Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 811

◈ 811. The Wind That Blows Even When Still

It was late March when I returned to the Florandia Temple. In a few days, it would be three years since Rembrary became a novice priest here.

‘Redrin, time really flies. But I’ve gotten smarter this year. Have you gotten smarter too, Redrin?’

Thinking thoughts that would make the high priests shudder, Rembrary stepped out of the carriage.

“Everyone must have heard about you, right? You’re going to be popular.”

The holy knight who had escorted me from the Holy Knight Training Center joked as he unloaded Rembrary’s luggage.

Rembrary shrugged and looked at the vast temple grounds. There wasn’t a single person around, probably because classes were still in session.

“I’ll take those.”

Staff members hurried over and picked up the luggage that the holy knight had set down.

While they were taking Rembrary’s luggage to his quarters, the holy knight went to find Heather, the person in charge, to let her know that Rembrary had returned safely.

Afterward, the holy knight left, and Rembrary returned to his quarters alone, looking forward to a long-awaited rest.

* * *

“Rembrary is a bit scary.”

“I heard that Rembrary not only heals people but also lifts curses. Is that true?”

“Lies. There’s no such thing.”

“Now that Rembrary is back, the Rembrary watchers will flock again. Ugh, I really hate it.”

Although Rembrary had returned after several months, not everyone in the temple welcomed him back.

The children knew from experience that Rembrary’s presence attracted people seeking healing, making things uncomfortable for them.

The children led by Rishue felt the same way.

Gaieger had repeatedly told Lydal not to reveal his werewolf transformation, fearing the children might harass him.

Because of this, the children didn’t know that Rembrary had healed Lydal, whom they admired, and remained hostile to Rembrary.

“Rembrary, shall we eat together? Aren’t you hungry?”

Lydal frequently approached Rembrary, but it didn’t improve Rembrary’s reputation.

However, because Lydal’s followers kept picking fights with Rembrary, Rembrary eventually spoke to Lydal privately.

“When you’re playing with your other friends, you don’t have to come to me.”

“Don’t you like playing with me?”

“No. The kids who follow you around keep coming to me and chattering when you’re not around. It’s noisy.”

Lydal couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry or disappointed. Rembrary left the blankly standing Lydal behind and went to the cafeteria alone.

* * *

Wider stared intently at that scene from the third-floor railing, barely blinking.

Only when the golden hair disappeared from view, and the crimson hair also vanished, did Wider take his hand off the railing.

Wider recalled Rembrary visiting him when he was hospitalized after being hit by hail.

‘You know too, right?’

At that moment, someone spoke to him from behind. Wider turned his head. A novice priest he didn’t recognize was standing there with a crazed expression.

“Are you talking to me?”

Wider asked, and the novice priest nodded and staggered closer.

The look in the other person’s eyes was unsettling, so Wider stepped back slightly.

Instead of coming closer, the novice priest leaned against the railing where Wider had been standing and rocked back on his heels.

“That kid summoned the hail and attacked you.”

The novice priest muttered, then lowered his heels and stood facing Wider.

Wider raised his eyebrows. *How does that kid know that?* Wider hadn’t told anyone about the hail.

“That kid is a demon.”

Regardless, the novice priest muttered in a small voice, cowering as if terrified.

“What?”

Wider asked, dumbfounded. Rembrary, who possessed some of the strongest holy power among the novice priests, a demon?

Even though he disliked Rembrary, it was an absurd accusation. Wider let out a hollow laugh. *What’s with him? He’s a strange guy.*

“Rembrary is a demon. I know. Rembrary has summoned hail on other people before.”

The novice priest seemed to be in a state where he couldn’t think properly, terrified.

Wider remembered that someone had left the temple after being hit by hail a few months ago. *But so what?*

Wider didn’t want to talk to this strange novice priest any longer and walked towards the stairs.

He glanced back halfway down and was relieved to see that the novice priest wasn’t following him and was just standing there blankly.

‘No. This is a good opportunity, isn’t it?’

Wider had an idea and approached the novice priest again.

Wider gave the novice priest a kind and friendly smile, unlike before.

“You don’t believe me?”

The novice priest asked with an aggrieved expression, perhaps misunderstanding the smile.

“I believe you.”

Wider erased his smile and stared at the novice priest with a serious expression. The novice priest’s eyes widened.

“You believe me?”

“Yes. That kid might be a demon.”

“Right? You see it too, right?”

“Yes. That kid summoned hail and attacked me. He even brought an umbrella in advance and used it himself.”

At Wider’s words, the novice priest bit his lip.

Wider watched the novice priest’s reaction, and when the novice priest seemed tired and slumped down on the floor, he spoke again.

“If he’s a demon, we have to get rid of him, right?”

