Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 435

◈ 435. Too Much to Call Him Our Lion

As soon as they arrived in the 11th district, it wasn’t hard to find the troupe associated with the ‘person wearing a lion mask.’

“Lion mask? Oh, that person is quite famous.”

“You mean the lion dance performer from the Goriburi Troupe?”

“They perform regularly once a week, so go check it out. If you have the money, that is.”

The lion mask seemed to be quite well-known. Moreover, the Goriburi Troupe wasn’t obscure either; upon hearing the troupe’s name, San-myeong, who had been silent the entire journey, perked up as if he recognized them.

“Oh? Was that the troupe you were talking about all along?”

“Do you know the troupe?”

“They’re somewhat famous. A few years ago, they almost became a royal troupe but narrowly missed out.”

“Does that alone make them famous?”

“It’s hard enough to even get that far, you know?”

Rembrary wasn’t interested in the other details. He was just glad that the lion mask was in the area, so he asked Nanggil.

“Leader Nanggil, let’s go see Goriburi. They’re performing.”

“A troupe like that must have expensive tickets…”

Nanggil muttered worriedly.

Their earnings had improved since Rembrary joined, but their food expenses had also increased significantly. As a result, the net profit didn’t increase much when factoring in the increased expenses and earnings.

Moreover, Nanggil wanted to save even that small profit as a reserve, in case something happened to any of the troupe members.

“Hmm.”

Nanggil hesitated but eventually decided to grant Rembrary’s request.

“Alright.”

One way or another, they had safely escaped the bandits thanks to Rembrary’s help. The desire to repay that favor still lingered.

“Wow! Are we going too?”

“I wanted to see their performance! I want to go too, Leader!”

“You didn’t even know such a troupe existed, did you?”

However, due to financial constraints, Nanggil decided to only allow Rembrary, who had saved them, and Duran, who had performed well in the 14th district, to attend.

“No way!”

“Favoritism! Favoritism!”

“Ah, Leader! I understand Rembrary, but why Duran too!”

The troupe members waved their hands and playfully protested, but Nanggil stubbornly bought only two tickets and sent them into the theater.

“Duran, after the performance, bring Rembrary back to the inn where we’ve booked a room.”

The two, having presented their tickets, found suitable seats and sat down.

As time passed, four figures wearing white masks appeared from the four corners of the theater, where lanterns were placed, and simultaneously extinguished the lights.

In an instant, the surroundings turned dark, and then the sound of bells began to be heard from somewhere. Rembrary looked towards the sound.

As the closed door opened, light from outside streamed in, illuminating the area in white, and a person wearing a lion mask appeared, performing a solo dance.

Thanks to the bells on their feet, their already flamboyant footwork was also felt audibly, and Duran let out a small exclamation.

“Wow. They’re really good.”

The lion mask’s movements were truly spectacular, especially their footwork. Not only Duran but others were also murmuring about how amazing their feet were.

On the other hand, Rembrary, watching those intricately moving feet, sighed in disappointment.

“I think I came to the wrong place.”

Duran, who had been mesmerized by the lion dance, quickly turned his head.

“Huh? What is it?”

“The lion I’m looking for hardly moves their feet. I don’t think it’s them.”

“!”

* * *

Rembrary didn’t think the lion mask was Hwa-saja [Fire Lion]. Their footwork was too different. People can be distinguished by the way they walk, can’t they?

However, it was also possible that Hwa-saja could move their feet well but usually didn’t. There was no need to be prejudiced just because they usually didn’t move them.

So, Rembrary decided to go find the lion mask.

Duran nodded at this explanation and muttered.

“Well, if the masks look the same, it’s better to check.”

“What are you talking about? The masks look completely different.”

“What? Different?”

“Yes. The lion I’m looking for wears a more realistic lion mask.”

“Then it’s obviously a different person!”

“They might have changed the mask.”

Though he wasn’t thrilled about it, Duran had been instructed to bring Rembrary back to the inn, so he accompanied Rembrary again.

The two waited for the Goriburi Troupe to finish their performance, and when the troupe members came out after cleaning up, they followed them.

“You said it wasn’t them. Do we really have to go?”

Duran grumbled softly, seemingly disliking the idea of going, but it was no use.

“If you don’t want to come, don’t follow. You don’t have to come.”

