Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 785

◈ 785. Bringing an Umbrella

“I can’t do it.”

Ryder muttered and turned away.

Rembrary awkwardly lowered the arm he had raised to catch the ball.

“Are you okay?”

Rembrary approached Ryder.

“I can’t do it.”

Ryder muttered again.

“I guess isolating him is the right thing to do?”

“He’s ignoring Rembrary when he talks to him.”

“He’s young, but he’s already isolating his friends.”

“Shouldn’t we stop him from becoming a novice priest?”

The sound of people whispering grew louder, like climbing stairs.

“Sorry.”

Ryder muttered and ran away with the ball.

As the child ran away, the whispering grew louder as if it was sprinting.

Rembrary stood there blankly, staring at Ryder’s back.

Then, Rembrary saw someone leaning against the pillar in the back. It was Wider. Wider was also looking at Ryder’s back.

“Rembrary, are you okay?”

Wider approached as soon as he made eye contact with Rembrary.

“I don’t know why he’s always like that.”

Wider spoke kindly and handed Rembrary a candy.

“Do you want this?”

“It’s a relief. There are good kids too.”

“How could everyone be bad?”

“That kid is so mature.”

The people’s whispers changed direction.

Rembrary took the candy and stared at Wider.

* * *

On the feast day of December 31st, more people than ever flocked to the Florandia Temple.

They were all there to see Rembrary.

“Where is the novice priest who heals people?”

“Where is the classroom where Novice Priest Rembrary takes classes? I heard we can observe the novice priest’s classes today.”

“When do the novice priests sing?”

The visitors kept grabbing passing priests and novice priests, asking questions.

The priests working at the Florandia Temple had to constantly tell people about Rembrary’s schedule and whereabouts.

“It’s annoying. If they came to see Rembrary, shouldn’t they find out on their own?”

“Rembrary, Rembrary, Rembrary. I’m so tired of it.”

“These people must think this is the Rembrary Temple.”

The novice priests gradually became upset as they continued to receive questions about Rembrary.

The visitors weren’t just asking questions. They asked questions and carefully observed the expressions of the novice priests when they answered.

If the novice priests’ expressions were even slightly negative when talking about Rembrary, they would whisper loud enough to be heard.

“Did you see their expression? It’s no joke.”

“I heard the rumor that the novice priests here are jealous of Rembrary is true.”

It wasn’t just the novice priests who were troubled. Rishue, who was giving the public class, was more embarrassed than the children.

Too many people had gathered. Originally, the classroom was spacious enough for thirty children.

However, due to the excessive number of people, the children had difficulty even moving from their seats to the restroom.

“Can you move aside for a moment?”

“Lower your head a little.”

People kept asking the children to move so they could see Rembrary in detail.

“This is a place for classes, not a place to watch children.”

When Rishue spoke sharply, the people would only quiet down for a moment.

“We’re not trying to watch Rembrary, Priest. We just think Rembrary is amazing. It’s hard to see Rembrary unless we have this opportunity, so we’re just trying to see him even a little.”

Some explained it with good humor.

When Rembrary answered a question during class, people applauded and cheered. When other children answered, only a few clapped.

When Ryder answered, no one clapped, which made Rishue feel embarrassed.

‘Last year and this year too. I need to remove the question time from the public class,’ Rishue firmly decided.

“Priest.”

When Rishue was sending the children back after class, someone spoke to him in a threatening tone.

“Yes. What is it?”

Rishue suppressed his displeasure and answered, and the person asked with a grim expression.

“The children are young, but you’re a guardian, Priest, so you shouldn’t discriminate against one person.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rishue frowned.

“I heard you’re favoring a child named Ryder and neglecting Rembrary even when he’s being bullied? You shouldn’t do that.”

“Who is saying that?”

Rishue asked, dumbfounded. The person closed their mouth and left when Rishue asked aggressively.

“It’s because of you.”

A child who had been watching the scene said to Rembrary in a small voice. It wasn’t a child from Ryder’s group of followers.

“Because of you, even Rishue is getting cursed at.”

The child looked at Rembrary resentfully.

“Is the ghost game over?” [Referring to the end of Rembrary’s popularity]

Rembrary asked with a smile, and the child flinched and turned away.

* * *

In the evening, the priests, adults and children alike, were all tired of hearing Rembrary’s name and went to bed.

Rembrary sat on the stairs of the dormitory, looking at the night sky, wondering where Redrin was.

‘Redrin, living as a great person is tiring sometimes. I was tired all day today. The visitors kept talking to me, and the children in my class treated me like I didn’t exist. Everyone who visits this temple likes me, but most of the people who live in this temple are the opposite. Isn’t that strange?’

Redrin answered Rembrary, but the child couldn’t hear Redrin’s words yet.

Redrin felt sorry and pushed the winter wind away from the child’s head and continued to push the spring wind.

Only sugar-like air settled above Rembrary’s head.

“Rembrary.”

