Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 814

◈ 814. What’s Good Doesn’t Disappear

Cherub laughed as he watched carts loaded with goods continuously entering through the window.

“After always helping people, the results are showing here.”

Rembrary smiled contentedly while drinking the cocoa Rishue had brought.

“No matter how much I try to hide it, I am outstanding.”

Most of the Lumena and Redrin paladins who brought gifts had returned, and only Cherub was sitting in the drawing-room, facing Rembrary and drinking a beverage.

It was a special favor Rishue had granted because it was Rembrary’s birthday.

Visiting and playing in the drawing-room during class time was not easily permitted, but Rishue didn’t want to see Rembrary being teased by the children in the classroom on his birthday.

Thanks to this, Rembrary was playing around, telling Cherub about various events that had occurred in the central mansion, when he suddenly remembered and asked,

“Is Jandi’s younger sibling doing well?”

Cherub almost choked on his coffee. He still calls my sibling Jandi.

Cherub chuckled, recalling his sibling’s huffing and puffing about being called Jandi by Rembrary.

“They’re training hard and living diligently.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s not just because they’re my sibling, but they’re really talented.”

“Oh, really.”

“You might even ask them to become the commander of the paladin order later on. They might become stronger than me.”

Cherub was speaking with a smile when he noticed Rembrary’s eyes becoming listless.

Startled, he stopped talking and looked at Rembrary, who muttered in a monotonous tone.

“I thought Sir Cherub kept his promises well.”

He seemed to be referring to the promise Cherub had made to become the commander of the paladin order. Cherub burst out laughing.

“Of course, I have to keep my promises. But if you become a high priest early, the commander might change in the middle.”

Rembrary silently drank his cocoa. After talking about promises, he was reminded of the promise he had made with Jandi’s younger sibling.

Cherub watched the child, deep in thought, then checked his watch and stood up.

Rembrary pursed his lips and pondered, then inadvertently stood up as well.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah. I have to stop by here and go to other places too.”

“Where to?”

“There’s a place near the demon gate that’s said to be the most dangerous. I’ve decided to go there with my colleagues.”

Rembrary opened the door to the drawing-room, his eyes wide. The most dangerous place? He’s going there?

“Why?”

“Because I’m strong.”

Cherub took out a hyacinth glass model with a purplish hue from his pocket. It was a model with a strange light flickering inside.

“High Priest Iira sent power [divine magical energy]. If I put this in that area, I can reduce the number of monsters that appear. Then, whatever the black magicians’ goal is, I can buy some time.”

Rembrary recalled hearing in class that High Priest Iira’s ability was sealing [the ability to magically close or contain something].

‘Is he trying to seal the demon gate completely? If it works, it seems like a good idea.’

“Sir Cherub will do well.”

Rembrary smiled without the slightest worry.

* * *

After Cherub left, Rembrary became even busier. He was about to return to the classroom, but a staff member called him because of the gifts he had received.

Following the staff member, Rembrary saw that the staff were struggling with the large gifts, such as furniture and carriages.

Heather was also rubbing her forehead in front of a large sofa.

Although Rembrary was an apprentice priest, he was still a child, and the items sent to Rembrary personally did not belong to the temple.

Thus, Heather was troubled about how to dispose of the gifts.

Since they were not temple items, they could not be sold or distributed elsewhere, but storing these items in the temple would take up too much space.

“How about sending them to Rembrary’s parents?”

Rishue solved Heather’s worries.

“Rembrary has already become a priest, is that okay?”

Heather asked hesitantly, and Rishue explained what had happened in the classroom today in a small voice so that others could not hear.

“Lyder came over briefly while Rembrary was talking to Sir Cherub and told me that the children think the gifts Rembrary received will be returned to them.”

Heather crossed her arms and pondered. After thinking for a while, Heather nodded.

“Then we should have Rembrary pick a few things he likes and send the rest to the Libulen Imperial Family.”

* * *

The children who had been expecting gifts were bewildered when the carts that had come in full went back out.

“Priest, Priest. Why are the gifts all going back out this time?”

During break time, one child couldn’t stand it and asked Rishue.

Rishue answered without deliberately looking at where Rembrary was sitting.

“There are too many to store here. Rembrary’s parents will store them instead.”

“Doesn’t everything Rembrary receives belong to the temple? Rembrary is affiliated with this place.”

“We use what’s sent to be used by the temple in the temple. But we shouldn’t use what’s sent to Rembrary personally in the temple. You wouldn’t like it if the temple used the gifts you received, would you?”

‘What I receive is different from what he receives.’ The child opened and closed his mouth, feeling upset, and returned to his seat.

He felt bad, but he was also a little scared.

‘Did Rembrary perhaps tell his parents that he had no friends? Is that why Rembrary’s parents are taking all the gifts back this time?’

The children looked at Rembrary with all sorts of emotions.

As always, Rembrary was just sitting there leisurely with an expression as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The commotion that had occurred on Rembrary’s birthday gradually faded as time passed, eventually disappearing completely from the children’s minds.

It was because of the newly conveyed news.

