Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 838

838. Rydal’s Departure

“I’m going to Rydal’s house.”

Rembrary suddenly visited the High Priest’s office and announced this.

“No. It’s not allowed normally, but absolutely not at this time.”

The High Priest was briefly surprised but immediately responded. He glared at the secretary priest who had brought Rembrary.

The secretary priest avoided his gaze. He hadn’t known Rembrary was going to say something like this.

Rembrary moved to make eye contact with the High Priest.

“Why not?”

As Rembrary came closer, the High Priest turned his head to look at Kentry.

Kentry was also staring at him with wide eyes.

The High Priest closed his eyes and explained.

“Rydal also has his own will. If he wants to quit, he should quit. What are you going to do by going to find a child who left because he wanted to leave? Forcing a child who left to come back will only upset him.”

The High Priest opened his eyes sharply and looked at Rembrary with a stern gaze.

“Do you understand?”

“No.”

Rembrary answered without hesitation.

The High Priest instructed the secretary priest.

“Take the children out.”

“I’m sorry.”

The secretary priest apologized and gestured for Rembrary to leave with him.

Rembrary didn’t leave.

“Rydal didn’t leave because he wanted to. I made a promise with him a few days ago.”

“A promise? What promise?”

“I’m not going to tell you. If I tell you, Your Eminence will make up a lie to match it.”

The High Priest was inwardly a little impressed by Rembrary’s answer. But he didn’t show any of it on the outside.

“Anyway, no.”

He refused once again firmly.

It wasn’t like he didn’t regret Rydal’s talent. It wasn’t just the talent that was a pity. The High Priest also regretted Rydal’s character.

Rydal was a truly righteous child. He was a child who genuinely enjoyed helping others.

But now it was all useless.

“Go back and work hard, even for Rydal’s share. Persuading Rydal won’t work.”

The High Priest wore a somewhat lonely expression.

Seeing that, Kentry’s heart sank, and he grabbed Rembrary’s arm.

“Let’s go, Rembrary. Let’s not push it.”

“I can go even if you don’t allow me to.”

However, Rembrary was firm.

“I know where Rydal lives. Even if I don’t, I can still go.”

Hearing Rembrary’s announcement, the High Priest and the secretary priest simultaneously recalled the child’s past behavior.

Rembrary was right. He had never failed to go where he wanted to go. Even without permission, he went.

The High Priest rubbed his forehead.

* * *

After a long time, Rembrary finished preparing for a trip and came out of the lodging, only to widen his eyes at the sight of five paladins surrounding the carriage.

“Why are there so many people?”

The secretary priest loaded Rembrary’s luggage in the back of the carriage.

“Because of monsters.”

“It wasn’t like this a few months ago?”

Rembrary grabbed the carriage door and looked at the secretary priest.

The secretary priest, having finished loading the luggage, only smiled briefly and hesitated to answer.

But as Rembrary continued to stare, the secretary priest lifted Rembrary into the carriage and said.

“Actually, the number of monsters appearing has increased much more than before.”

“Much more? How much more?”

“If you used to encounter one monster while walking, now you’ll encounter at least ten.”

Originally, the adult priests were trying to delay telling Rembrary and the children that the world was rapidly becoming more dangerous, wanting the children to enjoy a bright childhood without being terrified for as long as possible.

As Rembrary fully boarded the carriage, the secretary priest closed the door and added.

“But most of the monsters are weak… for now.”

The secretary priest was right.

Starting three hours after leaving the Great Temple, many monsters began to attack the carriage.

The group encountered monster hordes almost every two to three hours, or even hourly at the shortest.

Fortunately, the monsters weren’t that strong.

The carriage arrived in Blue Erie a little later than Rembrary had expected.

As Rembrary got out of the carriage, several passersby recognized his face and approached.

“You’re that priest from before!”

“Aren’t you the kid who healed Rydal’s family?”

“Did you come to see Rydal?”

The villagers seemed to already know that Rydal had returned.

Rembrary thought it was a good thing and asked them.

“Where is Rydal’s house?”

“It’s the house with the vermilion [bright red] roof over there.”

A farmer pointed to a small house.

Rembrary immediately walked to the house and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, and a child peeked out.

“Oh! It’s that kid!”

The child’s eyes widened as soon as he saw Rembrary and shouted.

“Dad! Mom!”

The child didn’t ask why he had come and shouted into the house.

“Come see who’s here!”

Rembrary was soon surrounded by the family members of the house.

Rydal’s family members, having received great help from Rembrary, all looked delighted to see him. The only one who didn’t appear was Rydal.

“Did you come to see Rydal?”

Rydal’s mother asked before Rembrary could even ask.

“I came to talk to Rydal.”

Rembrary nodded.

“He suddenly left the temple. I came to tell him to come back. I don’t think Rydal quit because he wanted to.”

