Inside the temple, Ivo returned to the place he had seen before.
A building made of special wood taken from trees in the Land of The Dead. This temple only had one floor but its height was equivalent to a two-story building.
On the east side, there was a small room where the Shamans would stay and rest. The room on the side was where the Shamans would clean the dead bodies, perfume them, and prepare everything needed for the funeral.
There was also a room called the lamentation room for those who wanted to cry for the dead before they were buried. Sometimes, the Shamans would accompany and comfort relatives or families who were sad there.
All of this setup… Ivo was very familiar with it.
"Quite simple, isn't it? We Shamans don't have much to show off." Veibel smiled as he held warm water in his hand.
The two of them sat on the wooden floor with a mat made of fairly thin cloth.
"No. I prefer the simplicity of the Shamans' lives to the luxury of the light chasers. After all, I live without parents and have faced many hardships." "Ah… I'm sorry."
Veibel gave Ivo warm water and the two drank it quietly. Although his hand still hadn't recovered, he looked better now. His clothes had been changed to clean clothes and there was no scent of blood that could be smelled. The wounds on some of his body had closed as if they had never existed.
Night had come and the cemetery began to light the flames on every torch around. Veibel used his magic energy so easily to light all the torches in Ernest's cemetery.
"The person who transgressed death… he has been taken care of. Although it is very unfortunate that he could not be buried, he has given up on his futile efforts and accepted death. So this problem can be resolved well"
"Ah, I'm glad to hear that."
"Your name is… Ivo, right?" Veibel looked at Ivo who was still very young. He was quite surprised at first to see a child this young to follow the teachings of death. It was very rare and difficult to meet someone like Ivo.
He wanted to swallow back the words he wanted to say but could only resignedly say them.
"This might not be something good for you and it's quite hard for me to say it. Some shamans who heard about today's incident made some offers for you."
"Offers?" Ivo who heard it widened his eyes. Although he showed an ignorant face, the meaning of Veibel's words was very clear in his eyes.
"They want to take you as their disciple."
"This…"
Ivo who heard it was quite surprised. Honestly, he didn't expect to be offered to become a disciple of a Shaman.
No… why is it so easy?
When I wanted to try to become a Shaman, I had to show my devotion to one of the Shamans, contemplate the meaning of death, and live for 1 year in the cemetery and I was only accepted to become a disciple.
I even had to sleep beside the grave at night and listen to the cries every night. Even if it rained, I could only continue to contemplate death. The only rest I took at that time was when I was hungry and needed to go to the bathroom.
Where did all my efforts go at that time?
"You don't need to answer it and don't accept it." Veibel immediately gave the advice to refuse firmly.
"You just have to follow your parents' will and enter the White Snow Academy. Becoming a Shaman is not something that is easy to do."
Ivo nodded and knew this. He knew because he had been a shaman in the past. But Ivo showed a curious expression and asked Veibel.
"May I ask why?"
"Because it's hard. Especially for a young person with great potential like you. Shamans are not chosen based on their talents or abilities. The Court of The Dead considers that something like potential, talent, or abilities are not something that is needed to become a Shaman."
"Only one thing is considered important. That is commitment."
"Moreover, Shamans are not asked to fight on the front lines or take care of battle matters. We shamans are only tasked with guarding the cemetery where we live and we are not allowed to leave this place unless there are special conditions."
"Then, why was I offered this position?"
This was what Ivo was trying to ask. He could see Veibel's gaze change slightly.
"They want to take you as their disciple, but not to raise you to become a Shaman. But as a candidate for the Land of The Dead guardian." Veibel answered while taking a sip of the drink in front of him.
HAH?
Wait, I didn't hear it wrong, right?
He said I would be trained to become a future guardian of the Land of the Dead?
Ivo couldn't believe what he heard. Because what he heard was not something that should have been offered to him. Especially to an outsider whose origins were unclear.
