Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 597

◈ 597. I’ll Believe in You

The worldly imperial family members did not send their children to become priests.

Once someone entered the temple, regardless of their previous status, they would spend time as novice priests and be assigned ranks based on their divine power, progressing accordingly.

Even if their status was low, high divine power could lead to becoming a high-ranking priest. Conversely, high status with low divine power meant becoming a low-ranking priest.

There was no reason for imperial family members, who could live a glorious life without needing to ascend to the throne, to send their children to the temple, where the best outcome was breaking even.

Once they became priests, they couldn’t even marry.

In most cases, imperial family members only entered the temple when the country was collapsing, seeking refuge there.

Even so, Redrin couldn’t easily dismiss his lingering feelings and had the angels investigate the child in detail.

If circumstances allowed, he could subtly reveal the child’s talent through a divine revelation, encouraging them to send the child to the temple.

“Redrin, I’ve investigated.”

However, the child’s status was even higher than he thought.

“The child’s name is Rembrary. He is a prince of the Libulen Empire in the Southern Continent. The child’s mother, the empress, is a princess of Greyson, the wealthiest country in the Western Continent, and is said to have returned to her homeland for childbirth.”

The child was, in a sense, at the very top of the secular hierarchy.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Redrin regretfully lost interest in the child. Their parents would never send the child to the temple.

“I see.”

“Should we keep watching, just in case?”

“No. There’s no need.”

* * *

Rembrary blinked and sat up.

‘What was that? That dream.’

Was it the memory Redrin sent?

If so, like the illusions the demons showed, did it mean there were both ominous and favorable prophecies?

‘Redrin initially gave up on taking me by his side.’

Rembrary, recalling how adorable he looked in Redrin’s memory, felt pleased.

‘I must have been outstanding from birth.’

With his fatigue completely gone, Rembrary went down to the kitchen to fill his excellent stomach with delicious food.

The phone was charged while he was sleeping, but he didn’t check it since nothing was urgent.

* * *

Thanks to that, those who called Rembrary and found his phone turned off became anxious.

Jang Taeri, Shin Jo-woon, Woo Yeon-woo, etc.

Daeju was originally included as well, but Moolu, who saw Rembrary finding his way alone at night, contacted him, so he was now relieved.

In any case, among those who worried about Rembrary, the most concerned was Shin Jo-woon, who had openly been called a ‘burden’.

During all this, the one who contacted him was none other than the unwelcome Deputy Director of Shin-giroo.

[Is it a good time to talk?]

Shin Jo-woon doodled a pig on a blank piece of paper as he replied.

“Speak.”

[Are you the one pressuring the sponsors to withdraw from Shin-giroo?]

“I didn’t know I became the president of a sponsor company.”

[You’ve used your head a bit. But that won’t stop the documentary sponsorship.]

The unwelcome person’s words were also unwelcome.

The deputy director, who called recklessly, seemed to think that Shin Jo-woon was pressuring the sponsors to cut ties with Shin-giroo.

Shin Jo-woon had asked Jang Taeri for a favor, but he had never applied pressure, so Shin Jo-woon was confused whether to consider the deputy director’s guess sharp or foolish.

[And it would be better to restore the sponsors to their original state. Otherwise, we might expose your dogs as well.]

“Are you talking about Shih Tzus?”

[I think you know I’m not talking about dogs.]

“Chihuahuas?”

[…….]

Shin Jo-woon said nonchalantly while the other person hesitated, momentarily taken aback.

“I didn’t know raising dogs was illegal. Go ahead and expose it. Shin Jo-woon raises Shih Tzus and Chihuahuas. Raising Shih Tzus and Chihuahuas at the same time is absurd. I wonder what people will say.”

The deputy director couldn’t answer right away.

Shin Jo-woon chuckled and continued.

“Anyway, that attitude of threatening anyone is not good. I’ll tell your president.”

As Shin Jo-woon hung up, the deputy director’s face finally hardened on the other end of the line. Tell the president?!

While the deputy director struggled to understand what Shin Jo-woon meant, Shin Jo-woon sent texts to Jang Taeri and Rembrary on his phone.

[I was just threatened by the deputy director of Shin-giroo. Judging from what he said, it’s clear there’s an information specialist around him.]

* * *

“Oh, I see.”

Rembrary, who had finished his meal, was packing his bags again to go to the dungeon when he checked the text sent by Shin Jo-woon and was impressed.

‘No wonder. He knew this and that information without being told.’

Especially, he seemed to know about the ‘True Bet,’ which no one else would know about, so I was curious.

‘But the more you know, the more you shrink back.’

The ignorant are the most courageous.

Rembrary didn’t care much about the enemy with information abilities and grabbed the steering wheel again.

Then, he found entrance 2-5, opened the door, and went inside.

‘I hope no one steals the car again.’

* * *

Did he really intend to cut ties and live as if I were a burden?

Even though Rembrary’s phone was back on, he didn’t contact Jang Taeri or Shin Jo-woon again, so Shin Jo-woon reluctantly went to his house.

But when he went home, Rembrary was gone again.

“He came out of the dungeon and slept soundly at night, and then he went out again?”

