Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 767

◈ 767. A Child’s Resentment

Since Editor Se knew little about Heather, he found it difficult to judge whether he was someone to be trusted.

However, the best way to keep a secret was to tell no one.

Editor Se subtly shook his head at Rembrary, signaling that it was better not to say anything for now.

Rembrary understood what Editor Se was trying to convey.

However, Heather was suspicious, given the circumstances. Simply denying it wouldn’t convince him.

“This.”

Rembrary cleverly took out a feather from his pocket and held it out.

“This?”

Heather accepted the feather.

“It’s the one from before. The one used to find Lapsus.”

“I used this to heal him. Redrin-nim [a term of respect, similar to ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’] gave me this feather directly.”

Heather raised his eyebrows and examined the feather against the light.

A subtle shimmer emanated from the feather on its own. It was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary feather.

Moreover, the highest priest had previously signaled for Redrin to lend the feather to Rembrary.

“…….”

Heather’s brow furrowed.

Rembrary looked up at him anxiously.

“I see.”

When Heather returned the feather, Rembrary quickly reached out his arms.

Heather seemed to have set aside his suspicions for now and ruffled Rembrary’s hair.

“Our Rembrary is such a good child. Using such a precious item on someone he doesn’t even know.”

“We do know each other. Heathen-nim came here before, Heather-nim.”

“That’s right. But it wasn’t for a good reason, was it?”

Heather narrowed his eyes and glanced at Editor Se before suddenly smiling and saying,

“Still, I’m glad to see you safe and sound like this.”

* * *

“What’s that feather?”

While Heather was away for a moment, Editor Se asked Rembrary in a small voice.

“Redrin-nim gave it to me.”

When Rembrary infused it with divine power, the feather floated into the air.

“Oh.”

Editor Se poked at the feather, but it didn’t fall.

Rembrary withdrew his divine power.

He was about to take the feather back, but unexpectedly, as the divine power disappeared, the feather turned into a handful of light and scattered.

“Ooh.”

Editor Se’s eyes widened even more.

Rembrary looked upset, feeling that it was a waste.

Come to think of it, the feather used to find Editor Se this time also disappeared naturally after the guidance was over. It seemed that this feather was disposable.

“Did you make the feather disappear?”

“It disappeared on its own. I think it disappears after one use.”

“Oh no. Are you okay with that?”

“I’m very sad about it.”

Editor Se propped his chin up and watched Rembrary, then asked again, finding the child fascinating.

“But why did you make up that excuse about the feather? What if people come to steal this feather?”

“Heathen-nim said that if my abilities become known, bad people will target me. So, if the feather becomes famous, thieves will target the feather instead of me.”

Editor Se was genuinely impressed by Rembrary’s clever answer.

“Wow… you’re a really smart kid, aren’t you?”

He wasn’t just saying it. He really thought Rembrary was smart.

He thought about the seven-year-olds he knew. Actually, he didn’t know any seven-year-olds.

But he certainly wasn’t this smart when he was seven.

At seven, he was crying and grabbing his parents’ sleeves to buy him candy.

“You probably don’t eat candy either, do you?”

“I like candy.”

“Haha. You like candy too?”

“Of course. If there’s someone who doesn’t like candy, I’ll be friends with that person.”

Editor Se found the child so cute that he pinched his cheek and burst into laughter, then straightened his legs as he heard the door open.

Behind Heather, who had returned, several priests stood in a line.

“Rembrary, would you like to go in and rest?”

Rembrary was curious about what they were going to do, but Heather was kindly telling him to leave.

Rembrary reluctantly returned to his room.

* * *

After Rembrary left, Heather asked Editor Se.

“Could you check the disciplinary priests first? They spend the most time with the children, after all.”

The people Heather had brought out were all disciplinary priests.

“Of course.”

As Editor Se extended his arm as if to shake hands, Rishuer, who was at the front, took his hand first.

“Rishuer-nim wouldn’t be a bribed priest, would he?”

Editor Se asked with a smile.

“No.”

Rishuer answered bluntly, and Editor Se released him and extended his hand to the next person.

Rishuer stepped aside to stand next to Heather and watched Editor Se shake hands with each of the disciplinary priests.

After all those procedures were completed, other ordinary priests were called in to shake hands, and after that, high-ranking priests were called in.

Even ordinary employees who were not priests could not avoid Editor Se’s inspection.

“How is it?”

After all the procedures were completed, Heather asked in an anxious voice.

Since all the priests had brought their name tags attached to their clothes, Editor Se remembered the names of those he had found.

He wrote the names in a notebook and handed it to Heather.

“…….”

Heather’s expression darkened instantly.

“Is this really true?”

* * *

The moment Eliza made eye contact with Editor Se while shaking hands with him, who was said to be unable to move due to injuries, she realized that her identity had been exposed.

“Oh dear. I’m nervous for no reason. Right?”

A fellow priest, unaware of this, asked jokingly as they exited Heather’s room.

“Indeed.”

Eliza answered calmly and approached the window, gripping the windowsill.

She hadn’t made a single mistake. She had set up a long-term plan and hadn’t revealed herself.

Unlike Niran, the plan Eliza had set up was perfect and safe. It was just a little slow.

