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

In the valley, a cart pulled by several magical beasts left tracks on the ground, traces left by a caravan passing through this area.

It is now noon.

The valley became as hot as an oven under the midday sun. The sunlight shone directly into the narrow valley floor, trapping the heat and making the air stifling and dry. The rocks and soil absorbed the heat, radiating waves of heat that made it almost impossible to breathe.

A caravan driver wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, but the sweat seemed endless; glistening beads of sweat remained on his face, and his clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to his back.

An elderly businessman sat under a rock, panting heavily, his chest heaving as if each breath was a battle against the heat.

A caravan guard fanned himself with his hand, trying to cool himself down, but the surrounding air was so hot it felt like it could burn his skin, and his efforts were in vain.

Most of the caravan members chose to remain silent, minimizing conversation and movement to conserve energy. Apart from the occasional sound of wind and the constant clatter of horses' hooves and carts, the valley was unusually quiet.

That makes sense. In such sweltering weather, who would want to walk through the valley if it weren't a necessary route? Wouldn't it be better to find a shady route?

Despite the sweltering heat, several women in black robes surrounded the caravan, seemingly unfazed by the sun's rays. Not only were they dressed in black robes that looked incredibly hot, but they were also chatting and laughing together.

The caravan members were very curious: Weren't they hot?

The flag of the Grand Merchant Guild fluttered in the breeze. This caravan was another large caravan, the one led by Lyra (0486).

The servants watching over the caravan were indeed not hot, otherwise they wouldn't have gathered together.

This is thanks to Eota and Ipsilon for improving the uniform attire of the Shadow Court.

The initial version of the black robe was developed by Lord Shadow, and it could cause a certain degree of cognitive impairment. This is an important reason why Shadow Court has been able to remain hidden and have little presence so far.

However, Gray did not consider comfort or the impact of seasonal changes when designing the black robes. The waiters had to use these robes to minimize their presence while performing their duties, which was truly like ants on a hot pan in the hot weather.

The black robe is a manifestation of magic.

Ipsilon and Aieta were quite knowledgeable in the field of magic, and they devised a magic that could add to the black robe the ability to absorb or repel heat from the environment, thus improving the black robe into a versatile balm suitable for all seasons.

Moreover, this magic is very easy to learn; any servant who has been given magic by Gray or the Ten Shadows can learn it quickly.

Praise be to Lord Ipsilon! Praise be to Lord Aiotah!

The girl in the black robe sat in the cargo hold of the carriage, surrounded by boxes piled high with goods.

The girl kept her eyes closed as she used her mental energy to sense her surroundings. She would immediately detect and respond to any unusual changes. She closed her eyes because the absence of visual interference allowed her mental energy to detect things at its best.

Laila, attendant number 0486, is one of the very few attendants outside of the Ten Shadow Attendants who were personally granted magical power by Lord Shadow and joined the Shadow Court.

She takes every task assigned by the Shadow Court very seriously. She is a fanatical follower of Lord Shadow and is committed to doing her best to contribute to Lord Shadow in any way she can.

Lyra possessed incredible perseverance. In fact, the caravan had only been attacked by the gray-robed men a few nights ago, and had not even encountered any attacks from scattered monsters in the past few days. Yet, Lyra did not slacken her efforts in the slightest, living up to her reputation as a "fanatic".

That night, she was attacked by a grey-robed vampire. Lyra quickly realized the vampire's identity during the fierce battle and annihilated him.

"Ok?"

Lyra keenly sensed something.

"They've finally reappeared, the Demon Order!"

Leila shouted, "Everyone, prepare for enemy attack!"

Lyra is a cursed girl who was born blind, abandoned by her family, and raised by her mother.

Blindness gave her a heightened sensitivity to magic, which allowed her to sense the magic emanating from Gray and to trek alone through half a forest to find the source of the magical light—the Shadow Lord who changed the girl's life.

She was not an analgesic; of her six senses, only her vision was impaired. Yet, she accomplished this great feat after "seeing" the magical radiance emanating from Grey.

When Grey was found, she was covered in wounds. Grey felt sorry for her, but at the same time, he was impressed by the girl's extraordinary perseverance.

This unfortunate girl's luck began to change after meeting Gray.

Having her eyes cured by Gray, she gained sight she had never had before. Coupled with her superhuman magical perception, Gray and Epsilon both asserted that this girl possessed talents no less than those of Alpha, the Grand Marshal of the Demon King's army, and the original familia of Lord Shadow.

Lyra is obsessed, remembering the kindness of Lord Shadow in her heart, worshipping Grey Brant as the only true god in this world, believing in him, loving him, and her feelings for him continue to grow.

However, this affection seemed to be a little too sincere, causing her brain to overheat and faint whenever she had any intimate or close contact with Gray.

Not long after Lyra gave a sharp warning to the waiters, a group of gray-robed men came into view.

This time, they're not vampires, they're complete cultists!

Lyra leaped up, using her magic to conjure a longsword and assume a fighting stance.

What is the fighting style of Lyra, this fanatical girl?

Zeta the dog fights entirely on instinct. In battle, Zeta is completely irrational and can sit at the same table as monsters.

The fighting styles of the other ten Shadow Servants are also influenced by their respective areas of expertise.

Beta uses a bow and arrow, Delta uses the vampire's unique blood magic, and Kappa uses mental magic...

Lyra, on the other hand, completely imitates Grey Brandt's fighting style and goes further and further down this path.

Gray's fighting style is an extremely violent and overwhelming force, using his powerful magic to instantly kill his opponents, with almost no skill involved.

Replicating this fighting style is no easy task; not everyone can unleash such terrifying magical power as Gray.

The only technique Gray used that Lyra couldn't do was "I am atomic," because her magic output was insufficient.

"We still need to work harder."

Lyra did not believe she could catch up with Lord Shadow, and considered the idea of ​​trying to catch up with Lord Shadow to be arrogant and disrespectful.

However, she can also manage to imitate just a little bit of the essence.

His gaze turned cold; it was directed at the cultists.

"There's no need for that sir to take action to eliminate these pests!"