Chapter 93

“Ugh, dang. It was quite a nice item.”

Elder Geher’s face showed disappointment as he looked at the completely ruined scythe.

You might say a scythe is just a scythe, but there are people who make things well and those who don’t. There are many masters in the world, and among them, some are really good at making scythes.

This scythe was, in fact, bought at a higher price than usual. Of course, it’s still just a scythe. It’s not made of gold, just iron and wood. How expensive could it really be in Geher’s eyes?

When you’re a master, you can’t really run out of money even if you want to. So, while buying this scythe, he thought he was being overcharged but didn’t have high expectations.

If the blade is too heavy, it becomes unstable to swing, and if it’s dull, it can’t even cut weeds properly, let alone people.

It was nice not having to worry about such things while using this scythe, but that arrogant kid completely destroyed it. Roka’s sword strike did that.

‘Still, to break through my Stellar Aura and ruin the scythe…’

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Roka’s power or the power of the Moonlight Blade.

Moonlight Teresa’s Moonlight Sword Art is indeed legendary, but Geher is also a Grand Master of this era. Even if Teresa herself wielded the Moonlight Blade and used her sword art, there’s no guarantee she could overwhelm him. So, what’s there to fear from Roka?

“I wonder what that sword taught the kid.”

However, the final strike Roka used when all her attacks failed—that one truly frightened him.

The deep sunset-colored line, unlike Heron’s case, didn’t pierce through the scythe but instead dissipated, leaving the scythe completely ruined. Now, it’s not even worth selling as scrap metal.

‘Sunset Slash.’

Truly, she learned something absurd. Even when used by Roka, it was a destructive technique that sent a chill down Geher’s spine.

500 years ago, if this technique had been unleashed from Master Heron’s sword, its power would have been enough to annihilate him in one strike.

‘A technique that surpasses, no, overwhelms all realms. Such things aren’t always beneficial, so why did the sword choose this?’

Of course, it’s not a technique Roka can control now. Techniques or weapons exist for people, so when they wield people, it’s not a good thing.

“I hope that kid doesn’t turn evil. She doesn’t seem inherently wicked, so that’s a relief…”

When a child wields great power, there are two outcomes: good or bad.

Usually, it’s the latter. Geher was worried about that. Great power should be wielded with a great spirit. One must have the maturity to handle such power.

‘It’s too early to judge. Whether she becomes a hero, a demon king, or a hermit like me…’

Small hermits hide in the forests, while great hermits hide among people. That’s why Elder Geher, living in the Imperial Palace, is still a hermit. Few in the world know his true identity.

But this hermit was once a mercenary king who roamed the world. He had seen many people and learned many things. To him, Roka seemed somewhat unstable.

For now, there’s something keeping that instability in check, but if that support disappears, who knows where she’ll go?

*****

Roka, who had returned, seemed in a very good mood. The child was carrying a sword she had never seen before, and the cool moonlight aura around it suggested it was quite a treasure.

It’s not as great as Yurinel’s Sacred Sword, but still, it’s comparable to Duke Shimira’s Blood-Sucking Spear.

Considering that even among demon kings, few wield weapons of that caliber, the Empire truly is the Empire.

Even if it’s just a royal warehouse, having weapons of that level lying around shows the wealth and power of the continent’s richest and strongest nation. The demon race hasn’t recklessly attacked humanity, partly because they’ve been busy infighting and keeping each other in check.

But in my opinion, it’s just that their capabilities are limited. Individually, demons are generally stronger than humans.

But as a race, they’re overwhelmingly outnumbered and outclassed. Even if the Demon World seems vast, the land they occupy is just the outskirts of the continent. Mostly wastelands and untamed territories.

The reason they desperately want the continent is probably because they don’t want to live in such lands anymore. To them, the human lands, led by the Empire, must seem incredibly attractive, and even the wind must smell of abundance.

“This is the Moonlight Blade. Master of Masters. The blade used by Moonlight Teresa.”

Roka, smiling upon seeing me, ran over and showed me the blade she carried on her back. She grinned like a puppy with a bone, then noticed Rowena and quickly stopped smiling.

“But who is that?”

Was it my imagination? A shadow seemed to fall over Roka. Rowena, meeting Roka’s gaze, gave an awkward smile.

