Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 487

487. Timely

As Eunuch Cho placed the newly delivered Wanjeong tea on the table and quietly withdrew, the Emperor leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the steaming teacup.

He had gleaned two crucial pieces of information from separate sources.

First, there was Rembrary’s account of the ‘bad personality,’ which he had shared a short while ago.

Rembrary claimed his purpose here was to eliminate this malevolent aspect of himself.

Second, there were Hwasa’s initial words upon arrival: that he had come to save the world.

Rembrary hadn’t elaborated on the ‘bad personality’s’ specific goals, but combining the two accounts, the answer became chillingly clear.

Rembrary’s ‘bad personality’ intended to dominate or destroy the world, or at the very least, inflict significant harm upon it.

The steam rising from the teacup gradually dissipated.

The Emperor frowned, idly turning the teacup in his hands.

The potential courses of action stemming from this revelation were far from appealing.

1. Ignore the words of the bad personality, as Rembrary suggested.

This would maintain the status quo. The problem wouldn’t escalate, but it wouldn’t be resolved either.

Then 2. Join forces with the bad personality?

Given the bad personality’s ambitions, this was hardly a desirable option. He was, after all, the ruler of the world.

Of course, the ‘bad personality’ yearned for the original world before Rembrary’s arrival, but what if, instead of a mere pheasant [a metaphor for a small, easily attainable goal], he shifted his focus to dominating this world?

The memory flashed back to when Rembrary had fallen asleep, and the ‘bad personality’ had awakened. Emperor Shin Jo-woon quickly regained his composure.

He had been feeling slightly dizzy and his mind was hazy from the alcohol, but not to the point where he couldn’t suppress the effects, especially after witnessing such an anomaly.

The ‘bad personality’ had approached him with a proposition.

[I know what you want.]

And what else had he said?

[I can fulfill your desires.]

Then he had smiled, appearing strikingly different despite possessing the same face.

Aside from the obviously altered eye color, everything about him was different, from the curve of his lips to the very air he exuded.

Strangely, even with the whites of his eyes turned black, the Emperor felt neither fear nor revulsion.

The Emperor had stared into those peculiar eyes for a moment and inquired how he could help.

“…….”

The Emperor snapped out of his reverie only after the teacup had completely cooled.

The offer was tempting, but ultimately… unpalatable. With ambitions like that, he wasn’t particularly inclined to accept.

He had sent him away, promising to consider it, but……

* * *

“I heard he was locked up in prison for a day.”

“A day? He wasn’t even there for half a day.”

“Was he there for about half of half a day, then?”

“I heard His Majesty went to personally retrieve him.”

“They even brought a bed inside for him, even though he was only going to be there for a few hours.”

Whispered voices echoed from all directions. Hwasa leaned against the wall, subtly turning his head to listen.

Through the gaps in the drooping leaves that concealed him, he observed the eunuchs gossiping amongst themselves.

A short while ago, a group of court ladies had been doing the same. It seemed this was the prime location for palace denizens to exchange secret stories.

But that was beside the point. How many groups were circulating that story?

“Why did he suddenly go to prison?”

“I don’t know. Everyone’s being tight-lipped about it.”

“His Majesty suddenly ordered him to be locked up and then just as suddenly released him, so how would anyone know the real reason?”

“I heard His Majesty ordered something and Doctor Rem refused. Is that true?”

“Why are you asking me? How would I know?”

Hwasa frowned, plucking at the leaves.

Was it because he had been imprisoned, even for such a short time? Rembrary’s reputation had plummeted in a single day.

He struggled to articulate it, but…

‘It seems like he’s become an easy target?’

“That guy, is he really a doctor?”

“I don’t know. No one’s ever seen him treating anyone.”

“If he were a real doctor, they would have given him an official position. He never seemed like a doctor to begin with.”

To think that his previous status as a ‘mysterious guest of the Emperor’ could be so drastically altered by a mere six hours in prison. Hwasa clicked his tongue.

If anyone overheard this, they would be shocked.

Hoping Ardor wouldn’t hear these whispers, Hwasa quietly departed the noisy area.

* * *

Hwasa’s concern was realized in the worst possible way shortly after.

It happened when Rembrary went to the Internal Affairs Department with Ardor to acquire some snacks.

“What’s the name of that navy-colored snack that was served this morning? I’d like to have some more.”

Usually, the staff at the Internal Affairs Department treated Rembrary and his group with kindness.

They were mysterious guests of the Emperor, and their rooms were located near the Emperor’s bedchamber, leading them to believe they were highly favored.

The story of him being the Empress Dowager’s benefactor further endeared him to the people in the Internal Affairs Department.

But today, the atmosphere was markedly different.

The Internal Affairs Department official glanced at Rembrary and refused with a subtly mocking tone.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t have that snack more than once, Doctor. You already had it this morning, so why are you coming back for more?”

Rembrary reached out and stopped Ardor from drawing his gun at those words.

“Ardor. It’ll be troublesome if you kill someone here.”

But something happened right next to him that enraged Ardor even further.

