Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 472

◈ 472. Shocked Gasora

While picking at some fruit, Rembrary noticed Shin Joowoon’s troubled expression and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

Shin Joowoon became even more cautious at the perceptive question.

Deceiving was one thing, but Lumena hadn’t even given him specific lies to tell. She had only told him to hide the truth.

The problem wasn’t just that.

It wasn’t just about how to lie, but also about who to tell the truth to and who to deceive.

It was an undeniable truth that the fewer people who knew the secret, the better, but since he had to actively deceive Rembrary, it would be good to have a few people to coordinate with.

It would be troublesome if he was the only one who knew the truth, and they all went their separate ways instead of approaching the sleeping god together.

‘It would be best to only deceive Rembrary, to coordinate the situation…’

If he told everyone the truth, he was worried about the two fanatics in the same order as Rembrary.

Ardor was openly crazy, and Mullu seemed sane, but they were unyielding when it came to Rembrary.

As Shin Joowoon was lost in thought, Rembrary suspiciously watched him, slipping the last remaining fruit into his own mouth.

“I can see your eyes darting around, Sardine.”

At this rate, he would be suspected before he even spoke, so Shin Joowoon quickly came to a decision.

‘Deceive the three fanatics. Tell the truth to the rest.’

As soon as he made the decision, his mouth naturally opened.

“Actually, there was a slight error. I met Lumena.”

“Yes, Successor.”

“There’s a god who wakes up and falls asleep periodically. It’s currently in a sleeping period.”

“What about it?”

“I’m just saying what I heard, so I don’t know.”

“?”

“Lumena said that if you send the fragment of the Demon King there, it will fall asleep too.”

“Lumena did?”

Rembrary wore a strong expression of disbelief.

“Are you sure?”

“You’d know better than I would.”

“Hmm.”

“If you want to return to Earth, you have to deal with the Demon King fragment you have here. She must have found a way for your sake.”

Shin Joowoon didn’t say that the ‘sleeping god’ was intentionally putting its body to sleep, and that it wasn’t waking up and falling asleep repeatedly, but was just sleeping.

Rembrary stared at the empty bowl, still in disbelief, and asked,

“You’re saying we should put the Demon King fragment there while the god is asleep. What if the god’s consciousness is asleep and only the body is awake? What if the Demon King fragment takes over the body while the god is asleep?”

“It’s not sleeping deeply, so it’ll wake up then.”

“…….”

“Maybe? We wake up when a mosquito comes near us, right?”

“Ugh.”

“Since the god is the main body, the Demon King fragment won’t be able to take over the body if it wakes up. Like your current state.”

Rembrary crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

“You don’t even have a religion, yet you’re so sure?”

“I don’t know.”

Shin Joowoon mumbled as he picked up his tea.

“That’s what Lumena said.”

“Did you become a heretic next door?”

“Still non-religious. But we still have to work together, right?”

As Rembrary continued to look at him with distrust, Shin Joowoon thought, ‘He’s really hard to deceive.’

In his opinion, Rembrary wasn’t always perceptive.

But Rembrary was the type to suddenly raise a defensive wall when someone tried to deceive him on purpose.

“The Demon King fragment won’t completely disappear even if you do that, but it’s useless for you to keep it anyway, right? Human lifespan is limited.”

“…….”

“You can’t keep it forever anyway, Pig. So it’s better to entrust it to a god who sleeps well.”

Rembrary pretended to think for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

“You have a point.”

“But like you said, there’s a possibility that the Demon King fragment might take over the body without the god’s consciousness waking up.”

“What? You’re changing your story?”

“To prevent that, Lumena is giving something. If you receive something and do something with it, the Demon King fragment won’t be able to take over the body.”

Rembrary frowned.

“There are too many ‘somethings’ involved. What exactly did Lumena say she would give you, and what should you do with it?”

“You should hear those ‘something’ parts directly. I’m non-religious, so I wouldn’t understand even if I heard it.”

If he did this, Lumena would adjust her story accordingly.

The Demon King fragment, huddled inside Rembrary’s soul, would think, ‘What could that something be?’ and later try to secretly destroy it.

Not knowing it was completely unrelated.

“You’re being too abstract.”

Rembrary grumbled. But he seemed to believe it.

Relieved, Shin Joowoon was about to ask Rembrary if the Demon King fragment had ever awakened, but stopped himself.

If he asked that directly at this timing, it might arouse suspicion.

“This fruit is delicious, Sardine. You should eat some too.”

“I think you ate it all?”

“We can order more. Should we order more?”

“Here.”

When he told him to eat fruit, Shin Joowoon took out a plaque from his pocket and handed it to Rembrary, who accepted it with a puzzled expression.

“Why this?”

“Lumena’s plaque, she said.”

“I know that. Can’t you feel Lumena’s energy?”

“I can’t feel it.”

“Really? Then why are you giving this to me?”

Rembrary wore a distrustful expression again.

“Are you trying to make me Lumena’s successor and get rid of all the troublesome things?”

“She said to give it to you when we find all the party members. She said it’s like a cell phone for you?”

* * *

When Rembrary and Shin Joowoon went outside, Gasora was seen anxiously standing by the staircase railing.

Gasora couldn’t keep her body still for a moment and fidgeted, but when Shin Joowoon came out, she rushed over and asked urgently.

