Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 636

◈ 636. Since When Was It Planned?

A slightly dark complexion, silver hair, and a mischievously smiling mouth. It was definitely the Black Dragon.

Rembrary glanced at the person who called the Black Dragon ‘Deputy Director’.

‘Did he really call the Black Dragon Deputy Director? Is there no chance he misspoke?’

“I said, step aside?”

It seemed certain. The hunters who had been blocking Rembrary immediately lowered their spears and swords at the Black Dragon’s curious voice, making it clear.

“You guys, this way.”

As the hunters stepped back and the Black Dragon said this, walking ahead, it was impossible to deny any longer.

Rembrary followed the Black Dragon with Ki Seonghyun.

The place they arrived at looked like a typical infirmary.

While Ki Seonghyun laid Morkho on the infirmary bed, Rembrary closed the door and stared at the Black Dragon.

The Black Dragon was tickling Morkho’s feet with a feather he had found somewhere.

Then, when he met Rembrary’s eyes, he put the feather down and acted friendly, approaching him.

“Long time no see, High Priest. I missed you. Did you?”

“I missed you too.”

Ki Seonghyun frowned as he covered Morkho with a blanket, noticing Rembrary’s consideration to not embarrass the other party, and asked.

“Mr. Rembrary, are you friends with that demon?”

“Of course not.”

“You were talking very intimately.”

“I talk like this to everyone. More importantly, do you know that he’s a demon? Do others know? And how is he in the position of Deputy Director?”

Ki Seonghyun gave the Black Dragon a displeased look.

He knew his identity, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to welcome the Black Dragon being in the position of Deputy Director.

“Do I know? The higher-ups told me to shut up after putting him in the Deputy Director position, so I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

“What’s ‘shut up’?”

“Keeping quiet.”

“So, some people know that the Black Dragon is a demon, and some don’t?”

“That’s right.”

Ki Seonghyun looked down at Morkho as if he didn’t even want to look at the Black Dragon.

The Black Dragon sighed, pretending to be dejected, and put his arm around Rembrary’s shoulder.

“It’s a position I got after giving various help and promising to give more in the future. Flexible humans accept it well, but inflexible humans are like that.”

Ki Seonghyun ignored the Black Dragon’s words.

However, Rembrary, who still wasn’t used to hearing the Black Dragon being called Deputy Director, couldn’t ignore it.

“Help, you say?”

“I’ve been giving help in various ways. Dealing with monsters, and other things?”

‘Did he establish himself like this while I was in another world?’

More than that, the help with dealing with monsters is one thing, but what is the ‘other things’?

Rembrary frowned. The explanation didn’t satisfy his curiosity.

Then, Rembrary suddenly thought of the story about the Demon Realm.

“Could it be the Demon Realm?”

“Huh?”

“The help you gave. Did you make a promise not to cause harm outside the Demon Realm, or something like that?”

Not long after Rembrary returned to this world from the world where Lumenas was.

Shin Jo-un’s secretary told him about the current situation on Earth.

Demons occupied about half of the non-cities [areas outside major urban centers], and that area was growing more and more.

At the time, he only took note of the fact that the Demon Realm was growing more and more, and that the world was becoming more dangerous.

But after hearing that the Black Dragon had made a deal with the higher-ups, there were suspicious parts.

‘Why did the demons only occupy the non-cities?’

Some of the lords of the non-cities protect the people and cooperate well with the government, but some rule like kings and reject the government.

At the time, even while hearing that the demons only occupied the non-cities, he naturally brushed it off, thinking, ‘It’s because the security in the non-cities is weaker than in the cities.’ Was that the only reason?

When Rembrary’s eyes met his, the Black Dragon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You seem stupid, but you’re smart.”

He was being indirect, but it was an affirmation.

Rembrary clicked his tongue.

‘I thought you created the Demon Realm and set up the pillars to unlock my memory seal. But you were also using it effectively to make deals with the higher-ups here.’

