Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 436

◈ 436. Just Not That Close

The Lion Mask Myeosu, having regained his memories, introduced himself:

“I was originally a dancer in the Imperial Troupe.”

And with that single sentence, Duran pleaded with Myeosu.

“Please join our troupe, Myeosu-nim!”

Myeosu, who hadn’t even begun to speak, looked at Duran in confusion before bursting into laughter.

“He’s always like this,” Rembrary said, excusing Duran’s impatience with the relaxed air of an adult, and gestured for Myeosu to continue.

“But how did you end up dancing here?”

“A rival troupe attacked me. The Imperial Troupe is quite competitive, even cutthroat. Well, anything connected to the palace is like that.”

Duran, easily frightened, turned pale and interrupted Myeosu again.

“Imperial Troupes kidnap and attack each other?”

Myeosu smiled weakly, as if much had happened. “It doesn’t happen often, but you have to be careful. There are few opportunities, but many people vying for them.”

“But you’re all part of the same Imperial Troupe. There shouldn’t be any need to compete…”

“Even if they look the same from the outside, the number of troupes favored by His Majesty and the Madams [high-ranking female officials or consorts] is much smaller. There are even troupes that get chosen but never get called to perform.”

“That’s absurd!”

While Duran was stunned, Myeosu continued his explanation.

“The rival troupe kidnapped me and abandoned me somewhere. This troupe picked me up. At first, they recognized my face and helped me out of goodwill… but when I lost my memory and couldn’t speak, their attitude changed.”

Myeosu made an unpleasant face, as if he vividly remembered everything that happened when he lost his memory.

“So you were here against your will?”

“Yes. They made me wear the lion mask because they were afraid someone would recognize me.”

“So that’s why you were so fiercely protective when Rembrary tried to see Myeo hyung [older brother or respected male figure],”

“Yes. The troupe members were probably worried that people would come looking for the person who was rumored to be good at the lion dance.”

Duran was furious, wondering how people could do such things.

Rembrary felt like calling Jongwoo to tell him that his soulmate was here.

In any case, they couldn’t stay there, so Rembrary went out of the small room. Duran quickly followed, and Myeosu naturally followed Rembrary as well.

‘Why is he following me?’

Rembrary hadn’t intended to take Myeosu with him, but he didn’t stop him.

The vice-leader of the Goriburi Troupe watched Myeosu trailing after them and jumped up and down, resenting Rembrary.

“I knew it! They came to target our Myeosu! You cowardly bastards! You bad guys!”

“Your pronunciation is good. It must be difficult to speak in that position.”

“What?!”

But jumping up and down while prostrate only made him look like a frog, and he and the other large troupe members were still unable to stand, not having recovered from the earlier terror.

Rembrary leisurely left the place and returned to the inn where the Hwachinqin members were waiting.

* * *

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Nangil, the leader, was bewildered, looking back and forth between the three of them, since only two people had gone out but three had returned.

“Why did we multiply?”

“Leader. He’s a dancer from the Imperial Troupe. A dancer from the Imperial Troupe!”

With just this one sentence from Duran, Myeosu was immediately accepted into the Hwachinqin this time as well.

“Oh, how did such a precious person come here!”

“What brings you here?”

“Come this way, come this way!”

The Imperial Troupe clearly held great prestige in this field, as everyone looked at Myeosu with stars in their eyes.

Rembrary watched the scene with satisfaction, and then, taking advantage of the troupe members’ lack of attention, slipped out without Duran sticking to him like glue.

Since he had come to a place with many people, it was to look around for Mullu and others.

“Have you seen anyone with green hair and a spear?”

“Have you seen anyone wearing a lion mask?”

“Have you seen anyone with sunken silver hair?”

After doing this dozens of times, Rembrary missed the internet he had on Earth.

