Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 593

Shin Jo-woon, having arrived home, checked the emails that had come in during his absence. He noticed one containing information about Woo Sung-woo and read it carefully.

It didn’t contain much. Shin Jo-woon was about to send the email to the trash when he recalled Woo Sung-woo’s second prophecy and paused.

Come to think of it, Woo Sung-woo’s prophecy, the second one, was similar to the current situation.

—You will be abandoned by Rembrary like useless baggage.

It was something that seemed impossible no matter how one guessed, so he thought it was nonsense when he heard it.

But now that things had turned out this way, it was subtly correct.

Not in the way one would generally think, but still. It was vaguely, yet definitely, true.

“Abandoned like useless baggage.”

Shin Jo-woon locked his laptop screen and frowned. Is this how prophecies come true?

The first prophecy was relatively specific and factual.

But the second prophecy, while technically correct, had a strange nuance. But it was definitely correct.

That means…….

‘The pig wearing black priestly robes. Could that also be a subtle wordplay, rather than the corruption or change of heart we’re thinking of?’

His thoughts were interrupted by the butler’s voice.

“Sir, Jang Tae-ri is here to see you.”

Why at this hour? Shin Jo-woon checked the time, confirming that it was during Jang Tae-ri’s work hours, and went outside, puzzled.

As if she had come straight from work, Jang Tae-ri was dressed more formally than usual.

“What’s going on?”

As he walked down the stairs, Jang Tae-ri held up a flat pizza box, wearing an exaggeratedly fake expression.

“Pig [referring to Rembrary, using a playful nickname] said to defrost you since you were frozen.”

“What’s with that expression?”

“An expression to piss people off.”

Shin Jo-woon took the pizza box, wondering whether he should be grateful or annoyed.

Meanwhile, Jang Tae-ri yawned and started climbing the stairs.

“What did you fight about again? You two have been fighting a lot lately?”

“Does he tell you everything?”

“Yeah. Just like you?”

“……”

“I don’t know what you fought about, but just apologize and end it. It’s probably your fault.”

Shin Jo-woon was dumbfounded and handed the pizza box to the butler who had followed him.

“Isn’t the referee being too biased?”

Jang Tae-ri just smiled with a teasing expression.

However, after hearing the whole story from Shin Jo-woon later, Jang Tae-ri, who had been biased, became fair again and turned serious.

“Pig is trying to handle everything alone, isn’t he?”

“Not ‘trying,’ he’s blatantly doing it.”

“No, he orders people around like it’s nothing for some things. But he always tries to do dangerous things alone. Does he not trust us?”

Sighing, Jang Tae-ri glared at Shin Jo-woon and added.

“Well. Not that anyone can talk.”

“Who? You?”

“You. And take this.”

Jang Tae-ri opened the pizza box, and surprisingly, it contained documents instead of pizza.

“?”

Shin Jo-woon looked puzzled and unfolded the documents, which contained agreements from the Zaone Corporation to withdraw from Mirage.

“What you asked for.”

“Better than pizza.”

Jang Tae-ri took the documents back from the smiling Shin Jo-woon and warned.

“We’re doing this because Mirage attacked us first. Don’t drag it out too long.”

* * *

While Shin Jo-woon and Jang Tae-ri were discussing Mirage, the hunter company that sponsored Kim Mu-rok PD’s documentary, Rembrary was listening to the Ma Wang [Demon King] retell an old story to the Ma Wang who had forgotten some of the memories of the 2nd and 3rd dungeons.

* * *

Whatever the people of the north called Memia, the west ignored it.

Memia’s poison was deadly, but it wasn’t like they had no high priests who used aggressive divine power.

That alone wasn’t enough to make them believe that their high priest was sent by the demons.

Besides, the high priest was chosen directly by God.

If the high priest chosen by the god they believed in was related to demons, wouldn’t that mean their god’s judgment was trash?

Regardless of their feelings toward Memia, everyone ignored the northerners’ remarks on this topic.

In the meantime, the demons, who had been quiet for a while, attacked again.

Unlike the last time when they only targeted the central continent, this time it was a simultaneous invasion.

Here, another unsettling thing happened again.

The demons invaded several places, but only one place. They did not invade the western continent.

No one knew why.

However, the northern temple used this as further evidence to support their claim that ‘the western high priest was a child sent by the demons.’

Last time, only the northerners called Memia the Black Priest, but after this incident, that nickname spread everywhere.

People began to hate the westerners, who were peaceful and not invaded when they were suffering from the demons’ invasion.

Before long, not only the northerners but also ordinary people from other continents called Memia the Black Priest and whispered that she was an ominous demon child.

At this point, even the west, which had only regarded the nickname as ‘the northern temple’s petty slander,’ could no longer remain silent.

“Redrin, I need your help.”

Aquari, though resentful, went to Redrin and asked for help.

“Announce that there is no ominous energy in my child.”

