Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"Boy, have you been using me as an example for your ranking journey?"

Ivar asked, looking at Eren curiously. The latter didn't take much time to understand what the Sage Berserker was talking about.

Ivar assumed that Eren practiced the paths of berserker and close combat expert at the same time. Although there was no doubt in his mind that Eren was a close combat expert, the moves he had shown in the battle ring portrayed him as an excellent berserker.

Eren didn't correct Ivas by saying that he was a berserker in his past timeline. He decided to use the Sage berserker's assumption about him as the foundation to further his own agenda.

"That's... that's right, Sage Ivar."

The butcher sounded nervous. He looked at Ivar as if he was meeting his idolâ€" his eyes exuding a peculiar shine. He gulped and cleared his throat before speaking further.

"I... I was inspired by your journey from a very young age. That's why I decided to join the Lionhearts Adventurers' Academy. It was based on your experiences as a ranker, after all.

Even if my main path is a close combat expert, I started practicing the berserker moves from my Novice rank. I also started dabbling in potioning just like you did when you were injured and had to make some difficult choices.

You... you never wavered from your path despite the difficulties you faced along the way. That's why I decided to achieve the same form of success by copying you.

You have always been like a father figure..."

Alephee started coughing severely while she was resting when she heard Eren's bullshittery. She wondered how someone could lie so perfectly with a straight face. She would have had a red face saying something like this in Eren's shoes and her lie would have been easily caught.

However, Eren was an old sinner.

He didn't mind praising the Sage if it helped him get more from him. And Alephee suggested not to provoke any Sage anyway. The butcher considered his act to be in line with the homunculus' suggestion.

Ivar looked at Eren with a stoic face. But he couldn't help but flash a smile when he processed Eren's words in his mind. He wanted to say that the past was more complicated than the stories about him might have led today's generation to believe. He wasn't Edinburgh's savior but one of its shadow rulers.

On second thought, however, the berserker decided not to speak of such a thing.

Ivar coughed and straightened his posture. He straightened his posture and chuckled before speaking further.

"Haha. Indeed. The nuances of the Berserker and close combat classes can indeed be practiced together. Back then, I had to regress in my ranking journey to take up the close combat class.

Plus, the kingdom's foundation wasn't as solid as it is now. We were in a constant state of war when I was in Anfang. Things were tough. Really tough.

Being a close combat expert was a turning point for me. I had to struggle..."

Ivar started depicting his struggles like they were a montage of inspiring images. The butcher cursed the berserker in his head for wasting his time. He just wanted to get everything the Sage had to offer him and leave the place.

However, the butcher played the character as someone who was completely inspired by Ivar's life story impeccably. At the end of Ivar's speech, Eren had supposedly become star-struck.

"Hahaha. Boy, I see that you want to follow in my footsteps. Your weapon comprehension is also good enough. Here. Take this."

Ivar offered Eren his transcendent-grade broadaxe. He threw it at Eren from where he was along with an array disk that could allow a berserker to fine-tune their mana circuits. Eren also caught a scroll thrown by Ivar that contained a powerful Axe art.

Eren was delighted by Ivar's gifts. But he wanted more from the guy. Especially after praising the guy so much.

Eren started looking at Sage Ivar's other weapons intently without saying anything. His subtle message was clear. He wanted to inherit Ivar's other axe as well as the broadsword he had attached to his belt.

Ivar was in a dilemma seeing Eren with star-studded eyes looking at him like he was some form of god. In the end, the big guy with a relatively soft heart caved in and offered Eren his transcendent-grade axe and sword as well.

Eren stored everything Ivar gave him in his storage. But he wasn't satisfied.

'More. I want more.'

Eren thought to himself before looking at the berserker's shield. Before commenting, he looked at Ivar with hope in his eyes.

"Lord... Lord Ivar. Would you mind giving me your shield artifact as well? It will not only safeguard me but will also provide me with mental support for future battles. It would be like my idol himself is trying to protect me through that shield."

By this point, Ivar Ironside had come to realize that Eren was probably praising him to get more benefits out of him. After all, there was a limit to the big guy's gullibility. But he decided to give Eren what he wanted anyway.

Ivar felt like it had been a long time since someone had praised him. The guy just wanted to overlook the butcher's selfish nature and focus on the positive things he had said about him. One could say that the vestige of Ivar's soul craved recognition.

***

Eren acquired the Berserker class at the end of the 27th day inside Sansara World.

The Berserker class was special to Eren. After all, it was a class he was forced to choose in his previous timeline. Even after various obstacles, he achieved an Adept rank in the Berserker class at that time. All by his own willpower and efforts.

Even while the class was forced on him, Eren had shaped himself into a relatively good berserker. The bitter times had taught him many nuances of being a berserker. That's why he could use that knowledge as a guiding light for Steve and the dual berserkers.