Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 726

726. Please Call My Name

Leisure carefully scanned the children, but he couldn’t discern the culprit just by looking at them.

That was precisely why he had gathered them in this manner: to conduct a Divine Power test.

“Mr. Leisure, Mr. Leisure, did *you* do this?”

Leisure felt a surge of emotion at the child’s direct question.

If he possessed such an ability, he wouldn’t be a mere disciplinary priest here, but a high-ranking priest overseeing all disciplinary matters.

“No. You all did it.”

At Leisure’s words, the children’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The children, excited and with flushed cheeks, began to chatter amongst themselves.

Seeing their innocent expressions, Leisure felt a pang of guilt.

Even if he were fortunate enough to have several talented children in this group, it wouldn’t be more than five at most. Five out of thirty. What would become of the rest?

Initially, they would live carefree lives, but as time passed, they would inevitably confront the first major challenge faced by most ordinary priests.

‘The gateway of inferiority.’

Leisure smiled wryly, first calming the children before leading them to the classroom.

“Alright, everyone, review the contents of the Holy Scripture you learned yesterday. I’ll be testing you on it later.”

After instructing the children to study independently, Leisure went to see Heather, the high-ranking priest in charge of the temple.

* * *

“I see.”

Heather, the chief administrator of the Florandia Temple, displayed immediate interest when Leisure reported the results of the Divine Power test.

“The children Priest Leisure is in charge of haven’t been here for two months yet, have they?”

“No. Only two of them are over ten years old.”

“How are those two?”

“They were ordinary.”

Here, ‘ordinary’ meant that there was no discernible reaction. However, Heather nodded without any sign of disappointment.

“It’s extremely rare for them to exhibit a reaction at ten years old. Besides, those children have only just arrived.”

“Yes.”

Another ordinary priest brought the test bowl that Leisure’s children had used and placed it down before departing.

Heather approached the bowl and examined it. Inside, the water shimmered. It was so clear that it was impossible to discern that it was once monster blood.

Heather stirred the water with her own hand and commented,

“It’s clear. There’s no stickiness at all.”

“Yes. It’s like a high-ranking priest level… Would it be advisable to integrate them with the other children?”

“Children under ten rarely possess Divine Power. But even if they do, it’s easy for them to develop abnormally if they’re too exceptional from a young age.”

“?”

In fact, the age at which children began to show even a trace of Divine Power was typically fourteen or fifteen.

Some were slightly delayed, becoming ordinary priests at sixteen or seventeen.

There were occasional instances of younger children displaying power, but such cases were exceedingly rare.

However, it was only very rare. It wasn’t that there were no such children at all.

Leisure nodded.

“Yes. I’ve heard that before the age limit was established, there were several cases of individuals struggling after attaining high positions at a very young age.”

“Yes. Furthermore, there are quite a few who experience rapid growth in Divine Power initially, only to have their progress stall midway.

Those who develop too quickly at a young age are more prone to frustration if they falter, which is why our Redrin Temple deliberately set an age limit.”

Leisure observed Heather’s expression. Telling a story that he already knew meant that he shouldn’t make a fuss in front of the children, right?

Heather ceased stirring the water, withdrew her hand, and smiled.

“But the child who achieved this result will easily rise to the level of high-ranking priest.”

“Could it be that the combined power of several children with ordinary priest-level Divine Power produced this outcome?”

“It’s possible. As a teacher, that might be preferable.”

Instead of refuting it, Heather smiled and patted Leisure’s shoulder with her wet hand.

“In any case, the children Priest Leisure is in charge of have become the rising stars of our Redrin Temple.

Even if we attempt to keep it a secret, the information will spread by word of mouth, given the number of people who witnessed and heard it.”

Leisure glanced back at his damp shoulder, briefly puzzled. What was that? Did she just wipe her hand on my shoulder?

Before Leisure’s suspicion could deepen, Heather inquired,

“Who do you believe is the protagonist behind this surprising achievement?”

“Actually, I won’t know for certain until I assess each one individually. But based on the children’s personalities and tendencies, it seems likely to be Ridal.”

“Ridal?”

“Yes. He’s mature for his age, and he already possesses deep faith. He also demonstrates a strong understanding of the Holy Scripture and studies diligently. He also prays very diligently.

The children rely on him a lot emotionally. I believe such a child is capable of achieving this result.”

“I see.”

Heather nodded and advised.

“Then let’s keep a close eye on him.”

“Yes.”

So, the conclusion was to observe the children closely, but without making a big deal out of it and treating them normally, right? Leisure roughly understood and offered a greeting.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

As he walked about three steps down the hallway, the door reopened behind him. Turning around, Heather leaned against the door and asked.

“How is Prince Rembrary? It’s been a little over a week since he arrived. Is he adjusting well?”

“Yes, he’s adapting better than I anticipated. He’s kind and well-mannered.”

Leisure, who had spoken positively, hesitated and added.

“But perhaps because he’s from a royal family, he doesn’t actively try to mingle with the children.

