Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 424

424. Where the Heck Is This?

Rembrary was awakened by a ‘diggy-diggy-diggy-ding’ sound.

‘What is this……?’

Rembrary slowly opened his eyelids.

‘Where am I?’

The rough, old fabric, the stuffy air, and the feeling of chapped lips registered in turn.

Slowly getting up, Rembrary realized he was lying on a very old cloth spread on the sand.

And above him, a crude roof.

“Moolu? Anchovy. Ardor? Lion. Gamja.”

Rembrary called out to those who had crossed the rift with him. He went outside and was startled.

‘A desert?’

The floor inside the tent was sand. It wasn’t just inside; even outside was sand.

Endless sand and sand sand…….

‘Where the heck did I end up?’

As he stood blankly, a stranger approached Rembrary and asked.

“You’re awake? Are you okay?”

It was a woman he had never seen before, wearing very colorful clothes.

And the attire…….

‘It seems I really did cross dimensions.’

It wasn’t the kind of clothes people commonly wore on Earth.

As Rembrary stared at his own clothes, the woman in colorful attire waved her hand in front of Rembrary and asked.

“Hey there. Can you understand me?”

When Rembrary nodded, the woman smiled in relief and introduced herself, pointing to herself.

“I’m Nangil. Who are you?”

“Rembrary.”

“Do you feel alright?”

When Rembrary only blinked, the woman who introduced herself as ‘Nangil’ scratched her head awkwardly and pointed her finger towards somewhere in the desert.

“You were lying face down around there. You seemed out of it, so I picked you up for now.”

Nangil’s explanation was simple, but Rembrary, knowing that he had crossed dimensions, immediately understood how things had turned out and asked.

“Were there any other people around me?”

“There was no one. Why? Were you with someone?”

Before hearing the answer, Nangil looked at Rembrary with sympathetic eyes.

Seeing that he had no luggage and his companions were gone, she seemed to think that Rembrary had been betrayed and abandoned by his companions.

“No one was there?”

However, Rembrary was so bewildered that there was no one who had crossed dimensions with him that he didn’t have the mind to clear up Nangil’s misunderstanding.

‘No one? We definitely crossed together? Did they go to a different dimension? Or did we come to the same dimension but got separated? What about the ice Anchovy made? Did it disappear while crossing?’

If they were in the same dimension, he could find them, so it didn’t matter, but if they were scattered in different dimensions, it would be a bit difficult.

He, Moolu, and Ardor had experience with dimensional travel, and the Grim Reaper wasn’t human, so they would be fine somehow, but weren’t Anchovy and Lion people who had never traveled dimensions before?

‘What about the Demon King? ……He’s quiet. That’s a relief.’

As he was thinking, Nangil asked this time.

“But who are you to be lying alone in the desert without water or luggage? Did your companions really take everything and abandon you?”

Rembrary recalled Lumena, whom he had faintly seen before crossing dimensions.

His memory was a bit hazy, but it seemed like Lumena was reaching out towards him.

‘Then it might be the dimension where Eunwoo Woo, the former eunuch, was.’

“Hey, can you hear me?”

When Rembrary didn’t answer again and became dazed, Nangil raised her hand in front of Rembrary’s eyes again.

Having traveled dimensions several times, Rembrary quickly pulled himself together like the clever high priest he was.

Right. It was surprising and bewildering, but this wasn’t the time for this. He had to quickly come to his senses and find those who were scattered.

‘Then it would be better to do what I did when I entered Woo Yeon-woo’s body before.’

Quickly racking his brain, Rembrary smiled gently and presented a setting he had used well once before.

“I’ve lost my memory.”

However, Nangil immediately retorted.

“That sounds like a lie.”

“Why do you think so?”

“How can someone with no memory be so calm?”

“Maybe I’m just naturally calm.”

Nangil didn’t seem to believe Rembrary’s words at all.

However, even as Rembrary tried to appeal his amnesia once more, she waved her hand dismissively and moved on.

“Ah, forget it. I won’t ask if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s not important anyway.”

It was a clearly different reaction from Jongwoo or the Wild Animal members.

