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The emaciated Black man had a face that could hardly be described as handsome, even as a mere compliment.

His face bore numerous dark spots and burn marks, making it a challenge to view him as having a positive first impression; his nose was slightly crooked, and it seemed he was quite bald, revealing a prominent forehead.

Moreover, his body was so thin that only bones and skin were visible.

His bony hands were adorned with various rings and bracelets, each seemingly crafted from different metals and gemstones. Among them, the gold bracelets and rings stood out in their extravagance, so much so that their brilliance was almost blinding.

“Oh, Maurice. This is the place. Come over here.”

Upon seeing the Black man, Jang Young-cheol’s face lit up.

He didn’t just wait there; he approached him directly and guided him to where Jinseong and Yang-hoon were.

He then introduced him to them just as Yang-hoon had introduced Jinseong earlier.

“Let me introduce you. This is Maurice E Vin, a shaman staying with our group.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Maurice E Vin. Please call me Maurice.”

Maurice introduced himself in fluent Korean.

Although slightly awkward, considering he was a foreigner, his Korean was quite impressive.

‘The way he pronounces Korean shows characteristics typical of English-speaking people. He must have been a shaman active in the Anglophone world or even Europe.’

Listening to Maurice’s pronunciation, Jinseong made a guess about his origin.

Language reflects a person’s lifetime.

More challenging to hide than appearance is the distinctiveness that comes through language.

Just as living beings rarely deviate significantly from their origins across generations, language cannot shed traces of its mother tongue.

“Haha. Nice to meet you. I’m Yang-hoon. If the elder introduced you, you must be an impressive shaman indeed. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Hello. My name is Park Jinseong.”

Maurice’s Korean followed the same pattern.

It was very fluent, yet when he pronounced “i,” the accent was distinctly Anglophone, and faint traces of Italian and German could be detected among other vowels and consonants. Judging from that, it was highly likely that this Maurice had been a shaman working in Europe.

‘He has been active in Europe, but the items he wears suggest a blend of various nationalities. There’s a chance his hometown isn’t in Europe, or that he could have traveled around several countries in Europe. Particularly those items look African; he might either have a connection with a shaman active around Africa or has traveled there.’

Jinseong politely nodded while discreetly examining the divine objects he wore.

His gaze was extremely subtle and quick enough that no one would notice, not even Jang Young-cheol, a warrior of high caliber.

‘Hmm. That’s a statue of Nzambi Mpungu. From its style, it looks like something from Haiti, heavily influenced by Voodoo.’

Jinseong speculated about the divine objects he was adorned with, trying to deduce his skill level and the type of magic he primarily employed.

‘The rings and bracelets on his hands emit a cold aura, suggesting they are possessed objects, and judging from their shapes, they seem like funerary goods taken from a tomb. Moreover, the differences in fabric and thread indicate that these clothes are also likely made from items taken thread by thread from a corpse’s burial garment (shroud).’

Jinseong could easily deduce that Maurice was no ordinary practitioner.

The divine objects he possessed were all extraordinary.

Each accessory, while brilliant, seemed to lack nobility and was inhabited by spirits, with an aura of cold emanating from them, indicating that each was certainly remarkable. There were likely several spirits among the funerary goods that had transformed into evil spirits.

The clothes exuded an unusual energy, dark yet sticky, suggesting they were tainted by a curse. However, that curse seemed to flow outward, causing no harm to Maurice.

‘A cursed outfit. A remarkable defense against surprise attacks.’

The curse on the clothes would activate immediately if someone attempted to assault Maurice, targeting those who dared to attack their master.

‘Filled with cursed objects, a statue enhanced by the symbol of divine punishment, and a protective magic incredibly close to black magic….’

Moreover, it wasn’t just one thing.

Thinking lightly about it would lead to a dreadful end.

“Hey Maurice. This child here is the shaman I mentioned last time. Just became an adult, but I hear he’s quite skilled.”

“Skillful, you say.”

Upon hearing Jang Young-cheol’s introduction, Maurice turned to look at Jinseong.

And Jinseong maintained his smile while meeting Maurice’s gaze.

The unusually deep brown eyes, tinged with gray, wandered restlessly, examining Jinseong, creating an illusion that the eyes were split into several sections, scanning all around. Moreover, it felt as if he was being pierced by looks from various parts of Maurice’s body, reminiscent of a giant from myth who possessed a hundred eyes, Argus.

Just gazing at him sent shivers down one’s spine.

“Is that so? Quite interesting.”

Maurice spoke with a low, rumbling voice that felt eerily reminiscent of a corpse rising from its grave. He then reached out for a handshake, but as a faint figure of a spirit whispered something in his ear, he stopped his hand mid-motion.

He slowly retracted his hand and smiled nonchalantly.

“Oh, I almost made a mistake. I forgot that handshakes aren’t a common greeting in Korea.”

He then lightly bowed his head in greeting and smiled brightly.

Almost as if to imply that his retracting the handshake was merely due to being an uninformed foreigner.

Jinseong smiled back at Maurice.

“That’s not true. In Korea, we handshake when we meet someone we’re glad to see.”

“Ah, I didn’t know that because I’m a foreigner.”

Maurice maintained a cheerful demeanor while speaking to Jinseong.

Almost as if to express, ‘I feel positively towards you.’

However, even while displaying gestures of goodwill, he was careful not to encroach upon Jinseong’s space, maintaining a distance just out of reach while not showing any interest in consuming any of the food surrounding Jinseong, taking care to ensure he maintained a slight distance from the table.

‘A seasoned shaman, indeed.’

Jinseong chuckled at Maurice’s demeanor.

Seeing him reminded Jinseong of his past self before the rewind.

Respecting Maurice’s territory, Jinseong kept his feet firmly planted on the ground and approached him while smiling as if to convey that he meant no harm. He then asked him, infused with gestures akin to a Frenchman’s.

“Foreign, you say? If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask where you are from?”

“I wouldn’t call it a bother. I came from Europe.”

“Europe. I’ve thought about wanting to visit there. That thought had crossed my mind, but with me being young and having a multitude of tasks, it remained merely a thought.”

Maurice and Jinseong laughed together, their conversation filled with warmth.

They appeared exceedingly friendly.

Jinseong incorporated non-verbal expressions typical of European style into their interaction and adjusted his demeanor to seem sociable. In turn, Maurice responded to this with an equally friendly attitude, sharing smiles and showing his interest each time he made eye contact with Jinseong.

“Oh, it’s such a pity you haven’t been to Europe. There are so many wonderful cities.”

“Wonderful cities… There are so many that it becomes a problem. I’ve been pondering where to start on my travel plans. Could you recommend a good city?”

“As a tourist spot, Rome is the finest. I’ve traveled to many places, but it’s hard to find anywhere as beautiful as Rome. And… right. Kangerlussuaq in Greenland is also lovely. If you do fjord trekking there, you’ll be overwhelmed by the majesty of nature.”

The two felt like old friends meeting at a bar, sharing a common bond like fellow countrymen who coincidentally encountered each other at a travel destination. There was a deep sense of intimacy, and their feelings for one another seemed devoid of any negative emotions.

They simply maintained a certain distance apart.

 

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