Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 764

◈ 764. Please Be Quiet So I Can Focus

“Amazing. Zero points. You’ve set a new record.”

The instructor of the Paladin School clapped briefly and returned the test paper.

Ardor’s parents turned bright red, mortified that they hadn’t prepared their child adequately, leading to such a dismal result.

“Is the written exam important for becoming a paladin too?”

The only one who remained unfazed was Ardor, the very person who’d gotten every answer wrong. He received the test paper, placed it on his lap, and asked without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

“Of course. Paladins are different from ordinary knights or priests. It’s a special calling. A paladin is expected to have a basic level of knowledge,” the instructor replied, his voice laced with pride.

The parents were both ashamed and sorry for their son, at a loss for words.

It was admirable that he wanted to take the paladin exam, but they never imagined Ardor would score a zero on the written test.

Even the minimum passing score on the written exam was only 30 points.

“Then, can I not become a paladin?”

Ardor still didn’t give up and asked. The instructor smiled and replied, “That’s right. But you can still take the practical exam. If you’re aiming for the next opportunity, it might be good to experience it once.”

“Then I will.”

Ardor didn’t seem discouraged at all, and the instructor, who had been stern, burst into laughter.

“Good. That’s the spirit you should have!”

The instructor took Ardor and his parents to the training ground.

In one corner of the training ground, several other children of similar age had arrived with their guardians and instructors.

The instructor tapped on the long wooden planks planted in the ground at regular intervals and explained, “Break this plank using a weapon, and then you see over there? That blue wall over there. You have to run to that wall. If you put your palm on the wall, blue dye will come off on your palm. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“What’s dye?”

“Your hand will turn blue.”

“Does it wash off?”

“It washes off. Anyway, after making your palm blue, you have to come back here. When you come back, you have to break one more plank next to it. I’ll count to five hundred. You have to do it all within that time. That’s the test.”

Ardor’s parents were caught between hope and worry.

Ardor was a nimble and quick child, so he used to run around well wherever he went. The child moved like a flying squirrel.

But the child was still young, and his arms and legs were skinny.

The child didn’t seem to be particularly strong compared to his peers. There was no way he could break such thick planks.

“You can use a weapon if you want.”

As if reading their minds, the instructor pointed to a long table placed on one side. Various weapons were piled on the table.

“Go ahead.”

The instructor patted Ardor’s back and took out a pocket watch.

“Start!”

As soon as the words were spoken, Ardor headbutted the plank without hesitation.

“Hey!”

By the time the instructor shouted and approached, the child had fainted, unable to withstand his own strength.

“Oh, this kid.”

The instructor was flustered and looked down at the child, then hurriedly shouted when the child’s parents were shocked and took care of the child.

“Call a doctor!”

While the surrounding instructors ran to call a doctor, the other children who had come to take the exam and their guardians came over to watch the unconscious Ardor.

Ardor’s parents turned bright red, mortified.

Having lived ordinary and diligent lives, they didn’t even go to the temple often. They were not familiar with this kind of situation at all.

But not long after, the person who appeared was neither the instructor nor the doctor. The person who appeared was an old man and an armed paladin.

“What a brave child!”

Strangely, the old man approached and shouted with a smile as he looked at the unconscious Ardor.

Ardor’s parents felt bad that someone was smiling and happy while their child was unconscious.

But they couldn’t protest because the other person seemed to be a high-ranking paladin, and as the instructor who had gone to call the doctor ran up and discovered the old man, he shouted.

“Commander! What’s going on?”

The old man, called Commander, smiled brightly and gestured to the doctor.

“Treat the child first!”

The doctor examined the child and said that he only had a scratch on his head and no other external injuries.

Around that time, the unconscious Ardor woke up.

“Did I break the plank?”

As soon as he woke up, the child asked with shining eyes.

Those who were watching were dumbfounded and speechless.

However, the old man was even more pleased and shouted.

“I was thinking of raising a disciple before I retire. Lumena [likely referring to the goddess or a holy entity in this world] has sent me just the right child!”

“Excuse me?”

The instructor frowned.

The old man pointed at Ardor and shouted.

“This child has good judgment, is brave, and has a great momentum to rush towards his goal. I always thought that if I were to raise a disciple, it should be a child like this. This child is worth teaching!”

The instructor’s face turned pale, and he retorted.

“But this child scored zero on the written exam, Commander.”

People who are not paladins may not know, but this old man was one of the strongest among the paladins of the Lumena Temple.

He had a strong sense of justice, and many paladins respected him.

But when he reached middle age, he didn’t act like other paladins who accepted three or four apprentice knights as disciples.

He had looked at a few children, but the old man didn’t have a disciple even as he was about to retire.

The old man’s standards were very strict.

But he was going to accept this absurd child, who got 0 on the written exam and headbutted a wooden plank with his own head, as his disciple! The instructor couldn’t believe it.

The instructor did think it was good that the child immediately wanted to take the practical exam even after getting 0 on the written exam.

But it seemed unreasonable to become the disciple of such a great person just for that.

“Written exam? He can take the written exam next year. First, I’ll educate this child, and he can take the written exam next year and formally register his name. Why are you so inflexible?”

The old man, known as one of the most rigid among the paladins, scolded the instructor.

The instructor was dumbfounded and felt wronged.

“Hooray!”

The one who accepted this situation the fastest and rejoiced was Ardor, who had succeeded in becoming a paladin.