There, if he just posted ‘I have a question >ㅅ<' on social media, people would bring him information. Of course, there were also people who would leave insults instead of information, but those people were taken care of by the excellent prospective believers. 'Redrin-nim [a term of respect]. How are you doing? I'm having a lot of trouble because my companions got lost. They all crossed dimensions sober, but I don't know why they couldn't stick together and scattered. They're not as smart as I thought. Of course, I'm an exception. I was frozen, after all.' While praying to Redrin in that distant dimension, Rembrary walked along and then entered a building to take a break. He didn't know what it was, but people were coming and going frequently and ordering food, so it seemed like a place where he could eat something. 'It must be a restaurant.' "Yes, what can I get for you?" Rembrary, sensing the situation, asked the waiter who came to take his order to bring him the same thing as the person next to him. Then, when the waiter brought the food, he subtly described the appearances of his scattered companions and asked if he had seen them. He had already heard 'I don't know' dozens of times, so he wasn't asking with great expectations. But unexpectedly, the waiter exclaimed "Oh!" when Rembrary finished his explanation. "I think I know who you're talking about, sir." "You know? Who are you talking about?" "Sir, aren't you looking for people with dark circles under their eyes?" "That's right." "There are many people with dark circles under their eyes in the Demonic Cult [a martial arts sect often depicted as evil], sir." "Demonic Cult? Where are those people?" "Have you seen the building next to Daru? You know, the three-story inn with the tacky sign." He didn't know if the sign was tacky, but there was only one three-story inn next door. "I know it." When Rembrary answered readily, the waiter looked around and then subtly informed him. "They're staying there. They came in a group a few days ago for some reason. They came to our store two or three times at first, but they don't come anymore. Those guys don't know about ambiance." If people with dark circles under their eyes are gathered there, Ardor or Sagamjae might be there! When the waiter left, Rembrary was filled with hope and quickly drank the unknown tea the waiter had brought him and stood up. * * * The tea that the waiter brought, which was said to have ambiance, certainly had an abundance of bitterness, though he didn't know about the ambiance. Rembrary took only one sip of the tea and then immediately went outside the building to find the inn next door that the waiter had told him about. It seemed they were in the middle of a meal, as their appearances, which the waiter had told him about, easily caught his eye on the first floor. 'They might be there.' With expectations, Rembrary circled around these people, who were all dressed in black, as the waiter had told him. 'Judging by their attire, Sagamjae seems to be nearby.' * * * At that moment. The Martial Arts Alliance Leader was also looking down at those dressed in black martial attire. However, the people the Martial Arts Alliance Leader was looking down at were not in the restaurant; their necks and backs were soaked with sweat. They had just finished a strenuous training session and were taking a break among themselves. "Hey, why did he suddenly appear? You know, that guy the Alliance Leader cherishes so much. The one with the pale face." "Yeah, yeah. Right. Who is he anyway? Why does the Alliance Leader treat him like that?" "I know, right? Our Alliance Leader keeps a proper distance even from the leaders of each sect, doesn't he?" "I heard. That guy is the Alliance Leader's hidden son." "No way. His face is completely different." "Isn't he a bit too old to be a son?" Those taking a break were mostly talking about one topic: Sagamjae, the unidentified man whom the Martial Arts Alliance Leader had suddenly made stay in the room next to him and took care of from time to time. The Martial Arts Alliance Leader listened to the whispers of the members, then closed his eyes and touched his neck with his hand. "Oh, my head." "Alliance Leader. Are you alright?" When the Chief Manager asked worriedly, the Alliance Leader shook his hand to indicate he wasn't alright. He, who was faithful to his family and loved them, had suddenly become someone who had hidden a child and brought him here. There was no way he could be alright. But even he thought that people might misunderstand like that, so even if he was wronged, there was nothing he could do. The Underworld Messenger said that he had lost his way and his companions and would leave if he found them, but the Alliance Leader found it difficult to believe this easily. What if the Underworld Messenger said that and then targeted his family? Because of this, the Alliance Leader deliberately kept the Underworld Messenger in the room next to him and went to see his face or called him to come from time to time. The price for that was now returning as such whispers. The Alliance Leader couldn't get angry and groaned, then left the spot and asked the escort. "Where is Sagamjae?" "Young Master Sa is studying in the study." "Again?" "Yes. He is a very bright person. He resembles the Alliance Leader…" When the escort subtly looked at him and praised Sagamjae, the Alliance Leader grabbed the back of his neck and groaned. Even the escort seemed to suspect that Sagamjae was his hidden son. Why is the Underworld Messenger studying? The Alliance Leader grumbled inwardly and gave instructions. "Tell him to come to my room, as I have something urgent to say." "Yes." * * * The Martial Arts Alliance Leader, who had returned to his room, sat in front of his desk and reviewed the report that had come in two days ago. As he was doing so, the door opened and Sagamjae appeared. "I heard you called me." The Underworld Messenger, who had initially spoken informally to him, was now using moderately polite language, perhaps because of the eyes of the people. Once in a while, he would call him 'human' and act like an Underworld Messenger, but otherwise, he was careful in his actions and tried not to reveal that he was an Underworld Messenger. The Alliance Leader nodded and read what was written on the document placed on the desk. "One of the people you were looking for before. We have found someone with a similar appearance." "You found him? Is he blonde?" When Sagamjae came closer and asked, the Alliance Leader felt uncomfortable and gestured for him not to come any closer. He was acting politely, but perhaps because he was still an Underworld Messenger, he didn't like him coming close. Sagamjae didn't go where he was told not to go. He nodded and stopped, gesturing to tell him to speak. "He has green hair. He carries a long spear on his back." Sagamjae muttered softly, "Is it Mullu?" Then, a worried voice was heard saying, "We're not close." What is the relationship between the people Sagamjae is looking for and that Underworld Messenger? Trying hard not to think too much, the Alliance Leader continued his explanation. "Green hair itself is rare, so we found him a bit quickly. We also had some luck." Sagamjae asked urgently. "Where is he?" However, after bringing up the words first, the Alliance Leader asked back instead of answering. "Before that, I would like you to answer me. Who is that green-haired woman?" Sagamjae frowned as if asking what he meant. The Alliance Leader recalled the contents written in the report. The person who sent the report was an agent of the Alliance who had infiltrated the Blood Cult [another martial arts sect, often antagonistic]. And according to that agent, the woman with green hair who uses a spear was one of the martial artists who had newly entered the Blood Cult. But an Underworld Messenger is looking for a martial artist who entered the Blood Cult. It was strange. Could it be that the Blood Cult and the Underworld Messenger have joined hands? As Sagamjae couldn't answer right away, the Alliance Leader's suspicion grew even stronger. However, the reason Sagamjae couldn't answer right away was simply because he wasn't close to Mullu. Since they didn't have a close relationship, Sagamjae was unsure how to describe Mullu. He couldn't use expressions like 'a paladin from another world' or 'the closest aide to the high priest of another world,' could he? In the end, he answered honestly. "The person I'm looking for is looking for that person." "Who is the person you are looking for?" "Blonde." The Alliance Leader's suspicion deepened in another direction. Then what is the relationship diagram? Does the blonde who is friendly with the Underworld Messenger also have a relationship with the Blood Cult person? Is that person a behind-the-scenes figure who handles something in the middle?