“Successor. How has Master been doing lately? Do you know why Master suddenly left our side? How did she make you her successor? Tell me something. Huh?”

Even though Shin Joowoon had kicked her out of the room, telling her to ask the Four Apostles, she didn’t seem to care.

No, rather, at first, Shin Joowoon looked too much like the Emperor, so she couldn’t even talk to him properly and followed his instructions without thinking, but now that she had calmed down a bit, questions poured out all at once.

Shin Joowoon looked at the clinging person with annoyed eyes.

With a face no different from that of a hunter when he encounters a trembling hedgehog blocking his path while walking alone on a mountain road.

Rembrary looked back and forth between Gasora and Shin Joowoon and thoughtfully suggested.

“Shall we talk inside again? Should we order some more food?”

Gasora wanted to, but Shin Joowoon firmly drew a line.

“No. And you. Disciple. I am neither the successor nor the disciple of your master, but a person who is temporarily trading with her at her request.”

“!”

“I don’t know why your master left your side, as I haven’t heard anything about it, as I haven’t heard anything about it, but maybe she left because there was no need to take care of you anymore? You all seem to be adults, and you seem to have many subordinates. Since the disciples are capable of taking care of themselves, the master can leave if she has something to do.”

“!”

“Lumena was worried about you. She told me to comfort you if I met you while traveling. And…”

Shin Joowoon paused for a moment and frowned before firmly delivering the final blow.

“I have little contact with Lumena, so I will never see you again after this deal is over. I hope you don’t ask me about her whereabouts.”

Gasora wore an expression as if she was being stabbed with a dagger every time Shin Joowoon spoke.

Rembrary looked at her pitifully, and when Gasora trembled like an aspen tree, he clicked his tongue and advised her.

“Gasora, you must have faith.”

“Faith?”

“You have already seen and received love, so you must believe even when it becomes invisible.”

Gasora stood blankly at Shin Joowoon’s words, but when Rembrary advised her in a soothing tone, she briefly forgot the fear she had suffered in the ‘True Bet’ and flared up.

“What do you know!”

“I know your senior.”

“Senior… what?”

Gasora flinched at the sudden mention of a senior. That’s because she was the Great Senior Sister.

“I don’t know if Kkokko can be called a successor. If there is a successor you claim, it would probably be Kkokko. Not Sardine.”

“Kkokko?”

Rembrary asked Shin Joowoon quietly.

“What’s his name again?”

When Shin Joowoon looked at him with eyes that said, ‘Can’t you even memorize that much?’, he nodded and said, “Yes. Lapsus.”

“I know, I just forgot for a moment. I have a lot in my head. That’s why it sometimes takes a long time to find the words.”

Gasora asked in confusion.

“Then where is that person?”

The moment Rembrary was about to answer sadly that he was dead, Shin Joowoon told her first.

“At Lumena’s house.”

Gasora’s eyes widened.

* * *

“Is Lapsus really at Lumena’s house?”

On the way back, leaving the dazed Gasora behind, Rembrary asked curiously as the distance between them grew.

“I thought Lapsus was dead?”

“I think he was reborn as a flower.”

“What? Really? Did Lumena do that?”

“No. I didn’t hear it directly.”

“You didn’t hear it directly, so how do you know that the flower reincarnation is Lapsus?”

“Lumena cherished that flower. When I talked about Lapsus, the flower moved on its own even though the wind wasn’t blowing.”

Rembrary looked at Shin Joowoon with a dubious expression.

“You thought the flower was Lapsus just because of that?”

“If you look at Greek and Roman mythology, when a cherished person or fairy dies, they often bloom as flowers at the scene of death or next to the god.”

“What is Greek and Roman mythology?”

“Greek and Roman mythology.”

“Are you of that religion?”

Since it was troublesome to explain, Shin Joowoon closed his mouth and was about to choose his words for a moment, but Rembrary changed the subject again, as if he wasn’t really curious.

“Anyway, you should have said it more nicely. She seemed very upset.”

“I think I said it well enough.”

“Still, you could have said it better.”

“How in that situation?”

“Lumena has left you, but love will remain in that place.”

Shin Joowoon got goosebumps at the very kind but artificial voice.

“Or, I’ll introduce you to another, more outstanding god who will accept you.”

“Isn’t that far from being a pretty word?”

“Isn’t my caring heart pretty?”

“It’s more calculating than pretty.”

“Am I a natural mathematician?”

Shin Joowoon was momentarily confused and looked at Rembrary, wondering if he had praised him.

It was a dubious gaze, but Rembrary was happy to see a real Sardine after a long time and just smiled contentedly.

“The fake Sardine will be really surprised if he sees you.”

“Fake Sardine?”

“Why, didn’t Gasora mistake you earlier? The Emperor who looks exactly like you…”

Only after saying that did Rembrary stop abruptly.

Shin Joowoon also recalled the sight of Gasora calling him Your Majesty and being horrified, and asked.

“The Emperor here looks a lot like me. Is it okay for me to go in like this?”

Rembrary scanned Shin Joowoon up and down and muttered.

“That’s right. If you go in like this, people will be very surprised to see you.”

At that moment, when the two were facing a difficult situation,

Feeling an unpleasant gaze, Rembrary and Shin Joowoon turned their heads in different directions.

Soon, suspicious people in black uniforms, mixed among the people and staring intently at them, came into view.