Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 831

◈ 831. Kamuel’s Strange Oracle

Even late at night, people lingered in the Grand Temple instead of returning home. They wanted to witness the changing of the year and begin the new year within its sacred walls.

With tourists flocking in, the priests and paladins had to remain vigilant throughout the night, their eyes wide open.

However, they couldn’t expect the children to stay up all night as well.

The priests instructed the apprentice priests, Rembrary and Ridal, and the young lay priest, Kentree, to go and get some sleep.

As soon as permission was granted, Rembrary went to his room and burrowed into the thick, warm blankets.

The silver-haired child who had been shouting about a benefactor had already faded from his mind; he couldn’t even recall the incident. Sleep came quickly.

In his dream, Rembrary was running around a large mansion. And someone was…

“Rembrary, Rembrary.”

Rembrary’s eyes fluttered open. Someone was knocking on the door. He quickly got out of bed and opened the door to find the secretary priest standing there with a frown.

“What is it?”

“Sorry to wake you. A child is hurt. Could you possibly heal them?”

“I will.”

Rembrary rubbed his eyes and went outside. The secretary priest quickly rushed into the room, grabbed a thick coat, and placed it on the child’s shoulders.

“Who got hurt?”

The winter dawn was bitterly cold. Rembrary asked as he properly put on his coat.

The secretary priest’s expression changed strangely.

“Well, you see—”

* * *

Rembrary understood why the secretary priest had such a reluctant expression when he saw the injured child. It was the silver-haired child who had rushed at Rembrary during the day.

“It’s him.”

The child, who had been acting like a wild colt, was lying unconscious on the sickbed. Blood was continuously seeping from the child’s neck and head area.

The old man who had grabbed the child’s ear and taken him away looked at Rembrary with swollen eyes from crying so much.

“Please, heal my disciple! My disciple slipped and fell out of the window!”

The Redrin priests’ eyes also turned red at the sight of the old man crying.

However, the Lumena paladins who came with the old man exchanged glances with each other and wore strange expressions.

The secretary priest was perceptive. He didn’t think the silver-haired child had slipped and fallen out of the window.

However, how the child got hurt wasn’t important to Rembrary.

Without being arrogant or setting conditions, Rembrary immediately placed his hand on the child’s scratched forehead.

Before Rembrary could even remove his hand, the child opened his eyes wide.

“Ardor!”

The crying old man shouted and looked at the child. At a glance, the wound on the back of the child’s neck had disappeared without a scar.

“Ardor, are you awake? Do you know who I am?”

The old man stood in front of Ardor and asked.

“Master.”

Ardor answered clearly, then looked at Rembrary standing next to him, his face brightening as he shouted.

“Benefactor! You’ve saved me three times!”

Look at the difference in expression. The old man’s sad feelings disappeared completely, and he wanted to swat his ungrateful disciple’s round head.

Then, the old man saw Rembrary smiling gently and patting Ardor’s shoulder.

When he took Ardor away during the day, he hadn’t even looked in the other direction, so he didn’t know. Now that he saw it, Rembrary seemed truly kind and warm.

He really had an angelic appearance as rumored, and his red eyes looked like a warm bonfire.

“Benefactor. Since you’ve saved me three times, I must follow you.”

The old man felt a little ashamed of his disciple, who he thought was the best in the world, for the first time.

Even after showing great ability, that Rembrary child was so relaxed and leisurely. His disciple…

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

When Rembrary asked in a gentle voice, the old man’s precious disciple got up from the sickbed, ran around, and came back.

“No!”

Ardor shouted with a bright smile, and the Lumena paladins looked in different directions out of embarrassment.

“That’s a relief. You’re a very brave child.”

When Rembrary praised him, Ardor’s face brightened, and he nodded quickly.

“I’m brave! I’m brave!”

Ardor’s master thought it was fortunate that his disciple had good taste.

He kept singing about his benefactor, and Rembrary really had a character that people could respect.

It was then.

“Rembrary, it seems like something happened over there too.”

The secretary priest, who had been quietly watching the situation, subtly called Rembrary and pointed across the hallway.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Rembrary followed the secretary priest out of the infirmary.

“Benefactor, I want to go too!”

Ardor tried to follow, but the secretary priest firmly stopped him, perhaps because he was already fully recovered.

When Rembrary saw the silver-haired child trying to protest, he spoke first in a gentle voice.

“Rest well in bed. I’ll come back later.”

At those words, Ardor hesitated, nodded, and returned to the sickbed, quickly lying down.

Rembrary went outside with the secretary priest.

The master looked down at his disciple, who was staring at the ceiling with wide eyes and smiling, with a complicated gaze.

When Ardor forcibly fell asleep, the master went out into the hallway and sighed.

The Lumena paladin who followed him out looked around and asked.

“Is it okay like this? Shouldn’t we just send him to the Redrin Temple?”

“No. That child is a genius. Do you want my disciple to live as a low-ranking priest for the rest of his life?”