‘Is it because I was in Woo Yeon-woo’s body back then, and now it’s my body?’

But is it really my body? Rembrary examined his hair and hands.

Fortunately, it was a familiar body and hair. It was certain that he had crossed dimensions with his own body this time.

“But where is this place?”

“It’s the desert between the 15th and 16th stars.”

It was when Rembrary was looking at Nangil with eyes that said, ‘What’s that?’

Singing could be heard not far away. And the sound of people laughing together.

As Rembrary looked in that direction, Nangil walked towards it and introduced.

“This is a troupe [a company of actors or performers]. Have you ever heard of it? Hwachin-chin.”

“I told you, I lost my memory.”

“I guess you haven’t heard of it. Well, it’s not a famous troupe.”

The place where Nangil stopped was behind the tent where Rembrary had been earlier.

There was a circular clearing there, where five women and five men were each singing, playing instruments, or dancing.

Half in jest and in a joyful atmosphere, they all stopped what they were doing and stared when Rembrary, an unfamiliar face, appeared.

“You’re awake?”

“Troupe leader Nangil, what kind of person is he?”

“Why was he lying there?”

“Who is he?”

“Hello!”

Some greeted Rembrary cheerfully, so everyone seemed to know that Rembrary had been rescued by them.

Rembrary raised one hand in reply and asked Nangil.

“But why is a troupe in the middle of the desert?”

“Because it’s a troupe. Most troupes wander around like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“But why are you all dancing and singing when you’re a troupe? What about acting?”

“Originally, everyone dances, sings, plays instruments, and acts.”

Nangil was answering, but then looked at Rembrary suspiciously.

Seeing Rembrary asking basic questions, she seemed to think, ‘Did he really lose his memory?’

“Did you really lose your memory?”

“I told you, I did.”

Rembrary put his hands behind his back and thought to himself that it was ironic.

When he woke up in Woo Yeon-woo’s body, he was an idol. This time, he was near a troupe.

Was he somehow intertwined with singing?

‘Ah!’

As he was thinking, a very good idea suddenly came to mind.

‘Right. I might be able to use this.’

Rembrary turned his head sharply towards Nangil.

“Nangil.”

“Oh my gosh. What, what’s wrong?”

“You said you wander around, right?”

Nangil nodded, feeling burdened by Rembrary’s sudden sparkling eyes.

“Why, though?”

“Then that’s good. Take me with you. I have someone I need to find.”

Before Nangil could answer that sudden proposal.

A person in navy clothing who had come nearby and was listening to the conversation muttered in an absurd tone, “What?”

“What is this? We rescued him after he collapsed in the desert, and as soon as he wakes up, he tells us to take him with us.”

Nangil also added, smiling awkwardly, as if she wasn’t happy with Rembrary’s sudden proposal.

“Um. Hey, you. I don’t know why you’re saying that all of a sudden, but we’re not such a relaxed troupe. We can take you to a nearby village, but we can’t keep taking you with us.”

By that time, the other members were also showing interest, stopping their performances and slowly gathering.

Rembrary, however, didn’t care and calmly suggested.

“Don’t worry. I’m very good at singing. When it comes to singing, my talent is better than all of you combined, so I’ll be helpful.”

At his skill in praising himself while naturally putting everyone else down, Nangil, who had been smiling all along, also hardened her expression a little.

Among them, the one with the most hardened expression was Sanmyung, the most popular singer in this troupe.

“Wow…… Troupe leader Nangil. What is that jerk? Who said to save that jerk? Can’t we put him back where he was?”

“You said to save him,” a dancer next to her whispered, and Sanmyung hesitated for a moment but soon became even more annoyed.

“If I had known he was this kind of guy, I wouldn’t have said to save him. No, after being rescued, he arbitrarily tells us to take him with us, and he says he’s better than us. Besides, why does that jerk keep talking down to me? Hey. Be honest. Weren’t you betrayed and abandoned by your companions for talking like that?”

“Hey, come on. He’s hurt. Stop it.”

The dancer next to her grabbed her arm, telling her to stop, but Sanmyung, who had been unexpectedly ignored by the person she had rescued, didn’t try to calm down easily.