He fulfills all his obligations, but he doesn’t ask many questions. Other than his appearance, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about him.”

At those words, Heather chuckled knowingly and muttered.

“He’s very active, and he likes food.”

“Yes?”

When Leisure asked back, puzzled, Heather raised the corners of her lips and informed him.

“He came to me and said the food was bland.”

“!”

Leisure, completely unaware, opened his mouth in embarrassment. Heather chuckled and re-entered the room, closing the door.

* * *

At the same time that Leisure was reporting the matter to Heather and the other priests were gathering and whispering amongst themselves, the trainee priests under Leisure were excited and chattering.

“So, what happens now?”

“What do you mean?”

“We did really well. I heard that you get promoted to an ordinary priest based on the Divine Power test results.”

“So, are we all becoming ordinary priests?”

“It might not be everyone, but a few who performed well.”

“Then only those few become ordinary priests?”

Although Rembrary was the most recent arrival, most of the children under Leisure, excluding Rembrary, had not been there for long.

Consequently, everyone was filled with questions, and even when they pooled their knowledge, the total amount was limited.

Rembrary, unable to join the conversation, only addressed Redrin as usual.

‘Redrin, did you turn the monster blood in the bowl into water? Mr. Leisure said that one of us did it, but I think you did it.

You’ll never run out of water, will you? Redrin. If it’s really you, can you send me a signal? Like calling my name?’

But everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The back door opened, and the tall blonde and the skinny one who had taken the test separately entered with unpleasant expressions.

Moreover, their expressions were quite fierce, suggesting that the test results were unfavorable for them.

They should have been left alone, but there were bound to be those who lacked tact. One of the tall blonde’s followers shouted excitedly as the tall blonde approached.

“Hey, Kentry, we made the monster blood in our bowl completely transparent! Mr. Leisure was surprised to see it, and the other priests were surprised too.”

“Shut up.”

The tall blonde said coldly and went to sit in his seat.

The children fell silent instantly, watching his reaction. The noisy classroom atmosphere transformed into one where everyone simply looked at each other without uttering a word.

The tall blonde’s other followers approached him and seemed to be offering words of comfort.

* * *

Redrin.

Wasn’t it you who changed the monster blood yesterday?

I had some free time yesterday evening, so I came out to look around. I couldn’t venture far because there was a set bedtime.

But as I walked around, I overheard people talking about ‘the children under Priest Leisure.’

Since I’m also under Mr. Leisure, I was curious and listened to what they were saying. They were saying that a high-ranking priest would emerge from among Mr. Leisure’s students.

There’s a kid named ‘Ridal’ under Mr. Leisure. They also said that he’s likely to be the one behind this achievement.

Redrin. Is that true? Was it Ridal who did it, not you?

If it was you, please call my name, and if it was Ridal, please ignore me as you are now.

* * *

When Rembrary woke up in the morning, he reflected that he still hadn’t grown accustomed to the bed, even after living here for over a week.

As he yawned, something shimmering in the sunlight caught his eye.

‘What is it?’

Curious, he picked it up and saw ‘Rembrary’ written in silver letters on a black piece of paper.

Whatever ink was used, the letters sparkled like stars.

Rembrary, who had been blankly gazing at it in wonder, suddenly recalled the prayer he had recited before going to bed last night.

‘Did Redrin leave it?’

Rembrary’s eyes widened as he looked up at the sky, but he saw only a clear blue expanse with pretty clouds drifting by.

Nevertheless, Rembrary was thrilled at the thought that Redrin had given him a gift.

‘Redrin. Redrin. Did you give me this? Did you write my name? But Redrin, you spelled it wrong!’

-!

Rembrary hugged the paper, overjoyed, then kissed the name and placed the paper under his pillow.

‘I’ll cherish it because Redrin gave it to me.’

Then, as he turned his head, the tall blonde was staring at him intently. Wondering why, he looked back. The tall blonde averted his gaze.

‘Why is he doing that?’

But after Rembrary washed up in the bathroom, the paper he had put under his pillow was gone.

He even lifted the pillow to check, but the paper was still missing.

“……”

Rembrary sighed and put the pillow down.

Then, after getting dressed, he waited for the other roommates to finish preparing and lined up to leave.

Later, while eating in the cafeteria, the tall blonde suddenly kicked Rembrary’s instep.

Reflexively dodging and looking up, the tall blonde was briefly flustered before asking.

“Are you stupid?”

“I wouldn’t have dodged if I were stupid.”

Rembrary didn’t know why he was doing this, but he answered calmly.

Then, as he was about to eat the still bland soup again, the tall blonde tried to kick his instep again.

Dodging again and looking up, the tall blonde’s face and neck turned red as he lowered his voice and asked.

“Don’t you even think about finding out who took your thing when it’s gone?”

“It’s gone?”

“That paper you were hugging! Are you really stupid! Then would the paper have disappeared?”

Rembrary realized that the paper Redrin gave him must have disappeared.

As he stared with wide eyes, the tall blonde smirked and asked.

“I’ll tell you who took it. If I tell you, will you do me a favor?”