Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 434

◈ 434. Golden Pig

Nangil and the troupe members, who were expected to be gone for a month for their investigation, arrived much earlier than anticipated.

“Why are you back already?”

“The investigation finished sooner than planned. There were many victims already sold off, but they were all alive, just suffering in the Tower.”

“Their testimonies alone are enough to warrant punishment, so a full month of investigation wasn’t really necessary.”

“It’s not like we weren’t investigated at all. Just not for the entire month.”

“They said we could stay longer if we wanted, but we all came back.”

Duran and the troupe members were overjoyed, embracing each other in delight. Their joy deepened when Duran brought up the recommendation letter.

“Oh, right! Leader, we got a recommendation letter from the Lord!”

“What? Really? How?”

“The thieves danced for us!”

“What? Those guys?”

“Yeah. I played the geomungo [Korean zither]. But Rembrary was the best. He sang really well. The Lord was completely captivated by Rembrary’s singing!”

Duran boasted about Rembrary right in front of him, but Rembrary didn’t even blink and readily admitted that it was all true.

* * *

That evening.

With the number of people increasing, the guest residence provided by the Lord became too cramped. The troupe paid their respects to the Lord and left, returning to the inn where Rembrary, Duran, and the leader of the thieves had discussed the stage performance.

There, Nangil and the troupe members once again showered Rembrary and Duran with praise, and Duran mumbled shyly that he hadn’t really done anything.

Afterward, they talked about the audience’s reaction to the performance and the 14th Lord’s recommendation letter, eventually leading to a discussion about their next destination.

Rembrary, who had joined last but spoke up like an original member of the troupe, boldly asserted once again.

“Let’s go to the 11th District, Leader Nangil. The Lord here told me there’s someone wearing a lion mask there. I want to see if it’s the Lion Lord I’m looking for.”

The leader was planning to go somewhere else first. Duran and a few other members, feeling anxious about Rembrary’s suggestion after his great contribution, looked at Nangil.

If they agreed, their carefully laid plans would be disrupted, but if they didn’t, they would feel guilty towards the one who had worked so hard to save the troupe members.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

However, Nangil accepted Rembrary’s proposal more readily than expected.

“If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to have another performance anyway. Let’s go. If another troupe is staying there, it means there’s something to perform there too.”

* * *

At that moment.

The Fire Lion was having the most comfortable time among the group.

Shin Jo-woon, now settling in, was taking care of all the investigations, so all he had to do was visit Shin Jo-woon once a day and ask, ‘Have you found the kids?’ That was it.

Of course, it wasn’t that the Fire Lion was deliberately being lazy. He had tried to investigate himself.

‘It’s inconvenient without the internet. And no cell phone.’

But no matter how many times he tried, it didn’t work out. Being unfamiliar with this place, there wasn’t much he could do right away.

So, wandering around and getting used to this world was the priority.

And so, the Fire Lion was leisurely strolling around the palace again today, asking people, ‘What’s this? What’s that?’ to adapt to his surroundings.

But today, he saw a scene that was a little different from usual.

“Huh?”

A familiar face was holding a large broom and sweeping.

“That person looks like that person.”

As if hearing the Fire Lion’s mutter, the other person stopped sweeping and looked over.

Their eyes met. But the other person didn’t acknowledge or show surprise at seeing the Fire Lion.

Still, the Lion Lord went over to him to confirm if what he saw was correct.

“Woo Yeon-woo?”

The unfamiliar face he recognized was none other than Woo Yeon-woo, a celebrity so famous back on Earth that there were few who didn’t know him. He seemed to have a complicated relationship with Rembrary.

However, unlike the Fire Lion, who greeted him happily, Woo Yeon-woo asked with a calm, puzzled face.

“Did you call for me?”

“I didn’t call… Aren’t you Woo Yeon-woo?”

“Does the Great One know me?”

“Aren’t you Woo Yeon-woo?”

“Woo Yeon-woo… That is my name.”

What are the chances that a complete stranger would have the same name and face as someone else?

When someone who looked exactly like Woo Yeon-woo said his name was also Woo Yeon-woo, the Fire Lion was completely convinced that this Woo Yeon-woo was the one he knew, and asked, feeling happy for no reason.

“You came too? Did you arrive before me? Did you get a job here? How did you get here?”

Then, before even hearing an answer, he burst into laughter, amused by Woo Yeon-woo’s attire.

“The hero loved by so many people is working as a eunuch here, sweeping.”

However, the Fire Lion, who had been enjoying the sight of Woo Yeon-woo in eunuch attire, stopped laughing when he saw Woo Yeon-woo’s expression.

Woo Yeon-woo was serious. Looking with eyes that seemed to say, ‘What is this?’

“Ah. You don’t know me?”

The Fire Lion asked, slightly worried that he had heard too much about Woo Yeon-woo from the people around him and was now acting like he knew the real person.

“Still, you know Rembrary, right?”

“The guest enjoys strange jokes.”

However, the eunuch Woo Yeon-woo remained calm but firmly drew a line once again.

