Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 656

◈ 656. The Final Warning

Shin Jo-woon poured champagne and said nonchalantly,

“How your emotions change after drinking that is your choice.”

At those words, Kim Je-woo, who had been quietly listening, raised an objection from the perspective of an ordinary person.

“But if you drink that, not only the Demon King but also the people inside will be sealed together, right? Then, it shouldn’t be a problem that can be left entirely to the benefactor’s choice….”

Shin Jo-woon took a sip of champagne and replied calmly.

“That can’t be helped. Sacrificing the few for the sake of the many is reasonable. That’s how people have lived until now.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jang Tae-ri, who was cutting a strawberry cake, interjected.

“Isn’t saying that sacrificing the few for the sake of the many is reasonable something people on the ‘many’ side say? If you asked the ‘few’ who are being sacrificed, do you think you’d get the same answer?”

Shin Jo-woon frowned and looked at Jang Tae-ri.

He hadn’t expected Jang Tae-ri to express an opinion so directly opposed to his.

Jang Tae-ri placed the cut cake on a side plate, and as she looked up at Shin Jo-woon, he smiled calmly and asked.

“But wouldn’t those few only object when they’re the minority? When they’re the majority, wouldn’t they say the same thing as the other majorities? And Jang Tae-ri, the people who went into the Demon Realm are people who left to live well even under the demons.”

“Those people were just trying to find a way to live. And they only moved themselves; they didn’t sell other people to the demons, did they? And minorities are always emerging, but if we always live by abandoning the minorities, who will be left in the end? The last one standing?”

The atmosphere that Rembrary had been trying to create, where he listened to each person’s opinion, was soured by Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon’s argument.

Woo Yeon-woo put a fork in his mouth and looked back and forth between Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon.

Woo Seong-woo looked troubled, as if wondering how to stop them, and gestured to Hwasa and Sa Gam-jae.

Sa Gam-jae, who received this signal, tried to interject with “Let’s stop this,” but Shin Jo-woon retorted without concern.

“At least not everyone will die together. But if we give up sealing the Demon King to protect the minority who willingly entered the Demon Realm, it’s the same as the world dying together, isn’t it?”

“I or Rembrary could be included in that minority, Shin Jo-woon.”

“That won’t happen to you. I’ll protect you.”

“See? You’re being contradictory.”

“I’m not being contradictory. I’m saying I’ll use every means to protect you.”

“!”

As the atmosphere turned tense, Sa Gam-jae gestured to Rembrary to try and stop them.

Rembrary, who had been engrossed in his meal even during their argument, finally smiled and stepped in when Sa Gam-jae nudged him.

“What’s the point of fighting here? Settle your opinions when you’re alone later and just tell me the conclusion.”

Ardor asked, flustered.

“Are you going to follow the conclusion of those heretics?”

“No, I’m just curious who won.”

“!”

“I’ll make the decision, so your opinions don’t really matter.”

At Rembrary’s words, spoken with a gentle smile, Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon wore expressions that showed their passion for arguing had vanished.

Not just their expressions, but both of them actually started drinking champagne or eating salad instead of saying more.

Sa Gam-jae shook his head. Values differed from world to world, but he couldn’t understand the values of those saints from the other world.

* * *

“Woo Seong-woo is back too. Are you going home now?”

The next day. Rembrary went out to the veranda at dawn and asked, approaching Woo Yeon-woo, who was already leaning against the railing.

Woo Yeon-woo, who was looking at the moon in his pajamas as if he wasn’t cold, turned around in surprise.

“Give me some warning before you come.”

“Are you going to Woo Seong-woo’s place? It seemed like you and Seong-woo were talking about that.”

Rembrary stood next to Woo Yeon-woo and asked.

After the party that had continued until last night, Rembrary had seen Woo Seong-woo and Woo Yeon-woo talking about something.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was certain that the words ‘residence’ or ‘home’ appeared frequently.

“I don’t know.”

Woo Yeon-woo mumbled, fiddling with his hair.

“You don’t know?”

“I said I’d stay with my brother too. But my brother is often away from home. And the Nakru issue hasn’t been resolved. And the third Chaotic Era might be coming soon. My brother thinks it’s safer for me to just stay here.”

“Woo Seong-woo is funny. Why is he deciding who to have as a guest in my house?”

“…….”

“Not that I mind you being here.”

Rembrary, who comforted Woo Yeon-woo, whose confidence had rapidly disappeared, pointed to the house with a nod.

“You’ll catch a cold. Go and sleep.”

“You want to be alone, right?”

Woo Yeon-woo muttered as if he understood everything, opened the veranda door, and went inside.

Rembrary, who had indeed wanted to be alone, leaned against the railing more comfortably and took out a glass bottle.

‘First, I should tell the people inside the Demon Realm to come out. It’ll be easy to convey the message since they have SNS [Social Networking Service] accounts they operate. But can they come out even if they want to?’

* * *

As soon as day broke, Rembrary immediately called Dae-ju and asked if it would be a good idea to contact those who had entered the Demon Realm through SNS.

Dae-ju replied worriedly.