Ardor’s parents looked at each other. Is this a good thing?

* * *

While Ardor was diligently heading straight in the opposite direction, Rembrary diligently walked through the forest, following the feather.

Occasionally, he felt strange presences around him, but when he activated his halo, the surroundings brightened, and all the presences disappeared.

Rembrary was very fond of his halo ability.

Besides, the feather floated in front of him, making him feel like Redrin was walking with him, which warmed his heart.

‘Redrin. In a few years, Redrin and I might become best friends. Do you have a best friend? I don’t have one yet, but I think I’ll have one soon.’

Whenever Rembrary whispered softly, Redrin watched the child and smiled contentedly.

Rembrary occasionally tripped over vines, but he got up right away with a brave face.

As dawn turned into morning and then into noon, Rembrary finally arrived in front of the Florandia Territory’s castle walls.

“It’s a kid!”

“Isn’t that a child?”

“Looks like he’s wearing an apprentice priest’s… clothes.”

As Rembrary approached the guards guarding the castle gate, the people lined up in front of it stirred.

Everyone was bewildered when a young apprentice priest walked out of the forest alone without a single adult priest around.

The most surprising thing was the beautiful feather floating in front of the child.

“What is that?”

“Did that kid make it float?”

Ignoring the murmuring of the people around him, Rembrary approached the guard.

“No, who are you?”

The guard, who had been gaping, asked in surprise.

“I’m Rembrary.”

“Rembrary? Did you come alone?”

“I came to find the injured Inquisitor… Inquisitor-nim [Nim is an honorific suffix in Korean, similar to ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’] from the carriage accident.”

Rembrary spoke clearly, hiding the fact that he had run away from home.

“Carriage accident? Inquisitor?”

The guard didn’t understand Rembrary’s words.

“Ah, I know. I heard that an injured Inquisitor is hospitalized in the clinic near the opposite castle gate. There was a carriage accident.”

Fortunately, another guard next to him quickly pretended to know.

“The lord sent soldiers to visit, and investigators came too, so it was quite noisy for a while.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

The guards whispered among themselves for a moment.

Belatedly, they realized that a young child was standing next to them and turned their heads again.

“I came to meet the person you’re talking about. That’s the person I’m trying to meet.”

When Rembrary stated his purpose again, several people around him were impressed.

“He’s an apprentice priest, so he’s smart.”

“Are all priests that smart from a young age?”

As Rembrary’s stomach growled, the guard first took Rembrary inside the castle gate.

“Did you really come alone? Where are the other priests?”

“I came alone. I’m friends with that person.”

The guard gave Rembrary bread and milk.

While Rembrary was eating bread in the guard’s quarters, they discussed the situation among themselves for a while.

Then, one person went to the temple to inform them that the child had come here alone, and another person decided to take the child to the opposite castle gate.

After finishing the bread, Rembrary safely boarded the carriage and was able to move relatively comfortably to the clinic on the other side.

“It seems like not just anyone can become an apprentice priest.”

As the carriage departed, the people who watched this scene were amazed that the child had traveled alone from the temple to here, but they also murmured that it was too dangerous.

The number of monsters was increasing, and stories of houses being attacked were being heard from everywhere.

In the midst of this, the child walked through the dark forest all night. It was too reckless.

They were so busy worrying among themselves that they didn’t notice that someone among them was sharpening their eyes.

‘That cursed prince.’

The only person whose expression darkened was the person who had deliberately shouted bad rumors when Rembrary sang at the festival before.

But before he could properly spread the rumors, he was attacked and collapsed.

He didn’t remember who knocked him down, but after being treated, he heard that it seemed like a demon had attacked him.

‘Why did that cursed prince come here?’

* * *

“Here we are.”

The guard dropped Rembrary off in front of the clinic.

The guard made sure that Rembrary entered the clinic before returning to his original post at the castle gate.

Rembrary walked down the hallway and asked the first person he met.

“Where is the Inquisitor who was hospitalized here due to a carriage accident?”

After being introduced, he entered the ward, and ‘Inquisitor-nim’ was lying in bed.

Even though he heard the sound of the door, the Inquisitor didn’t turn his head and was looking out the window.

“Is this the person you came to find?”

The staff who brought Rembrary asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

Rembrary bowed and approached the Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor turned his head after hearing a child’s voice before Rembrary arrived in front of the bed.

“You!”

As soon as he saw Rembrary, the Inquisitor’s peaceful expression immediately shattered.

“You’re that kid. That… prince!”

The Inquisitor, who shouted softly, tried to move his hand, but his arms and legs were all wrapped in bandages and he couldn’t move.

The Inquisitor, who looked over Rembrary’s shoulder, asked with a flustered expression.

“Did you come alone?!”

“I came because I wanted to heal Inquisitor-nim.”

Rembrary said smartly and approached the Inquisitor.

“Heal me?”

Rembrary shone his halo on his face, which was full of wounds.

“Ah!”

Remembering how Rydal had suffered, he didn’t shine it as strongly as he did then, but the Inquisitor still squeezed his eyes shut.

But none of the wounds on his face healed.

‘Did I not heal him?’

Rembrary turned off his halo and crossed his arms.

“What did you just do?”

The Inquisitor asked in confusion.

“Just a moment. Please be quiet. It’s distracting.”

“I’m the patient…?”

Rembrary asked the Inquisitor to be quiet again and pondered what was different when he healed Rydal and when he healed the highest-ranking priest of Lumena.