Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 864

◈ 864. What on Earth Is Going On?

“I didn’t tell you, did I? Why didn’t I?”

The secretary priest, looking embarrassed, darted his eyes around before subtly getting up.

“Where are you going?”

“I have some forgotten documents over there.”

As the secretary priest slinked away, Rembrary propped his chin up and stared intently at the map.

‘He’s going here.’

* * *

“Rembrary! You know Lydaal is leaving today, right?”

A few days later, Kent approached Rembrary as he was eating dry bread in the dining hall. He was holding a colorful package.

When Rembrary looked up, Kent pointed to the door with the package.

“Let’s go see him off.”

Rembrary tore the bread into two pieces and shook his head.

“I’m okay. You go alone, Kent.”

“What? Why?”

Kent widened his eyes and moved closer.

“It looks like you’re almost done eating.”

“I’m going to eat more.”

“You guys really fought…….”

“No, we didn’t.”

As Rembrary picked up his plate and stood up, Kent hesitated and turned away.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go together? If you’re going to reconcile, now would be a good time.”

The secretary priest, who had seen the whole situation from the side, subtly chimed in.

“I told you, they didn’t fight.”

* * *

After loading five large suitcases, the carriage became cramped. Lydaal held a small bag to his side and looked at Kent for the last time.

“Are you really leaving?”

Kent asked with a heavy expression.

“Yeah. It’s better this way.”

Lydaal patted Kent’s shoulder and quickly looked around.

“Rembrary is busy with something.”

Kent realized who Lydaal was looking for and told a white lie without realizing it.

“Ah. I see.”

Lydaal smiled as if he didn’t mind and got into the carriage. Kent closed the carriage door for him.

“I’ll write.”

Lydaal immediately lowered the window and waved.

Kent wanted to ask Lydaal, ‘Didn’t you guys really fight?’ but instead, he just nodded.

Since Lydaal was now going to the western continent, they would hardly see each other.

How many more times would they see each other? Maybe they would never see each other again.

“Goodbye.”

Soon, the carriage began to move towards the main gate of the Great Temple. The horse walked slowly, and the coachman didn’t rush.

What on earth happened between those two? They were getting along so well when they came back from the northern continent, weren’t they?

Kent shook his head as he watched the carriage move away, then widened his eyes as he saw Rembrary standing on the roof of the Great Temple.

How did he get up there?!

* * *

Rembrary sat on the edge of the roof, looking down at the carriage. Since the carriage started moving, Lydaal hadn’t stuck his head out of the window.

When he was young, he used to stick his head out of the window often when he rode in a carriage, but it seems he doesn’t do that anymore.

The crunching sound of the snack echoed in his ears with every bite.

Rembrary recalled a festival in a strange village where he shared delicious food with Lydaal.

“Farewell, Lydaal. May the blessings of God be with you.”

* * *

In the end, Rembrary… isn’t going to approach me first.

As the carriage completely left the Great Temple grounds, Lydaal opened the window and stuck his head out.

The cool breeze messed up his hair, but Lydaal rested his chin on the windowsill and looked at the receding Great Temple building.

The carriage traveled for three hours before stopping in a village.

The coachman left the horse at the inn to rest, and Lydaal wandered around the village, sightseeing.

Then, as he was passing through a narrow alleyway, he heard a voice from between the narrow reddish-brown bricks.

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

It was a boastful tone.

Lydaal looked to the side. He saw a familiar face at the end of the narrow alleyway.

“Jiremi?”

Lydaal muttered, and Jiremi, who had been looking the other way, turned his head.

The two made eye contact across the narrow alleyway, where it seemed difficult for people to pass.

Lydaal walked around the block to where Jiremi was. Jiremi was sitting on a square bag.

When Lydaal stopped at the edge of the open space and the alleyway, Jiremi scoffed and asked again.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Rembrary doesn’t consider you a friend. You’re just familiar to him among the people who chase after him.”

Lydaal looked around. There was no one passing by.

Instead of asking, ‘Why are you here?’ Lydaal nodded.

“Some of what you say is true. Definitely. My friendship with Rembrary is different.”

“Not some, all of it is true.”

Jiremi stood up and took three steps closer. He seemed sharper than when they had met in the northern continent.

“But why are you here? You’re Rembrary’s friend, but I run into you more often?”

When Lydaal asked, the corners of Jiremi’s mouth twisted upwards.

“Don’t you want revenge?”

“Revenge?”

“Isn’t it partly Rembrary’s fault that you ended up like this?”

“…….”

“When you left the temple. What if he hadn’t come to get you? You would have regretted it. But you wouldn’t have been in despair. Wouldn’t you have lived with your family with glorious memories for the rest of your life?”

“!”

“But what happened when you came back with Rembrary? You couldn’t even be with your family, and you watched your glory shatter over the years. People don’t think you’re great anymore. They pity you.”

Jiremi’s voice gradually became subtle and low.

Lydaal sighed.

Jiremi raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.