Then, Rembrary heard someone calling him. He turned his head and saw Wider coming out of the front door.

“Are you okay?”

Wider approached Rembrary and sat down next to him.

“Did you come out without sleeping?”

Rembrary asked, and Wider burst into laughter.

“You’re the same.”

Wider sniffed and looked around.

“It feels a little warmer around you.”

“Is that so?”

Rembrary looked up at the sky again.

Wider kept glancing at his profile. He seemed to be wondering how to start a conversation.

Rembrary was looking at the sky, but he could vaguely sense what was happening right next to him.

“Why did you tell people about Rishue and Ryder?”

After counting about ten stars, Rembrary turned to Wider and asked.

Wider fidgeted with his hands and then flinched.

“What?”

“The baby told people about Rishue and Ryder.”

Wider’s eyes widened at Rembrary’s remark.

“What are you talking about? When did I ever do that?”

Wider laughed and nudged Rembrary’s knee.

“Isn’t that what the baby really said?”

“Of course not. It’s not.”

“Really not?”

“I said no.”

“Can you swear to God? Is it true?”

“I said it is!”

Wider shouted nervously.

At that moment, Rembrary looked at Wider’s forehead. A pattern was emerging on his forehead, which had been blank.

Rembrary stared at the pattern. It was the same pattern he had seen during the feather incident.

When the tall novice priest was hit by hail and fainted, that pattern appeared on his forehead.

“What’s wrong?”

Wider covered his forehead with his hand as Rembrary kept staring at his forehead.

“Why are you staring at someone else’s forehead?”

Rembrary raised his eyebrows.

‘Redrin, is this also my ability?’

Rembrary tried to remember what he had done.

He asked the question twice, and at the end, he asked if he could swear to God. When the other person answered, that pattern appeared.

‘Hail. Hail fell a week later.’

“Why, why!”

Wider stood up abruptly when he saw Rembrary’s expression.

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“What eyes?”

“You’re looking at me with pity!”

Rembrary wondered if the pattern on Wider’s forehead was only visible to him.

‘It must be only visible to me. Before, when that novice priest was hit by hail, the pattern suddenly disappeared from his forehead, but no one was surprised. Then will Wider also be hit by hail? Can’t I cancel the hail?’

“Baby, can I give you some advice?”

Wider retreated further as Rembrary stood up.

“What, what are you going to do?”

“It’s better not to lie in the name of God.”

“What?”

“If you want to tell the truth later, come find me.”

Rembrary gave the advice he could and turned around.

When he entered the room, the tall blonde was sitting on the bed and asked.

“Are you okay?”

Rembrary didn’t understand why the tall blonde was asking if he was okay.

“About what?”

When he asked in confusion, the tall blonde frowned, shook his head, and lay back down on the bed.

Rembrary also returned to his seat. But the restless feeling he had when he first left here had now turned into a strange emotion of unknown origin.

‘Redrin, what if this is also my ability? I’m really an amazing person.’

* * *

The next day was the day of the divine power test. Wider was nervous and went to wash his face, staring intently at his forehead.

‘Why did he look at my forehead so intently last night?’

Wider’s stomach churned as he recalled Rembrary’s strange gaze last night.

Rembrary was two years younger than him, and his personality was soft, so he was an easygoing prince.

But Rembrary, whom he saw last night, had a subtly eerie and scary side.

‘It can’t be.’

Wider shook his head and shook off the uneasy feeling.

Maybe he was just nervous about Rembrary’s words because he had a guilty conscience. There was no need to worry about it.

“Are you done yet?”

Someone banged on the bathroom door.

“I’m done!”

Wider grabbed a towel and hurried out.

Wider, who went to take the test alone, failed to purify the monster’s blood even a little, as he had already expected. Wider was disappointed and left the test site.

Children in similar situations were also coming out with gloomy expressions.

Among them was the tall blonde who shared a room with Rembrary.

* * *

For a week, Wider didn’t come to see Rembrary. Even if he had come, Rembrary didn’t know how to cancel the ability.

As Wider finally completed the week, Rembrary kept turning his head out of the classroom.

He was worried that hail would fall at any moment.

“Rembrary, you need to focus on the class.”

Rishue had to call Rembrary several times during the class.

Finally, when it was break time, Rembrary took an umbrella and went to the stairs where he could overlook the playground.

Wider was gathering with his classmates on one side of the playground, talking.

Then, he felt Rembrary’s gaze and glanced this way.

But Wider, who would have run over immediately a week ago, turned his body and continued talking to his friends today.

How long had he been doing that?

“Why did you bring an umbrella?”

Someone asked from behind.

When Rembrary turned his head, no one was there.

Instead, the bell that rang when a demon invaded began to ring everywhere.

Thud.

Something fell at his feet. It was a round, white lump. Rembrary quickly opened his umbrella.

“It’s hail!”

Soon, the sound of pattering was heard continuously on the umbrella.