Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 845

845. The Person Rembrary Believes In

Unable to find a way down the cliff, the group eventually descended the mountain.

The innkeeper acted as if he knew it all along.

“Wherever the priests were kidnapped, it wouldn’t be inside there. If they were taken to that cliff, they wouldn’t need them alive.”

The highest-ranking priest frowned, displeased by the innkeeper’s words. The secretary priest also cleared his throat, but the innkeeper didn’t seem to notice the tense atmosphere.

“It’s raining. Shall I bring you some warm soup?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

The highest-ranking priest answered more curtly than usual and headed upstairs, followed by the other priests.

Rembrary lingered behind, busily ordering soup, potato dishes, ice cream, pancakes, strawberry cake, cream cake, and a variety of other treats from the innkeeper.

The innkeeper eagerly wrote down the menu Rembrary called out.

“Which room should I bring this to?”

“The front room at the very end.”

However, just as he finished ordering and was about to go upstairs, the door burst open with a loud thud.

“Rembrary!”

Hearing his name, Rembrary took out a silver coin, handed it to the innkeeper, and turned around.

“Jeremy?”

Rembrary muttered.

As the familiar boy, Jeremy, standing in the doorway walked rapidly towards Rembrary, Ridal instinctively stepped in front of him.

However, the boy went around Ridal, opened his arms wide, hugged Rembrary tightly, and patted him on the back.

“I finally found you.”

Ridal blinked. Is he a friend?

* * *

Rembrary, Ridal, and Jeremy ended up in the same room.

Ridal didn’t know who Jeremy was, so he quietly sat on the bed, while Jeremy and Rembrary sat facing each other.

“How have you been?”

After settling down, Jeremy asked in a bright voice. Rembrary nodded.

‘They must be very close.’ Watching their casual interaction, Ridal was surprised. ‘Rembrary has a normal friend who isn’t a priest.’

“I’ve been doing well. You must be heartbroken that your parents are in prison.”

“Pfft!”

Ridal spat out the cocoa he was drinking onto the blanket. He was amazed that Rembrary had a friend, but then he starts picking a fight.

Ridal subtly examined Jeremy. The corners of his lips were raised, but there was a twitch in his mouth.

…’Maybe they’re not friends after all. Maybe he’s a nobleman’s son who had no choice but to follow Rembrary because he’s a prince.’

Ridal grabbed a tissue and carefully wiped the cocoa off the blanket.

“It’s because of you that they went there.”

“!”

Ridal ended up spilling the rest of the cocoa. Jeremy looked at Rembrary with a bewildered expression.

Rembrary, even in this situation, was calmly drinking orange juice.

“Is that my fault?”

Ridal knew that Rembrary was terribly indifferent to some things, but this time, he thought Rembrary was being a bit too insensitive.

“Isn’t it Duke Ladderun’s own fault?”

That’s when Ridal realized who Jeremy’s father was.

Duke Ladderun is the duke who sent an assassin after Rembrary, right? Ridal’s mouth fell open.

‘Why is Rembrary talking to someone like that face to face?’

No, why is Jeremy so happy to see Rembrary when his father sent an assassin to kill him? Ridal was completely confused.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Soon, even more confusing words followed.

“Rembrary, please help me. I want to find evidence that my father has nothing to do with black magicians.”

* * *

As Rembrary began to pack his things, Jeremy said he needed to buy some supplies and went out.

Ridal approached Rembrary, who was looking inside his bag, and asked anxiously.

“Rembrary, isn’t this a bit dangerous?”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. He’s the son of the person who tried to assassinate you. But he’s asking you for help… it’s strange.”

“Still, let’s go for now.”

However, unlike the anxious Ridal, Rembrary seemed unconcerned.

“I’m telling you, it’s dangerous!”

Ridal tried to dissuade him again, but Rembrary picked up the tightly packed bag and stood up.

“You never know unless you go.”

“Do you… do you trust him?”

“I trust myself.”

Rembrary smiled and went straight out the door.

Jeremy was leaning against the wall in the hallway, and when the door opened, he approached with a relieved expression.

“Let’s go.”

Before leaving, Jeremy glanced at Ridal with a strange look. Ridal couldn’t understand what it meant.

* * *

‘I’m still uneasy.’ Ridal watched Rembrary and Jeremy walk away through the window, and unable to bear it any longer, he went out into the hallway.

He was going to tell the highest-ranking priest about this.

If the highest-ranking priest stopped him, even Rembrary would listen. Or they could all move together.

However, after walking a few steps into the hallway, Ridal suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Before the child fell and made a loud noise, a black magician grabbed Ridal.

“Someone used black magic!”

When the paladins sensed an ominous energy and rushed out into the hallway, the black magician had already disappeared.

“Where are the children?”

The priests, just in case, rushed to the room that Rembrary and Ridal shared.

Ridal was lying on the bed. Rembrary was nowhere to be seen.

“Ridal, are you asleep?”

He seemed to be asleep, but just in case, they woke the child, and Ridal slowly opened his eyes.

“Huh…?”

Ridal looked at the priests with a confused expression, then exclaimed in surprise.

“Rembrary!”

“Rembrary?”