“I’m just worried there might be misunderstandings if I send you alone.”

“What misunderstandings are you talking about?”

“You tend to say things that are easy to misunderstand.”

While bickering, the two finally arrived in front of the house where the Goriburi Troupe was staying. They seemed to be staying here for a while, as they had rented a small to medium-sized house to live in.

There were even guards at the door, which made Duran even more scared, but Rembrary approached without hesitation.

“Who is it?”

The guard pointed a spear at Rembrary as he approached, asking menacingly. Duran squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

However, Rembrary didn’t care about the spear in front of him.

“I’m a friend of the person wearing the lion mask. Could you call them?”

Surprisingly, Rembrary’s calm demeanor was so composed that it was actually effective.

“Wait a moment.”

The guard looked back and forth between Rembrary and Duran before going inside. Duran was relieved. However, the guard, who soon came back out, had an even colder expression than when he went in.

Behind him was someone presumed to be one of the troupe members. Duran recognized his face. He was someone who often frequented the ticket seller’s side, constantly giving instructions.

“Who’s looking for our Myosu?”

Duran was worried because that person came out with such an angry face, but when the person saw Rembrary, for some reason, his menacing expression immediately brightened.

“You’re the guest who came to see the performance, aren’t you?”

Duran was puzzled by the friendly gaze as the person approached Rembrary and spoke to him.

What is it? He doesn’t seem to know Rembrary from his words. Why is he so welcoming?

On the other hand, Rembrary nodded nonchalantly.

“Yes.”

The person laughed heartily. Then, he gently ushered Rembrary inside, saying.

“I noticed you right away, so I looked for you after the performance. But you were already gone. I can’t believe you came here on your own.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes. What’s your profession, young master? Are you perhaps interested in working with the troupe?”

Duran realized why the Goriburi Troupe member had suddenly become so friendly. It seemed they were impressed by Rembrary’s appearance.

Seeing this, Duran was reminded of the time when a beautiful woman had been courted away, and he felt upset again, fearing the same thing would happen. However, he was too timid to step forward and only frowned.

Fortunately, Rembrary cut off that line of inquiry.

“I’m not interested in working with the troupe. I’m interested in the person wearing the lion mask.”

Unfortunately, the friendly Goriburi Troupe member’s expression changed completely at the mention of the lion mask, becoming as cold as ice.

“Why Myosu? Because they dance well?”

“Because they seem like my friend.”

The smile completely disappeared from the person’s face at those words.

“No. You can’t meet Myosu.”

He refused coldly, being overly cautious of the other party.

Feeling that they might be misunderstood as strange people because the Goriburi Troupe official was being too cold, Duran carefully explained.

“We’re also troupe members. We’re not trying to harm them, we just really think they seem like a friend.”

However, the person’s expression hardened even more upon hearing about the troupe.

“What? A troupe? Who are you? Are you guys here to target our Myosu?”

His tone changed drastically, becoming louder, making him seem like a different person from before.

At that sound, the Goriburi Troupe members inside the mansion, who had been watching from afar, all gathered and asked.

“What’s going on, Vice-Leader?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Who are those guys?”

Duran was scared and clung to Rembrary’s back.

Rembrary, still unfazed, instead asked a question.

“I’ve only come to meet a friend. Why are you stopping me?”

Instead of answering, the vice-leader looked over Duran’s shoulder and shouted.

“Get those guys out of here right now!”

Duran felt wronged because he was being treated like an intruder even though he had been brought here, but as soon as the order was given, two giants approached.

Their arms were as big as Duran’s head, so Duran pulled on Rembrary in fear, urging him.

“Let’s go, Rembrary.”

However, Rembrary strode forward. No matter how much Duran tried to grab him in horror, it was no use.

At the sight of Rembrary fearlessly approaching, the giants chuckled and raised their fists.

But that was the end of their laughter. They, who had been approaching as if to blow Rembrary away with one punch, suddenly gasped and knelt down.

When both of them did so, the onlookers buzzed.

“What are you doing? Do you think we hired you to play around?!”

At this, the vice-leader shouted and approached, but as soon as the vice-leader himself reached Rembrary, he suddenly covered his arms and cowered.

What… is going on? Duran blinked, unable to understand what was happening, and looked at Rembrary.