Another court lady was receiving the snack without any issues. A whole pile of it.

Ardor’s eyes flashed at the sight, and the Internal Affairs Department official was initially taken aback, but soon puffed out his chest and became even more unreasonable.

“If you’re upset, don’t cut in line and work your way up from the bottom. Don’t pretend to be a doctor when you’re nothing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ardor pulled out his gun, struck the official’s forehead, and glared.

“Shall I half-kill you to confirm whether our High Priest is a doctor or not? You’ll know with your body after I smash half of your head. Right?”

The official couldn’t answer. He had already fainted the moment Ardor struck him with the gun barrel.

The people around them instantly became noisy.

“He hit someone!”

“Should we report it?”

“Shhh.”

But whether he was a doctor or not, they still recognized that he was someone the Emperor cherished, so they couldn’t act recklessly any further.

Rembrary shook his head at Ardor, who was attempting to wake him up again.

“That’s enough. Leave it be. There are more than one or two like that, and there’s no need to deal with them all individually.”

“There’s more than one or two like that? Are you saying there are more, High Priest? Who are they? This Ardor will go wage a holy war! I will cut off the tongues of those who speak carelessly and sew them together stitch by stitch to make a carpet!”

Rembrary had no desire to step on such a carpet.

Rembrary shook his head and grabbed Ardor, who couldn’t resist being dragged away, but didn’t hide his anger until the end.

* * *

And as soon as Ardor and Rembrary disappeared, the eunuch who had fainted—or rather, had woken up after fainting but was pretending to be still unconscious—jumped up and fumed.

“How dare those impudent people! How can they act like that when they don’t even have any rank!”

The eunuch was furious that he had been struck in front of his subordinates by people who didn’t hold any position in the palace, and whose identities were even suspicious.

He belatedly shouted loudly to save face, but that didn’t erase the memory of him being beaten from the minds of those who had witnessed it.

That anger didn’t subside easily even while doing other work, so the eunuch eventually called a few of his immediate subordinates and secretly instructed them.

“Even when I’m eating, I remember them ignoring me and I can’t digest my food. And that’s not all. If I let them get away with this, everyone will ignore me. I need to teach them a lesson.”

“Would that be alright? That doctor-”

“If he were a real doctor, His Majesty would have made him the royal physician!”

“But…… whether he’s a doctor or not, he’s someone His Majesty cares about, so if we do something wrong…….”

“I heard he frequents the shrine. No one goes to the shrine except the old caretaker. Catch him when that old man isn’t looking and teach him a lesson.”

* * *

Unlike Ardor, Rembrary genuinely didn’t care about what the eunuch had said.

He was talented, but there were many people who were less talented than him, so even if only a small portion of them were jealous, the number would be considerable.

It would only be troublesome to pay attention to each and every one of them.

Rembrary had known this fact well since he was young.

But he couldn’t become less talented to make things easier, so the best thing to do was to ignore those people.

So, Rembrary forgot the words he had heard from the Internal Affairs Department eunuch as soon as he left the place and went to the shrine as usual to call for Lumena.

‘Lumena. When are you coming? If you come any later, I don’t know what the Demon King’s fragment will do, so please come quickly. Well. Even if Lumena comes quickly and goes to find that sleeping god, it’ll be useless if the Demon King’s fragment resists and doesn’t want to go.’

But as Rembrary was earnestly praying towards the shrine.

He felt strange energy from both behind and in front of him at the same time.

Behind him was an unsettling presence, and in front of him…….

‘Lumena?’

Which one should he address first? As he pondered this.

The two eunuchs who were targeting Rembrary approached stealthily, each holding a dagger and a club.

The eunuch who had ordered this hid behind a tree and smiled sinisterly.

Fool. He’s only looking ahead and not even looking behind him.

The people who had received the order to attack Rembrary were also relieved that the task seemed easier than they had anticipated, and quietly approached their target.

At that moment.

A blindingly white light, so intense that they couldn’t even look directly at it, erupted from within the shrine.

Simultaneously, Rembrary, who had been standing peacefully, turned around at the screams that erupted from behind him.

Two unknown eunuchs were prostrating on the ground, pointing in one direction and saying, “He ordered us, he ordered us.”

Wondering what they meant, he looked in that direction and saw the eunuch from the Internal Affairs Department, who had spoken rudely, hugging a tree and trembling.

As the light emanating from the shrine gradually faded.

The eunuchs trembled as they looked at Rembrary.

They couldn’t even approach, seemingly convinced that the light from the shrine was connected to Rembrary.

That was understandable, because Lumena had clearly seemed to have arrived in front of him, but when the light subsided, there was no one in the shrine.

‘I definitely felt Lumena’s presence in front of here……?’

As he was wondering, the eunuchs hurriedly backed away and began to flee in a panic.

It seemed they would ensure he received his snacks properly next time, out of sheer terror.

Rembrary looked at the shrine again.

Lumena, who hadn’t been there before, was leaning against the shrine wall, smiling.

“Let’s go.”