Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 891

◈ 891. Rembrary’s Invitation (11)

“What are you going to do?”

Shin Jo-woon asked, but Rembrary, instead of answering, opened the carriage door and stepped out.

He took two steps out of the carriage and looked ahead, seeing a group of priests blocking the road.

At first glance, they seemed a bit far from the carriage, but they were close enough that the carriage would collide with them before long if it kept going. It seemed the coachman had no choice but to stop the carriage.

Shin Jo-woon, Jang Tae-ri, and Ardor quickly followed him out of the carriage.

“They are indeed Kamuel priests,” Rembrary explained to Shin Jo-woon and Jang Tae-ri, then walked forward.

He walked to the horse leading the carriage, and three people from the Kamuel priests’ side approached as well.

“Are you High Priest Redrin?”

The Kamuel priest who walked at the front asked, and the coachman, who had been sitting without much thought, stared at Rembrary with wide eyes.

“How did you know?”

Rembrary asked without denying, and the coachman’s eyes widened even more.

Since Rembrary and his party had borrowed the carriage without revealing their identities, the coachman had no idea how important the people he was carrying were.

“We heard it from a believer who came from 23 Town.”

At the Kamuel priest’s explanation, Rembrary clicked his tongue.

“That fellow, has he become a heretic?”

“Pardon?”

“Is he the one with reddish-brown hair and a scar on his nose?”

“That’s right.”

Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon realized that the one who had informed the Kamuel priests about Rembrary was the coachman who had stolen the carriage and fled, and they frowned.

Ardor, in addition to that, was even more outraged to learn that the damn fellow had even changed his religion.

The Kamuel priests, seeing the expressions of the party accompanying the High Priest, realized that the one who had informed them about Redrin was not on good terms with them.

“Perhaps we have been rude.”

The Kamuel priest at the front asked, embarrassed. They didn’t know that the person who had given them the information had such bad intentions.

Rembrary waved his hand.

“It’s a bother, but it’s alright.”

“…We apologize.”

“But why did you suddenly block the road? Did that fellow ask you to block the road when we passed by?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

The Kamuel priest quickly waved both hands, not wanting to appear as if they had come with bad intentions.

“Then why?”

“We learned that High Priest Redrin was passing by our temple, so how could we just let you pass? We should properly welcome you. We just wanted to greet you, and we absolutely have no bad intentions.”

“Welcome?”

“Yes. As soon as we heard the news, we immediately started preparing to welcome the High Priest. Please stay for a day or two and rest.”

It was quite an appealing offer for travelers who had been moving busily for the past few days.

However, Rembrary had heard Jang Tae-ri’s repeated reminders that ‘we took a month off,’ so he couldn’t make a decision on his own and approached the group to ask.

“They say this, what should we do? Tae-ri, Anchovy [Shin Jo-woon’s nickname]. Is the time okay?”

“Uh… um…”

Jang Tae-ri also couldn’t answer easily. After the coachman raided Rembrary’s room, the group hadn’t been able to rest properly and had been constantly on the move. Of course, she wanted to rest well.

From a traveler’s point of view, she also wanted to experience the hospitality of the Kamuel Temple. But she was still worried about their schedule.

“What do you want to do?”

After much deliberation, Jang Tae-ri deferred the choice to Shin Jo-woon.

“Let’s go.”

Shin Jo-woon immediately agreed. As he was thoroughly searching for his enemy, focusing on the priests he encountered, there was nothing bad about it for him.

“Time. Will it be okay?”

“If we’re short on time, we can adjust it later.”

Rembrary listened to the two people’s conversation up to that point and then approached the Kamuel priest again and accepted the offer.

“Then I’ll rest for just one day. If the food is good, then two days.”

“It will suit your taste.”

The Kamuel priest was pleased and pointed to a path leading to the side.

“You can come this way.”

One of the priests even came forward and climbed onto the coachman’s seat to guide the way.

Jang Tae-ri suddenly felt uneasy at his proactive attitude, but she quietly got into the carriage for now.

* * *

While moving to the Kamuel Temple, Jang Tae-ri lowered her voice so that the coachman wouldn’t hear.

“Rembrary, is it possible that this invitation is a trap?”

“A trap?”

“We arrive at the Kamuel Temple, and the enemies are waiting there, and when we appear, they attack us all at once.”

The answer she expected was ‘no.’ But Rembrary paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and replied.

“It’s okay. Ardor is good at handling things like that.”

Ardor quickly nodded and shouted.

“Of course!”

Jang Tae-ri clasped her hands together tightly and asked anxiously.

“So… there’s a possibility of being attacked?”

“Yes.”

“Are the different religions on very bad terms? Enough to attack each other?”

The uneasiness that Jang Tae-ri had felt momentarily earlier still bothered her. Even if a feast came out in this situation, would she be able to taste it properly?

“It wasn’t like this before the Demon King invaded. But after the Demon King invaded, people’s vigilance has generally increased.”

“Is it okay to go then?”

Ardor muttered in a small voice, “Why are you saying that now,” but when Shin Jo-woon stepped on his foot, he bared his teeth at him.

“I promised Mors.”

Jang Tae-ri nodded and then suppressed her anxiety inside.

However, contrary to Jang Tae-ri’s worries, the Kamuel Temple that they arrived at was a very bright and lively place.

The priests were each busily moving around and working, and the occasional believers had devout expressions.