Despite all the commotion, Rembrary was calmly walking forward.

By this point, the Goriburi Troupe members couldn’t dare to approach Rembrary and whispered among themselves.

“Is he a martial artist or something?”

“I heard martial artists use strange techniques like that.”

“He must be a martial artist.”

Duran also began to wonder if Rembrary was really a martial artist.

Although they were in the same troupe, none of them knew about Rembrary’s past.

And unknown to Duran and these troupe members, there was one more person nearby who suspected Rembrary of being a martial artist.

It was an old man watching this scene from the top of the wall.

‘What is that? Is he a martial artist who has infiltrated the troupe in disguise?’

This old man was a real martial artist.

The old man suppressed his presence and watched Rembrary, marveling at the sight of everyone who approached him kneeling down.

‘He’s an incredible master!’

The common people mistakenly believed that martial artists could make ordinary people tremble and collapse just by glaring at them. However, in reality, one had to be far beyond ordinary to reach that level.

There were records of a few super masters being at that level, but none of the people who had seen it with their own eyes were still alive.

The old man had always thought that making people kneel with just one’s aura was an almost impossible feat.

If the opponent was terrified and stopped moving, or if the opponent’s liver was particularly weak, then even masters could do it, but.

‘Let’s follow him a bit more.’

The old man had originally come to this area for other business, but he was excited to see such an interesting sight and followed them.

However, he could no longer see that wondrous sight. That’s because Rembrary found the lion mask right away in that short amount of time.

The lion mask was huddled in a very small room without even a blanket, and when the door suddenly opened, he was startled and quickly lifted his masked face.

“Lion.”

Even though Rembrary called his name as he approached, he didn’t loosen his huddled posture. He looked like a completely different person from the one who had been so flamboyant and light on his feet during the performance.

“Lion.”

Rembrary still called out to the lion mask again.

“It’s me. Do you remember me?”

The lion mask shook his head.

So, it’s not him after all… Rembrary had guessed it in advance, but he still felt a little disappointed.

But then, a very small child’s voice was heard from behind.

“That person, he’s lost his memory. He can’t even speak.”

When Rembrary turned his head, a child was hiding behind the wall, only showing his head.

The lion mask’s hunched back seemed to straighten a little when he saw the child, as if the child and the lion mask were close.

The child carefully looked at Rembrary and asked.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lion’s friend.”

“Friend?”

“Yes. He disappeared, so I came to find him.”

Duran became intrigued, wondering if this lion mask was really Rembrary’s former colleague.

Rembrary had also lost his memory, and the fact that the other person had also lost his memory made it sound plausible. Were they perhaps members of a group who had been scattered due to an accident?

Rembrary had also thought that this lion mask wasn’t Hwa-saja after seeing his footwork, but he felt a little hopeful after hearing that he had lost his memory.

Perhaps he could be Hwa-saja. Maybe he had forgotten how to use his abilities and his feet had become faster. Maybe the old lion mask had broken, and these troupe members had given him a new mask.

If that was the case, then treatment would be possible. Rembrary approached the lion mask and sent divine power as if he was patting his back.

The lion mask flinched when a stranger suddenly approached and patted him, but he soon calmed down as he received the divine power, and the eyes revealed outside the mask cleared up.

Rembrary finished the treatment and took his hand off the lion mask, then looked at those clear eyes and muttered with a second conviction.

“You… you’re not the lion I’m looking for.”

Duran wondered why Rembrary was acting like that again and looked at him.

At that moment. The lion mask spoke.

“Yes. I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

When he spoke, the lion mask’s voice was also pleasant.

When the lion mask took off his mask, a person with a gentle impression appeared.

“I am not the person you are looking for. But I am indebted to you.”

Duran didn’t know that Rembrary had treated the lion mask, so he was puzzled as to what that meant, but the lion mask seemed to know for sure that Rembrary had treated him.

The old man, who had been watching this, also realized that Rembrary had done something to the lion mask and was impressed.

‘He looks young. Not only is he incredibly skilled, but he also has a kind heart! At that level, he might be able to deal with Yumaena’s disciples, who have been causing problems lately. I should see if he’s interested in joining the Alliance.’

That old man was an elder of the Martial Arts Alliance, which was running low on talented individuals.