Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 781

781. Different Feathers

One day.

“I wish you had Rembrary’s feathers instead. Don’t you think?”

It was during break time when everyone was gathered in the gym. Wider approached Lydal and spoke to him.

Lydal frowned as he was organizing the balls.

“There’s a huge fuss because people want to see Rembrary’s feathers.”

Wider spoke in a friendly manner and sat next to Lydal.

Lydal was generally kind to everyone, but when Wider approached him like this, he wanted to be anywhere else.

“Hello.”

Lydal replied politely.

Wider was annoyed that Lydal was trying to brush him off with a greeting after he had initiated the conversation.

“Why did Redrin give the feathers to Rembrary?”

Still pretending not to notice Lydal’s discomfort, Wider brought up the feather story again.

“Maybe he didn’t give them all to Rembrary.”

“Then?”

“Maybe he designated different uses for them and entrusted them to Rembrary. Or maybe he gave them to him to share with others. But Rembrary doesn’t know, so he just thinks they’re all his and doesn’t share them. Don’t you think?”

Lydal didn’t answer. Wider was being deliberately clever.

It sounded plausible at first, but knowing the situation, it was untrue.

Lydal was suspicious of Wider. There had been several incidents already.

“I don’t know.”

Lydal vaguely denied it.

“But if he had given them to share, he wouldn’t have given them to Rembrary. He would have sent a separate signal.”

“Yeah. That’s what you think.”

Wider muttered with a smile.

Lydal didn’t answer and just rolled the ball in his hand. Reluctant to stay any longer, he quickly got up.

“I’ll go now.”

As Lydal left, Wider clenched his fist, regretting his approach.

‘What should I do?’

In the past, Lydal was tormented even by Wider’s slightest prodding.

But now, perhaps because he had gained divine power, Lydal didn’t react to Wider’s words as much as before.

“You look busy. Goodbye.”

Wider said goodbye to Lydal, who had almost disappeared, and then squatted down again.

Wider stared down at his feet with a serious face. As Lydal disappeared, the inside of the gym became very quiet.

Wider quietly looked at the exit.

These days, people were always around Rembrary. Approaching Rembrary and becoming friends was becoming more difficult.

‘What should I do?’

* * *

As the number of visitors to the temple became excessive, the priests began to worry about security, especially regarding the feathers.

No matter how precious other items were, they could be acquired from outside.

But the feathers that Rembrary possessed were great sacred objects that could not be obtained anywhere else.

Header instructed the paladins to watch the children under Lishuer, to whom Rembrary belonged, whenever they moved.

“Rembrary, you have to be careful of pickpockets.”

Lishuer constantly reminded Rembrary.

Rembrary deliberately placed a box containing the feathers on the bedside, as advised by the highest-ranking priest of Lumena before.

However, despite the preparations, something eventually happened one day.

“Thief!”

Someone shouted loudly among the people entering and exiting. People began to panic at the sound of the thief.

“Line up! Line up!”

One of the ordinary priests shouted loudly at the scattered people, but it didn’t seem to be of much use.

“What’s going on?”

The children in the classroom also heard the commotion and flocked to the windows.

“A thief has appeared!”

“What thief?”

Rembrary, who had been dozing off, looked toward the window.

“Okay, everyone, take your seats!”

Lishuer shouted, banging on the desk, but the children kept glancing out the window even after returning to their seats.

“Lishuer, what’s going on?”

“Lishuer, someone outside shouted ‘thief’.”

“Lishuer, shouldn’t we find out what’s going on?”

The children peppered him with questions. But Lishuer was also stuck in the classroom, so he had no way of knowing what was happening.

Instead, Lishuer ran to where the priests were gathered as soon as class was over.

Rembrary lay down on his desk to sleep, but he had to get up in less than five minutes.

“Rembrary, Header is calling for you.”

Lydal shook Rembrary’s shoulder.

“Why?”

“I don’t know the details, but he told you to come alone.”

Rembrary went to find Header. He thought Header might be with Lishuer, but he wasn’t. Header was alone.

“Oh, you’re here.”

As Rembrary approached, Header put down his pen, took out something wrapped in cloth from the drawer, and held it out.

“What is this?”

“Want to unwrap it?”

When Rembrary unwrapped the long cloth, he found several of his own feathers.

“Why are my feathers here?”

Rembrary asked with wide eyes. He put his hand into the pocket where he kept the feathers.

It felt lighter than usual. Rembrary was surprised and took out the feathers.

The feathers Rembrary held in his hand and the feathers Header held out all looked the same. They were all emitting a faint light.

“Header, when did you take them?”

When Rembrary asked again, Header sighed and asked in return, “Rembrary, how do you usually store your feathers?”

“I carry them in my pocket, Header. I keep one by my bedside at the dormitory.”

Header frowned at Rembrary’s answer.

“Then why are these feathers here?”

“Header, you’re so fast.”

“I didn’t take them.”

“Then?”

“Rembrary, you heard the story about the thief earlier, right?”