It didn’t look like a temple preparing for an ambush at all.

“It looks okay. It doesn’t seem like hidden assassins will pop out.”

Jang Tae-ri muttered in relief, but when the window connected to the coachman’s seat opened and the Kamuel priest brightly shouted, “We’ve arrived!” she quickly shut her mouth.

The carriage soon stopped, and the Kamuel priest who had been waiting opened the door himself. Rembrary got out of the carriage first.

The Kamuel priests standing around the carriage smiled brightly and greeted Rembrary and his party as they came out.

Jang Tae-ri had even prepared to use her abilities in case of an emergency, but she smiled awkwardly at the priests’ happy expressions.

Shin Jo-woon had been wearing his usual smile from the beginning. Only Ardor didn’t let go of his grim expression despite the welcome.

“High Priest Redrin. Thank you so much for coming all the way here. I am Jimel, the high priest in charge of this temple.”

However, Shin Jo-woon was only wearing a superficially friendly smile, and his mind was busy with completely different thoughts.

He was paying attention to the fact that the attire of the one who introduced himself as the Kamuel high priest was slightly different from that of the ordinary Kamuel priests.

‘Even if they belong to the same temple, the priest robes have different designs for each rank. Then, even if the enemy I saw wasn’t wearing the attire of ordinary Kamuel priests, I can’t be sure that he’s not a Kamuel priest.’

The priest in charge felt burdened by the fact that the High Priest’s party kept looking at his clothes, but he pretended not to notice and kindly suggested.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to host Rembrary. I want to serve you the prepared food as soon as possible, but you must be tired from traveling for so long. Would you like to rest first?”

Rembrary and his party decided to take a rest first as recommended.

The Kamuel priests told the party to follow them, saying that they would guide them to the prepared rooms.

It seemed that they had really prepared all sorts of things, as if they were worried that Rembrary would refuse the invitation.

‘Isn’t this a bit strange too?’ Jang Tae-ri’s suspicion, which had eased with the welcome, began to sound alarms again.

Then, Jang Tae-ri noticed that Shin Jo-woon wasn’t among the party and looked back.

Shin Jo-woon was walking at the very back. Moreover, he was even talking to the Kamuel priest next to him with a business smile.

He didn’t even notice that Rembrary was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

‘Was it a good thing to come here?’ Jang Tae-ri suddenly felt sorry for Rembrary for some reason and quickly shook her head.

* * *

The rooms that the party was guided to had a structure where two doors faced each other in the hallway. There were exactly four. It seemed that they had heard in advance from the coachman how many people were in the party.

The party rested for about three hours each, and then followed the person sent by the high priest to the dining hall for dinner.

There were already many Kamuel priests gathered in the dining hall, and everyone stood up at the same time when Rembrary entered.

Jang Tae-ri clicked her tongue as she watched them politely greet him in unison.

‘I heard that the Kamuel priests hate Rembrary. If they treat him this well even though they hate him, how well do they treat him when they like him?’

Rembrary, who was guided to the head seat again, sat down without showing any embarrassment.

On the table, there were various dishes prepared, from meat dishes with a glossy strawberry-colored sauce flowing over them to vegetables with a strong fruity scent, noodle dishes cooked in various ways, and soups with clear and beautiful colors.

The dishes in large bowls were arranged from the center of the table, and if you asked the apprentice priests waiting in the back, they would put the dishes on plates and bring them to you.

Before coming to the Kamuel Temple, Jang Tae-ri had worried, ‘What if poison comes out in the food?’ But after coming, it seemed that it was fortunately impossible.

Jang Tae-ri was relieved and started eating the meat dish with jam-like spread on it.

Moreover, contrary to expectations, the Kamuel priests didn’t say anything sarcastic to Rembrary or say anything bad.

Even Ardor, who had a sullen expression, later even said a word or two to the Kamuel priests sitting next to him.

The atmosphere changed when the meal was almost over. The high priest, who was said to be in charge, spoke to Rembrary with difficulty.

“High Priest, um… if it’s okay with you, there’s something I’d like to say to you separately.”

Ardor, who seemed to be distracted, immediately turned his gaze to him.

“Say it here.”

Ardor warned sharply, and the Kamuel priests around him frowned.

It seemed that they were displeased that the High Priest’s companion was treating their high priest rudely, even though he wasn’t the High Priest himself.

Rembrary put down his fork and asked.

“Is it something you have to say where my companions aren’t present?”

The priest in charge hesitated and then said so quietly that others couldn’t hear.

“It’s the opposite.”

It was an answer that Rembrary didn’t expect either.

“Then I’ll have to talk to you separately.”

Rembrary got up from his seat.

“I’ll follow you.”

Ardor immediately got up as well, but Rembrary waved his hand, saying it was okay.

The priest in charge didn’t mean to say that he should come out while eating right away.

However, when Rembrary seemed to want to proceed with things right away, he moved with Rembrary to a small prayer room connected to the dining hall with a grateful heart.

Inside the prayer room, there was a large statue made in the image of Kamuel. The priest in charge closed the door and looked up at the statue with a heavy heart.

“Is what you want to say to me a story related to Kamuel?”

Rembrary asked first, recalling what Mors had said before, as the priest in charge showed a hesitant attitude even after coming this far.

“The problem that you can’t contact Kamuel?”

The priest in charge stared at Rembrary with wide eyes.

“How did you know that, Rembrary…?”