The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

"Is this where it is?"

Following the magic's guidance, Beta arrived at a simple little wooden house.

When Gray arrived in the morning, he marked the place with a magical symbol.

However, marking with magical symbols is not unique to the Demon King's legacy; it can be done by all races and professions.

Magic marks can be engraved on an object, a place, or a creature. Powerful magic users can detect the presence of magic marks, but it also depends on the difference in strength between the magic mark user and the perceiver, as well as the concealment of the magic mark and the strength of the perceiver's mental power.

If the power of the perceiver and the one who inscribed the magical mark is of the same origin, perceiving the magical mark will become much easier.

As Gray's second familiar, Beta is naturally guided by magical markers.

"This is a task personally assigned to me by Lord Shadow, so I must complete it well," Beta muttered to himself.

Ever since learning that Lord Shadow was still a child, Beta felt a sense of crisis.

She initially thought that Alpha, a little girl, was not a threat as a competitor, but after learning that the two were the same age and that pairing them up as a couple would be appropriate, she realized that Alpha was a formidable opponent.

Moreover, after thinking about the task Gray had assigned her, Beta became even less happy.

Another girl has arrived... Just how popular is my Prince Charming?

Being fickle is bad!

Although Beta is love-struck and a bit of a fangirl, she's not brainless. She knows that her relationship with Prince Charming isn't close enough yet, and she's not in a position to accuse Gray of being a womanizer.

But if things continue like this, won't Prince Charming be surrounded by more and more girls?

Is it possible that Prince Charming is actually a harem protagonist? Or is this a single-female-lead type of romance/factional conflict?

Beta was thinking about all sorts of random things, but he wasn't about to ignore the task Gray had assigned him.

The task of increasing your favorability with Prince Charming must be approached with caution and strategy.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

Beta knocked on the wooden door.

The soft knocking startled the purple-haired girl inside.

Has it... arrived?

The girl's purple hair swayed in the dim light, her eyes filled with tension and fear. Her body was stiff, her fingers clenched tightly, and her heart was pounding so fast she could feel it throbbing in her throat.

In those final moments, no miracle occurred.

She couldn't raise the money to pay off the debt, and no one would repay it for her.

She had no way out.

She turned her head to look at her sick mother lying on the bed, biting her lip tightly.

She only had one option left: to pay off her debts with her own body.

But after I leave, who will take care of my seriously ill mother?

Her purple hair cast a faint shadow on her face, making her complexion appear even paler. Tears welled in her eyes, and her stiff, delicate body accentuated her helplessness and despair.

Seeing that no one answered the door, Beta outside had no choice but to knock more loudly.

"Okay...I'll open the door right away..."

The girl came to her senses, her delicate body trembling, and slowly opened the wooden door.

However, what came into view was not the fierce creditor she had imagined, but a girl wearing a white hat that covered her ears.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and then spoke weakly.

"Excuse me... who are you looking for?"

Beta also scrutinized the purple-haired girl, trying to confirm if she was the girl Gray had mentioned, while also taking note of her appearance.

She has delicate features, but is still somewhat immature, and her looks are not as good as mine (confidence filter).

Well, another pretty girl, another competitor...

Beta sighed inwardly, but showed no sign of anything amiss on his face.

"はじめまして, βです." (First meeting, I am Beta)

We'll probably be seeing each other quite often in the future.

Beta muttered something to himself before continuing.

"Your family has some debts, right?"

That lord sent me to settle the outstanding amount for you.

The girl was stunned for a moment. After processing Beta's words, her face showed not surprise, but wariness.

It makes sense. If a stranger suddenly runs up to you and offers to pay your debts before you're due, a girl who has already witnessed the evil in the world would naturally show distrust.

After all, one should always be wary of others.

As a princess confined to her chambers, Beta wasn't very good at interacting with others. She simply followed Gray's instructions and took out her money pouch.

"Do you think this is enough?"

The purple-haired girl was delighted.

The fact that they've already taken out the money suggests they're offering to help repay the loan, so it's highly likely they're serious.

But she also understood that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and asked.

"This money can't just be given to me for free, right? So... what price do I have to pay?"

Beta replied, "Then you'll have to ask that person. I'm just responsible for accompanying you until you repay the loan, and then taking you to see that person."

After saying that, Beta handed the money bag to the purple-haired girl, then found a place to sit down in the house and waited for the creditor to arrive.

Not long after, the wooden door was pushed open, and the fat creditor walked in, followed by several fierce-looking men with scars on their faces, each carrying a huge wooden club.

"Little girl, have you collected all the money? If not, you'll have to come with your uncle, okay?"

As soon as the fat chieftain entered, he scanned the purple-haired girl with his greedy eyes.

The girl felt a chill run down her spine at his gaze, but he seemed oblivious to Beta, who sat in the corner with a look of keen interest.

This is the typical villain: ugly and evil.

"I've got them all. Here you go."

The girl handed over the money, but she only took out the portion of her earnings that was insufficient from her purse.

The fat creditor was startled. He felt that the girl couldn't possibly repay the debt in such a short time, so he started counting the total amount of money.

Not a single point off.

The fat creditor was puzzled, wondering how the girl had done it, but a malicious look appeared on his face.

Clearly, he has no intention of admitting it.

"Hey little girl, are you trying to fool me with this little bit of money?"

"Eh?"

The girl seemed a little lost.

"No, that's not right. It's exactly this much money, including the principal and interest. I've counted it many times, there can't be any mistake."

The fat creditor sneered, pocketed the money, and said shamelessly:

"Where's the money? I can't see it."

The girl realized he was being unreasonable and angrily retorted, "How could you do this?"

The fat creditor has given up on pretending altogether.

"Men, seize this girl!"

Following orders from the fat creditor, the burly men grabbed wooden sticks and gradually approached the girl.

The girl was forced into a corner until she had nowhere left to retreat.

In just one day, she experienced the irrationality of evil people once again, and the hope she had just regained was overshadowed by anger and despair.

But at that moment, Beta's soft voice rang out.

"As that sir predicted, things have indeed developed in this way."