“Rembrary went somewhere with Duke Ladderun’s son. I was worried, so I was going to call the highest-ranking priest, but I don’t remember anything after that!”

“What?!”

Several priests rushed out.

“What time is it?”

The secretary priest asked urgently. Ridal checked the time.

“Ten… twenty… minutes… I think.”

The secretary priest muttered curses and went out into the hallway. Ridal looked like he was about to cry, feeling like it was his fault.

At that moment, a priest looked at the desk and shouted.

“Rembrary left something behind!”

* * *

Meanwhile, Rembrary and Jeremy were walking in the opposite direction from the ‘Cliff of the Departed.’

Jeremy kept glancing at Rembrary, worried he might run away. But Rembrary was just yawning and taking his time.

That leisurely attitude irritated Jeremy even more.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Almost at their destination, Jeremy couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t.”

Rembrary finally looked at Jeremy and answered immediately.

‘If it were Yurie, he would have pretended to be sorry even if he wasn’t.’ But Rembrary didn’t show even a hint of remorse.

Jeremy’s resentment deepened, but he held back and asked.

“Don’t you feel like apologizing?”

“Should I? I have nothing to apologize for.”

“Don’t you feel sorry for me at all? Not even a tiny bit?”

Rembrary suddenly stopped. Jeremy stopped and looked back. Rembrary was looking at him with a strange expression.

“You. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

Jeremy flinched at the words. ‘Is he asking about the kidnapping?’ The child’s conscience wavered for a moment.

At that moment, the sound of a large bird flying away was heard. Jeremy realized that they had almost reached their destination.

The cave that the black magician told him to bring Rembrary to was visible. Jeremy muttered as he moved towards it.

“My parents went to prison because of you.”

* * *

“It’s there.”

Arriving in front of the cave, Jeremy pointed inside.

The cave, which looked ordinary on the outside, had almost no light coming in, so the inside was completely dark.

However, Rembrary could brighten the surroundings with his divine power, so he strode inside.

Jeremy was worried that Rembrary might change his mind, so he quickly followed.

But as Rembrary trusted him and walked without hesitation, his heart wavered slightly again.

“You know.”

Walking while listening to the sound of footsteps echoing in the cave, Jeremy couldn’t help but ask.

“If I apologize to you, will you accept it?”

“I would have accepted it.”

“Then will you apologize to my parents too?”

Rembrary thought Jeremy was very strange. ‘Why does he keep asking me to apologize? Should I be sorry for not dying at the hands of an assassin?’

“No.”

“…….”

While they were talking, a black lake appeared in the middle of the cave.

It was a lake where the water appeared to be a deep black, whether the water was really black or because the surroundings were dark.

Rembrary approached the lake and looked down. He felt a strong, unpleasant energy emanating from the lake.

When he channeled divine power, the water around the lake rippled for a moment, but then calmed down again. Rembrary bent down to see more closely.

“Rembrary, I’m glad you’re accepting my apology.”

Jeremy muttered from behind.

‘That kid only talks about apologies all day long.’ Rembrary thought as he reached out towards the lake.

“I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Jeremy pushed Rembrary hard in the back.

Rembrary felt his body tilting and his vision blurring.

Jeremy quickly stepped back. All sorts of emotions surged through him at the same time.

And before he could even understand what those emotions were, Rembrary quickly drew his sword, turned his body, and quickly regained his balance.

Jeremy also drew his sword. Rembrary ran straight at him with his sword, and Jeremy quickly swung his sword at Rembrary.

Even when they lived in the palace, the two used to practice swordsmanship.

That wasn’t the case then, but both Rembrary and Jeremy knew that each other was talented in swordsmanship.

The sharp metallic sound of swords colliding echoed throughout the cave.

Then, as they pushed each other’s swords away and stood at a distance, Jeremy asked in confusion.

“Why aren’t you surprised?”

He hadn’t noticed because he was fighting, but when he stood at a distance, Rembrary’s expression was no different from usual.

“I knew you would do this.”

Rembrary answered casually.

Jeremy was shocked by that calm reaction. ‘Did he know that I would push him, that I would betray him?’

“Don’t bluff!”

Instead of answering, Rembrary took something out of his pocket and threw it somewhere.

It looked like a leaf at first glance, but it soon emitted a white light and flew like an arrow to the cave wall, passing through it and disappearing.

Before Jeremy could be surprised by that sight, the section of the wall that the light had passed through disappeared entirely.

No, to be exact, the curtain-like illusion that was disguised as a wall disappeared.

When the illusion disappeared, numerous priests lying down inside were visible.

“You… you…!”

Jeremy was speechless. ‘It’s not a bluff? Did he really follow me knowing that I would betray him?’

When their eyes met, Rembrary smiled like he did when they were childhood friends and said.

“I figured I would find out where the priests are if I followed you.”

Jeremy felt a tearing sense of betrayal.

The numerous conflicts and anxieties he felt while bringing Rembrary here, and the intense regret and heartbreak he felt after pushing Rembrary into the lake, were all for nothing from the beginning.

“You… you never trusted me, not even once.”

Rembrary was already running towards the priests and wasn’t even nearby.

Jeremy gritted his teeth and raised his sword.