Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 769

◈ 769. Exceptional Children

“Rembrary. Ridal. Would you mind going away for about three months?”

At Rishue’s question, Rembrary and Ridal exchanged glances.

“Three months? What’s going on?” Ridal asked, puzzled.

“Ah, well, you see…”

During the morning meeting today, Heather informed them that there had been a meeting of the highest-ranking priests a few days prior.

At that time, the highest-ranking priests agreed that the current period was unstable, and the movements of black magicians and monsters were unusual. Therefore, the temple needed to increase its talent pool.

The method they devised was to gather outstanding children and provide them with more systematic education and training to make them even more exceptional.

They wouldn’t normally do this in peaceful times, but there was currently a shortage of priests and paladins.

However, gathering children from all four temples would take too long, so the Lumena Temple and the Redrin Temple decided to train together, and the Kamuel Temple and the Iira Temple decided to train together.

-Is this regular training?

-No. First of all, it’s a trial run, so if it doesn’t work out, they said they won’t continue it next year.

-They decided to select outstanding children under the age of seventeen from among the common priests or apprentice priests. Ten from the Lumena Temple and ten from the Redrin Temple.

After that decision was made, the heads of each temple submitted the most objective evaluations possible of the children they were in charge of. Heather did the same.

Heather tried not to overly praise the children.

However, the Florandia Temple had an overwhelmingly large number of apprentice priests.

Even if Heather didn’t exaggerate the children’s abilities, it was a natural result that there were so many exceptionally talented children there.

“Five of us from our temple will be going. Two of them are you.”

Rishue summarized the situation.

“Where are we going?” Rembrary asked after the explanation.

“You’ve been there once. To the mansion in the central area. You met a kid named Lapsus there before, right?” Rishue asked brightly.

Before Rembrary could answer, Ridal said in a weak voice, “Rishue-nim. I… I don’t know if I should go as a representative.”

“Of course, you can go! It’s all objectively evaluated,” Rishue exclaimed, flustered by Ridal’s insecure tone.

“But I can’t use divine power like Rembrary. I don’t even know if I have divine power.”

However, not only Ridal’s voice but also his expression had lost its strength.

“Apprentice priests can’t use divine power. That’s natural. Except for that kid Lapsus and Rembrary, none of the selected children can use divine power freely,” Rishue quickly soothed him, but it didn’t seem to help much.

“…”

Ridal looked down at his feet.

“Besides, you don’t even know for sure if you have divine power. You haven’t had a proper test separately,” Rishue quickly added. He deliberately didn’t mention the personal test that Eliza had taken Ridal to.

“It’s unlikely that two people would be outstanding at once.”

“No. It’s strange, but geniuses always come out in twos or threes at the same time. That’s just how it is in history.”

“Really?”

Only after Rishue brought up history did Ridal show a little interest and raise his head.

“Of course! Right, Rembrary?” Rishue urgently asked Rembrary for help.

“I don’t know what history book Rishue-nim has been reading,” Rembrary said, not very helpful.

Rishue’s expression hardened, but fortunately, Ridal burst into laughter at the reaction.

Although they had only been close for a short time, Ridal knew that Rembrary always talked like that.

“Then… I’ll go,” Ridal said with newfound courage, and Rishue nodded, his nose tingling.

“You’ve made a good decision. You are among the best talents. I will be proud to have been your training priest for the rest of my life.”

* * *

Rembrary, who had finished preparing to leave, walked to the carriage with a large bag. Rishue was carrying the larger luggage from behind.

Rembrary walked stiffly and pushed the bag into the carriage. Rishue had given him an enormous amount of homework again.

Rembrary wasn’t in a good mood because he was thinking about doing homework in the carriage the whole time.

“Ridal, you mustn’t do Rembrary’s homework for him!” But Rishue wasn’t satisfied with that and kept urging Ridal.

“Of course. And Rembrary doesn’t do that, Rishue-nim. Rembrary is diligent… even if he’s not diligent, he doesn’t cheat.”

Ridal couldn’t bring himself to say that Rembrary was diligent, but he tried to take his side.

At that moment…

“Rembrary!” A child called Rembrary brightly from inside the carriage.

Rembrary put one foot on the carriage steps and muttered, “Candy?”

The child who called Rembrary was the child who had given him candy.

“You remember me! I’m Wider.”

Wider grabbed Rembrary’s hand and helped him get into the carriage, introducing himself again.

“Are you going together, Aga?” Rembrary asked.

Wider nodded with an excited face. “Yeah! I was lucky. I knew you would definitely go. I’m glad we’re going together.”

“Do you know him?” Ridal asked as he followed Rembrary into the carriage.

“Yes. He gave me candy before.”

“Candy?”

“Yes.”

Rembrary didn’t have much else to say about Wider. After that day, Rembrary had never spoken to Wider separately.

So, instead of explaining further, Rembrary quietly took a seat in the carriage.

The children who had already boarded the carriage glanced at Rembrary.

Rishue noticed it and worried, but upon closer inspection, there was no hostility in their eyes.

Thinking about it, there was no reason for these children to dislike Rembrary.

These children weren’t in Rishue’s charge, so they didn’t need to fervently support Ridal, and of course, they didn’t need to harbor hostility.