Rembrary nodded. Header frowned and added, “The number of believers has increased rapidly, and the new believers are all interested in you healing the terminally ill, specifically, the feathers. But whatever people’s intentions, we can’t refuse the believers. So instead of letting them all in without checks, we thoroughly check the belongings of outsiders when they leave. These were found in someone’s bag.”

Rembrary still had his eyes wide open. He stared at the feathers for a while and asked, “Then did that person pickpocket them?”

“That’s highly likely. But the person seems very upset. Besides, the location where the feathers were found was in the front pocket of the person’s backpack. It was a location where someone else could have easily planted stolen goods. Rembrary, is there anyone suspicious among the people you met?”

Rembrary shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

The people who gathered after hearing Rembrary’s rumors all wanted to see the feathers and Rembrary. They rushed to Rembrary from time to time.

Even though Lishuer tried to stop them, there were always people who got close.

Since there were so many people, it was difficult to know who the pickpocket was.

Header sighed and instructed, “Rembrary, you shouldn’t go near outsiders from now on. If someone comes, hide behind Priest Lishuer or stay among the other children. Got it?”

* * *

The Duchess Lucyche’s subordinate failed to carry out the order to steal the feathers.

Fortunately, he managed to slip the feathers into the bag of the person walking in front of him.

The subordinate quickly reported this to the Duchess via carrier pigeon.

The Duchess was furious and sent a quick reply. She ordered to eliminate the feathers altogether if they could not be diverted.

Not only that, but the Duchess also ordered to replace the real feathers with fake feathers.

That way, Rembrary would not be able to cure terminal illnesses as before.

People who came to Rembrary with expectations would be disappointed to see that he could no longer heal.

Rembrary’s suddenly increased fame would surely plummet.

‘Do I have to go this far?’

The subordinate tore the letter sent by the Duchess to shreds and felt bitter.

The power to heal terminally ill patients was very great and precious.

Even if the Duchess had a grudge against Prince Rembrary, wouldn’t it be better for the world not to interfere with the healing power?

‘You’re being too harsh on a child.’

But the subordinate could not refuse the superior’s order.

* * *

It was the day of the first early snowfall. Rembrary went to the newly opened clinic in the Florentine Territory to heal people.

The clinic had been newly established a few weeks ago, and the lord had built it for Rembrary in the middle of a bustling street where land prices were high.

The lord, who was enjoying the tourism benefits as people flocked to see Rembrary, was having a great time every day.

Header knew the lord’s intentions, but it was better than having everyone flock to the temple, so he periodically took Rembrary to the clinic.

“You have to get off carefully.”

As the carriage stopped, Header grabbed Rembrary, who was about to jump off, and nagged.

“You fell a few days ago while jumping off.”

“That’s because there was ice under my feet, Header. I’m okay now!”

As soon as Header let go, Rembrary quickly jumped off and slipped on the ice again this time.

“Rembrary!”

Header urgently grabbed the child’s hat.

“I’m okay, I’m okay. Header, I’ve regained my balance.”

“I caught you.”

Rembrary was still excited and admired the snow falling from the sky.

The sight of him looking like an innocent child of that age made the onlookers even more amazed.

“Let’s go inside.”

Header took the child’s hand and entered the clinic.

When Rembrary got excited, he sometimes darted off somewhere. It was necessary to hold on to him when needed.

“Oh, our baby angel has arrived!”

The clinic manager ran over as soon as he heard that Rembrary had arrived.

The manager skillfully offered Rembrary a basket of cookies.

While Rembrary was eating cookies in a fluffy armchair, the clinic manager and Header reviewed the list of people Rembrary would heal today.

Since Rembrary was too young and still a studying apprentice priest, they tried to minimize the number of patients.

It was a pity for those who had come all the way, but the clinic manager and Header only allowed patients who could not be treated with modern medicine to meet Rembrary.

“I think this person and this person can be excluded.”

“But the treatment costs are too high.”

“The treatment costs are high, but it’s not an incurable disease.”

“They say they can’t afford the treatment costs?”

“That can be helped by other priests. Let’s remove them from Rembrary’s patient list.”

By the time Rembrary had eaten a basket of cookies, Header had also completed the patient list.

“Are you done eating?”

“It’s delicious. The cookies here are delicious.”

Rembrary followed Header to the room where the patients were treated.

Unlike ordinary clinics, the treatment room created for Rembrary was practically a prayer room.

A paladin approached Rembrary in case of an emergency.

Inside the temple, an apprentice priest could not have a personal paladin, but when going outside for other work, they could receive the protection of a paladin.

Finally, today’s first patient was carried in on a stretcher. The patient had no blood at all and looked like they were about to die.

Rembrary took out a feather from his pocket as he always did.

Header was pleased to see that, but then his eyes widened.

‘The feather is different?!’

Header was flustered and tried to talk to Rembrary about the feather, but Rembrary already had his hand on the patient’s forehead.

“Rembrary.”

Header called Rembrary in a small voice.

“Why?”

Rembrary asked as he finished praying and took his hand away.

Header couldn’t answer. The feather was definitely different. The patient was getting up.