[The idea itself isn’t bad. But if the people inside the Demon Realm can’t come out of their own free will, our public opinion might worsen.]

“Why?”

[Because if we ask questions through SNS, the records will remain.]

“People will find out anyway. Doesn’t matter, does it?”

[You saw Shin CEO and Jang Representative arguing yesterday. The issue of sacrificing the few for the stability of the many is morally controversial. It would be better if the people inside don’t believe the High Priest’s words and refuse to come out. It’ll be their responsibility then. But if they want to be rescued but are sealed together with the Demon King, people will blame us.]

While Rembrary was pondering, Ardor brought him toast as a morning snack.

“Thank you.”

[You’re welcome.]

“?”

Rembrary chewed on the toast and thought about Dae-ju’s concerns for a long time.

But no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed difficult to avoid people’s criticism as long as he was sealing the Demon King.

“It seems difficult for us to avoid responsibility, as you said. As long as we’re carrying out the mission of sealing.”

[Can’t someone else drink that liquid? Like Shin Jo-woon. He’s strong, and since there are two of them, one could drink it.]

“The demons didn’t give it to me directly but entrusted it to King Anchovy. Wouldn’t they have prepared for that kind of thing too?”

After hanging up the phone. Even while eating breakfast and meeting Gu Ju-il for an interview, Rembrary didn’t stop thinking about the problem.

In the end, Rembrary sought the opinion of Gu Ju-il, a native of Earth and a non-awakened person, from the perspective of an ordinary person.

“I’m now just one step away from sealing the Demon King.”

“Oh? Really? Ah. People have been whispering about why there’s no change even though they destroyed the pillars. The doors and walls leading into the Demon Realm have all disappeared, but you still can’t enter the central area.”

“Is that so?”

“I guess so? But since almost no one knows about the pillar thing, it’s hard to have proper discussions or research. The world hasn’t been completely restored yet either.”

Gu Ju-il then quickly asked, as if curious.

“What’s the last step?”

“I can’t tell you the method. But it’s not difficult.”

“Then can’t you just do it?”

“That’s right. The problem is that if I seal the Demon King, the people who are currently in the Demon Realm will be sealed together.”

Gu Ju-il immediately looked flustered.

Even Gu Ju-il, who was friendly to Rembrary, was so surprised, so the shock the public would receive when the Demon King and the people were sealed together would likely be significant, as expected.

“A sacrifice? Is it like sealing the Demon King using the life energy of those people…….”

“You have a vivid imagination.”

“But why are people being sealed together…….”

“Well, it’s not like I’m pinpointing the Demon King to seal him. It’s closer to packaging the entire area around the Demon King.”

“Ah! So if you’re nearby, you get caught up in it.”

Gu Ju-il clicked his tongue.

“That’s going to be difficult.”

Gu Ju-il chewed on his straw anxiously. The Rembrary he usually saw made all decisions easily and quickly.

But seeing him so seriously worried about this issue made him feel scared too.

If Rembrary hadn’t been eating the strawberry cake and sweet pumpkin latte in front of him, he would have been even more scared.

Watching Rembrary eat so well, as if his appetite hadn’t decreased even though he was worried, Gu Ju-il forced a smile.

“I’ll look into that issue with you.”

* * *

However, even if Gu Ju-il looked into it with him, there was nothing he could do.

Unlike the other dungeons that had pillars, walls, and doors to enter, the fifth pillar had no entrance.

Since the hunters had no way to directly enter the Demon Realm and bring the people out, there was only one method left.

“It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to tell them to come out.”

After several days of failing to find a solution, Rembrary finally sent a message to the people inside the Demon Realm via SNS, as originally planned.

―Hello, this is Rembrary. Come out of the Demon Realm. If you don’t come out, you will be sealed together when the Demon Realm is sealed. I’m giving you a month.

“Doesn’t that sound too threatening?”

“I just stated the conclusion simply.”

“But about these account owners. Are they really who they say they are?”

Dae-ju continued to ask worriedly, but for now, he had no choice but to trust them.

“What if they’re not? There’s no other way to convey the message.”

“I don’t even know if the people who entered the realm are still alive.”

“They’ll be alive. I’ve been inside the realm before, when I entered a certain dungeon.”

Rembrary looked at the background that said ‘Sent’ after sending the group message and smiled.

“Well, I’ve sent it, so hopefully it’ll work out.”

* * *

Rembrary, who left Redrine headquarters, returned home in a lighter mood than expected, perhaps because he had resolved the issue he had been worrying about.

Anyway, since the decision had now left his hands, he could only hope that the people inside the Demon Realm would come out on their own.

‘I should ask Ardor to bake a pizza.’

Rembrary opened the front door with a pleased expression and entered the house.

But as he was passing through the living room to find Ardor, the door to the room where Emperor Shin Jo-woon was staying was wide open, and his belongings were scattered haphazardly outside.

Distant voices could be heard from inside.

‘What’s going on?’

Rembrary wondered what was happening and went over there.

He glanced into the room and saw Shin Jo-woon and the Emperor talking, but neither of them looked very happy.