Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 94: The Demon King Of Twilight

“I want to go with you.”

Well, that was exactly what I expected.

I knew she was incredibly stubborn.

Roka fixed her gaze on me, her determination clear. I had decided to treat her as an adult and respect her wishes, but this time was different.

I attempted to persuade her, yet she simply flopped down, not figuratively, but literally, sprawled on the ground with arms and legs splayed, glaring at me as if challenging, “Step on me if you want to go.”

“Roka. The place I’m heading to is perilous.”

“Roka doesn’t know anything.”

“I appreciate your courage, but Phoenix isn’t an opponent you can beat with that alone.”

“Roka can’t hear anything.”

Before I knew it, I raised a hand to my forehead. Lady Rowena, who was watching, chuckled softly.

It was the first time I’d seen Roka throw such a tantrum, and I was at a loss for how to handle it.

“Honestly, I don’t want to send the Master to such a dangerous place.”

Roka squinted at me.

“But even if I tell you not to go, you’ll go anyway, won’t you?”

“That’s true...”

Living together had taught us to understand each other. I’d assumed Roka knew little, yet she proved to be far more insightful than I’d realized.

“So, I won’t tell you not to go. Let’s go together. Is it so hard to grant me that one request? I won’t let Master go alone. No, I can’t let you.”

What should I do? Should I tell her I’ll just revive if I die?

If I use the Milky Way Night, the departure date will come sooner... but I still have some time.

I couldn’t share that secret with Lady Rowena present, and that only deepened my worries.

“If you refuse to take me along, then step on me and leave.”

Her demands were unreasonable, and I found no retort. I couldn’t step on her, nor could I allow myself to get angry over it.

“If you leave me behind, I’ll lose myself.”

She puffed out her cheeks and turned away, sulking. I tried to calm her, but she wouldn’t budge. Roka was far more stubborn than I thought.

I eventually gave up and sighed; sneaking through the gate without Roka’s knowledge just didn’t feel right.

If she went somewhere dangerous without telling me, how would I feel? I couldn’t do that to her.

If I did, she really might change.

“So take me with you. At the very least, I can protect myself. Do you not trust me?”

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She looked at me with teary eyes. I didn’t know what to do.

In the end, I reluctantly agreed. She smiled, brushed off the dust, and stood up. Roka was indeed craftier than I’d believed.

She beamed as I managed a laugh instead of tears. I hadn’t wanted to bring her along, yet she left me with no alternative.

“Before you follow me, let’s maximize your abilities.”

All I could do was use the lineage sapling to bolster her strength. It wouldn’t guarantee a victory against Phoenix, but it might help her survive.

Whoosh.

Lady Rowena watched curiously as a sapling bloomed in my hands.

Roka, already familiar with it, reached out without hesitation.

Once again, we stood in that endless space where only possibilities branched and spread.

The countless possibilities filled our view, almost dazzling, but this was my third time and Roka’s second. She wasn’t as surprised as before.

You’ve grown a lot.

She had once been small for her age, but now she appeared taller, perhaps from absorbing magic. Yet, more significant than her physical growth was the maturity she had gained.

After all, she had been through, she looked at the lineage tree calmly, without fear or hesitation. She was carefully deciding which path to take.

“Can I really do all this?”

I was surprised, too. Many branches were already active and ready to choose.

Though Roka hadn’t appeared to accomplish much recently, she had earned far more than I had expected.

This was my third time using this miracle. I didn’t fully understand it, but I knew the basics.

The lineage sapling rewards a person’s deeds in life. It exists because of a prayer I once made:

Life is full of hardship, and misfortune comes to all. But this child has suffered too much. I would like a small reward for her pain. This foolish servant merely inquires.

The lineage sapling is the Lord’s response, a miracle that collects life’s hidden bounty, beyond human reach, and transforms it into grace for immediate use.

Everyone lives differently, and thus the merit each person gains is unique. Even in the same era, individuals take distinct paths and acquire diverse strengths.

