Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 475

◈ 475. Seems Like Close Friends

Rembrary tilted his head.

“Is that so? But why are you telling me this?”

As the 4th Disciple put it, Rembrary’s connection with him was only at the level of ‘briefly encountering’ him.

The reason he followed was because he was reminded of Larthus, not because he trusted the man.

But to be called here and hear such a story. Trust aside, it was puzzling.

“I’m angry.”

“Angry?”

The 4th Disciple didn’t seem to want to go into detail, so he didn’t reveal the whole story.

His atmosphere made him look sad even when he was still, and with his mouth firmly shut, the 4th Disciple looked very pitiful.

However, Rembrary stared at him blankly before sighing.

“How did you manage to gather only these chickens?”

The 4th Disciple frowned at the sudden mention of an animal.

“Chickens?”

Rembrary sighed.

“When I’m angry, I protest openly. Redrin-nim [referring to a superior or deity], this isn’t right. I don’t think this is right. This isn’t right. Of course, I only protest. But I tell him directly. I don’t talk to a ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ because I’m angry at Redrin-nim. Of course, there’s nothing to be angry about.”

The 4th Disciple’s expression crumpled even more.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo?”

Instead of explaining, Rembrary scolded him in a kind voice.

“You should do that too. When you’re angry, you should talk to Ru… Lumena-nim. What am I supposed to do if you tell me? Do you even know who I am?”

All the 4th Disciple knew about Rembrary was ‘the person the successor of the master is looking for, a member of the troupe.’

Could there be another important identity? When the 4th Disciple shook his head, Rembrary told him something close to the truth.

“I am a high priest, a friend and rival of Yu Lumena-nim, so in your terms, a successor.”

The 4th Disciple asked back, bewildered.

“Yu Lumena-nim’s… friend?”

“Yes. So you’ve just painted a chicken on your master’s face. Do you understand?”

“Why do you keep calling it a chicken…”

Looking at the 4th Disciple, who was asking back with a sullen expression, Rembrary sighed and turned around.

Now that it had come to this, he felt sorry for comparing the man to a chicken.

‘Even if he’s not as good as me, at least the chicken had the abilities of a high priest. Of course, I don’t know yet if this man has that great of abilities.’

Rembrary opened the door and left without hesitation.

Left alone, the 4th Disciple opened his mouth and stared at the closing door before clenching his fist.

It was something he had done in a fit of anger, and it wouldn’t harm his master.

No, rather, it was something that would harm that rude Ice who would break his promise with his master.

Anyone would feel bad if they heard that their friend was trying to deceive them.

He just wanted the successor to feel as disappointed and upset as he felt towards his master.

But when he was suddenly regarded as pathetic by someone claiming to be a friend of his master’s successor, he felt very upset.

“What does he know to act so high and mighty! What does he know!”

* * *

Rembrary, who had come out of the inn, walked along with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.

Rembrary’s head was now complicated.

Seeing someone acting like that in a fit of anger made him think again about Lumena, and thinking again about Lumena naturally led him to think deeply about Lumena and Shin Jo-woon trying to deceive him.

He had nagged the man… but in fact, Rembrary believed that what he said was true.

Shin Jo-woon was also having such a conversation with Sa Gam-jae, and before that, he had told Ga So-ra himself.

That recently the 4th Disciple and Lumena-nim had met.

‘That disciple from earlier was probably the 4th Disciple.’

Since they met, he must have eavesdropped on their conversation.

Anyway, circumstantially, it was true that Lumena and Shin Jo-woon were trying to hide something from him… but what could it be?

At first, Rembrary thought that Shin Jo-woon was trying to become a follower of Lumena, and he was being secretive because he was conscious of Rembrary, who was close to him.

If it wasn’t a religious matter, there seemed to be no reason for Shin Jo-woon to talk to Sa Gam-jae but hide it from him.

However, Lumena was talking to Shin Jo-woon about deceiving him directly, so it didn’t seem to be a matter of conversion.

Shin Jo-woon had known him longer, so he would be conscious of him in such matters, but Lumena-nim didn’t need to do that.

What reason would Lumena-nim have to tell Shin Jo-woon to ‘keep it a secret that he had become her follower’?

‘Besides, when I think about it, Myeolchi [slang for Shin Jo-woon] is someone who would never try to join as a regular follower.’

But Myeolchi, who couldn’t handle divine power, couldn’t become a high-ranking priest or paladin.

It didn’t seem like Lumena would give Shin Jo-woon, who couldn’t use divine power, special treatment and raise him to a high position, taking everything into account.

Having thought this far, Rembrary admired his own cleverness before becoming frustrated again.

As soon as one suspicion was resolved, another suspicion appeared.

Then why? What were they trying to keep secret?

‘It probably isn’t dangerous. Lumena-nim wouldn’t do anything to harm me.’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t guess, so Rembrary eventually went into an alleyway, took out Lumena’s card, put it between his hands, and prayed with his hands together.

‘Lumena-nim. I trust Lumena-nim. Lumena-nim wouldn’t do anything to harm me. There must be a reason why you’re trying to deceive me in cahoots with Shin Myeolchi. Still, I’m upset. I have a reason to be upset too.’

For a moment, Rembrary stopped praying and looked at the low walls that stretched on.

‘When I found out that Lumena-nim was trying to deceive me, I was so upset that I made a resolution. I decided that I wouldn’t tell you about the sleeping god until I knew what Lumena-nim was hiding from me. But… I’m telling you because I feel sorry that Lumena-nim was pecked by a chicken again. There’s a place that’s suspected to be the location of the ‘sleeping god.'”