The seed of anxiety she had planted in Riderun would slowly grow and become a danger to Rembrary.

But due to the appearance of Editor Se, she was exposed even though she hadn’t made any mistakes.

‘The other priests who were bribed by the Duke and Duchess are all caught too, right?’

Eliza looked at Kiksil, who was standing in a group with other priests.

Among the ordinary priests, perhaps only Kiksil would survive. His divine power was unique.

‘How on earth did that inquisitor recover?’

As she gritted her teeth, Kiksil glanced at her.

Kiksil seemed anxious that Eliza might act as if she wanted them all to die together.

Eliza tapped the windowsill and looked out the window.

A splendid carriage was seen entering the wide temple square. The carriage bore the crest of the Ladderun Duchy.

Why is that carriage here all of a sudden? Eliza frowned.

The person getting out of the carriage, which stopped in an awkward position, was a woman Eliza didn’t recognize.

The woman reached into the carriage and helped a small child get out.

Eliza recognized that the child’s attire was the kind worn by wealthy young nobles. Eliza’s eyes narrowed.

‘The Duke’s son? Why is the Duke’s son here?’

She had told the Duke’s confidant about the inquisitor, but that inquisitor had appeared here unscathed.

And the Duke’s son had suddenly appeared here as well.

‘Could it be that the Duke betrayed us because he was cornered?’

Suspicion surged, and Eliza gripped the windowsill until her nails hurt.

‘No. Let’s think calmly. Our being caught isn’t good for the Duke either. Unless the Duke has a way to escape on his own while abandoning us… but is there such a way?’

After much deliberation, Eliza quickly left the hallway and approached the young child. If she was curious, she could just check.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

Eliza, pretending to be an ordinary priest, asked the child and the woman who had brought him.

The woman was wearing clothes made of fine fabric, but not the kind usually worn by noble ladies.

“This is Jiremy, the son of Duke Ladderun.”

The woman held the child’s hand tightly and answered.

“The young master was a longtime friend of the novice priest Rembrary here. He missed his friend, so we came to visit. Would it be possible to see His Highness Prince Rembrary?”

“Normally, it is not permitted, but…”

As Eliza trailed off, the child named Jiremy said in a barely audible voice.

“I wanted to apologize to Rembrary.”

“Ah, I see.”

Eliza smiled with a kind expression. But inside, she was certain. The Duke had betrayed them after all.

She didn’t know if the Duchess was involved, but the Duke had definitely betrayed them.

“Where should I take His Highness to see him…”

“I’ll guide you to the waiting room. If you wait in the waiting room, I’ll inform Rembrary’s disciplinary priest.”

Eliza led them to the waiting room and then ran to Kiksil to tell him.

“Priest Eliza.”

But before that, she was stopped by Heather.

The high-ranking priest in charge, Heather, looked at her with a pained expression.

“I thought that Priest Eliza, of all people, wouldn’t be like this. It’s truly regrettable.”

Eliza’s heart sank, but she didn’t show it.

The inquisitor approached from behind.

“I’ll take all the people we’ve found to the inquisition immediately. We don’t know what kind of scheme they might be plotting.”

The inquisitor, Editor Se, glanced at Eliza and spoke to Heather.

Heather nodded and turned around.

“Heather-nim.”

Eliza urgently grabbed Heather and whispered in a small voice.

“It’s Duke Ladderun. Be careful of him.”

Heather frowned and looked at Eliza.

“The Duke of Ladderun’s son has come. He wants to meet Rembrary. He’s in the waiting room.”

Instead of saying more, Eliza released him and obediently stared at Editor Se.

She didn’t think she could escape just by saying these words. She just wanted to take revenge.

She could never watch the Duke get away with putting her and the other priests in a corner.

Heather silently watched Eliza’s retreating figure.

“What should we do about the Duke’s son?”

A secretary, who was standing within earshot, approached and asked.

“Follow the rules. Send the Duke’s child back.”

Heather answered without hesitation. Originally, it was difficult to meet with pre-ordination relationships at any time during the novice priest period unless it was a permitted time.

“Understood.”

The secretary nodded and ran to the waiting room.

“Wait a moment.”

At that moment, Editor Se grabbed the secretary.

“Keep the child for a few minutes. I’ll go to the Ladderun Duchy first.”

“Pardon?”

“If the Duke is involved, he must be taken to the inquisition immediately, before he changes his words or destroys the evidence among themselves.”

* * *

Jiremy became depressed when he had mustered the courage to visit but was unable to see Rembrary and had to return. The child sobbed throughout the carriage ride.

“Young Master! Where have you been!”

What was even more terrible was that when Jiremy arrived, all the family members were crying.

“What’s wrong?”

When the head maid asked, the butler shouted, his neck turning crimson.

“The inquisitor came and took our Duke away! Saying that our Duke bribed the priests to harass Prince Rembrary! Does that make any sense!”

Jiremy grabbed the head maid’s sleeve and shook his arm. He had made up his mind to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness.

Not only did Rembrary not meet him, but he even took his father away as he pleased.

When he entered his room, his mother was also crying.

Tears fell onto his shoulder as his mother hugged Jiremy and sobbed.

‘Rembrary… I will never forgive you.’

The child clenched his fist tightly.