Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 684

◈ 684. A Phenomenon Unknown on Both Sides

“I haven’t fought anyone.”

“Neither have I. But why did Mr. Pig send a message like this?”

Shin Jo-woon cast a dubious glance, and Jang Tae-ri bristled.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you think I fought because you were talking behind my back?”

“What are you talking about? It’s not like I’ve only talked behind your back once or twice, so that’s impossible.”

Jang Tae-ri crossed her arms and mentally sifted through her memories. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall anything that Rembrandt might have misunderstood.

She said to Shin Jo-woon that it wasn’t just once or twice that she had talked behind his back, but in reality, she didn’t say such things, not even jokingly.

“I still don’t know.”

“Who knows what’s in Mr. Pig’s head.”

Shin Jo-woon smiled lightly and handed over the menu.

“Let’s have a meal since we met. What do you want to eat?”

Jang Tae-ri stopped pondering and took the menu to look at it. Then, something suddenly occurred to her, and she asked.

“Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

“Have you decided?”

“You deliberately didn’t come.”

“Should I choose first?”

“Course B. Add a drink.”

Jang Tae-ri handed the menu to Shin Jo-woon and asked meaningfully.

“Could it be that you and Mr. Pig fought?”

“The course menu is for two or more people.”

“Don’t you like Course B?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jang Tae-ri pressed the call bell and couldn’t help but notice that Shin Jo-woon was avoiding the topic. He had avoided answering twice.

Seeing that, the suspicion that Shin Jo-woon and Rembrandt had fought began to solidify into a conviction.

As the waiter took their order, Jang Tae-ri narrowed her eyes and probed Shin Jo-woon.

“I’m also angry that Mr. Pig put himself in danger.”

“…….”

“But he came after suffering, so shouldn’t we stop being angry?”

It seemed like a plausible probe, but Shin Jo-woon didn’t answer. Jang Tae-ri’s suspicions deepened. Did they really fight?

Rembrandt was the type of person who wouldn’t assume someone’s anger was directed at him, so it was suspicious enough.

Shin Jo-woon took out a wet wipe and cleaned his hands. Noticing Jang Tae-ri’s intense gaze, he smiled lightly and said.

“Saints never change.”

* * *

At that moment, while Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon were having a meal, Rembrandt was admiring his own generosity in helping the two friends reconcile. He was also reviewing the list given by Daeju [chief of staff].

“This is a list of those who urgently need treatment among those who have joined Redrin as believers.”

Perhaps because it had accumulated for two years, Rembrandt quickly flipped through the rather thick list. Without reading it in its entirety, he handed it back to Daeju and instructed.

“Choose the most urgent ones.”

“How many should I choose?”

“Choose all those who are dying today or tomorrow.”

Upon hearing the words ‘all of them,’ the chief of staff, who was nearby, widened his eyes and looked at Rembrandt.

Daeju also raised his eyebrows and asked Rembrandt.

“All of them? Are you going to treat them all today?”

“They shouldn’t die before I treat them.”

“Then the High Priest will be tired.”

“It’s better to be tired than to die.”

The new secretary, who had joined after Rembrandt had left, was amazed by Rembrandt’s statement, which was even more generous than she had heard.

After that, while Daeju and three secretaries were urgently deciding the order of those who would receive treatment, Rembrandt looked at the news on his phone.

Then, Rembrandt recalled that Hwasaja and the national hunters had used the term ‘danger rating’ before, and he typed ‘danger rating’ into the search bar.

Immediately, countless articles and posts containing the phrase ‘danger rating’ appeared.

After examining about twenty of them, Rembrandt roughly understood what ‘danger rating’ meant.

It was a rating given to ‘dangerous people,’ and it seemed to be determined based on the degree of danger. Once a rating was assigned, it seemed that they were all placed on a wanted list.

“High Priest. It’s all done.”

At Daeju’s call, Rembrandt put his phone in his pocket.

“Did you find them all?”

“Yes. There are twenty people who are as urgent as you said. But there are thirty people who are not as urgent but would benefit from being treated quickly.”

Rembrandt’s eyes widened.

“Are they all our believers?”

“No. It’s our policy to treat the families of believers as well. Should we exclude those who are not believers?”

“No. It’s okay. Where are those people?”

“They are hospitalized in the hospital run by Redrin.”

“A hospital has been built too?”

“Yes.”

Rembrandt was surprised and started to say something more, but he realized that this wasn’t the time, so he urged Daeju forward.

“Let’s go there first.”

* * *

While riding in Daeju’s car to the hospital ward run by Redrin, Sagamjae called.

Since Rembrandt had asked Sagamjae for something, he immediately asked as soon as he answered the phone.

“Did you ask?”

Sagamjae’s answer came with strange background noises.

“Yes. But the Great King said that he had never received such contact from Redrin.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Was it just an ordinary dream then?”

Rembrandt recalled Redrin’s voice, which had been particularly vivid in the dream.

However, some dreams are particularly vivid and memorable. Just because Redrin appeared in that dream wasn’t necessarily evidence of anything.

“Then that’s a relief.”

Rembrandt muttered in relief. In any case, the conversation exchanged in the dream wasn’t very pleasant, so it was a relief if it was just a false dream.

“Yes. But the Great King said that you are not an ordinary saint, so you should visit the area where the Demon King is sealed. Just in case.”

Daeju, concerned about the content of the call, glanced at Rembrandt in the rearview mirror while driving.

Rembrandt shook his head to indicate that he was okay and asked Sagamjae.

