Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 476

◈ 476. Shall We Continue?

Lumenas are Lumenas, but Shin Jo-woon wouldn’t plan anything that would harm himself.

Rembrary thought so too.

Not only Shin Jo-woon, but everyone who came to this dimension with him had this belief.

But that didn’t mean the hurt feelings disappeared.

Deceiving him, picking and choosing Redrin’s followers to deceive them all.

He saw the shocked look in Shin Jo-woon’s eyes, but Rembrary pretended not to notice and only poked at the food he didn’t like with his chopsticks.

After the meal, he made up an excuse about having urgent business and quickly returned to his room.

Rembrary was a benevolent high priest, but sometimes even a benevolent high priest didn’t want to be benevolent.

He needed to take some time alone until his hurt feelings subsided.

Rembrary lay down on the bed to digest the food, regretting the bowl he hadn’t finished in the dining hall.

But Shin Jo-woon seemed to lack tact.

He had deliberately avoided him to calm himself down, but he still came to find him.

He even brought a candy that shone brightly even in the dim light, drizzled with honey.

Rembrary looked at him, wondering what he was doing, and the blockhead [a foolish or insensitive person] arrogantly asked, offering the candy he had brought.

“I bought too much and it’s leftover. Want some?”

Rembrary firmly refused.

“No, thank you. I don’t eat just any food.”

As he spoke, he felt a surge of regret, but Rembrary didn’t lose his dignified high priest demeanor.

Shin Jo-woon looked back and forth between the candy he had brought and Rembrary a few times.

His face showed that he had never imagined Rembrary would refuse so firmly.

Rembrary, the benevolent yet sometimes stern high priest, acknowledged the expression but didn’t react at all, and pointed to the door with his finger.

“You’re disturbing my contemplation.”

“!”

* * *

Sagongjae, who was standing in the yard, saw Shin Jo-woon coming out with the candy he had brought in and clicked his tongue.

Shin Jo-woon trudged along and looked up at the sound of the tongue-clicking.

Sagongjae was holding something like a straw bale for some reason.

When their eyes met, Sagongjae pointed at him with the straw bale in his hand and said.

“Rembrary is a person, Shin Jo-woon. Just because you call him a pig, don’t think he’s really a pig.”

He spoke as if he knew everything that had happened inside.

But Shin Jo-woon, knowing that Sagongjae wasn’t in the room, looked at him suspiciously.

Sagongjae didn’t even blink and pointed at the candy Shin Jo-woon was holding.

“Five going in, five coming out. With a tearful expression. I guessed from that.”

“…He seemed sick, refusing to eat.”

“He ate the most for someone who’s sick.”

“He must have gotten sick after eating. Like heartburn.”

Sagongjae chuckled as if Shin Jo-woon’s denial was ridiculous and asked.

“He was fine and suddenly acting like that. Can’t you guess the reason?”

Shin Jo-woon frowned.

“Reason? Do you know the reason?”

But as soon as he asked the question, Sagongjae smiled and turned away.

“Yes. But I’m not going to tell you.”

Shin Jo-woon reflexively almost grabbed Sagongjae, but his raised hand went down without grabbing anyone.

He looked down at the five candies in his hand and turned away in the opposite direction.

Sagongjae, who was walking in the opposite direction, ran into Hwasaja not far away this time.

Sagongjae tried to greet him casually and pass by, but Hwasaja had been watching the conversation between Shin Jo-woon and Sagongjae.

Hwasaja quickly approached Sagongjae and walked alongside him, asking.

“What’s the reason?”

“It’s obvious.”

Sagongjae said the same thing again, but Hwasaja was a bit more honest than Shin Jo-woon.

“I don’t know.”

Since he asked so honestly, Sagongjae couldn’t avoid telling him his guess.

“There are two people who look the same, but one is called a pig and ignored, and the other is called a renowned doctor and treated well. Who do you think he’ll get closer to?”

“Ah… !”

Hwasaja nodded in admiration and disappeared, and Sagongjae continued on his way.

But the place where the disappeared Hwasaja reappeared was inside Shin Jo-woon’s residence.

As he sat on the chair in Shin Jo-woon’s room, Shin Jo-woon came in with five candies before long.

“?”

Shin Jo-woon, who came into the room, wasn’t surprised to see the Lion Lord but stared at him intently, as if asking why he was there.

Hwasaja raised his chin haughtily.

“I know why Rembrary is being cold to you.”

Shin Jo-woon leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

“What’s the reason?”

“It’s because you call Rembrary a pig and call him a renowned doctor.”

Shin Jo-woon thought for a moment and frowned.

“I don’t think that’s it.”

Hwasaja shrugged and held out his hand, and when Shin Jo-woon handed him two candies, he took them and disappeared.

Shin Jo-woon wrapped the remaining candies in clean white paper, placed them on the desk, and frowned again.

* * *

The other Shin Jo-woon, with the same face and the same name, was now smiling.

“The renowned doctor Rembrary and his group are growing apart.”

As the Emperor murmured, the Chief Eunuch smiled along and poured tea into the empty cup.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor laughed, making a whooshing sound.

“It’s not something to celebrate.”

Contrary to his words, the corners of the Emperor’s lips were clearly turned upwards.

The Emperor took a sip of tea and called the Chief Eunuch with his eyes, then asked.

“We need to step in when they’re falling apart. Chief Eunuch, how do you become friends with someone?”

The Chief Eunuch put his hands together and agreed, “Yes, yes, absolutely,” then asked back, “Pardon?”

The Emperor said again.

“I asked how to become friends with someone.”

“Well…”

The Chief Eunuch answered awkwardly.

“Just like becoming friends with Your Majesty’s friends… the same way…?”