It seemed that these children wouldn’t care whether Ridal had high-ranking priest-level divine power or Rembrary had it.

Rishue was relieved to realize that.

‘That’s a relief. At least Rembrary won’t be bullied for three months.’

The children leaving now were all selected for being smart, and all fifteen people coming from other places were promising talents.

Those children wouldn’t support Ridal just because he was smart.

“Okay. I’ll put your luggage here in the back,” Rishue said, relieved, shouting brightly and putting Rembrary and Ridal’s luggage in the luggage compartment at the back of the carriage.

“Thank you, Rishue-nim.”

“Thank you.”

Rishue put the luggage in carefully so that it wouldn’t spill out, then went back to the carriage door and urged them again. “Have a good trip. Take care of yourselves.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Even after hearing Rembrary and Ridal’s cheerful answers, Rishue was still uneasy and urged them again. “Especially Rembrary. Don’t go to dangerous places. Got it? Don’t wander around alone either. Got it?”

“I’ve caused you concern.”

“Are you avoiding the answer right now?” When Rishue tickled Rembrary’s side, Rembrary quickly put Ridal forward as a shield.

A moment later, Heather appeared to take the children to the Great Temple, and the carriage door closed.

Rishue waved his hand enthusiastically at the departing carriage.

‘That’s a relief.’

Rishue was relieved once again.

‘Ridal’s damaged confidence will recover. Rembrary will be able to make a lot of friends there too. I was worried when I first heard the story. It might be a good thing for the children. A kid named Wider, who wants to be close to Rembrary, is following along too.’

However, Rishue didn’t know that the child named Wider, who was smiling kindly at Rembrary, was Niran’s nephew.

Because he was doing errands for Duke Ladderun through Niran, Wider had no idea who the person was who had given his uncle work.

After Niran’s death, the newly added errands also disappeared.

But to the child, Rembrary was the enemy who had caused his uncle’s death. Wider had no intention of letting Rembrary get away with this.

* * *

The carriage traveled peacefully down the road. After several days, the group stayed together in one room at a large inn.

“Are you tired?” Heather asked, exhausted, after carrying all the children’s luggage into the room. In fact, Heather was more tired than the children.

“Yes. The carriage is too small, Heather-nim,” Rembrary said.

“Just bear with it a little, Rembrary. When you go to the central mansion, the food will be more delicious, and there will be more playtime than now,” Heather said.

The children were even more energetic than Heather, and as soon as the story of delicious food and play came out, they became noisy in an instant.

Heather, who had lined up the luggage against the wall, happily watched the children chatting among themselves, checked the time, and stood up.

“I should ask them to send the meal here. Everyone stay here.”

But as Heather was leaving, Wider followed her and said, “I’ll help you too.”

Heather was about to say that there was no need to help, but she changed her mind because she was impressed by the child’s efforts.

“Okay. Do that.”

Rembrary yawned and lay down on the bed.

But Wider didn’t do good deeds alone and pulled Rembrary along. “Let’s go together.”

“I want to stay here,” Rembrary refused, but Wider pulled Rembrary again. “Let’s go together.”

“I’ll go,” Ridal stepped forward, but Wider refused in a kind but firm voice. “No. I’ll go with Rembrary.”

Ridal sat back down, embarrassed. Ridal had never been rejected like this before.

In the end, Rembrary followed Wider downstairs.

“What menu should I order to feed five children and one adult fully?” Heather asked the employee at the counter, holding Rembrary and Wider by one hand each.

Meanwhile, Wider put his other hand in his pocket and fiddled with a small vial.

The vial contained some of the blood of the monster used in the test. Niran had taken care of it during his lifetime.

“I’ve ordered everything. Now let’s go up and wait. They said they’ll bring it up,” Heather said as soon as she finished ordering. Wider quickly took his hand out of his pocket.

“Let’s go.”

Then, as Heather was about to go to the stairs, Wider took his hand away from her and said, “Heather-nim, you’ll need several people to carry the food when it comes out. Rembrary and I will help too.”

At those words, Rembrary’s eyes widened. Rembrary had no intention of doing that at all.

“Wow, the young priests are smart and kind,” the owner, who heard the story, said, already impressed.

“But…” As Heather hesitated, the owner said cheerfully, “I’ll keep a good eye on the children so they don’t go outside and send them up, so don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll ask you to do that,” Heather said. She still wanted to take the children with her, but she eventually allowed it because Wider seemed to want to stay here.

The other children were waiting for him in the room. Heather, who had to look after five children, couldn’t stay next to Rembrary and Wider.

“Okay. If our kind priests sit here and wait, I’ll give you a very delicious cookie separately!” When the owner shouted, Rembrary, who had been sulking, sat down immediately. Heather was relieved to see that.

While Rembrary was eating cookies, the cooks quickly cooked in the kitchen, and soon a delicious smell wafted through the air.

The employees carried the completed dishes to the table.

Wider waited patiently, looking for an opportunity. The child planned to act carefully.

“Now it’s all done. Okay, I’ll take these hot dishes up, so will our priests carry this?” Then, when an employee put four plates of food on a tray and held it up, and Rembrary held one of the other food plates,

Wider didn’t miss the opportunity and slipped a small glass bottle into Rembrary’s pocket.

Then, he also took one of the remaining plates and quickly followed Rembrary up the stairs.