Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 893

◈ 893. Rembrary’s Invitation (13)

Although Jang Tae-ri arrived near the commotion, she didn’t immediately reveal herself. She leaned against a wall, listening to the people’s conversation for a moment.

“Get a grip! Get a grip!”

“That crazy Redrin priest! What on earth is he doing!”

“A doctor? Get a doctor, quick!”

A group of people were cursing someone while urgently seeking a doctor.

‘Are they cursing at Ardor?’

However, Jang Tae-ri wasn’t the only one who came upon hearing the commotion. The people who had been shouting curses suddenly yelled, “Sir Jimel!”

It seemed Jimel, the person in charge of this temple, had appeared from a different direction than Jang Tae-ri.

“No, what on earth is going on?”

“I don’t know. First, that person with the strange clothes started saying ridiculous things, and then that crazy guy appeared and attacked Paul!”

Having heard this much, Jang Tae-ri vaguely grasped the situation.

‘Jo Un found the culprit who wrote the insulting note, and then Ardor appeared and shot him with a gun, it seems.’

However, she couldn’t just stand here figuring out the situation. Even with Jimel’s appearance, the commotion continued to grow, and the people’s voices became increasingly harsh.

Jang Tae-ri thought she should sort out the situation, so she walked out from around the corner.

However, before Jang Tae-ri could step forward, Shin Jo Un spoke first.

“It’s true that Ardor attacked that person. But I wasn’t saying ridiculous things. The priest whom Ardor shot handed a piece of paper filled with insults to Rembrary first.”

“That’s absurd!”

As soon as Shin Jo Un’s explanation ended, another priest shouted vehemently.

“Right. It must sound absurd to you too.”

Shin Jo Un agreed with the outburst, sneering.

The priest who had shouted became even more distorted and retorted.

“Sir Jimel, why would Paul send insults to the Redrin High Priest? We invited the Redrin High Priest first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ardor took out the insulting note and threw it to the ground.

“Then who wrote this? Did Kamuel write it?”

The expressions of all the Kamuel priests who had gathered turned cold at the rude remark.

“Do not insult Kamuel-nim [an honorific title].”

Even Jimel, who had been wearing a worried expression, warned sharply. Ardor didn’t even blink, but the atmosphere instantly turned ominous.

It was then.

“I smelled blood.”

A leisurely voice, inappropriate for the situation, was heard from behind. Jang Tae-ri turned around. Rembrary was standing behind her, clicking his tongue, as if he had just arrived.

“Rembrary-nim.”

Jimel acknowledged Rembrary upon seeing him, but his expression was still not good, perhaps because of Ardor’s remarks.

The other Kamuel priests were the same. Even with Rembrary’s appearance, the atmosphere didn’t ease at all.

The bad atmosphere only became more hostile when Rembrary strode over and nudged the injured priest with his foot.

“What are you doing!”

“How can you do that to an injured person!”

It seemed like a fight was about to break out.

“Huh?”

However, the atmosphere gradually changed as the injured priest suddenly lost his pained expression and looked bewildered.

“Did you heal me? Was that healing?”

Jimel asked in surprise. Rembrary’s actions seemed like a provocation, but Paul clearly didn’t seem to be in pain anymore.

Paul even took his hand off his stomach and looked at his wound.

The Kamuel priests were bewildered. Was kicking him with his foot really healing?

But however it looked, Paul had clearly been healed. Jimel was stunned and frozen for a moment, then belatedly thanked him as he helped Paul up.

“Thank you for healing our brother, Rembrary-nim.”

“Since Ardor attacked first, it’s only natural that I should heal him.”

Rembrary also responded with a warm voice and humility, and Jimel was moved. The frozen atmosphere also began to thaw.

“Ardor’s harsh words about Kamuel-nim were probably not sincere, so don’t take them to heart. I didn’t take his harsh words to heart either.”

However, the atmosphere froze sharply again at Rembrary’s words as he pointed at Paul.

Paul quickly shook his head, saying he didn’t do that, but when he made eye contact with Shin Jo Un, he suddenly lowered his eyes and became quiet.

‘Ardor shot the gun, but why is Jo Un looking at him?’

Jang Tae-ri found the sight strange. But Jang Tae-ri was the only one who cared about it.

Jimel stared at Paul’s reaction, then picked up the note that Ardor had thrown down. His eyes widened as he looked at the note.

The note was filled with harsher words than he had imagined. Jimel immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry, Rembrary-nim. It seems this fool simply believed the ridiculous rumors circulating between Rembrary-nim and Moroso-nim.”

Jimel also gave Paul a look. Paul wore a momentarily aggrieved expression, but eventually got up and apologized himself.

“I’m sorry for writing such a note.”

As the atmosphere began to ease, Rembrary also nodded to Ardor. Ardor reluctantly apologized.

“Sorry for the blood.”

To Jang Tae-ri, it didn’t sound much like an apology, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed than at the beginning.

Relieved that this incident didn’t seem like it would escalate into a major fight, Jang Tae-ri unconsciously looked at Shin Jo Un.

But Shin Jo Un, who had been across from her just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s alright. Half of it is a misunderstanding, but half of it isn’t.”

“What does that…”

“Ask Moroso directly when you meet him.”

Since the conversation didn’t seem like it would end soon, Jang Tae-ri left the scene and looked for Shin Jo Un.

‘Is he fighting somewhere else again?’

Fortunately, Shin Jo Un was peacefully talking not far away.

The person he was talking to seemed to be the ordinary priest who had carried Shin Jo Un’s luggage on the first day he arrived.

