Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 474

◈ 474. What Secret Could It Be?

Rembrary frowned and stared at the door, but no more words were heard.

Rembrary pondered whether to open the door immediately and press Mjolnir about what he had heard, or to take advantage of Sagamja being alone and confront him, invoking their past animosity to get him to reveal everything, or perhaps to confront them both.

In truth, there was an easy way. Using ‘Truthful Betting,’ he could eventually learn the truth, even if they lied.

The problem was that the more they lied, the more they would suffer divine punishment, and Rembrary didn’t want to pressure those who had followed him even across dimensions in such a way.

Rembrary went to the nearby flower garden, sat on a stone bench, and pondered what secret they were sharing.

The only clue was that it was something that had to be kept secret from the Redrin’s followers.

‘A secret that must be kept from me, Mulu, and Ardor, but can be told to Sagamja and Hwasa…’

Rembrary’s brilliant mind raced, finally settling on one possibility.

‘Conversion?’

* * *

“Why are you looking at me so strangely?”

During mealtime,

Shin Jo-woon, who was eating with chopsticks, asked with a smile, noticing Rembrary staring at him as if he were about to be skewered.

It was a brazenly innocent smile, as if he felt no remorse for deceiving him.

As Rembrary narrowed his eyes, that sly Mjolnir even pretended to be considerate, offering him a side dish he didn’t want to eat.

“Do you want to eat this? You should have said so.”

Rembrary wanted to fling the side dish away and scold him for being a sly Mjolnir, but overturning a perfectly good dish wouldn’t do.

Besides, though it stung his pride, the side dish Mjolnir offered was one Rembrary enjoyed.

Rembrary suppressed his feelings and lowered his gaze back to his rice bowl.

* * *

At that moment.

The Emperor was also in a very bad mood.

He had meticulously planned to help Rembrary under the guise of assistance, intending to keep him under his control.

But before he could even execute his plan, they suddenly appeared on their own.

Sagamja had a similar ability to Hwasa, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, and Rembrary himself had brought the one with the same face and name, which displeased him.

The shadows had tried to intervene but were overwhelmed by an unknown pressure, failing to capture Shin Jo-woon.

Even though he had ordered them to hold him.

Now that the group was complete, it was only a matter of time before Rembrary left.

“Troublesome.”

As the Emperor muttered, the shadows who had been sent to capture Shin Jo-woon of Dongmyeong simultaneously knelt and prostrated themselves.

“We are sorry, Your Majesty.”

Listening to their apology didn’t improve his mood, but the Emperor gestured for them to rise instead of questioning them.

“It is done. Rise.”

The Emperor knew better than anyone that his shadows were highly skilled.

For them to have failed to capture ‘Shin Jo-woon’ and Rembrary without even putting up a fight meant that one of them possessed an unusual power.

It was inefficient to reprimand his capable subordinates simply because the opponent was stronger than expected.

After all, each member of that group was extraordinary.

He only needed to recall Hwasa’s teleportation ability, Rembrary’s healing ability, and the ice ability used by ‘Shin Jo-woon.’

However, he needed to find a new way to keep Rembrary by his side.

‘How to do it… If I hold him hostage through threats, he will refuse to heal. Even if I hold him, Hwasa can easily help him escape.’

* * *

The next morning.

Rembrary closed his eyes and earnestly prayed to Lumena.

He also informed her about Shin Jo-woon’s antics, but Lumena remained unresponsive.

Rembrary opened his eyes and suspiciously stared at Lumena’s token, which he had received through Shin Jo-woon, holding it between his fingers.

‘I can definitely feel Lumena’s energy here…’

Rembrary sighed.

‘Lumena is a good god, but she still can’t compare to Redrin.’

Rembrary put the token back inside his clothes.

Normally, he would have rested again, but Rembrary didn’t do that today.

Instead of lying back down on the bed, he changed into neat clothes and went outside the palace.

A few days ago, Rembrary had been so happy to find Shin Jo-woon at Waman’s performance that he had abandoned Duran.

Rembrary had forgotten about Duran until the next day, and only remembered after a few days, feeling belatedly apologetic.

Duran didn’t get angry when Rembrary apologized for ‘forgetting him’ but said firmly.

“Who are you?”

“!”

“I’m someone who goes to see theater performances alone and comes back alone. Why do you keep talking to me?”

He was treating Rembrary like a stranger, but the blue vein throbbing on his otherwise calm forehead clearly showed Duran’s anger.

“Duran plays the zither [a traditional Korean stringed instrument] well and has a generous heart.”

Rembrary’s deliberate praise had little effect. Duran completely ignored Rembrary.

Because of this, he had been visiting Duran every day to appease him. To make him feel better.

Of course, besides Duran, he also intended to find the Young Master and put him to sleep.

The poor Young Master still couldn’t sleep properly without Rembrary’s song.

‘I wish Lumena would come quickly so I could get advice about the Young Master…’

In the meantime, Rembrary had arrived at the inn where Duran and the Young Master were staying.

“Oh, you’ve arrived?”

