Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 857

◈ 857. Disparity

“Converse? You? With Lumena? Me?”

Rabsus’s voice grew louder.

The other Lumena priests also exchanged confused glances.

“Not often.”

Rembrary answered calmly again.

Rabsus’s eyes trembled at those words, and he let out a hollow laugh.

“Not often, but sometimes you converse? You? With Lumena?”

“Right?”

Rembrary soon lost interest in the topic and put bread in his mouth.

“Is there jam?”

Rabsus stared at Rembrary, who was looking for jam, with a frosty expression. The Lumena priests’ expressions also darkened.

Lumena was known among the gods for communicating the most with her priests. Yet, even they found it difficult to converse with Lumena.

However, with those few conversations, the Lumena priests lived with warm memories and love.

But the High Priest of another god ‘sometimes converses’? Not ‘conversed once,’ but ‘sometimes converses’?

Kentrell pretended to wipe his mouth with a handkerchief, surveying the Lumena priests sitting around him.

‘It’s incredibly tense.’

Unlike Rembrary, Kentrell immediately grasped the atmosphere and called Rembrary in a small voice.

“Rembrary, Rembrary.”

“What is it?”

“Shall we go out for a moment? I need to use the restroom, but come with me. I don’t know the way.”

He was planning to take Rembrary aside and tell him it would be better not to talk about Lumena.

However, Rembrary didn’t catch Kentrell’s signal.

“Could you guide my friend to the restroom?”

Rembrary instead called a nearby Lumena paladin for Kentrell’s sake.

‘No. I don’t really want to go to the restroom.’ Kentrell was flustered, and his face turned red.

However, if he insisted to Rembrary that ‘you must come with me,’ it would be noticeably strange.

“Thank you…….”

Kentrell had no choice but to follow the Lumena paladin out of the dining hall.

When he returned to the dining hall later, the atmosphere had become even more tense.

Rabsus was now standing up and shouting at Rembrary.

“What are you! What are you to converse with Lumena! You’re not a Lumena priest!”

Kentrell didn’t have the courage to return to his seat next to Rembrary, so he fidgeted anxiously at the doorway.

“There’s no law that only Lumena priests can converse with Lumena, is there?”

Amidst the Redrin paladins also freezing up, Rembrary alone was calm.

Holding a jam-covered bread in his hand, he seemed to not understand Rabsus’s anger at all, his eyes wide.

“You……. You……. You…….”

Rabsus was so angry that he couldn’t even string words together properly.

Kentrell bit his lip. ‘That Lumena High Priest seems to get angrier the more he talks to Rembrary. Should I step in?’

“I can only understand if you speak.”

‘No. It’s no use even if I step in.’ Kentrell quickly gave up and went out the door.

As soon as he gently closed the door, a thunderous shout was heard from inside.

“Why did you come! Go back! Go back to your temple!”

* * *

“I’m disappointed in you, Rabsus!”

Rabsus had never seen the Highest Priest so angry before.

The Highest Priest was, strictly speaking, of a cold disposition, so even when angry, he didn’t raise his voice much.

Instead, he would calmly point out each fault.

However, the Highest Priest now had a more angry expression than ever before.

“But you heard it too, High Priest. That child……!”

“Did nothing wrong.”

Rabsus bit his lip. That’s right. Rembrary didn’t do anything wrong. But…….

“He was annoying.”

“A very appropriate reason. If you tell the believers, ‘The Lumena Temple’s High Priest yells even during meals when annoyed,’ everyone will generously understand.”

Rabsus barely held back his tears.

He was so angry earlier that it was hard to bear, but listening to the Highest Priest made him feel like he was a terrible person, which was painful.

“The reason you’re annoyed by that child’s words is because you are inferior to that child.”

“No!”

“That’s right. If you were superior to that child, you would have laughed it off even if that child brought up Lumena.”

As the Highest Priest continued to speak with dagger-like words, Rabsus eventually couldn’t bear it and cried.

“Innate talent can’t be helped, but revealed character can be cultivated. If you can’t become a High Priest stronger than that child, strive to become a High Priest more like a High Priest than that child.”

Rabsus was shocked and stared blankly at the Highest Priest.

The Highest Priest had always told him to become the youngest High Priest, to be the most outstanding High Priest, or not to fall behind Rembrary.

But now he says, ‘Talent can’t be helped.’ As if even the Highest Priest now acknowledges that he is behind Rembrary.

“What do you mean……?”

“I won’t make unreasonable demands of you.”

“Are you saying I’m falling behind Rembrary?”

“…….”

“Are you really saying that?”

The Highest Priest sighed and went outside.

Rabsus looked at the closing door while crying.

Even if Rembrary’s name was heard across the continent, he could have overcome it.

He just had to pretend not to hear, pretend nothing was heard, and live his best. It was definitely like that until this morning.

But why did that Rembrary have to come here?

* * *

The Redrin paladins couldn’t stay long in the Eastern Continent either and had to leave the Great Temple.

It wasn’t because they received an expulsion order like at the Iira Great Temple, nor was it because there was no one to meet like at the Kamuel Great Temple.

It was because they themselves were conscious of it.