“Were we that close?”

“……”

“But we might become close someday. Fine. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll help you.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m glad you’re in a good mood.”

“Oh, it’s thanks to you. I liked seeing you desperately begging me.”

Aquari thought that even after thousands of years, she would never be close to Redrin.

It would be difficult to say only annoying things like that.

Anyway, since he wasn’t the type to break promises, Aquari went to Lumena this time and asked for help.

“Wow. You’ve chosen the wrong high priest twice in a row, and things have gone ridiculously wrong. You need to improve your judgment, Aquari.”

Lumena clicked her tongue and said she would help.

“Don’t worry, Aquari. Iira will definitely help you.”

The god of the central continent, Iira, also said that she would definitely grant Aquari’s request.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you, Aquari. If I declare that your child is fine, my child will be treated as ominous.”

On the other hand, Kamuel refused to help as expected.

Anyway, Aquari was relieved that the gods of the three continents had decided to step in.

‘Even if I can’t stop the northern temple’s resentment, the other continents won’t join in.’

However, all continents except the western continent were currently busy fighting the demons.

In the midst of this, the gods defended the western high priest, who was the target of resentment, so it was not very effective.

People heard the words defending Memia with one ear and let them out with the other.

Or they changed their words to ‘The Black Priest doesn’t have ominous energy, but is just in league with the demons.’

Aquari was dumbfounded as she watched this, but it was difficult to step forward further.

Several years later. Finally, the demons’ invasion stopped.

This time, the demons attacked in a dispersed manner, so the damage was less than usual.

This point also worked unfavorably for Memia.

[If we leave it like this, the demons will invade again, and only the western continent will be safe. If this situation is repeated several times, the western continent will eventually become prosperous, and the remaining countries will not be able to prosper because they are blocking the demons. To prevent this, we must eliminate the high priest sent by the demons!]

[It’s a holy war!]

Under the leadership of the northern high temple, the northern paladins began preparing to attack the western high temple, claiming to wage a holy war.

Aquari, looking down at this, went to Iira and asked for help again.

“Iira, Kamuel’s child is about to invade the west, claiming to wage a holy war. Can you send your paladins to help?”

However, even Iira, who had readily helped Aquari before, refused this time with difficulty.

“I’m sorry, Aquari. I want to help, but now my paladins have fewer healthy children.”

The central continent had been invaded by demons in succession, so it was not in a situation to help anyone.

“Let’s ask Redrin and Lumena.”

“I don’t know if those two will help me……”

Aquari was reluctant to go to Redrin.

Not because of Redrin’s way of speaking, but because Redrin was close to Kamuel.

Also, Lumena was close to Redrin, so they didn’t seem likely to help her.

“Let’s go and see anyway.”

With Iira’s encouragement, Aquari went to Redrin and Lumena.

Redrin refused as expected when she heard the situation.

“Doesn’t your high priest use poison? I think your high priest will win, Aquari. So don’t worry.”

She was speaking nicely, but if you looked closely, it meant ‘you can fight [handle it yourself].’

Lumena also said with embarrassment.

“If the demons invaded, I would definitely help, Aquari. But it’s not a joint fight, but a one-on-one fight between the north and the west. It’s a bit difficult to step in.”

“The northern paladins are truly loyal to Kamuel’s child and have high morale. But the western paladins follow my child, but they are not that loyal. In this situation, the north will definitely win if they fight.”

Still, when Aquari was in trouble, the gods finally compromised.

“Okay. Then we will mediate the reconciliation.”

“I think that would be better. Rather than taking sides.”

Iira, who was anxious because she couldn’t help Aquari, asked Redrin, feeling more relieved herself.

“Then Redrin’s high priest can go to the northern child, and Lumena’s high priest can go to the western child.”

At that time, Redrin suddenly said, “Ah,” as if she had remembered something.

Aquari stared at Redrin, tense, wondering if she was trying to take back her words.

However, what Redrin said was unexpected.

“Come to think of it, did I mention it? Recently, the high priest I newly selected can do bloodline tests with divine power. Tracing is possible up to three generations.”

“!”

“Shall I do it?”

* * *

The Ma Wang finished speaking around the time Rembrary finished eating and asked.

“Has Clotte’s cooking improved a bit?”

Rembrary became suspicious. Somehow, that Ma Wang seems to cut off the story well when he’s curious about the ending.

But the Ma Wang’s expression was very calm, and he didn’t seem like someone with such intentions.

Well, in terms of face, he didn’t even look like someone who had smashed two dimensions in a row.

Rembrary wiped his mouth and answered the food question.

“It’s a taste mixed with imagination and creativity.”

The Ma Wang, thinking it was a compliment, took a spoonful and ate it, then quickly became serious.

Clotte looked sad, but the Ma Wang drank strong coffee to completely erase Clotte’s stew from his mouth, not wanting to leave any aftertaste.