However, the welcoming atmosphere instantly turned subtle as soon as Rembrary said that.

Rydal’s mother and father exchanged meaningful glances.

Rembrary noticed this but asked.

“Where is Rydal?”

“He went to the orchard.”

One of Rydal’s siblings told him.

“Where is the orchard?”

As Rembrary asked, the child who had first opened the door came closer.

“That way.”

The child pointed to one side of the village.

“Thank you.”

“Wait a minute.”

However, Rydal’s father grabbed Rembrary, who was about to go that way. Rembrary turned his head.

“Why?”

“Um, Rembrary. Actually, it was our family who told Rydal to come back.”

Rydal’s father mumbled with a troubled expression.

Rembrary turned back that way.

Rydal’s father scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.

“There are many paladins around here. I heard them talking. They said one of the Demon King summoning circles has been completed, right?”

As soon as he mentioned the words ‘Demon King summoning circle,’ Rydal’s father’s expression became serious.

“Rydal is now old enough to become a regular priest. They say that when the world becomes dangerous, regular priests are the first to go out and fight the demons.”

“Demon King summoning circle?”

Rembrary was bewildered by the story he was hearing for the first time and asked back.

Rydal’s parents’ expressions became even more determined.

“I guess they don’t even tell the children the truth.”

Rydal’s mother muttered in a shocked voice.

“Rydal won’t go out to fight right away even if monsters appear.”

Rembrary tried to defend the temple’s position for now.

“He won’t go out right away. But he will go out later.”

The oldest-looking of the siblings muttered coldly.

Rydal’s father spread his arms wide as if to protect his family and pulled everyone into his embrace.

“It may sound selfish, but I can’t help it. I want my child to be safe. Fighting the Demon King is the job of other great priests. We have to protect Rydal. He’s too young.”

Rembrary raised his eyebrows.

Now he knew why Rydal, who wanted to become a priest, had to leave crying.

“If you’re thinking of persuading Rydal, you should go back. If Rydal returns to the temple, it will be in a few years. I told Rydal to do that too.”

Rydal’s mother said in a sorry tone.

Rydal’s family was worried that Rembrary would snatch Rydal away and return to the temple right away.

“I’ll talk to Rydal.”

Rembrary smiled and refused their words.

There was no way Rembrary, who had come here without listening to the High Priest, would listen to Rydal’s family.

Just as Rydal’s father was about to say something.

“Rembrary.”

Rydal’s voice came from the second floor.

Rembrary looked up. Rydal was leaning out of the second-floor window.

The family’s expressions hardened.

“Rembrary, come up. Talk to me.”

Rydal’s family looked at Rembrary with anxious expressions.

Rembrary passed them and went up the stairs.

Rydal closed and locked the door as soon as Rembrary entered the room.

Rembrary saw that there were several beds in the room, which was much smaller than the temple lodging.

“Rembrary, you heard from my family, right…?”

A timid voice came from behind.

Rembrary didn’t know which one was Rydal’s bed, so he sat on the closest one.

“Yeah.”

Rydal leaned against the door and squatted down. It was a similar pose to when he was looking at the moon and talking about his training, but his expression was completely different.

“Are you going to stay here?”

At Rembrary’s question, Rydal frowned sullenly.

“My family… is very opposed to it.”

“Before, you decided to heal the paladin first between the paladin and the family, right?”

“The situation is different from then.”

“Why?”

“That was when I was borrowing your power. And it was a situation where saving the paladins could save more people.”

“You can save more people by being a priest.”

Rydal, who has defensive abilities, will be of great help to the believers.

Rembrary didn’t understand Rydal’s standards well.

“That time, I was choosing who to save, Rembrary. Now, I’m choosing whether to save my family or kill them, Rembrary. Do you understand the difference?”

“No.”

Rydal stared at Rembrary and asked.

“Rembrary, what would you do? What if your whole family begged you to come back, saying they would die without you?”

“My family wouldn’t do that.”

“But what if they did?”

“They wouldn’t do that.”

“But what if.”

“They’re not doing that.”

“……”

‘He can squeeze anger out of me no matter what emotion I’m in.’ Rydal was momentarily annoyed, but soon laughter leaked out like a balloon pricked by an awl.

“That’s right.”

Rembrary looked at Rydal and got up from the bed.

“The High Priest was right. This must be your choice too.”

Rydal seemed to want to say something but moved to sit next to him.

Rembrary opened the door and went out.

Rydal’s family, who had gathered at the bottom of the stairs, looked up at Rembrary with anxious expressions.

They were worried that Rembrary had changed Rydal’s mind.

“What did Rydal say?”

One of Rydal’s siblings asked cautiously.

Rembrary shrugged and just went outside.

“You’re already here?”

The paladins asked in surprise as Rembrary appeared not long after.