The child who was being educated with all his might to become the next High Priest at the Lumena Great Temple was visibly stressed every time he saw Rembrary, so they couldn’t bear to stay long.

“That child will have a hard time, won’t he?”

The Redrin paladins packed their bags and whispered among themselves as they left the Lumena Great Temple.

“He was the youngest High Priest. Before Rembrary became famous, he was praised as the best talent. But suddenly…….”

“Maybe the Lumena Temple should put an age limit.”

“I know, right? Rembrary is just ridiculous; it’s not that the child’s talent is lacking. He seems to be under a lot of pressure.”

The Redrin paladins glanced at Rembrary, who was sitting comfortably on his horse, without realizing it.

“It’s fortunate that Rembrary is a member of our temple.”

Someone whispered as they watched the scene. The paladins quickly nodded in agreement.

* * *

The Redrin paladins talked about Rabsus and Rembrary all the way back to the Southern Continent.

They talked about the feelings that one of two geniuses in the same generation might feel when they are slightly less talented, and the anticipation that this crisis of the Demon King’s invasion could be overcome because there are two such talented geniuses.

On the other hand, Rembrary thought about the Inquisitors.

Although not outwardly, he was constantly discussing the issue with Redrin as well.

‘To find out what the Iira High Priest did to Sir Cheru, it seems better to become an Inquisitor. I originally intended to live as an Inquisitor anyway, but now that life has become more necessary.’

Rembrary knew that his ability to wield divine power was gradually improving.

However, growth was only possible if he tried to use it in some way. If he did nothing, he wouldn’t even get a chance to grow.

So, to find out the real truth from the Iira High Priest, it seemed necessary to refine his abilities in more diverse ways while living as an Inquisitor.

However, when Rembrary told this story upon arriving at the Great Temple, the Highest Priest and the Secretary Priests couldn’t answer, looking perplexed.

“Why?”

When he asked because their reaction was strange, the Highest Priest explained seriously.

While Rembrary was away, the Great Temple priests had discussed teaching Rembrary the duties of the High Priest more earnestly if he returned safely.

The Redrin Temple tried to educate the children as fairly as possible within the limits of what was possible, but now was a dangerous time.

And Rembrary was already a towering presence on his own.

Now that Rydal had left the temple and hadn’t regained as much divine power as before, the only person who could be compared to Rembrary was Rabsus, a High Priest of the Lumena Temple.

Even that Rabsus was considered inferior to Rembrary by the world.

Therefore, the Great Temple priests thought it would be better to prepare in advance so that Rembrary could immediately become the center of the Redrin Temple without a training period when he became the High Priest.

“I see. But I want to be an Inquisitor.”

However, even after hearing this explanation, Rembrary stubbornly insisted.

“Is there a reason why you must become an Inquisitor?”

The Highest Priest asked, worried.

No High Priest had ever come from the Inquisitors.

The Highest Priest was concerned that Rembrary might fall away from the position of High Priest if he became an Inquisitor.

“I promised to.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“This is the most important reason.”

The priests looked at each other with worried eyes.

And that night, while Rembrary was resting in his room after a long journey, the Redrin priests searched through all sorts of laws and customs.

The next morning, when Rembrary came down to the dining hall for a meal, the Highest Priest informed Rembrary with a pleased expression.

“Rembrary, unfortunately, you can only become an Inquisitor from the age of sixteen.”

“You didn’t say that yesterday?”

“But there is such a record.”

“…….”

* * *

It was one day when Rembrary was preparing to become the High Priest and living as a High Priest.

As always, it was time to take the divine power test again.

And as always, Rembrary purified the monster’s blood in an instant this time as well. Now it was such a natural result that no one was surprised.

“Doesn’t it seem like the speed has gotten a bit faster?”

“It’s purified in the blink of an eye; is there anything faster than that?”

The priests whispered, admiring the clear water that Rembrary had created.

Rembrary also came out of the test room calmly, without any excited expression.

In front of the test room, Kentrell was anxiously shifting his posture while waiting for his turn.

Kentrell sighed as soon as he saw Rembrary.

“I don’t know why I’m next after you again.”

“Do well.”

“I want to do well too.”

Kentrell muttered and went into the test room. Although he was grumbling, his steps were firm.

Rembrary ate the chocolate that a believer had given him while waiting for Kentrell to take the test and come out.

But just as he had eaten about two pieces, a scream of “Waaaaah!” erupted from inside.

Soon, Kentrell came running out, jumping up and down, beyond the archway.

“Rembrary, Rembrary! Me, the effect of suffering and traveling the continent with you has appeared!”

Kentrell came up to Rembrary, grabbed his shoulders, and shouted 부담스럽게 [in a burdensome way].

Even though Rembrary was staring blankly, Kentrell pointed to the test site with a bright expression.

“The Highest Priest said that if I can purify the monster’s blood a little bit more clearly here, just a little bit, I can become a High Priest!”

“Congratulations!”

Only then did Rembrary smile brightly and jump up and down with him.

Kentrell was so happy that he couldn’t say anything more and just kept laughing but belatedly noticed that one person was missing and asked.

“Where’s Rydal?”