Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 817

◈ 817. The Choice of Two Children

There was no right answer to this problem. What made it worse was that whatever choice was made, it would be closer to the wrong answer than the right one.

The priests considered where they would go first if they were in that position.

One place was where their friend’s family was, and the other was where the paladins who could provide practical help were. Which place should they go to first?

“Where is that village?”

The paladin, growing anxious, asked in a sharp voice.

“Blue Erie.”

The priest frowned and immediately asked back,

“And that side?”

“Sedition.”

Blue Erie and Sedition were in completely opposite directions. The onlookers sighed.

How could they be so unlucky! In this situation, even if they said they would go to both places, one place was bound to be reached late.

“Rembrary…….”

Ridal called out to Rembrary, sobbing.

The paladin couldn’t act the same way as the child, but he was anxious and kept fidgeting with his clothes.

He was embarrassed to be unexpectedly held back when his comrades might be dying at any moment.

“Just a moment!”

Heather, who had heard about the situation, shouted and came up the stairs. Only then did the priest and the paladin step away from Rembrary.

“Let’s go over there first.”

Heather put his arm around Rembrary’s shoulder, pulling him closer, and said to the paladin and the priest.

“There’s no time for that.”

“It’s urgent.”

The paladin and the priest answered almost simultaneously. Heather became even more embarrassed when he saw Ridal crying.

“Let’s go over there and talk first. Are you going to make a child choose in front of everyone?”

As Heather’s voice sharpened, the paladin and the priest obediently followed him.

Wider, who had been peeking out of the classroom, smiled as he watched them, then slipped away in the commotion.

When Rembrary followed Heather to the drawing-room, Gaiaeger had already arrived.

“Rembrary.”

As soon as Gaiaeger saw Rembrary, he approached and said firmly,

“Don’t make a decision. We’ll decide for you.”

The paladin anxiously looked at his watch. With each passing moment, he felt like his blood was drying up.

The same was true for Ridal. As Ridal kept looking at Rembrary, Heather gestured to Licheur, who had followed them.

“Ridal. Let’s go outside for a bit.”

Licheur tactfully took Ridal out into the hallway.

Licheur took out a handkerchief and wiped the child’s tears. Ridal sniffled and stared at the closed drawing-room door.

“You’re no different when it comes to your own affairs. You prioritize yourself the most.”

Wider, who was leaning against the stair railing, said in a comforting tone when Ridal looked at him.

“The paladins must have been injured fighting for the people. But family comes first. It can’t be helped.”

Licheur frowned and gestured for Wider to leave immediately.

“I’m going. I came because I was worried.”

Wider grinned and went back up the stairs.

“Don’t listen to that kid.”

Licheur patted Ridal’s shoulder.

But Ridal was already feeling self-reproach. The righteous values he had always held were shaking for the first time.

Is wanting to save his family first an unpriestly act?

“Did I put a burden on Rembrary……?”

As Ridal asked in a barely audible voice, Licheur felt a piercing pain in his heart.

“No, you didn’t.”

Licheur patted the child’s shoulder and glared again at the stairs Wider had gone up.

It was so noisy outside, but inside it was eerily quiet.

At Heather’s request, both the paladin and the priest kept their mouths shut and didn’t say a word.

Heather had a headache and took out a painkiller. There are times like this when the ideology learned as a priest clashes with the actual reality.

That’s why priests are told to stay away from the secular world as much as possible. But it was rare for the secular world and reality to clash so extremely.

“Rembrary.”

Heather, who had been contemplating, called Rembrary.

Rembrary, who had been sitting on the sofa, quickly stood up.

“Rembrary. I think…… it’s best if you decide.”

At Heather’s words, the paladin and the priest, who had been looking down, looked up at Rembrary in surprise.

“That won’t do.”

Gaiaeger immediately objected. He believed that if there was going to be dissatisfaction with any choice, they should step up and be the shield.

“That child is still a kid. What does he know? Heather should decide.”

“I know a lot, Gaiaeger.”

When Rembrary interjected, Gaiaeger signaled him to be quiet with a ‘shush’.

Heather looked back and forth between them and shook his head.

“Priest Gaiaeger. I understand your intention. But even if we decide for him, Rembrary’s burden won’t disappear. So it’s better to do as Rembrary decides and say that’s our decision.”

Lumena watched the situation with interest and intervened.

[He’ll probably go to save the paladin, right?]

Rembrary had already made his decision, so he confidently nodded at Heather’s words.

“I’ll decide. I-”

Just as he was about to speak, the door opened and Ridal said, crying,

“Rembrary. Go save the paladins.”

Rembrary stared at Ridal with wide eyes. Ridal rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and said again,

“Go save the paladins. It’s a time when there are many monsters.”

The paladin, who had only been thinking of taking Rembrary with him, was shaken by the words of the crying child.

The children who had come to watch were also shedding tears in the back. Licheur covered his face with his hands to hide his crying.

“I’m going to Blue Erie first.”