The atmosphere didn’t seem bad, so Jang Tae-ri just watched him from a distance instead of interrupting the conversation.

After a while, the gathered Kamuel priests dispersed, and Rembrary and Ardor also approached Jang Tae-ri.

“Is the conversation over?”

“Is there anything to talk about?”

Jang Tae-ri turned her head again to call Shin Jo Un. But Shin Jo Un, as if knowing, was already approaching on his own.

He didn’t offer any particular explanation, and the group returned to the carriage.

* * *

“What did you talk about earlier?”

About 15 minutes after the carriage departed, Jang Tae-ri asked Shin Jo Un. It wasn’t a significant action, just a question out of curiosity.

What business would Shin Jo Un have to slip away alone in the middle of a group’s tense standoff and talk to an ordinary Kamuel priest?

Shin Jo Un casually asked back.

“The conversation with the person who wrote the insults?”

“No. Later. You were talking to someone separately.”

Rembrary, who had been half-listening to the conversation, took his eyes off the book and sharply watched Shin Jo Un. What are they talking about now? Did that anchovy have another secret conversation with a Kamuel priest?

Shin Jo Un answered nonchalantly this time as well.

“Bathroom location.”

Then, he casually turned his gaze out the window, and Ardor, thinking Shin Jo Un was mocking him, began to grumble.

Jang Tae-ri’s curiosity disappeared, and she turned her head to look out the window.

Rembrary also lowered his gaze back to the book.

As a result, no one noticed Shin Jo Un’s lips twitching for a brief moment.

Unlike his answer to Jang Tae-ri, what Shin Jo Un heard from the ordinary priest was the answer to the question he had asked on the first day.

On the first day, Shin Jo Un had described the attire of his enemy as detailed as possible to the priest and asked which temple’s attire it seemed to be.

The priest had tilted his head at the time, saying, “Well? I don’t know very well from just hearing about it.”

But today, the answer had changed.

―About the priest’s robes you asked about yesterday. I remembered. It seems like the Redrin Temple’s attire. That’s probably right. Although it’s not certain.

Of course, since this story was told to him right after the trouble between Rembrary’s group and the Kamuel priests, Shin Jo Un didn’t completely believe the priest’s words.

But whether the priest’s words are true or not will be known once they cross over to the southern continent.

* * *

Jang Tae-ri worried that troubles like today’s would occur continuously while passing through the northern continent.

Knowing that the coachman who held a grudge against Rembrary knew their destination and was moving ahead of them, she couldn’t relax even on days when they had a peaceful day.

However, until the group reached a village near the mountain range that straddled the southern and northern continents, they traveled smoothly without experiencing any further incidents.

But Jang Tae-ri still couldn’t relax even after arriving at the last northern village.

It wasn’t because the fence surrounding the village seemed flimsy, pieced together with trees of varying heights, or because there were no soldiers guarding the village’s borders.

“Once we cross here, it’s the southern continent.”

It was because of the height of the mountain that Rembrary was pointing to.

Jang Tae-ri rubbed her eyes a few times, looking up at the mountaintop.

“The mountain… the mountain is piercing through the clouds?”

“It’s a little high, isn’t it?”

“Is that a little?”

As Jang Tae-ri asked in bewilderment, Rembrary explained in an excited voice.

“Originally, there were several roads that could be traveled by carriage. When the demons invaded, they destroyed all those roads, so it became like this.”

“So that’s why they don’t thoroughly inspect the border even though it’s a border area?”

“Yes. There are hardly any people who cross here to go to the southern continent.”

After hearing this story, Jang Tae-ri couldn’t get any angrier. She resigned herself and stared blankly at her luggage, which she had packed so meticulously.

“Tae-ri, you can’t ride a carriage, but if you go to that place with the clouds, you can catch gentle monsters.”

“Pardon me?!”

“There are several types of monsters that live near the clouds. If you ride those monsters, you can cross the mountain range in an instant, so don’t worry too much.”

* * *

However, it was when she was gathering her courage and checking her luggage for the last time before leaving. Someone ran towards Rembrary in a hurry, shouting.

“Rembrary-nim! Rembrary-nim!”

It was a stranger, but he was dressed quite formally. He approached Rembrary and said, panting.

“I’m glad I met you before you left. I barely caught up.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m from Noskrow 23 Town.”

Rembrary immediately realized why this messenger had come to him.

“Did the lord send you?”

Before leaving, Rembrary had told the lord and the king’s envoy the description of the person Shin Jo Un was looking for and asked them to notify him if they found him.

The only thing that would make the person sent by the lord rush over was that matter.

“Yes. Rembrary-nim, please come over there for a moment.”

The stranger nodded and gestured to Rembrary that he wanted to talk separately.

Rembrary moved to a place where the conversation couldn’t be heard.

As he distanced himself from the rest of the group, the messenger quickly handed over the envelope he had brought. The envelope was sealed with a wax seal that lords would use.

Rembrary took out the letter.

―To the High Priest, we have found the person you mentioned before.

He is an ordinary Redrin priest who briefly visited a nearby Kamuel Temple for temple business, and his name is Erit.

It was indeed a letter sent by the lord. Moreover, the person Shin Jo Un was looking for was an ordinary Redrin priest.

Rembrary recalled Shin Jo Un wandering around the Kamuel Temple and felt pleased.

He was diligently searching only in the wrong temple, but the person he’s looking for is from our temple.

However, as he turned to the next page, Rembrary frowned without realizing it.

―And I don’t know if I should tell you this. That friend who came with you once looked for Erit at the Kamuel Temple, but the atmosphere in which he was searching was ominous, so they hid him.