Suddenly, a breeze brushed my ear. I’ve heard that elves are skilled at infusing natural elements with magic to create spirits.

-You’re raising quite a dangerous child.

The wind spirit carried Rowena’s voice to my ear. And then, Rowena’s actual words followed.

“Don’t worry, little girl. I have no intention of romancing humans. I’ve seen too many of my kind regret being left alone after falling in love with humans due to their short lifespans.”

Roka frowned silently, glaring at Rowena, who waved her hands in defense. Anyway, Rowena gave an enigmatic smile and looked back at me.

“Alright, Priest. Since you promised first, you must keep it. Don’t forget your promise to visit Elvenheim. I’ll do my best to help.”

“What promise?”

Roka asked sharply. I patted her head, and she finally softened her expression and chuckled. Well, at this point, even I couldn’t help but notice.

Roka is more fierce than I thought. She doesn’t show it in front of me, so I hadn’t realized.

Regardless, Roka needed to know what the promise was about.

“Roka. Do you know about the trouble in the Citadel Republic?”

Roka made her usual expression. By now, I could tell what she wanted to say just by her face.

‘Roka doesn’t know anything.’ It’s a face she only shows me.

“I told you before about Grimudo and the monster legion. Among them, the strongest monster, the Phoenix, is currently stirring near the Caldera Mountain Range in the Republic.”

But upon hearing about the Phoenix, Roka looked startled. Normally, she would’ve had a ‘So what?’ expression, but this time, she looked unusually flustered.

“The Phoenix… the King of Monsters?”

“You know about it too. Yes, that King of Monsters. Many have tried to hunt it, but none have succeeded.”

Monsters are ultimately creations of Grimudo. I don’t know exactly how he makes those huge things, but they’re hard to get rid of.

Even those capable of hunting monsters can’t ignore the fact that Grimudo is behind them. That’s why monster hunts are rare.

There’s already the precedent of the Manticore. Grimudo didn’t seem to care much when it was hunted, but the problem remains. Monsters aren’t easy to hunt.

Among them, the Phoenix, known as Grimudo’s crown jewel, is a truly dangerous being.

I can say that with confidence because our party has seen it before.

‘Even Yurinel, Parnell, and Lucia have grown stronger since then, but even at our peak, I doubt we could’ve hunted it.’

Even with the help of the Bluebird’s feather, our party, which was strong enough to hunt Grozam, the third-ranked demon king, could only barely fight it to a standstill.

And that was only because the Phoenix chose to leave rather than continue fighting.

Lucia gritted her teeth and spat out hatred at the sight of that red bird, but she couldn’t do anything as it flew away. That alone showed how slim our chances were.

Of course, I can’t take Roka to face such a creature.

Even if Roka were as strong as Yurinel, Parnell, and Lucia combined, it would still be hard to guarantee victory. With her current strength, Roka wouldn’t survive facing the Phoenix.

‘There’s no other way.’

If the Empire and the Temple united and poured all their strength into it, maybe they could hunt it. But that’s just wishful thinking.

I don’t believe the world works that optimistically.

The fact that the Lord helps us is precisely because we can’t do it ourselves.

‘I’ll have to use the Milky Way Bleeding Night.’

It’s a problem of conflicting interests. If I could convince the Emperor and the three Archbishops with just words to ignore all their interests and unite, that would be brainwashing, not persuasion. Of course, I don’t have such power, and the Lord, who respects free will, wouldn’t help me gain it.

If you don’t expect, you won’t be disappointed, so there’s no reason to despair.

It would be nice if others helped, but I can’t expect them to sacrifice themselves for me. Such things don’t happen often, and I can’t ask for it.

Sacrifice isn’t something you can force on others. Who can tell someone to abandon their own interests to help others?

The Lord can. But as a mere human, I can’t force such things on others.

‘My life, foretold to ascend, isn’t as precious as others’ lives.’

If others’ lives are like flowers that bloom and wither once, my life is like an evergreen pine tree.

Just because I have green leaves in winter doesn’t mean I can urge flowers to bloom. They’ll freeze to death with no next life.

On the other hand, even if I die, my life just changes form. So, in moments like this, if sacrificing myself can save more people, I should walk that path with a smile. That’s the price of the privilege I’ve received from the Lord.

“Roka.”

But if possible, I’d prefer to walk that path alone.

“You stay here.”