* * *

The Emperor, who had been lost in thought for several days, called the Chief Eunuch and gave an unexpected order.

“Arrange a meal for Rembrary and his party with me.”

The Chief Eunuch looked at the Emperor in surprise at the unexpected order.

“All together?”

The Fire Bearer was an odd ability user who had appeared for the first time, and Rembrary was a useful ability user, so he kept them close, but the Emperor didn’t treat the others so closely.

It wasn’t that they were on bad terms, but rather that they were completely indifferent.

The busy Emperor had no reason to take the time to treat them closely, and they had appeared sooner than expected, which only messed up his plans.

At least Shin Jo-woon, who had the same name and face, was unpleasantly nerve-wracking, so he couldn’t help but see him from time to time.

So it was no wonder that the Chief Eunuch was puzzled by the Emperor’s sudden order to ‘have dinner together.’

The Emperor dipped the tip of his brush in ink, smoothing the shape of the brush, and replied.

“Yes. All together.”

After smoothing the brush, he raised the corners of his mouth as he wrote letters on a long piece of paper in one stroke.

“We still don’t know why they were looking for companions. Or what they want. But we know they’re going to leave.”

“That’s right…”

“We need to understand the relationships between people to see where we can dig in.”

The Emperor finished writing and laid the brush on the inkstone before smiling.

“So many people have gathered, but not everyone can like each other.”

* * *

Every time Mullu swung his long spear, the sound of the wind cutting through the air rang out coolly.

Rembrary sat at a distance where he wouldn’t be hit by the spear, watching the scene and sometimes praising him happily.

“Well done, well done.”

Ardor gnawed at his lip with jealousy, glaring at the scene, but neither Mullu nor Rembrary paid attention to the hostility flowing from Ardor.

“Rembrary doesn’t pay any attention to him at all. He looks like a lone adzuki bean rolling away.”

Only the Fire Bearer would occasionally appear and grin, infuriating Ardor.

And it was in the middle of a peaceful, if peaceful, time.

Sa Gam-jae appeared, tilting his head, and called out, “Rembrary-ssi.”

Rembrary turned around, and Mullu also turned the tip of his long spear downwards, looking at Sa Gam-jae. Ardor didn’t turn around.

“What’s the matter?”

When Rembrary asked, Sa Gam-jae walked closer and informed him.

“The Emperor here says that we should all have dinner together tonight.”

“All together? Why?”

“I don’t know. He just said that since we’re all gathering, we should prepare more delicious food than usual…”

He was puzzled, but there was no need to dislike it since the food was said to be good.

“I understand. Let’s do that.”

Rembrary answered readily, and Mullu swung his spear again.

Sa Gam-jae watched Mullu swinging his spear for a while before going somewhere, and Ardor gnawed at his lip again.

* * *

As it approached dinner time, this time the Emperor’s Chief Eunuch himself came, and Rembrary and his party, who had received cleaner clothes than usual and changed, followed the Chief Eunuch.

The Chief Eunuch entered a certain palace.

Following in a line, they saw the inside of the room, which was decorated with beautiful lanterns here and there, creating a tasteful atmosphere.

In the center of the room was a large table, and on top of it, food was already piled high, giving off all sorts of delicious smells.

Surprisingly, the Emperor had arrived first and, upon seeing the party enter, gestured for them to sit down and eat.

He thought that he was trying to create a setting to say something difficult, but it wasn’t that kind of atmosphere.

“Eat comfortably.”

The party, who were awkward at first, later focused on eating properly, one by one, as the Emperor didn’t say anything difficult and only ate.

He had ordered more delicious food than usual today.

That wasn’t an exaggeration, and all the food was so delicious that it really made you think, ‘So this is the food the Emperor eats.’

Rembrary savored each of his favorite dishes while minimizing his words, eating with satisfaction.

The twisted heart, wondering what Shin Jo-woon and Lumena were doing, excluding the Redrin followers, seemed to be relieved a little.

“Don’t you like this?”

But after he had eaten all of his favorite food, Shin Jo-woon handed Rembrary his plate, which he hadn’t touched, and offered it to him.

“I don’t eat this food, so you eat it.”

Normally, Rembrary would have smiled happily and accepted the plate.

Even this time, Rembrary instinctively almost accepted the plate.

But his hand, which had risen halfway, brushed through the air and came down again.

“?”

Shin Jo-woon, wondering why he was doing that, stared at him from across the table, and Rembrary muttered indifferently.

“It’s okay. I don’t eat just any food.”

It was a rejection, but Shin Jo-woon raised his eyebrows at the expression ‘just any food.’

Rembrary was weak to delicious food.

Shin Jo-woon had almost never been rejected after buying Rembrary food.

Even if he had, it was only when he gave him food or grass that he didn’t like, and he had never been rejected after giving him food that he liked.

But to be rejected?

Shin Jo-woon couldn’t react immediately to the situation he was experiencing for the first time.

Sa Gam-jae also tilted his head at the unexpected sight, looking back and forth between Rembrary and Shin Jo-woon.

The Fire Bearer wasn’t interested, so he didn’t pay attention to anyone.

Mullu was interested, but he didn’t think it was a surprising thing, so he just continued eating slowly.

On the other hand, Ardor was happy and cried.

“Finally, the wicked and cunning veil that was covering the High Priest’s eyes has disappeared! I’m so happy, High Priest-nim. I will collect these tears of joy drop by drop and use them to wipe the High Priest-nim’s shoes.”

“That’s enough.”

Rembrary refused indifferently, but Ardor was still happy.

The Emperor watched these scenes with interest.

‘They seemed like close friends. Has a crack formed?’