“It’s not your fault. He’s always like that. He thinks he’s the only one who’s great. He doesn’t see people as equal to himself.”

“What are you talking about? Why is that Rembrary’s fault?”

However, the tired voice that came out of Lydaal’s mouth was not the direction Jiremi had expected.

“It was my choice to leave the temple and to return to the temple. Why is it Rembrary’s fault that I’m not performing as well as I used to because I’m lacking?”

“!”

Jiremi widened his eyes for a moment. He had thought that Lydaal completely agreed with him after seeing him leave the temple.

“Don’t lie. If you don’t resent Rembrary, why are you leaving the Great Temple? Isn’t being in the Great Temple the most glorious position for priests?”

For some reason, he was angry. He had thought that Lydaal would completely sympathize with him, but he felt twisted inside when he reacted like that.

“The reason I decided to leave isn’t because I hate Rembrary. It’s not because I’m angry either. It’s because I admitted that staying in the Great Temple and only looking at the past wasn’t helping me. I’m trying to pull myself together in a new environment.”

Jiremi kicked the luggage bag he had set down.

“Liar!”

The bag rolled and hit the wall with a thud.

“Do you know why I tried to use you?”

“…….”

“You didn’t tell anyone that you received my letters. And you kept receiving them.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you remain silent because you had the same feelings as me?”

Lydaal didn’t waver even under Jiremi’s questioning. Lydaal calmly shook his head.

“The reason I received your letters is because you seemed to be having a hard time.”

“!”

“I thought you would feel better if you vented your anger like this. You were a follower of Redrin before you went astray, and I am a priest of Redrin.”

Lydaal saw Jiremi’s pupils shaking greatly.

But soon, Jiremi’s expression turned sinister, and he looked at him as if he hated him.

He didn’t want to get involved with black magicians either. He wanted to live a normal life at home, study like Yurishi, and live as a holy knight.

He had just been cornered and cornered until he became like this.

And yet, he was acting so high and mighty… even though he was abandoned just like him!

“I’m leaving.”

Lydaal turned around as he saw Jiremi’s collapsing expression.

The moment he entered the alleyway, Lydaal heard the sound of a pile of papers being torn behind him.

Soon, a hot pain surged. He grabbed his stomach and staggered back, but he fell before he could see Jiremi.

Jiremi lowered the blood-stained knife.

“You’re useless.”

Jiremi grabbed Lydaal’s shoulders and dragged him away.

He went to a nearby house with a back door leading to the alleyway and knocked. The door opened from the inside.

Jiremi dragged Lydaal inside and closed the door with his foot.

As he passed through the hallway, he saw a black magician standing in a reception room with no furniture.

“Looks like something went wrong.”

The black magician managed to speak first, even as he drew a magic circle on the floor of the reception room with white chalk.

“Yeah.”

“It’s better when they join with a sound mind. What a pity.”

Jiremi dragged Lydaal to the reception room and laid him down.

“Even the shell will be helpful. He was the closest to Rembrary, after all. Should I put him in the center of that magic circle?”

“Not yet. I’m still drawing it. This magic circle is particularly complicated.”

* * *

Rembrary lay on the sofa, reading a book about the vice priests of Iira.

It wasn’t interesting at all, but he still didn’t know why Jiremi had tried to give him this book.

So he had to keep looking until something appeared.

However, the flapping sound coming from inside the drawer distracted Rembrary.

‘What’s that sound?’

There shouldn’t be such a sound coming from the drawer. Rembrary got up and walked to the drawer.

When he pulled the drawer open, the only feather left, which he had been trying to keep as a memento, was flying around the drawer on its own.

The feather soared as soon as the door opened and flew to the doorway on its own.

But when the door closed, making it difficult to get out, the feather knocked on the door as if asking to be opened.

The feather, which used to only move when divine power was infused into it, was now flying somewhere on its own.

‘Redrin? Why is this feather doing this?’

When Rembrary stared blankly, the feather pricked his hand wildly as if scolding him.

When Rembrary opened the door, the feather immediately went outside.

But when Rembrary didn’t follow, the feather, which had been flying down the hallway, returned and flew around Rembrary.

The feather’s meaning was clear.

Follow me.

* * *

“It’s done.”

The black magician, having completed the summoning circle, put down the chalk and pounded his shoulder with his fist.

Jiremi, who had been dozing off on a one-person sofa, woke up.

The white magic circle, which had been complicated even when he had first arrived home, was now so twisted that it was difficult to even trace.

“Put that kid you brought earlier in the center of here. Then you can make him a puppet.”

As the black magician instructed, Jiremi grabbed the fallen Lydaal and lifted him up.

But just before placing Lydaal in the center, a loud sound like a door falling came from outside.

“What’s that sound?”

The black magician frowned and turned his head.

“I’ll go see.”

Jiremi went out the door.

As Jiremi walked, wondering who it could be, he unknowingly knelt down due to a strong pressure that weighed down on his entire body.

He felt a sense of terror as if his body was falling from a high cliff.

Jiremi gasped for breath and looked at the doorway. What on earth is going on?