The moment Licheur heard Rembrary’s words, his tears disappeared and he looked up. What?!

Ridal also stopped crying and blinked.

“Huh? B-But the paladins…….”

Is he prioritizing his friend? The priests watching Rembrary thought to themselves. It wasn’t a wrong answer, just a different set of values.

“Why? Why are you coming to save our family……?”

“Because the paladins seem stronger.”

“!”

The mouths of the onlookers dropped open at Rembrary’s simple criterion. He’s making such an important decision for that reason?

Ridal didn’t know what to say and just opened and closed his mouth, then met Rembrary’s bright eyes and babbled.

“O-Our family is strong too.”

Ridal’s younger sibling, who had come to ask for Ridal’s help, stared at Ridal with a shocked expression from the corner of the drawing-room.

“I’m still going to Blue Erie first.”

Rembrary answered simply again.

“Why……?”

Even though he had heard the answer earlier, Ridal blankly asked again. Ridal knew that Rembrary might seem to act without thinking, but that was definitely not the case.

It wasn’t that Rembrary didn’t think, but that he just couldn’t be bothered to express his thoughts.

“Just because.”

“There’s no such thing as just because!”

When Ridal shouted, Rembrary sighed and said,

“I’m a priest.”

“Then shouldn’t you go to the paladins?”

“Paladins protect priests, and priests protect believers.”

“!”

Ridal was confused and couldn’t say anything.

“Let’s go quickly!”

Ridal’s younger sibling, who had been watching, shouted, and the dazed priest nodded and hurriedly said to Rembrary,

“Then let’s go quickly.”

“I’ll go to Sedition as soon as I finish the treatment.”

Rembrary promised the paladin as well and quickly followed the priest out of the drawing-room.

The priests watched Rembrary get on the carriage and leave, and clicked their tongues.

“That child is too easily swayed by emotions.”

“It’s kind of him to step up for his friend…… but it’s not the attitude of a priest.”

The priests whispered and looked at Ridal.

Ridal was stubbornly trying to hold back his tears. Rather, Licheur was crying while comforting the child.

“Ridal will become great. He’s completely the opposite of Rembrary.”

“Even in this situation, he prioritizes others over his own family. It’s definitely not an easy attitude.”

The priests clicked their tongues at Ridal’s choice. Even they, as adults, wouldn’t easily prioritize others over their family in such a situation.

[The child you cherish is frighteningly good at controlling his emotions.]

However, Lumena thought the opposite of the priests.

Heather also thought similarly to Lumena, although he himself didn’t know it. He sent the onlookers back and said to Gaiaeger,

“Rembrary is frighteningly rational.”

“Isn’t it the opposite?”

“No. Rembrary’s side was chillingly rational. He didn’t make the choice because of morality or a sense of justice. His criteria were clear. Didn’t you notice, Priest Gaiaeger?”

“?”

“Rembrary didn’t go to save the villagers because they were his friend’s family.”

Heather thought that even if there was Ridal’s family among the injured paladins, Rembrary would have gone to save the villagers first.

But Gaiaeger didn’t understand Heather’s words at all. In Gaiaeger’s eyes, Rembrary was a loyal child.

* * *

As soon as Rembrary arrived in the village, he treated the injured.

As people who were almost dying became healthy and got up just by Rembrary’s touch, people began to bow in the direction of Rembrary.

“Redrin has sent an angel.”

“He’s a baby angel…….”

The priest watched the miracle that Rembrary was performing and was convinced that Rembrary would greatly revive the Redrin Temple in the near future.

“It’s all done.”

Rembrary finished treating all the people in 10 minutes and turned to the priest.

“Let’s go to Sedition now.”

“You haven’t rested and have been on the carriage for almost a whole day. Wouldn’t it be better to rest for a few hours and greet Ridal’s family?”

Even the family who had come to call Ridal was completely exhausted from the relentless march and remained at the halfway point inn.

The priest was worried when Rembrary used a lot of divine power and was about to leave again immediately.

“Of course. The sooner we go, the more people we can save.”

Rembrary said firmly.

“I understand. Then wait here for a moment? I’ll go and change my words.”

The priest handed Rembrary a loaf of bread and ran to the village administrator.

Redrin looked down at the scene and gestured for the angel to come over.

As the angel approached, Redrin cleared the clouds and showed Rembrary, instructing.

[You take him there.]

Lumena was surprised and hit Redrin’s arm.

[Redrin, are you out of your mind? The repercussions will be huge. You shouldn’t interfere.]

[It doesn’t matter…….]

Redrin suddenly frowned as he was speaking, so the angel stopped trying to leave, and Lumena looked down below the clouds.

Redrin’s eyes narrowed.

While Rembrary was alone for a moment, a demon reeking of dark energy approached and spoke to him.

It was a different demon from the one who had approached Rembrary before.

* * *

“Hello.”

Rembrary was tearing off a piece of bread when he looked to the side. That strange person from the palace roof was sitting on the window frame.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”