At this point, the Fire Lion also felt awkward and had to change his question.

“You… You’re not from Earth?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve lived here all my life.”

Lived here all his life?

As the eunuch Woo Yeon-woo bowed and walked away, the Fire Lion stared at his retreating figure, feeling even more bewildered.

What is this? He’s lived here all his life? He looks like Woo Yeon-woo, and his name is Woo Yeon-woo? That Woo Yeon-woo has been living here all along?

But it didn’t seem like Woo Yeon-woo was acting. There was no reason to. They weren’t even close…

‘Shin Jo-woon definitely said he seemed to have lost his memories when he came here. Is Woo Yeon-woo not one of those cases?’

Confused, the Fire Lion stopped abruptly, a thought occurring to him as he thought about Shin Jo-woon.

Shin Jo-woon. Yes, Shin Jo-woon. The first person who made him think about localization, Shin Jo-woon. And…

‘Could it be that Shin Jo-woon is just a person from here? He only shares the same name and face as the Shin Jo-woon I know, but he was actually born and raised here?’

Starting to feel suspicious, the Fire Lion sat on a large rock and pondered alone.

But soon, the eunuch who always accompanied Emperor Shin Jo-woon came and conveyed Shin Jo-woon’s message to him.

“Lord Fire Lion. His Majesty wishes to have a meal with you.”

The Fire Lion now knew that this was a hierarchical society, and the Emperor’s request was practically an order that couldn’t be refused.

“I understand.”

Since he was also indebted to them, he readily accepted the order disguised as a request.

Following the eunuch’s guidance to the prepared dining table, he saw it was filled with food. It was so dazzling that Rembrary wouldn’t leave if he saw it.

But just as the Fire Lion was about to sit down and the eunuch was placing dishes in front of him, the Emperor, who was about to start eating and was reaching for his chopsticks, suddenly muttered, holding his head.

“It seems like my memories are returning.”

At that unexpected moment, the Fire Lion raised his head to look at him.

“Pardon?”

“At this rate, my memories might all return over time.”

It was still an irrelevant moment, but since the Fire Lion didn’t know that the Emperor was talking about this after hearing his conversation with Woo Yeon-woo, he felt relieved and changed his mind again. ‘Ah, Shin Jo-woon must have been localized after all.’

And Shin Jo-woon looked at the Fire Lion, secretly laughing at how well he had been deceived.

Then, the Emperor, curious about the only non-human among those the Fire Lion was looking for, asked.

“About that pig you mentioned before. Have you found it?”

The Fire Lion, still bothered by Shin Jo-woon’s subtle expression, tilted his head and quickly replied.

“No.”

“I’m trying to find it too. Are there any distinctive features? What color is its fur?”

“Fur color?”

‘He’s expressing himself strangely. Even so, calling someone’s hair color ‘fur color’.’

“Gold.”

Still, once he answered, the Emperor confirmed again.

“A golden pig?”

The Fire Lion replied awkwardly.

“Well, in your terms.”

* * *

After the Fire Lion finished his meal and left, Emperor Shin Jo-woon summoned the attending eunuch and gave instructions.

“Look for the golden pig as well.”

The attending eunuch, who had been listening to the conversation from beyond the screen, understood immediately without any further explanation and replied.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will search thoroughly.”

“Yes. Report immediately if you find anything.”

“Yes.”

As if he had nothing more to say, the Emperor gestured for him to leave. But the attending eunuch didn’t leave and called him once more.

“Your… Your Majesty.”

When the Emperor glanced at him, the attending eunuch smiled awkwardly, looking embarrassed, and asked.

“Didn’t that person say the pig’s name was Rembrary? Should we not announce the name and search for it?”

“Would the person who found the pig also pick up the name? They would give it a new name and call it that. Just find the golden pig.”

In the meantime, other eunuchs came in, took away the food on the table, and cleaned it.

The Emperor moved to a wide chair and opened a book. But the eunuch still hadn’t left.

“Do you have anything else to report?”

When the Emperor asked, turning a page in the book, the eunuch smiled apologetically and said.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The day of the competition to select the Imperial Troupe is approaching.”

“Is it that time already?”

The Emperor, who wasn’t very interested in the troupe’s affairs, replied indifferently.

“Yes. It’s almost here. Of course, the troupes that always get selected will probably be selected again this time.”

Once a troupe becomes an Imperial Troupe, they receive various support, making it easier for them to practice and learn new songs, instruments, and dances.

As a result, the Imperial Troupe was practically run by a few large troupes taking turns.

However, what the attending eunuch was trying to say wasn’t about bringing fresh air to these familiar faces.

“Since the Empress Dowager is not feeling well… Will we be able to hold the competition safely this time?”

This was what he was worried about.

“If it seems like it will harm Mother, we should cancel it.”

However, when the Emperor replied without much thought, the attending eunuch sighed and muttered.

“I suppose so. It’s a shame. The ones who love the troupes the most are the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager. They really enjoy the competition.”

“…”

“It would be great if that golden pig had the ability to heal people, like that suspicious lion mask said.”