“But as soon as we tried to take him, he jumped out of the window.”

“He must have thought he could get treated by that Rembrary child if he got hurt. My disciple may be naive, but he’s smart.”

“Still…”

“That Rembrary child seems more calm and clever than I thought. I should ask him to persuade Ardor well later when he comes. It seems like he’ll be able to communicate.”

The Lumena paladin recalled Rembrary, who had been calm throughout, and nodded.

He seemed like a child with a more outstanding aura than he had heard in the rumors.

“That’s true.”

“Yes. If his benefactor persuades him, he’ll listen.”

The master thought things would work out well and went back into the infirmary to wait for Rembrary to return.

However, hours passed, and morning came, but Rembrary and the secretary priest did not return.

Tired of waiting, the master sent a paladin to look for Rembrary.

And 30 minutes later, the Lumena paladin returned and reported with a flustered expression.

“He went to another village to heal people.”

“What? He went to another village last night?”

“No, he left an hour ago…”

The paladin’s voice trailed off.

The master blinked, then belatedly jumped up. He broke his promise with that earnest expression! He said he would come! He just left!

“Master, is the benefactor coming?”

When Ardor opened the door and asked, as if he had woken up, the master’s anger rose even higher.

He didn’t want to send Ardor to the Redrin Temple anyway, but seeing him looking so abandoned, the thought he didn’t have disappeared without a trace.

The admiration he had for Rembrary also vanished.

That child had great abilities, but he was a con artist who spouted lies with a sincere face.

“Benefactor, my foot!”

“Master?”

“Let’s go! How could I let you be treated like a fallen leaf here!”

“Does the benefactor think I’m like a fallen leaf?”

“Take care of the child!”

When the master shouted, one of the Lumena paladins lifted Ardor up.

“Master!”

The master breathed roughly and walked towards the main gate. Then, when he saw one of the Redrin priests he had seen yesterday, he got angry and shouted.

“Our Ardor will never be sent to a place like this!”

Who asked you to? The Redrin priest stared in bewilderment, but the master was already walking out with his disciple and subordinates.

* * *

Neither Ardor, who was being dragged back by his master, nor Lumena Paladin Commander Mimelnoa, who was furious, nor Rembrary, who was following the secretary priest to a neighboring village to heal people, knew what the gods were saying about this.

[That child has quite the eye.]

Redrin smiled contentedly as he looked down at the silver-haired child being dragged away by his master.

He liked the discernment to recognize Rembrary and the impulsive courage to rush in as soon as he made up his mind.

[Lumena, what would you do if that child really wanted to come to me?]

Redrin deliberately teased Lumena. However, Lumena calmly replied.

[He can go if he wants to.]

Then, she pushed the clouds aside and deliberately pointed to Rembrary, who was healing, and said.

[So, your puppy could become my chick, couldn’t he?]

Redrin quietly raised the corners of his mouth as if he found it amusing.

* * *

The fervor and joy of the worldwide festival gradually subsided after ten days. People began to endure the cold winter again.

Those who prepared the festival also polished the various decorations and items used in the festival until they were shiny, covered them with cloth, and put them back in the warehouse.

This was not only the case in the southern and western continents where the Redrin Temple was located.

In the northern continent, where the Kamuel Temple was widely spread, people were also enduring the harsh winter while waiting for spring.

One day, when an unusually sharp, cold wind was blowing, High Priest Morso received an oracle [divine message] from Kamuel while praying.

When Kamuel’s instructions were given, Morso opened his tightly closed eyes and tilted his head for a moment.

The will of God was not always understandable, but this instruction was very puzzling.

“What is it? What did Kamuel say?”

When the highest-ranking priest of Kamuel approached and asked, Morso frowned and said.

“Kamuel said that the Redrin paladins went to seal a place where half of the monsters were popping out and that something dangerous happened. He tells me to help them.”

“You, Morso, personally? The Redrin paladins?”

Because it was too cold, Morso walked inside the Grand Temple and continued speaking.

“It seems like something dangerous is happening after all.”

“Really? But when the High Priest went to the central mansion there before, nothing happened.”

“There must be something that only Kamuel can see.”

Morso’s furrowed brow did not ease. In fact, the oracle that Morso found strange was not this part.

It wasn’t common, but Morso had been dispatched to support other continents a few times before. This was because there were only two High Priests in the world.

The part that Morso found strange was…

“Kamuel tells me to meet the apprentice priest Rembrary and build a friendship with him when I go to Redrin’s territory.”

It was this part.

The highest-ranking priest also widened his eyes.

“An apprentice priest?”

Morso had met the apprentice priest Rembrary when he went to the central mansion before.

He had an outstanding aura and a dignified character, but there was nothing else special about him. There were many outstanding children.

But why would Kamuel tell him to build a friendship with that child?

“Could it be that Redrin is considering that child as a candidate for High Priest?”

The highest-ranking priest asked sharply.

“High Priest?”

Morso burst into laughter.