Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 737

737. Can We Call Each Other Friends?

“Hello.”

Eliza, leaning on the windowsill, called out to the child.

Ridal, who was on an errand, stopped and turned his head.

“Priestess Eliza! Hello!”

Perhaps because she had taught the class in place of Rishur yesterday, Ridal smiled brightly and ran to the window.

“Thank you for the good lesson yesterday.”

The approaching child bowed once more.

Eliza couldn’t help but smile at his gentle and kind attitude.

There was a reason why Rishur cherished him so much and the other priests praised him so highly. The child was polite, well-mannered, and even kind.

Ridal was a little over a month past his seventh birthday, but he was more considerate of others than children who were eight or nine years old.

This character of the child usually manifested in the form of consideration. These advantages were also why Eliza chose Ridal over Kentri.

“You’re really smart. There’s a reason why everyone praises you.”

At Eliza’s compliment, the child’s face turned red, and he lowered his head halfway.

“Thank you. But you’re just saying that.”

“No, even when I explain the same content, you understand it right away. Besides, you pray diligently and take good care of other friends.

This is a secret between us, Ridal. I’ve never seen a trainee priest as well-behaved and clever as you.”

The child’s ears turned red.

Eliza recalled how Ridal had glanced at Rembrary from time to time during class, breaks, and self-study periods.

Also, during class, the child raised his hand and asked questions and answered more diligently than anyone else. The child wanted to be recognized and praised by others.

“It’s a bit of a waste. Isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“This is also a secret between us. In my opinion, you were definitely the one who purified the monster’s blood during the divine power test.”

“No… Rembrary is the one with divine power.”

“No. Rembrary has divine power, but it’s not that strong. That means there was definitely someone else with stronger divine power. I think that’s you.”

Ridal looked down at the floor, then glanced at Eliza and asked.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

“But I don’t know how to use divine power like Rembrary…”

“There are many high-ranking priests who have a lot of divine power but don’t use it in a special form.”

“Really?”

“Yes, maybe you’re that type. It’s okay even if that’s the case. What did I say is the foundation of divine power?”

“To defeat evil.”

“That’s right. That’s the greatest power of divine power; it doesn’t matter if you don’t have special abilities.”

Eliza moved to the window. Ridal naturally followed. Eliza walked to the door and then out into the hallway, asking.

“Are you going on an errand?”

“Yes.”

“Where to?”

“To the small auditorium.”

Eliza moved slowly in the direction Ridal was walking. Ridal followed behind her. The two walked in silence for a while.

Then, when they reached the stairs, Eliza asked.

“Shall we test it out a little?”

“Test what?”

“Whether you really have divine power or not.”

Ridal looked puzzled.

Eliza bent her knees and whispered to the child as if telling him a secret.

“There’s a little bit of monster blood left. We can test it if you want. How about it?”

The child’s eyes wavered.

* * *

“Priestess Eliza, what is the meaning of this? You secretly gave a divine power test to trainee priest Ridal!”

Heather, the person in charge, slammed the desk and scolded.

Eliza lowered her head.

“I’m sorry, Heather. The child seemed too discouraged.”

“Discouraged?”

“Everyone was whispering that Ridal had high-ranking priest-level divine power. Everyone was talking about it, so of course, it would have reached the child’s ears.

But when it was revealed that Rembrary had divine power, the child was very upset.”

As Eliza spoke in a subdued voice, Heather looked at Rishur.

“Is that true?”

Rishur hesitated and reluctantly agreed.

“He seemed that way. He’s a good child, so he didn’t show it.”

Heather said coldly.

“Even so, Priestess Eliza should not have done such a thing.”

“I’m sorry, Heather.”

As Eliza only apologized, another priest beside her couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked.

“So, what was the result?”

Heather glared sharply, and the priest shrank back and said.

“But the result must have come out…”

Before Heather could scold her, Eliza said with a bright expression.

“The result was good. Ridal really had amazing divine power!”

Niran asked hastily.

“High-ranking priest-level?”

“No. Not that level. But he was close. In my opinion, Ridal’s divine power and Rembrary’s divine power combined to create high-ranking priest-level divine power. Ridal was really close.”

The priests began to talk excitedly.

“Then our Redrin Temple will also have a great high priest candidate like that child from the Lumena Temple!”

“No, we shouldn’t put pressure on him already. Divine power doesn’t always continue to grow from childhood.”

“Still, at least a high-ranking priest. Divine power not growing in childhood only applies when you have mediocre divine power like Rembrary.”

Heather banged on the table.

“Quiet, quiet, quiet!”

The chattering priests fell silent at once.

Eliza quickly added.

“I told Ridal not to tell this story to the other children, Heather.”

That was the point Heather was about to make. Eliza added again, sensing it.

“Ridal is a reliable child who keeps his mouth shut.”

* * *

“I have divine power too.”

Rembrary turned around. The child who spoke seemed to be Ridal. There were no other children around.

“What?”

“Priestess Eliza tested me a little.”