Rembrary glanced down at Morkho and then looked back at the Black Dragon.

“What are you plotting?”

“Plotting? I have no bad intentions, High Priest. We don’t want to rule this place. We just want to settle down and live here.”

The Black Dragon approached and asked with a smile that was truly like a demon tempting a human.

“Don’t you trust us?”

“Should I show you a mirror? Manage that scheming smile of yours first.”

“If I look in the mirror, I’ll only see a handsome dragon.”

The hunter and Ki Seonghyun, not knowing that the Black Dragon was a real dragon, gave him puzzled looks.

Rembrary clicked his tongue.

“Isn’t it too malicious for someone who wants to adapt and live here? Creating dungeons to kill and imprison people?”

“You can’t blame us for that, High Priest. What can we do when humans voluntarily enter? We can’t just let illegal intruders go, can we?”

It’s hard to reconcile opinions even between people. Let alone with demons.

Once he roughly grasped the situation, Rembrary didn’t ask any more about the dungeon. Instead, he pointed to Morkho with his eyes and asked.

“But why is Morkho like that? A strangely 생긴 [shaped] demon went into his heart. And he hasn’t woken up since.”

“I think you just ignored what I said.”

The Black Dragon widened his eyes, but he obediently approached Morkho and placed his hand on his heart.

Rembrary also gently placed his hand on top of the Black Dragon’s hand.

“What are you doing!”

Ki Seonghyun, who had been sharply watching the Black Dragon, was horrified and shouted when he saw that.

“I’m watching to see what he’s going to do.”

Rembrary explained, but Ki Seonghyun couldn’t shake off his dumbfounded expression.

But it was the truth, so Rembrary remained steadfast, no matter what kind of look Ki Seonghyun gave him.

“You don’t trust me.”

The Black Dragon shook his head, but he pretended to seriously examine Morkho.

Then, after about 3 seconds, he took his hand away and said.

“There’s no demon inside.”

Rembrary sent divine power to Morkho one more time. There was no reaction, just like before.

When Rembrary looked at him, the Black Dragon shrugged and said.

“Even if you look at it that way, there’s no demon inside.”

As if to prove that what he said was right, Morkho, who had been unresponsive all along, unexpectedly raised his hand.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes, looked at Rembrary standing next to him, and shouted in horror.

“Why are you here!”

Morkho, who was trembling, saw the Black Dragon standing behind him, and this time his face darkened.

“Why is that guy here again.”

Ki Seonghyun quickly explained.

“A demon suddenly burrowed into Morkho’s heart, and he collapsed. Mr. Rembrary came with us just in case. He’s been trying to heal Morkho.”

“Rembrary is one thing. But what about that guy? Why is he there?”

“The other hunters were blocking Mr. Rembrary from entering. When he couldn’t get in, the Deputy Director appeared and let him in.”

Morkho seemed to know that the Black Dragon was a demon, and his expression wasn’t good.

However, Ki Seonghyun seemed relieved just by Morkho waking up, and he stood up with a much more relaxed face.

“I’m glad you’re awake. I’ll go report this.”

As Ki Seonghyun left, only four people remained in the room.

Even though only one person had left, the atmosphere instantly became more hostile than before.

Morkho didn’t even look at the Black Dragon, and the hunter leaned against the wall in embarrassment and remained silent.

Only Rembrary seemed unfazed.

How long had it been? Morkho, who had been desperately ignoring the Black Dragon, suddenly called Rembrary and said coldly.

“I’m grateful to you, but I still can’t forgive you for selling me out.”

“Is that so.”

“But a promise is a promise, so I’ll tell you. Mary went to the Demon King’s side.”

After saying that, Morkho said he was going to the bathroom and took the hunter who was leaning against the wall with him.

As Rembrary was left alone with the Black Dragon, he quickly asked.

“Who is Mary?”

“It’s the High Priest!”

The answer was given by Morkho from outside the door in an angry voice.

Rembrary realized his mistake and nodded. Now he remembered.