Duchess Shmira.

As I wondered how Roka had gained so much merit, my thoughts turned to Duchess Vlad Shmira.

Back then, we had found Roka collapsed in the bathroom from the bright sunlight, and that very light led us to her.

I couldn’t see the duchess because she had died in the sunlight Roka created. That’s why her merit is so high.

Roka had turned to ash, a powerful ruler, a vampire queen, and a duchess allied with the demon king.

Duchess Shmira was a master-level fighter of high status; defeating her was no trivial matter.

With Duchess Shmira and Young Lady Kamira gone, vampires lose their pure bloodline. That must have significantly increased Roka’s merit.

...There was no need to remind her that she had unknowingly destroyed both a mother and daughter.

......

I expected her to choose quickly, yet she hesitated, her gaze fixed on two branching paths.

One branch was large, formed by countless smaller offshoots. Selecting it would render her far more potent, elevating her from a low-level expert to a high-level force, or even beyond.

Roka seemed torn between two branches. She was drawn to the large one but kept looking at the thin, fine one.

This branch was different—like a twilight-colored line, it didn’t connect to others. It was strange, and Roka seemed fascinated by it.

Let’s see...

I reached out to feel it. Unchosen branches are mere possibilities, and I was exploring one of them.

Could Roka have this potential? I hadn’t seen it last time, which puzzled me.

Twilight... Slash?

Where did she learn such a technique? My curiosity quickly waned, even as my eyes involuntarily widened.

It was the path of one who abandons everything else to focus on a single technique, a twisted road that leads far away from humanity.

Suddenly, the branch glowed, revealing a vision.

A familiar face appeared, much older than Roka’s present self, yet empty and silent, devoid of life.

I wanted to become not the god of malice but evil itself.

A sound echoed, like the voices of countless babies babbling.

An eerie voice was heard, but it wasn’t Roka speaking. It didn’t even sound human.

A boy regarded Roka with dismay before smirking; in his eyes, afterimages of countless babies flickered.

It was merely a possibility, and I watched as it unfolded before me.

I couldn’t tell what that child was, but he wasn’t normal.

But sister, you’re more out of your mind than I am.

The Roka of some future possibility gazed quietly at the child, her expression void of both goodwill and hostility, standing in silent desolation.

Her eyes, colder and emptier than now, reflected nothing—no feelings, thoughts, just emptiness, with longer hair and taller stature.

How does it feel to chase the end until you become it? You might not be able to hear me now, but I still must ask, are you satisfied?

Roka didn’t respond. She simply nodded slightly to the boy.

Then, the sun turned twilight-colored, and a light line struck the boy like lightning.

Crack.

The strike, like an execution, resembled the twilight-colored branch I had touched. The boy lost the light in his eyes the moment it hit.

Twilight severed everything, heralding an end to all things. It revealed a path where one is ultimately consumed by the twilight.

Someone imprinted their twilight vision upon Roka’s world, a vision that should have faded with her growth. Yet drawing it out with the sapling risked making Roka a part of that twilight.

The person would be gone, and only their power would remain. The power could be gained, but it was a dangerous path.

“Roka. That one is not allowed.”

I snapped out of my thoughts to see Roka looking at the branches. She was our Roka, intelligent and aware, not the future version.

“If you must choose, let’s pick this branch.”

“Okay.”

Roka seemed to think it didn’t matter which one she chose, but when I made the decision, she looked relieved. We selected the large branch, a confluence of many smaller ones.

My power and command over magic expanded, and my proficiency with the Moonlight Blade advanced.

I wasn’t certain it would suffice against Phoenix, yet it brought me a welcome sense of ease. Even these subtle changes held the power to save a life.

“So, are you leaving now?”

“No. I should say goodbye first.”

In reality, Roka, who had been absorbing the changes, asked. I smiled as I answered.

“We’ve come this far together. I should at least speak to the Princess.”