Ridal came to Rembrary’s side and sat side by side on the stairs. This was unusual.

Ridal had many other friends around him, and except for the previous letter incident, he had never come to Rembrary’s side separately.

“Really?”

“But this has to be kept a secret.”

Ridal whispered, lowering his voice.

“It was done secretly.”

Rembrary was not interested. Rembrary had not yet figured out the identity of the feather that Redrin had given him as a gift.

He had asked Redrin what it was, but no answer had come back. Rembrary had been thinking about the feather all this time.

“But why are you telling me a secret?”

Rembrary brushed the sand that had accumulated on the stairs with his hand and asked. He wasn’t curious at all, but he asked to chase Ridal away since he was sitting next to him.

“We’re the first and second in our class.”

Ridal answered in a small voice as if he had been waiting for that question.

Rembrary looked at Ridal, puzzled.

The gentle hazel eyes stared back at Rembrary. When their eyes met, Ridal whispered as if telling a secret.

“I think it would be nice if we were close.”

Rembrary recalled the flock of ducks that Ridal led around. If he became friends with Ridal, would he have to go around with that group too? That was a hassle.

But his mother had told Rembrary to have a smooth three years. Ridal was an outstanding and noticeable child. Being next to this child might distract some attention.

“How about it?”

Ridal asked, clenching his fist.

“I was born about a month earlier than you. We’re the same age for most of the year.”

Rembrary thought for a moment and nodded.

“Okay. Let’s do that then.”

* * *

Although he decided to become friends with Ridal, there was no big change in Rembrary’s life. The children still kept their distance from Rembrary.

Ridal came to play next to Rembrary and also went to play with the other children.

The big routine of the day did not change at all, and the food in the cafeteria was still bland.

“Is all the food at the Redrin Temple bland? Or is it just the food at this temple that’s bland?”

Rembrary couldn’t stand it and asked Rishur, but he didn’t get a satisfactory answer.

“I don’t know what’s bland. You seem to eat your food a bit salty, Rembrary. That wouldn’t be good for your health.”

All the routines being the same meant that the bad priests had no room to be active.

Rembrary spent about ten days comfortably.

But one day, Rishur called Rembrary and Ridal out separately during self-study time.

“Rembrary, Ridal. Can you come to the hallway for a moment?”

When they went out into the hallway, Rishur said.

“On August 1st, there’s a meeting of temple leaders, and Heather will be going too. They take two trainee priests with them at that time.

They want to show and compare the children’s achievements.”

“Is it a competition or a boast?”

At Rembrary’s question, Rishur hesitated and continued.

“Um. It’ll probably be a boast. Anyway, Heather is attending, and she said she wants to take you two this time.”

Ridal’s face brightened. Rembrary raised his chin.

Rishur wanted to lower Rembrary’s chin a little. It was true that Heather was taking Ridal because he was an outstanding child.

But the reason for taking Rembrary was to completely remove the label of ‘ominous prince’.

If they showed the other priests that Rembrary had divine power, no one would be able to bring up the story of the ominous prince or the demon.

“Heather has good taste.”

As Rembrary said with satisfaction, Rishur couldn’t help but adjust the angle of the child’s chin.

“?”

* * *

Two days later. Rembrary left the Florandia Temple in a carriage with Heather and Ridal.

The adults had packed all the bags, so the two didn’t have to pack their luggage. The clothes were the same as usual, and only the shoes were changed to more sturdy boots.

As the carriage departed, Heather yawned and said.

“If you go to the Floran territory, you’ll meet the holy knights there and go together.”

“Holy knights?”

Ridal showed interest, but Heather didn’t explain further, instead yawning more and falling asleep, saying she was going to sleep a little.

Rishur had said, ‘Heather will tell you how to behave in the carriage,’ but Heather seemed to care more about her sleep.

When Ridal saw that Heather had really fallen asleep, he put his hands on the windowsill and looked at the quickly passing scenery.

Rembrary watched the sleeping Heather, then moved to her side and asked.

“Heather, can I lie down with my head on your lap?”

When Heather nodded, Rembrary quickly put his head on the high-ranking priest’s pillow and closed his eyes.

* * *

The carriage stopped when the sky turned a navy-mixed red.

“What shall we do, Heather? Will you stay here?”

The coachman opened the carriage window and asked, startling Ridal.

Heather took out her pocket watch to check the time and answered.

“Let’s meet the holy knights first and then decide. Since there are children, we won’t go on a strenuous schedule.”

When the coachman disappeared from the window, Heather instructed Rembrary and Ridal.

“Wait here for a moment. The holy knights will be around here.”

As Heather went out of the carriage, Ridal yawned and leaned against the carriage. He had been watching out the window the whole time, and the fatigue seemed to have come late.

“I’m hungry. Are you okay, Rembrary?”

Before Rembrary could answer. The carriage door opened again, and unlike before, Heather appeared with a hurried face.

“Rembrary, Ridal. Get out quickly.”