“Ah, right. High Priest Mary.”

It was only once that they met, and he had only referred to her as ‘High Priest of the Central Continent’ or ‘High Priest of Iira’, so he had forgotten. But now that he heard it, it seemed like that was her name.

But…….

“The Central High Priest sided with the Demon King?”

Rembrary frowned, thinking of her, who was the closest to the typical image of a High Priest that people imagined.

She loved God, loved people, and was known to be kind and wise. But she sided with the Demon King?

“Are you sure it was High Priest Mary who sided with him, not Morkho? She didn’t seem like someone who would betray us?”

Rembrary asked with a reluctant expression, and the Black Dragon smiled mysteriously.

“You know why, High Priest.”

“I don’t know.”

“Originally, Iira was friends with our Aquari [a race of demons]. So, she didn’t betray us, she kept her loyalty.”

“!”

* * *

‘Iira sided with the Demon King. Is that why the Demon King invaded more easily than expected?’

On the way home in the car, Rembrary frowned as he looked at the rapidly passing scenery.

Even a great black magician usually has difficulty summoning demons.

He wondered who had summoned the Demon King and how. Perhaps the God Iira had been involved from the beginning.

‘Since when was it planned?’

In the memories shown by the demons, the Demon King seemed to have decided to invade on the spur of the moment. Was it not prepared on the spur of the moment?

‘Is that why Redrin set up the relocation plan because he saw those signs?’

Was it because he came home in such a troubled state?

Seeing the children sitting at the table doing their homework and the family members giving advice next to them, Rembrary changed his mind.

Originally, he was going to check every day until he entered the dungeon. But it seemed like time was running out.

The demons had already opened up avenues in various fields. They couldn’t just keep waiting.

“High Priest, would you like some pumpkin pie? I baked pumpkin pie. I put a lot of honey and a lot of respect in it, so it’s a hundred times more delicious if the High Priest eats it.”

“Wait a moment.”

Rembrary waved his hand at Ardor, who had run over, and went up the stairs to call Hwasa.

Hwasa, who never answers the phone when he doesn’t feel like it, answered the phone right away today for some reason.

—How’s Shin Jo-un? Did he find his memories?

“Hwasa, let’s go into the dungeon together.”

As soon as he mentioned the dungeon, he hung up the phone right away.

He immediately called again, but this time he didn’t answer, so Rembrary continued the conversation with a text message.

[Let’s go into the dungeon tomorrow. The demons are smarter than I thought.]

[Hwasa?]

[Hwasa, it says you’ve read all my texts.]

[Hwasa. Reply?]

[Hwasa, the demons might kill all the non-city lords.]

Hwasa, who had been stubbornly avoiding Rembrary’s calls, reluctantly called back when the story about the lords came up.

—What are you talking about?

“One of the Demon King’s close demons is the Deputy Director of the Hunter Management Office. It’s confidential, so don’t spread it recklessly.”

—Really? Crazy, why?

“They must have made a deal. It seems like the Demon Realm only appeared in non-cities because there was a deal with the government.”

—The government is in cahoots with the demons?

“No, some of them are. But the person in charge of the Hunter Management Office definitely seems to trust the demons. That’s why they gave him the Deputy Director position? They believe the demons want to adapt peacefully to Earth.”

—Then what do we do? You said you can’t enter the dungeon because you’re trying to enter.

“That’s why I’m saying let’s go together. If you open the door, then I’ll go in. Wouldn’t that work?”

Hwasa was silent as if he didn’t like it. But after about 3 minutes of hesitation, Hwasa reluctantly agreed.

—Okay. Damn it. I don’t want to go.

But the next day. When Rembrary went to the dungeon he had promised to meet Hwasa at, unexpectedly, not only Hwasa but also Shin Jo-un was there.

When he saw Hwasa, Hwasa quickly shook his head.

“I didn’t call him.”

Rembrary looked at Shin Jo-un suspiciously.

‘Why did he come? Did he regain his memories?’