jae looked at Rembrary as if asking for a solution, even though he and Hwasa were the best at moving.

“He said that if he just left without saying anything, he might be targeted for assassination.”

Ardor whispered while offering a large apple.

“There’s no choice. Moolu has to live here. We have to acknowledge Moolu’s sacrifice and return by ourselves, High Priest.”

Hwasa thought to himself as he looked at Ardor. *That guy is really a bad guy.*

But Rembrary had no intention of leaving Moolu behind.

“Hmm.”

After thinking seriously, Rembrary said, “Wait a moment,” and got up.

“Where are you going?”

“Hwasa, take me to His Majesty [the Emperor].”

“The Emperor? Why?”

* * *

Hwasa, who had taken Rembrary to the Emperor’s office, slipped away alone when people stared at him with eyes like large grapes.

Rembrary asked the Emperor’s subordinates, who were staring at him with surprised eyes because he had suddenly appeared, in a formal tone,

“Is His Majesty here?”

Soon after, Rembrary was allowed to enter the office with the Emperor’s permission.

The Emperor was sitting at a large desk, writing something, and only glanced up when Rembrary entered.

The Emperor’s chief eunuch brought a chair for Rembrary, and Rembrary sat across from him.

But when Rembrary didn’t say anything after coming, the Emperor put down his brush and asked first.

“What difficult words are you trying to say that you’re so quiet?”

“I was waiting until you were done.”

“Was that consideration?”

When the Emperor chuckled, Rembrary nodded.

The Emperor looked down at the paper he was writing on, then leaned back more comfortably in his chair and asked,

“It’s okay now, so tell me.”

“Are you angry right now?”

The Emperor tilted his head at Rembrary’s words.

“Angry?”

He seemed puzzled that the first thing he said after suddenly coming was ‘Are you angry?’

There was no sign of anger on the Emperor’s face, so the chief eunuch standing next to him looked at Rembrary, thinking, *’What is that guy saying?’*

“Why do you think I’m angry?”

“Because you were supposed to find my companions, but my companions came on their own.”

“….”

The chief eunuch cautiously watched the Emperor’s expression with a slightly softened attitude.

He didn’t know if the Emperor was angry, but he was definitely in a bad mood.

It was clear because the Emperor had quietly rebuked, “Are there useless people among my subordinates?” on the day that Sa Gam-jae suddenly appeared.

*No, but how did that guy know that?*

Rembrary smiled kindly while receiving the Emperor and chief eunuch’s puzzled gazes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you how to help me.”

One corner of the Emperor’s mouth twisted upwards.

“‘Please help me’ is not it. ‘I’ll tell you how to give help’? Isn’t the position reversed?”

“But His Majesty wants to help me, doesn’t he? That’s how a great doctor like me will willingly treat people.”

The chief eunuch watched the Emperor’s expression again.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows for a moment but soon burst into a hearty laugh as if acknowledging it.

Rembrary stated his demands as if such a reaction was natural.

“One of my companions is stuck in a strange group right now and can’t get out.”

“Shin Jo-woon?”

“No, the green-haired one. Moolu.”

“Didn’t that grim reaper-like guy say he found him?”

“You have good taste.”

“?”

“I found him, but I can’t bring him. So…”

“Use your power to help him get out?”

When the Emperor understood and asked accurately, Rembrary smiled and nodded.

“Yes. If you can help us bring our Moolu, I’ll say that Moolu was found by you.”

But the Emperor, even though he understood well, coldly sneered at Rembrary’s suggestion.

“Your self-consciousness is truly excessive. Do you think I’d fall for that?”

The chief eunuch clicked his tongue next to him. *Our Emperor is being too nice, so that arrogant doctor is becoming too presumptuous.*

*Of course, his skills are very outstanding, but he’s still just a doctor. How can he be so arrogant!*

The chief eunuch shouted inwardly. *Our Emperor is not someone like that, you bastard! Our Emperor is….*

“Here. The Black Dragon Token.”

*Someone like that!*

The chief eunuch looked at the Emperor with wide eyes.

The Black Dragon Token was a token that the Emperor gave to those who carried out his imperial orders.

In most places, everyone would be terrified and prostrate themselves just by showing that token. *He’s giving that token to that guy?*

“What is this?”

“If you show this to that group, they’ll hand over your companion. If they don’t hand him over, it’s treason, so tell me immediately.”

When Rembrary readily accepted the Black Dragon Token, the Emperor warned sternly.

“Use it once and return it immediately.”

The chief eunuch looked at the Emperor with his mouth like a snakehead [agape in shock].