As Rembrary entered, the innkeeper, who now recognized his face, greeted him brightly.

Rembrary nodded and looked around at the people sitting on the first floor before looking at the innkeeper.

The innkeeper, knowing who Rembrary was looking for, told him before Rembrary could even ask.

“The people you’re looking for are out right now.”

“Is that so? Will I have to wait long?”

“I don’t think so. They usually come back around this time.”

Rembrary nodded, asked for some snacks and drinks, and sat by the window, watching the people passing by.

Soon, the owner brought the food himself and set it down, and Rembrary picked up an unknown snack that looked like a dumpling but was harder and crispier, and chewed it.

Then, at the moment when he heard a crunching sound in his mouth.

‘Huh?’

Rembrary recalled.

‘That god who periodically falls asleep. Could it be that god in the Demon Cave? The cause of the Young Master’s insomnia? The one they described as having a fragment of the Demon King asleep?’

Rembrary’s expression turned serious at the plausible thought.

* * *

“Rembrary?”

The Young Master appeared at the inn about half a *shichen* [a traditional Chinese unit of time, roughly two hours] later.

His eyes were dark from lack of sleep, and his complexion was so bad that he looked pitiful.

“Your condition seems to have worsened.”

The Young Master tried to explain, but Rembrary told him to talk later and took him up to the inn.

After sitting him down and humming a song, the Young Master soon collapsed.

Looking down at the sleeping Young Master, Rembrary frowned.

‘If it’s really because of the sleeping god… Can’t I heal the Young Master by channeling the Demon King’s fragment there?’

As he was lost in thought, the Young Master, who had been asleep, slowly got up and asked.

“Rembrary. Are you going to stay in that palace?”

His dark complexion had already brightened, and the dark circles under his eyes had disappeared.

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering if it’s time for you to leave. You’re not holding an official position, so I’m worried that staying there might cause harm.”

Was that really what he was worried about?

Rembrary thought to himself but nodded and replied that he would consider it.

Later, after meeting Duran and seeing his face, Rembrary left the inn to return to the palace.

‘Lumena must know something about this, right?’

As he continued walking, he noticed a familiar person passing by.

Someone who exuded a sad and gloomy atmosphere even as they walked….

‘Ah!’

Rembrary remembered where he had seen him.

He had once given a surprise performance at the request of a group while traveling with Hwachingin.

Rembrary had stayed out of the performance and only watched, and he was briefly surprised to see Lumena’s symbol in the center of the clothes of those sitting there.

Still, just in case, he traced Lumena’s symbol with his fingertips, and as he did, someone approached him, spoke to him briefly, and disappeared.

It was definitely that person who had disappeared.

At that moment, as if sensing his gaze, the person also glanced towards Rembrary.

When their eyes met, the person seemed to recognize Rembrary and widened their eyes slightly.

Rembrary nodded to the person as a greeting and turned back.

But as he walked, he heard quick footsteps beside him.

Turning his head, he saw that person was next to him.

“Why?”

Even as Rembrary asked, the person was unable to answer properly because he was out of breath.

After a while, the person caught his breath and asked urgently.

“Are you Mr. Rembrary?”

“Yes?”

The person looked relieved and quickly added.

“I have encountered Rem So-hyeop before. Do you perhaps remember?”

“I do.”

As Rembrary spoke readily, the person looked around and lowered his voice to ask.

“I am one of Yumeena’s disciples. I am-”

“I know that too. The Murim Alliance attacked you too.”

“Then can you spare some time? It’s urgent. I absolutely don’t intend to harm you.”

Someone he had only seen once in his life suddenly called him, saying it was urgent.

At any other time, he would have ignored it because it was annoying.

“Alright. What is it?”

It wasn’t that Kkokko and the person in front of him looked alike.

“Just a moment, please…”

The one who identified himself as Yumeena’s disciple seemed a little surprised that Rembrary readily agreed to follow him, but he soon felt relieved and walked ahead.

The place he entered was a different inn from the one Rembrary had gone to earlier.

Yumeena’s disciple took the room at the very end and even asked Rembrary to go there.

It seemed he wanted to tell a very secret story, hoping that there would be no one around.

As Rembrary followed Yumeena’s disciple inside, the person hesitated anxiously before asking.

“Have you seen my master since you met me?”

“No.”

As Rembrary gave a short answer, the person asked even more anxiously.

“Haven’t you received any separate contact from my master?”

“No. But why do you keep asking that?”

Rembrary kept watching in case this person suddenly tried to attack him like Gasora, but the person only kept drinking water anxiously and didn’t do so.

Then, when he felt he had asked everything he wanted to ask, he made an even more serious expression than before and opened his mouth heavily.

“Actually, I don’t think Rem Gong-ja [a respectful title for a young master] will believe me if I tell you this story.”

“What is it?”

“But as soon as I heard it, I thought I had to tell Rem Gong-ja.”

‘So what is it?’

As Rembrary stared blankly, the Four Divine Generals replied with a dark face.

“I heard my master and her successor, that is, your companion, talking. It seemed like they were trying to deceive Rem Gong-ja.”

“!”