Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 426

◈ 426. Setting Error

No sooner had he finished speaking than attacks rained in from all directions, forcing the Lion Lord to swiftly sidestep.

The Emperor’s Shadows surged toward the suspicious intruder, but when the Lion Lord vanished in a blink, they scattered, momentarily disoriented.

All but one Shadow were a fraction of a second too slow to pinpoint the Lion Lord’s new location, leaving them momentarily exposed.

The Emperor, who had appeared indifferent despite the sudden intrusion, now displayed a flicker of interest on his usually impassive face.

“He employs unusual abilities.”

The Emperor assumed him to be Shin Jo-woon, but the Lion Lord wasn’t thinking of this Shin Jo-woon.

More precisely, it *was* Shin Jo-woon, but not the Shin Jo-woon the Lion Lord knew.

This was the Emperor Shin Jo-woon that Rembrary had encountered when he inhabited Eunuch Woo Yeon-woo’s body.

The Lion Lord, oblivious to this, frowned, puzzled by the situation.

*Shin Jo-woon is annoying, and we dislike each other, but he’s not the type to feign ignorance to this extent.*

Especially in this interdimensional predicament, shouldn’t they be joining forces, even if they weren’t on friendly terms? President Shin Jo-woon wouldn’t be ignorant of that.

Yet, he acted as if he didn’t recognize him, surrounded by strange-looking guards who seemed intent on protecting him…

“You. Aren’t you Shin Jo-woon?”

Finally, the Lion Lord voiced a guess that was close to the truth, asking cautiously.

If the man resembling Shin Jo-woon denied being Shin Jo-woon, he intended to leave immediately and search for the real Shin Jo-woon, Rembrary, and the others.

“That’s right.”

However, Shin Jo-woon in this dimension was indeed Shin Jo-woon, readily confirming his identity, which only deepened the Lion Lord’s confusion.

*He claims to be Shin Jo-woon? But why is he acting like this? Looking at his eyes, it’s definitely Shin Jo-woon… Could it be! Did he become localized while crossing dimensions?* [Localized refers to adapting to the specific environment and culture of a new dimension, potentially altering one’s personality or memories.]

The Lion Lord, jumping to a significant misinterpretation, swiftly moved to the Emperor’s side.

The Shadows’ attempts to intercept him were futile.

The Lion Lord wasn’t merely moving fast; he was teleporting.

Taken aback, Shin Jo-woon calmly waved his hand, signaling, “It’s okay,” then regarded the lion-masked man with curiosity before speaking.

“You seem to have something to tell me.”

The Lion Lord, seeing that the localized Shin Jo-woon wasn’t hostile, prepared to flee if necessary, but nodded in relief and slowly began to speak.

“You might find this hard to believe, but listen carefully, Shin Jo-woon. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

The Shadows behind him exchanged dumbfounded glances.

The Lion Lord, unaware of their reactions, continued his explanation earnestly.

“We came here to save the world. I was dragged along, but regardless. Remember Rembrary? Your pig.”

“Pig?”

“You and Jang Tae-ri always looked after him.”

“Jang Tae-ri?”

The Shadows’ eyes widened further.

The person who immediately came to their minds was the Emperor of the Gold Garment Sword. [A powerful figure in this world.]

That was indeed her name. Moreover, Jang Tae-ri and Shin Jo-woon had actually studied together on Geummyeong Mountain for three years before Shin Jo-woon ascended to the throne.

And, a fact known to very few, Shin Jo-woon had raised a pig while on Geummyeong Mountain. Jang Tae-ri hadn’t helped raise it, though.

The Shadows’ gazes sharpened. How did this man know such details?

Meanwhile, Emperor Shin Jo-woon, increasingly intrigued, played along, encouraging the intruder.

“Ah, yes. Go on. I think I might be starting to remember.”

The Lion Lord’s face brightened, and he continued quickly.

“You risked everything to save him, jumping into a strange place. I was dragged along afterward. But something’s amiss. It seems you’ve lost some of your memories.”

“Is that so? No wonder. I’ve been experiencing severe headaches lately. Is that the reason?”

The Lion Lord nodded eagerly as Shin Jo-woon touched his forehead.

“That must be it. Anyway, since you don’t recognize Rembrary, it seems he didn’t come this way. Hooo… But it’s alright. Don’t worry. Your memories will return once we find Rembrary. He’s practically omnipotent when it comes to healing people, right?”

The smile on Emperor Shin Jo-woon’s lips deepened.

“So, to recover my memories, I need to find a pig named Rembrary who possesses the ability to heal people?”

* * *

“The Orthodox Sect guys are idiots. The Demonic Sect guys are idiots too. The Evil Cult guys are super idiots.”

This was the first thing Mullu heard upon crossing dimensions.

“Only we are. Right!”

This was the second thing he heard.

“?”

Mullu glanced at the person giving the speech on the platform, then surveyed his surroundings.

*Where is this?*

He had definitely crossed dimensions following the High Priest…

Mullu had been the first to enter the dimension, but he vaguely recalled that six people had crossed over.

The problem was, that was all he remembered. It was as if his memory had been abruptly severed, and he had simply awakened to find himself here.

Furthermore, he was surrounded by crowds of people, but the five who had accompanied him were nowhere to be seen.

*Did something go wrong?*

Still, he could feel the familiar weight of the spear on his back, so Mullu calmly attempted to assess the situation.

*It’s true that I crossed dimensions. The people’s clothes are different. The buildings look different too.*

“Our brothers and sisters who have been scorned, ignored, and oppressed by the Murim people [martial arts practitioners] and have come all the way here! Where is this?”