There was a hierarchy in the Court of the Dead. If the Shamans were those who guarded the cemetery where the locals came, the Land of the Dead was a sacred land where hundreds of thousands of people came every year.
From here, the Guardians of the Land of the Dead were placed far above the Shamans. Their positions were not equal and almost like the difference between a king and a slave. From this alone, Ivo already knew that the person who wanted to train him was not just anyone. At least not someone in the position of a Shaman.
Veibel seemed to know this and he also reluctantly had to offer this to Ivo. He lied a little to lower his expectations so that he could refuse this position.
The life of a Shaman was difficult. Those who heard it could even say that the lives of the beggars in the capital were better than being a Shaman.
So, he really hoped that Ivo would refuse it.
"If it's Shaman's suggestion, I will refuse it."
Hearing Ivo's words, Veibel became relieved. It wasn't because he was jealous or envious of Ivo, but he really didn't want the young man in front of him who had helped him to sacrifice himself for that position.
Ivo also knew this and refused it. Of course, he couldn't refuse it directly. If this was known by the people of the followers of the teachings of death, he would be terrorized by them and it would be very disturbing.
But with Veibel as a protector, it's likely that this matter won't spread.
I hope.
"Speaking of which, why did I suddenly get offered something like this?"
"Ah, I actually had a little involvement in this." Veibel smiled awkwardly.
"When I was heading there, I contacted those in power to send assistance. Seva asked me to explain how I came to know about it and I was forced to tell her about you."
"Ah, so that's how it is. Then this is fine."
"Sir Shaman…"
"You can call me Veibel. No need to be so polite my friend."
"Ah, then Mr. Veibel, can this matter not be spread? I don't want to attract unnecessary trouble because of this." Ivo said in a slightly pleading tone.
He didn't know who Seva was, as Veibel mentioned, but the key word he mentioned here was that the person must be of a higher level.
Probably an Arbiter. If that was true, then this would be really troublesome.
There would be a big problem if he really got too involved with the Court of The Death. His plan to enter White Snow Academy would be completely ruined if he really was affiliated with the Court of the Death.
It wouldn't be a problem if he started from another area. Ivo himself had a special closeness to the Court of The Death because he had once joined them and seriously lived the character he created at that time.
But now, he was in Ernest City. In this place, White Snow Academy had full power over this city. Without their support, it was quite impossible to get out of Ernest City.
"If that is your wish, then I will discuss it with Seva. She will definitely respect your decision." Veibel gave a positive answer.
Ivo felt relieved in his heart. "Glad to hear that."
"But…" Veibel had not finished speaking. He looked at Ivo with a smile on his face.
"The fact that you helped us and told us about someone who transgressed death, is something we must appreciate. Seva seems to think so too and decided to give you an appreciation."
"Ah, I don't know how to thank you."
"No need to be polite, you deserve it. They will send it to your place. I will make sure that the gift will arrive as soon as possible."
"In addition… I also want to give you this." Veibel took out a black sword that looked covered in rust and looked worn out.
Even so, Ivo who saw it could not believe what he saw.
Veibel handed it to Ivo. He did not care about this sword and casually gave it to him.
"I don't know how valuable this thing is but that person who transgressed death still uses it even now. It might be a bit of a waste to let it go so I decided to take it."
"And, I see that you still have such pure Mana and have not formed a development direction that you should take. Maybe this sword can help."
This…
Ivo looked at the sword in front of him with sparkling eyes. He couldn't believe he would see the sword that Raven always used right in front of his eyes.
Ivo really wanted to laugh right now. If Veibel was not in front of him, he would really scream with joy.
Something like this, he really could not believe that this sword would be in his hands one day.
The sword that Regressor Raven always used. The sword that he inherited from one of the most genius swordsmen that humanity had ever produced. A monster from the past that was able to cut through space directly with a single slash.
The creator of the Supreme Swordsmanship used by Raven, the sword he always saw when he was with the regressor.
Embodiment of Self.
This was the name of the sword in front of him.