“I only have Jang Tae-ri as a friend. We became friends naturally.”

“Th-that’s right. But now there’s an impure motive.”

“?”

“It’s a motive for the country. A noble motive.”

But the Chief Eunuch wasn’t very helpful.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I entered the palace when I was young and became friends with my peers while suffering together, so I don’t know what to say.”

“I see.”

The Emperor recalled the special circumstances of the eunuchs and palace maids and acknowledged it.

“That’s right. Then summon the ministers who know the situation and ask them.”

“Yes.”

Following his orders, the Chief Eunuch summoned eight loyal subjects who knew the Emperor’s situation.

“As you all know, the renowned doctor Rembrary, who possesses outstanding medical skills, is someone who might leave with his companions at any time. I want to build a relationship with him to encourage him to stay here. But because of my special status, I have never personally made friends with anyone, so I would like you to share any helpful experiences. How did you become friends with your closest friends?”

The eight loyal subjects were summoned, wondering what was going on, and were briefly taken aback by the unexpected order.

But it wasn’t a difficult task, so Loyal Subject 1 spoke up first.

“Yes, my closest friend is my cousin, Your Majesty.”

“Next.”

At the Emperor’s words, Loyal Subject 1 closed his mouth, and Loyal Subject 2 standing next to him answered.

“My closest friend is my childhood friend, Your Majesty.”

“Next.”

“My closest friend is my neighbor, Your Majesty.”

“Next.”

Since three people in a row were of no help to the Emperor, Loyal Subject 4 cautiously opened his mouth.

“I accidentally rode someone else’s horse while drunk, Your Majesty. The horse went to its familiar home, and I got off at the wrong house. But I was drunk and thought it was my house, so I went into the room, changed my clothes, and tried to go to sleep. But not long after I lay down, an assassin-”

“Next.”

There seemed to be more to the story, but the Emperor cut him off immediately because it didn’t seem helpful.

Loyal Subject 4 quickly closed his mouth, but the Chief Eunuch’s heart was pounding and he felt a bit wronged.

What happened next? An assassin came in, so what happened next? Did he become friends with the assassin, or did he become friends with the homeowner? Did he become friends with the horse owner?

But the Emperor had already lost interest in that and was gesturing to Loyal Subject 5, ‘It’s your turn to speak this time.’

Loyal Subject 5 answered briefly.

“I became friends with someone from the same academy, Your Majesty.”

“Next.”

Loyal Subject 6 also answered simply.

“I also became friends with someone from the same academy, Your Majesty.”

He summoned eight people, but six were useless. The Emperor frowned and said again, “Next.”

Loyal Subject 7 looked around cautiously and answered in a barely audible voice.

“I also became friends with someone from the same academy, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor summoned eight people, but seven were useless, and three said they became friends with someone from the same academy, so he muttered in frustration.

“Most people seem to be closest to those from the same academy.”

Loyal Subject 7 cautiously looked at the Emperor and answered timidly.

“The three of us are close, Your Majesty.”

“…”

At this point, the Emperor’s expectations had completely dropped, and he looked at Loyal Subject 8.

Loyal Subject 8 thought the Emperor would be disappointed if he said he was friends with someone of the same age from a nearby family, so instead of telling his own story, he asked cautiously.

“Your Majesty. Is the renowned doctor Rem a commoner?”

“I don’t know.”

Since he wasn’t from this place, how would he know?

When the Emperor didn’t give a definite answer, Loyal Subject 8 continued.

“Commoners think that royalty doesn’t know much about the lives of ordinary people. They might be happy if you join them in their daily lives.”

“The lives of commoners?”

“Like night markets.”

Loyal Subject 8’s story had nothing to do with experience, but it sounded useful.

At least more than becoming friends by attending the academy.

The Emperor was deep in thought.

* * *

It was when Rembrary was holding Lumena’s token tightly in one hand and chanting [repeating phrases or words in a rhythmic vocalization] to summon Lumena.
A voice called from outside the door, “Renowned Doctor Rem.”

He stopped chanting and opened the door, and the eunuch who always followed the Emperor bowed politely and said kindly.

“Renowned Doctor Rem. His Majesty is calling for you.”

He was so perceptive that he pretended not to hear Rembrary chanting alone.

Rembrary said he understood and followed the Chief Eunuch outside.

He was probably being called to heal someone again. It was nothing new, so he was used to it.

But when he actually went, the Emperor said something completely out of the blue.

“If you’re from another place, it must be boring to be cooped up here. Have you ever been to a night market?”

When Rembrary shook his head, the Emperor smiled.

“Then I’ll take you there.”

But not long after going out, the Emperor regretted it.

Rembrary, who seemed to be following well, disappeared not long after, as if he had gotten lost.

The Emperor ordered people to find Rembrary and sighed in exhaustion.

But Rembrary hadn’t gotten lost.

* * *

The 4th Disciple, who already had a sad impression even when he was still, now had such a pitiful atmosphere that passersby turned around to look at him.

The 4th Disciple poured himself a drink and wiped away the tears that occasionally flowed with the back of his hand or his sleeve.

“Master…”

At the name that occasionally popped out on its own, the 4th Disciple felt even more sorrowful.

At that moment, just as he was about to wipe away the tears that had flowed down again with his sleeve, a handkerchief was suddenly held out in front of him.

When he looked up, the person who had caused him to cry all along was standing there.

“You’re said to be the successor of Master’s rival…”

Muttering, the 4th Disciple raised his eyebrows. But that person, was his eye color originally like that?

As he stared at his eyes in confusion, he noticed that not only his eyes but also his atmosphere had changed.

As the 4th Disciple blankly accepted the handkerchief, wondering what was going on, the Demon King smiled and asked.

“About what we were talking about before, shall we continue?”