“?”

“This is the Blood Cult! All we believe in is our strength and our comrades!”

“?”

“Everyone, we must develop our strength. We must develop our strength to make them stop ignoring us…”

For now, this place was called the Blood Cult. *What is the Blood Cult?*

Mullu tried to focus on the speech, but the language was difficult to follow, so he listened passively and subtly questioned the person next to him.

“Where is this place?”

The person beside him was so moved by the speaker’s words that tears streamed down his face, but when Mullu spoke, he turned, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and shouted in a nasal voice.

“Junior Sister! This is our home!”

*Home?*

“Then who are the people gathered here?”

“They’re family!”

“…”

Mullu frowned and looked back at the speaker.

Something… felt very strange about this place.

*Anyway, aside from the speaker, everyone gathered here seems new to this place, so let’s quietly blend in. Maybe the High Priest is nearby.*

* * *

The High Priest was having dinner in a completely different location.

“So, where are *we* going?”

“Already ‘we’? You’re quite adaptable, aren’t you?”

“I’ve had this experience before.”

“Did your memories return?”

“Don’t you know? I was just playing along.”

Nangil was relieved to see Rembrary seamlessly integrate into the group of members seated around the campfire, miraculously acquiring his own bowl and chopsticks, and even engaging in natural conversation.

He seemed unfazed, and despite her initial worries about his ability to adjust after deciding to take him in, she had been concerned, *Will he be able to adapt?*

Unexpectedly, the young man named Rembrary was adapting remarkably well.

“Who’s responsible for the cooking?”

“I am! Why? Is it delicious?”

“It would be beneficial to change the cook next time.”

“Why, why? Is it not delicious?”

“Your skills will be perfect in three years.”

“Three years? Huh? What about now?”

To be precise, it seemed he was making the others adapt to *him*.

Nangil sighed as she watched Sanmyeong scold the bewildered cook, saying, “That means you’re bad!” *Well. It would be fine as long as he adapted well in any way.*

Just then, Rembrary, who had been chatting with the other members, suddenly fixed his gaze on her.

Nangil had been subtly observing Rembrary, so she immediately noticed his stare and inquired.

“Why?”

“I have a question.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“Where are we going?”

“Ah. We. Um… the place we’re heading to now is the 14th Fortress. And our ultimate destination is the capital.”

“Why the capital?”

“Our ultimate goal is to become the Imperial Troupe.”

“What is that?”

“Literally. It’s becoming a troupe for the royal family.”

“Ah ha. So you want to perform exclusively for noble audiences.”

Rembrary smiled knowingly, and Nangil, puzzled, stammered, “Huh? Huh?” and hurriedly waved her hand.

“No! It’s not like that!”

It was true that she aspired to become the Imperial Troupe, but she had never considered it in that light.

Yet, somehow, when the goal that had seemed perfectly acceptable passed through Rembrary’s lips, it sounded like a very worldly and arrogant ambition.

“Is it not?”

“It’s just that becoming the Imperial Troupe is the highest honor, so I want to achieve it. Anyway, once we become the Imperial Troupe even once, we’ll be able to escape obscurity for a few years, even if we’re not selected again later.”

Rembrary simply nodded at Nangil’s explanation.

However, this goal wasn’t solely Nangil’s ambition as the leader; when the topic of the Imperial Troupe arose, the other members also ceased eating, their faces filled with hope and dreams.

Even Sanmyeong, who possessed a prickly disposition, spoke with a slightly excited tone when the Imperial Troupe was mentioned.

“You lack memories and common sense, so you wouldn’t know, but to become the Imperial Troupe, you need recommendations from five lords.”

Hwanmae, who was often seen with Sanmyeong as a close friend, also had a bright expression and continued the story.

“If you gather the recommendations, you can participate in a contest. His Majesty and Her Majesty watch the contest and choose the Imperial Troupe. His Majesty and Her Majesty watch our contest *directly*! Isn’t it amazing?”

In this manner, the members took turns explaining, and Rembrary, who had initially asked where they were going, ended up hearing a detailed account of the Imperial Troupe selection process.

Nangil had been somewhat hesitant, wondering if he would even understand if she explained it to someone with amnesia, but Rembrary immediately grasped their explanation and exclaimed.

“Ah ha. It’s like a singing survival show.”

“Singing… what is that?”

“Rembrary raps, he’s a rapping Rembrary.”

“…I understand even less now.”

“It’s singing a song like this. In the world I lived in, like this-”

“Did your memories return?”

“I would have sung a song. Maybe.”

Nangil watched Rembrary smile gently and put a piece of grilled meat in his mouth, then muttered with a sigh.

“That amnesia thing. Are you going to keep pushing it?”

* * *

After finishing dinner and even cleaning up.

While watching the members practice their performance, Rembrary resolved to help them become the Imperial Troupe.

Of course, he would continue searching for his companions during their travels.

But if he couldn’t find them even then, he could help Hwachin become the Imperial Troupe and make his name famous.

Then his companions would hear about it and come looking for him.

“Nangil.”

“You’ll practice with us from tomorrow too. You joined us strangely, but anyway, you’re our member now.”

“I will, so if you get any information about Mullu, Ardor, Shin Jo-woon, Sa Gam-jae, or the person wearing the Lion Mask, please let me know.”

“Who are they?”

“They are my lost companions.”

Nangil’s eyes widened as she blankly stared at Rembrary’s profile, his picturesque profile, and muttered.

“You… you’ve completely dropped the amnesia act.”