At Wider’s words, the novice priest began to ponder deeply. Wider barely suppressed the laughter that was about to come out at the sight of him seriously contemplating.

But the novice priest didn’t even crack a smile and was completely lost in thought.

How long had it been? The novice priest, who had been seriously contemplating, suddenly went inside the building and disappeared. He left without even saying goodbye.

*He’s really a strange guy.* Wider clicked his tongue.

* * *

Noir fiddled with a gold-plated card. The gold plating glittered in the moonlight as he turned it this way and that.

A small dragon that had landed on a nearby rock instantly transformed into a human and clicked his tongue.

“Why are you playing with a kid’s toy and not giving it back?”

“That kid seems to have forgotten all about us.”

Noir muttered, gathering the cards into one and hiding them somewhere in the air.

“You knew that, didn’t you?”

The black dragon replied nonchalantly and rubbed his shoulder. His arms and shoulders were covered in mud, as if he had been somewhere.

“What’s that?”

When Noir couldn’t help but ask, the black dragon’s expression turned gloomy.

“Aquari doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”

“?”

* * *

While the outside world was noisy with monsters and black magicians, the Florandia Temple remained quiet.

Unlike the commotion that had occurred in the central mansion and the nearby village, this place was serenely isolated.

Rembrary had found peace again since returning to the Florandia Temple.

He didn’t even care that the novice priests who took classes with him didn’t like him.

Then one day, when the children were resting in the classroom,

Rembrary was sitting by the window, looking at the blooming spring flowers, when a tall blonde boy hesitantly approached.

“Rembrary.”

Rembrary turned his head. After staring at the tall blonde for a moment, Rembrary remembered the child’s name: Kentry.

“What is it?”

Instead of pretending to remember him immediately, he asked. Kentry sat on the edge of the desk in front of Rembrary and said in a barely audible voice.

“What do I have to do to use holy power? I can’t seem to get a feel for it no matter how hard I try. Can you help me a little?”

The other children knew that Kentry didn’t dislike Rembrary as much as he pretended to.

But it was the first time Kentry had openly asked Rembrary for help.

The children who had been chattering nearby stopped talking and glanced at Rembrary and Kentry.

Kentry’s face turned red as the other children looked at him. *I should have asked in the dorm.*

“It’s just like breathing or moving your arms and legs, so it’s hard to explain.”

Kentry’s face turned even redder at Rembrary’s calm words. *That must be a rejection, right?*

“He’s really showing off.”

“He’s annoying.”

The children whispered loud enough for him to hear, but Rembrary calmly just looked at Kentry.

“Ah, okay. I understand.”

Kentry, who had come with courage, muttered sullenly and got up from his seat.

He didn’t want to be here any longer, and he hated that the children who had originally disliked Rembrary were whispering again.

As soon as Kentry went back to his seat, Lydal couldn’t help but approach and comfort him in a small voice.

“I’ll help you. I’m still lacking, but let’s practice together.”

He spoke very quietly so that the other children wouldn’t hear, but Lydal was always surrounded by children who paid attention to him.

“As expected, Lydal is different from Rembrary!”

“He’s so kind.”

“Lydal, can I practice with you too?”

The children whispered and began to flock towards Lydal.

Lydal’s face turned as red as Kentry’s as it seemed like he was deliberately acting the opposite of Rembrary. Lydal looked at Rembrary in embarrassment.

Rembrary was looking out the window again. He was slightly raising his nose whenever the wind blew in through the half-open window.

It seemed like he was trying to smell the spring. He didn’t seem to care about what was happening.

Lydal felt half relieved and a little disappointed. *I thought we had become much closer when I became a werewolf.*

“Lydal, let’s all gather together and go practice.”

“Yeah. Except for him. He’s so good, let him do it alone. He’s annoying.”

Lydal was grabbed by the children who were pulling him and went out of the classroom. The other children followed in a rush, and Rembrary was the only one left in the classroom.

Rembrary was still staring out the window.

He seemed to be doing nothing, but in fact, he was constantly talking to Redrin.

‘I want to hear Redrin’s voice soon. Redrin, I hope I won’t fail to recognize you when you talk to me. Where is he? A certain lord was deceived by someone impersonating Redrin, but I can’t be deceived.’

A sound of someone quietly opening the door was heard, but Rembrary still didn’t even look that way.

Abit, who had followed the children out and then slipped back in alone, was relieved that Rembrary didn’t turn his head and let go of the door.

Abit looked at Rembrary with a cold gaze. The better Rembrary did, the more Abit feared him.

Two people had already been hit by hail. He had also fought over Rembrary’s famous ‘feather,’ so Rembrary might send hail to him later.

If so, he had to get rid of Rembrary before he was attacked.

*It was okay. That kid is a demon.* Abit silently lifted the chair next to him.