“Is he the only one who’s hurt? I’m hurt too. My heart is hurt. A lot just now.”

Nangil sighed and took a step forward.

She was going to tell the members that the young man had lost his memory and was talking nonsense, so they should stop.

And she also had to tell them that they were an unknown troupe and barely making a living, so they couldn’t take him with them.

But the moment Nangil was about to say something.

Rembrary, who had been watching this, suddenly started singing.

“!”

The moment Rembrary sang the first verse with divine power mixed in. Persuasion was no longer necessary.

The members who had been unexpectedly ignored by the person they had rescued, Nangil who had been trying to stop the members, and even Sanmyung who was proud of her singing skills, had all frozen.

When Rembrary suddenly stopped singing in the middle, they even felt naturally disappointed.

“Wow…… crazy…… you……?”

“No, he’s really better than all of us combined……?”

“What’s your identity…… sir? Where did you come from?”

“Were you originally a singer? Were you a singer?”

“No, if he was a singer, there’s no way we wouldn’t know. With that face and that song!”

The excited members later began to pour out words indiscriminately.

Since it wasn’t a reaction he had seen once or twice, Rembrary raised both hands to signal them to calm down and then introduced himself to the members with a gentle smile.

“I am Rembrary.”

It wasn’t an introduction that gave much information, but the members’ excitement still didn’t subside.

In particular, Troupe Leader Nangil, who was in charge of all the troupe’s financial problems, was so excited that she couldn’t even speak properly.

The person she picked up in the desert was a singer who spoke rudely but had abundant talent!

Even that face. What about that face that she had tried not to pay attention to because he spoke so rudely?

Nangil had never seen such a splendid and beautiful person in her life. And what about that strangely sparkling hair!

“Maybe…… maybe if Rembrary joins us, the troupe might come back to life.”

Nangil muttered like this after a long time and teared up.

The dancer who had been hitting Sanmyung also turned red around her eyes and came to Nangil and said.

“Troupe leader, it seems like the heavens sent us a singer because you lived kindly.”

“That’s not it.”

Rembrary, who had come here to steal the Demon King’s soul, quickly denied the dancer’s words, but the members who were still intoxicated by Rembrary’s song didn’t even pay attention to that.

‘Well. It’ll be alright. The atmosphere seems to have gotten better.’

Now, he just needs to find the five with their help. He doesn’t know where they went, though…….

* * *

Around the same time.

“Lord, Lord Changpyeong! Lord Changpyeong!”

The voice of one of the chief disciples noisily shook the quiet room of Lord Changpyeong.

Lord Changpyeong asked sternly, stopping from turning the page of his book.

“What is it?”

His mind was already in turmoil, making it difficult to concentrate. He didn’t feel good about the fact that his disciple was causing such a commotion in the middle of the day.

Even if you master martial arts, a monk is still a monk. You must always maintain a calm mind that does not waver.

“A crazy person suddenly appeared in the Janggyeong Pavilion [a library or scripture repository], smashing the bookshelves and asking where the High Priest is!”

However, the news that the chief disciple brought was quite unexpected.

“What are you talking about? How can an outsider appear in the Janggyeong Pavilion?”

“I don’t know! I was looking at the books when he suddenly appeared! The walls and bookshelves are all around, but he was just in front of me! He’s crazy!”

When the chief disciple who shouted opened the door, blue bruises under his eyes and a torn mouth were visible.

Lord Changpyeong’s eyes reflexively widened.

“No, your face!”

“He really suddenly appeared in front of me and tried to grab my hair…… but since I don’t have hair, he just started hitting me and telling me to hand over the High Priest…… When I asked who the High Priest was, he told me to find out…….”

As the chief disciple who made a tearful face made an expression as if he was dying unfairly, Lord Changpyeong became furious and stood up.

“Where is he!”

However, he didn’t even need to go to the Janggyeong Pavilion.

As soon as he opened the door and took a few steps, he saw that ‘crazy person.’

A silver-haired man with sunken eyes and strange clothes was walking unsteadily, holding a strange weapon.