From Kim Je-woo’s explanation, Shin Jo-woon noticed something strange and asked.

“He came out of the dungeon and slept soundly at night? Hasn’t it been several days since he came out of the dungeon?”

“Huh? No? He arrived last night. And he ate breakfast this morning and went out again.”

Shin Jo-woon now realized that Rembrary had entered another dungeon as soon as he shook off himself and Hwasa.

He thought he was spending time at home because he texted Jang Taeri and replied to him.

He had been spending it in a completely different dungeon.

‘Was I that much of a burden?’

Shin Jo-woon came out of the house and called Rembrary, but Rembrary didn’t answer the phone this time either.

‘Is he avoiding me?’

Shin Jo-woon checked the car’s location and went there.

He felt a little sorry for checking the car’s location, but he had a duty as the car owner to check the car’s safety from time to time.

But when he checked the car and went there, wasn’t there a strange person driving the tattered car excitedly?

“…….”

Shin Jo-woon watched it, reported the car theft to 112 [South Korean emergency number], informed them of the location, and then called Rembrary again as he watched the car thief being caught by the hunter police.

* * *

“Honey. There’s a buzzing sound coming from your pocket.”

When Rembrary entered dungeon 2-5, it was still the Black Lake area.

The other demons were all asleep, the Demon King was sitting on a rock, and he was sitting on the rock next to him, the last place in that 2-4 scene.

It seemed as if no time had passed in the setting.

That means…….

‘Is it because the time to leave the demon mansion is approaching?’

It’s suspicious compared to how it skipped several days in the beginning.

“Honey? Buzzing sound…….”

The Demon King seemed to be bothered by the phone vibrating in his pocket, so Rembrary took out his phone and checked.

Anchovy [slang term for Shin Jo-woon] kept calling.

Since he couldn’t answer the phone in front of the Demon King, Rembrary sent a ‘I can’t answer the phone right now’ message, rejected the call, and then looked at the Demon King again.

The Demon King glanced at Rembrary’s pocket with a very suspicious expression, but instead of asking what it was, he continued the story he had been telling.

“I don’t know if you understood all my stories because you were too young—”

“I understood everything.”

“You’re smart. I think the beginning of everything was when people branded the kidnapped victim, the High Priest of the West, as ominous and drove him to become a Black Priest.”

“Don’t you hate Memira? That’s what happened because she killed the High Priest of the South.”

“Whether it was Memia or Memira who killed the High Priest of the South at the time, or whether there was another culprit, we never found out in the end.”

The Demon King sighed heavily.

“Whichever side the demons sent, it was certain that both were human. So even if the demons sent Memira, that child would also be a victim. After Memia died, people began to suspect Memira this time. The prophecy said that the fake would kill the real, so they said that whoever survived, whatever the circumstances, was the fake.”

“In the end, people followed Memira because of her.”

The Demon King paused for a moment, stared intently at the young Rembrary, and said.

“I’m worried that if you go back like this, you might be misunderstood and experience sad things like me or Memia.”

In the middle of a serious conversation, Shin Jo-woon couldn’t stand it and called again.

The Demon King raised his eyebrows as he heard the buzzing sound from the phone again.

‘That tactless anchovy.’ Rembrary clicked his tongue inwardly and gestured for the Demon King to continue talking.

“Talk, talk.”

“It’s your turn to talk.”

As the Demon King spoke, choices appeared.

1. Say you still want to go home.

2. Say your mind has changed after hearing that.

3. Phone is on silent mode

Rembrary turned off the phone and said, “Number one.”

Then, his body began to move on its own as before.

“I still want to go home. Doesn’t Rose want to go home?”

The words came out on their own.

At Rembrary’s question, the Demon King seemed surprised that he would receive this question and smiled sadly.

“Of course I want to go back. I want to go back to my beautiful homeland.”

“Then let’s go together. I’ll go to my homeland, and Rose will go to Rose’s homeland.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I can’t go back unless humans believe in me.”

“Can’t you just go on foot? You’re an adult.”

“It’s a bit complicated.”

“What is?”

“If I just leave here…… I’ll become more destructive and impulsive as time goes by. I don’t know how I’ll change with just a small trigger.”

The Demon King muttered, looking up at the black sky.

“In fact, I don’t even remember Memia’s face anymore. I just remember that there was such a child.”

The Demon King looked down at Rembrary again and smiled.

“But that child fearlessly chased after me.”

As the young Rembrary listened to those words, he suddenly got off the rock, approached the Demon King, grabbed one of his hands tightly, and said.

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”

The Demon King burst into laughter.

“But if Rose can only stand on her own two feet if people believe in her, I’ll believe in Rose.”

“Thank you for the thought.”

The Demon King didn’t seem to take the young Rembrary’s words to heart and just stroked his head and stood up.

But the young Rembrary firmly repeated.

“It’s not just words. Rose saved me, so I’ll save Rose too.”

At those words, the Demon King thought for a moment and asked playfully.

“Can you promise?”

“I’ll save you. I’ll make sure people don’t misunderstand Rose.”

The young Rembrary held out his pinky finger.

“Promise.”