“The paladins went to a dangerous place, but the situation isn’t good.”

“I heard they all disappeared?”

“No, they didn’t all disappear, but they came out injured.”

“I heard that monsters bigger than castles are wandering around there.”

“Hey, then they’d all be visible.”

“Among the mountains where monsters appear, there’s a mountain where no one lives around it at all. I heard it’s really like that there.”

Rembrary usually didn’t pay any attention to the children’s whispers.

But this time, the story they were chattering about was a story that concerned Rembrary as well.

Rembrary had seen people wounded by the monsters’ invasion. Just because a paladin eliminates a monster doesn’t mean people don’t suffer.

Besides, Cherub. Didn’t Sir Cherub say he was going to seal the place where the monsters were coming out?

“Rembrary’s looking at us.”

“Let’s go.”

But the children who were distancing themselves from Rembrary because of the gift incident had no intention of conveying the news they were sharing to Rembrary.

They weren’t directly bullying him because they were afraid of Rembrary, but they had no qualms about distancing themselves.

“Lyder. Do you know any news from outside?”

In the end, Rembrary asked when Lyder came to ask him to play cards.

Lyder was laying out the cards in a row on the floor when he looked at Rembrary and said, “Huh?”

“Are you interested in that kind of thing too?”

Lyder asked and then realized it was a foolish question.

“That’s right. You even fought monsters in the central mansion. There’s no way you wouldn’t be interested.”

“I’ve been hearing a lot of dangerous stories.”

“I don’t know if it’s true. That’s how rumors are. They get exaggerated and change strangely.”

Lyder explained the new card rules to Rembrary.

But when he noticed that Rembrary was listening with one ear and letting it out the other, he took his hand off the cards and pondered.

“The story I heard recently is about a place connected to the demon gate. Why, like the mountain near the central mansion we went to. It’s a place like that, but more dangerous.”

‘Is that the place Sir Cherub went to?’

“There’s a rumor that the most skilled paladins among the Redrin paladins went there, but they lost contact. I don’t know if it’s true. In fact, I’m not even sure if they went.”

It was certain that they went. Rembrary frowned and fiddled with the cards Lyder had placed on the floor.

‘Sir Cherub will be okay. Because he’s strong.’

* * *

“Priest, Priest. I heard monsters are running around outside, is that true?”

“Are there so many monsters that we can’t go outside?”

“Priest, is it true that the paladins disappeared as a group?”

The ominous atmosphere grew stronger as time went on. Some children couldn’t stand it and asked Rishue when it was time for class.

“Of course not. How strong are the paladins? The number of monsters has increased, but it’s not to the point where you have to worry.”

Rishue said positively and opened the page to study today. The children were relieved by Rishue’s nonchalant appearance.

But as soon as he finished class and came out of the classroom, Rishue’s bright face immediately darkened.

‘I need to tell Heather to gag the priests and staff [to prevent them from spreading rumors].’

Even if ominous stories were going around outside and scary news was being heard in the conference room, the training priests and staff usually didn’t easily talk about stories that the children shouldn’t hear.

But recently, not only has the number of monsters increased, but priests and paladins have been disappearing in succession.

In particular, priests were disappearing more often than paladins who knew how to fight.

Because of this, the training priests were also terrified and kept talking about it among themselves, and that story kept flowing into the children’s ears.

‘Our children will be okay, right?’

Rishue was walking down the hallway when he briefly turned around. While fearing the scary rumors, the children were playing when they were playing.

‘Among the apprentice priests, Rembrary and Lyder are the only ones with divine power. It’s okay. The children will be safe. We can protect those two at least.’

* * *

As the day of the divine power test approached, the training priests had different thoughts than before.

Previously, they had hoped that the children they were in charge of would show good results.

For children who had spent years here to become priests, not being able to become a priest was like suddenly losing their goal.

Even if they couldn’t become priests, if they had deep faith and were diligent, they would be allowed to remain as staff, but not all children enjoyed such benefits.

But this time, the training priests wanted the children under them not to show divine power. Rishue was the same.

Priests with divine power were disappearing. He wanted the children to remain in a safe area.

However, the apprentice priests over the age of ten, unaware of these circumstances, lined up in front of the test site with a bit of tension.

This time, Arbit was also included in this line.

“I think I’ll show divine power right away.”

Arbit, who had been popular with the children for several months, muttered confidently.

“You’re good at being delusional. You’ll never have divine power in your life.”

Kentrie looked at Arbit with a pathetic look.

Arbit was furious, but he remained still because Kentrie was much bigger.

But in his heart, he thought that Kentrie would never have divine power in his life.

‘Even though he had taken the divine power test several times, he hadn’t produced any results. You’re going to live like that forever, you idiot.’ Arbit sneered.

Arbit, thinking that Kentrie was an idiot he didn’t need to worry about, this time looked at the room where the apprentice priests under the age of ten were being tested as a group.

The children seemed busy playing among themselves without any thoughts. Lyder also looked confident, and Rembrary…

‘You son of a bitch.’

Arbit, who had cursed at Rembrary for yawning, quickly turned his head.