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

After quickly memorizing the map, Phoenix disappeared. When he reappeared, what came into view was no longer a maze of branching paths, but a magnificent palace.

The massive black iron gate was engraved with intricate magical runes, which shimmered with a dark luster in the dim light. Pushing open the gate, a gust of cold wind carrying the smell of sulfur rushed out. Inside the palace, the dome soared high, seemingly reaching the earth's core, and countless shimmering magical crystals hung from it, adorning the darkness like stars in the night sky.

The labyrinthine dungeon is merely an outer protective measure for this palace, which is why it is riddled with traps and mechanisms, and teeming with monsters, making it unlike any underground part of the Demon King's castle.

The magnificent palace standing before us now is the true appearance of the Demon King's Castle.

However, many years have passed, and the palace has weathered hundreds of years of wind and rain. The magic crystals hanging on the palace have become dim and no longer emit a dazzling light.

As Phoenix slowly stepped into the palace, he observed the surrounding scenery.

The palace's interior is incredibly spacious, with murals depicting the history of the demon race, recording their past conquests and reigns.

The walls were made of dark black rock, with dark purple magical light flowing across their surface. This light intertwined with strange patterns on the walls, radiating an awe-inspiring magical aura.

Along the central passage stood stone statues of demon warriors, wielding sharp weapons and displaying fierce expressions, guarding the path leading to the Demon King's throne. At the end of the passage was a throne made from the remains of a high-ranking demon, covered with a demon skin—a dragon skin.

A dragon skin is priceless in a world where dragons are nearly extinct.

So, does that mean you can earn thousands of gold coins just by peeling a skin off a white scale?

White Scales: ? ? ?

Phoenix, however, was not interested in the dragon skin.

Over the years, the dragon skin has rotted away and is no longer a good choice for use as a magical material.

Phoenix came here not for fame or fortune, but to seek the truth.

The conflict between humans and demons has spanned 52 generations of Demon Kings and Heroes, and now it is the era of the 53rd generation of Demon Kings and Heroes vying for supremacy.

In the repetition of this history over hundreds and thousands of years, some people (demons) from both the human and demon races noticed that something was wrong.

The Demon King is born, and the demon race prospers.

When heroes emerge, humanity prospers.

How can history be imagined to such an extent? It seems like an endless cycle.

The tenth Demon King of the Demon Clan, that "Sage" of the Demon Clan, dedicated himself to studying the relationship between humans and demons.

During the generation when the "Sage" served as Demon King, the relationship between humans and demons was at an unprecedented and unparalleled level of easing.

Because the "sage" had no intention of fighting with humans at all. Instead, he conducted a lot of research during this period and created many things that have benefited the entire demon race to this day.

For example, the Demon King's legacy.

The "Sage" avoided humanity and did not hinder the growth of the heroes. That generation of heroes actually developed for the longest time, and the "Sage" became the longest-reigning Demon King in the history of the Demon Race.

But even such a "wise man" could not escape the fate of being defeated by a hero.

The "Sage" is undoubtedly the demon with the highest authority to speak on the conflict between humans and demons.

Other people (demons) have also studied this, but their research is far less in-depth than that of the "Sage".

It's not just some demons who want to resolve the conflict between humans and demons; there are also humans who want to break this endless cycle.

Phoenix is ​​one of the researchers studying the conflict between humans and demons.

From birth to the present, Phoenix has lived through a long period of time, witnessing the rise and fall of generation after generation of demon kings and heroes.

Even though the process may differ slightly, the fate of each generation of Demon King is predetermined: to be defeated by the hero.

However, there are few records of the fates of the heroes throughout history.

Once the hero defeats the Demon King, he is no longer a hero.

Before the birth of a new Demon King, humanity has no need for heroes.

They are indifferent to the fate of heroes, and the accounts of each hero only go up to the point where they successfully defeat the Demon King.

Researchers studying the conflict between humans and demons face this very problem: insufficient information.

To resolve the conflict between humans and demons, the amount of information held by any one race alone is certainly insufficient.

No matter how powerful a researcher is, at most they can only obtain all the information within their own tribe; they cannot obtain intelligence data on another tribe.

After discovering that the dungeon was not simple, Phoenix immediately appeared and found a reason to send the three members of the hero's party back, so that he could explore the Demon King's castle alone.

The reason for keeping it so secret is that researchers are not welcomed by either race.

The hatred between humans and demons has long reached an irreconcilable point. Extremists make up the largest proportion of both races, and those who support a fight to the death are the most numerous among both humans and demons.

Researchers are often labeled as traitors (or demonic traitors), even though they are solving the problems faced by their communities in their own way.

Given his status as the chief magician of Phoenix's court, it wouldn't cause him too much trouble if people knew he was a researcher. However, in order to facilitate his future research and avoid being labeled a "traitor," Phoenix felt it was best to keep his identity hidden as much as possible.

It wasn't a lie that the Hero's party told the three heroes that they would have His Majesty send people to seal off the dungeon. But before that, he would first explore the entire Demon King's castle to see if he could find the information he wanted.

For this reason, he even learned the demon language, waiting for just such a day.

"people."

"magic."

"Angel."

"demon."

"god."

he muttered.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and an idea crossed his mind, leaving him astonished by his own bold conjecture.

"Let's verify it?"

Phoenix has lived a long life and seen a lot, so he knows that some of the world's secrets are governed by unspeakable rules. Therefore, he can determine the truthfulness of something by simply trying to see if he can say it.

Good grief, they even exploited a bug in his system, taking advantage of the world's rules.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Phoenix felt as if something was choking him, just like the demon of knowledge and truth, Thurt, on the Holy Light Pilgrimage. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

Try writing?

The words I wrote also mysteriously disappeared.

Phoenix could hardly contain his excitement.

Finally, we've figured it out for him.