“When will you go?”

“I’m thinking of going in about two hours. There are no dead people to collect then.”

“Instead, can I go with you tomorrow?”

The car seemed to slow down, and Daeju pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at Rembrandt.

“It’s okay. Is around 2 p.m. tomorrow okay?”

“Then let’s meet then.”

As soon as Rembrandt finished the call, Daeju immediately asked, as if he had been waiting.

“Where are you going tomorrow?”

“Um. Just out for a bit.”

Rembrandt vaguely answered, fearing that Daeju would misunderstand if he said he was going to see the demon’s realm, and turned his gaze out the window.

However, Daeju was even more concerned by that evasive attitude and gripped the steering wheel worriedly.

* * *

Rembrandt, performing good deeds as soon as he returns.

Redrin Hunter Company’s Rembrandt is playing the role of a healer as soon as he returns.

According to a hospital official, Rembrandt arrived late in the evening with Daeju of Redrin Hunter Company and treated 50 critically ill patients before returning.

―Rembrandt is kind. But isn’t that hospital a hospital under Redrin Hunter Company? LOL

―It’s too much of a promotional article.

―You have to promote things like this. You have to promote good deeds. It’s much better than promoting bad deeds.

―Hey, but it’s definitely helpful to have even one healer. He healed 50 people at once ㄷㄷ [sound of awe];;

* * *

The next day.

While waiting for Sagamjae, Rembrandt was watching the news on a bench in the yard and carefully reading an article.

It was an article about how Rembrandt came in the evening yesterday and treated all 50 critically ill patients. As someone wrote in the comments, it was a promotional article with a little too much promotion.

People were teasing that point a little, but overall the atmosphere was positive.

‘The mortality rate has risen significantly. Is that why? Almost all the treatment articles are favorable.’

Rembrandt pressed the ‘like’ button on the comments praising him and smiled contentedly.

“What are you doing?”

Then, he turned his head at the voice from behind and saw Sagamjae walking from the backyard instead of coming through the main gate.

“Why are you coming from there?”

“I came through the road to the afterlife.”

“You have to come through the human road. That’s how we can go to the place where the Demon King is sealed together.”

“There’s a car here, right?”

Sagamjae approached as if he had no worries and pointed to the car in the garage.

“Let’s go. Who’s going?”

“I didn’t tell anyone else about this. I don’t have anyone to take. What about you?”

“I was going to take a direct reaper [a reaper who directly guides souls]. If it’s a story that other humans don’t know, I have to go alone too.”

“Why? You can take them.”

“The direct reaper has a human he’s close to. He’ll tell everything.”

* * *

The two took a car and headed toward the area where the Demon King was sealed.

At first, Rembrandt could see many cars coming and going on the road.

However, as they approached the area that was once the demon’s realm, the number of cars noticeably decreased. When they arrived near the area, there were almost no cars to be seen.

Even the cars that did pass by sped up as if they wanted to get out of there quickly.

“People don’t want to come near this area?”

“It must be scary.”

Rembrandt opened the window and looked at the approaching demon’s realm.

The area where the Demon King was sealed looked like an ordinary wall from afar, but as they got closer, they saw roses densely intertwined on it.

Rembrandt looked at the roses with a heavy heart. He felt a whirlwind, like a blade, brush past his cheek and quickly turned his head back.

The sensation of being cut by a blade lingered unpleasantly on his cheek.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something just…….”

Rembrandt muttered and touched his cheek. Moisture clung to his fingers. He lowered his hand to look and saw a small amount of blood.

“Um. Definitely. It’s better for people not to come.”

“I smell blood.”

“I can feel the flow of power. But it’s very sharp. I got slightly cut. Was it like this before?”

“No. It was normal when I came a few months ago.”

Sagamjae parked the car about 5 meters away from the sealed area, and Rembrandt got out and looked up at the sky.

It wasn’t visible, but he could clearly feel the sharply swirling flow of power.

Just as he heard the sound of the car door closing, Sagamjae also walked to his side and muttered.

“I know what you mean. Definitely. Something is swirling. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary wind. It definitely wasn’t like this a few months ago.”

“What is this?”

“It seems to be coming out of and going into the place where the Demon King is sealed.”

“But isn’t the energy a bit different from the Demon King’s energy?”

Rembrandt narrowed his eyes and tried to discern a pattern in the flow of power as much as possible. Then, he sensed the presence of a demon and quickly turned his head.

Unexpectedly, Cloth, wearing a trench coat, was there.

Sagamjae immediately took out his weapon.

Perhaps hearing that sound, Cloth, who was carefully examining the place where the Demon King was trapped, also turned his head.

Cloth recognized Rembrandt and Sagamjae and began to walk towards them.

“The Black Dragon is still in the Management Bureau [likely a government agency]. As expected, the Demon King released all his close aides at the end.”

Rembrandt muttered and loosened one of his shoes in preparation for the worst.

However, Cloth approached and said bluntly.

“I don’t want to fight, so stop it. Reaper, you should know that our demons haven’t fought humans for the past two years, right?”

Rembrandt looked at Sagamjae.

“Really?”

Sagamjae reluctantly admitted.

“That’s right for now. I don’t know what will happen in the future.”

Cloth snorted and turned his head to the area where the Demon King was sealed and asked.

“I came because of ‘that.’ You too, right?”

“You mean that flow?”

“Yes.”

Cloth frowned and looked at the part where the wall touched the sky. He didn’t seem to know what it was either.