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

Battles raged throughout the Golden Weasel Merchant Guild's branch building between cultists of the Demon Order and servants of the Shadow Court.

Gray strolled through the building as if taking a leisurely walk, followed by waiter number 0333.

Sensing the chaotic magical fluctuations caused by the battle throughout the building, the strongest demonic aura Gray sensed belonged to a high priest of the fifth-tier magical level.

Having confirmed that there were no high-level combatants, such as bishops or other cultists, inside the building, Gray was finally able to relax.

I wonder how things are going on the other people's side...

As he was thinking, Gray walked up to a mural in the corridor.

The focus of the image is on a majestic griffin. Its head resembles a lion's, with a thick mane and piercing eyes that exude regal majesty. Its body is like a giant eagle, covered in full, colorful feathers that shimmer with golden light in the sunlight.

The griffin spread its broad wings, its wingspan almost covering the entire castle wall, its feathers swaying gently in the breeze, as if ready to take flight at any moment.

On the back of the griffin, a knight sat firmly, his hand holding the reins, intimately connected to the griffin.

In the background, the medieval castle and the surrounding mountains create a magnificent landscape. The castle's towers and arrow slits appear exceptionally sturdy under the sunlight, while the distant mountains are shrouded in a gentle mist, adding a touch of mystery.

“A griffin rider mural, huh?” Gray admired the mural.

He had never seen a griffin in person before, so he decided to include it in his collection of otherworldly fantasy creatures.

Now there are elves, demi-humans, demons, dragons, vampires, succubi... and all sorts of monsters.

The painting is exquisite, and the griffin and the knight on its back are lifelike. This mural should be very valuable.

I never expected cult members to have such refined manners.

But what Gray was really concerned about wasn't the mural, but the sudden sound of hurried footsteps.

Upon hearing footsteps, waiter number 0333 immediately went on alert.

It's commendable that Gray remained cautious even with him around.

By listening to the sound, we can pinpoint the location; the footsteps are coming from behind the mural.

A "click" sound rang out, and the mechanism behind the mural began to operate. After a slight whirring of gears turning, the mural slowly slid away, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

The entrance to the passage was illuminated by a dim light, and torches on the walls were instantly lit, their flames leaping and casting flickering light on the dark passage. The stone steps stretched downwards, seemingly endless, but one could see a person hurrying up.

The gray robes and attire clearly indicate that he is a cult member, and his hurried demeanor suggests that he has learned of the attack.

Gray and Number 0333 retreated to the left and right sides of the mural respectively, blocking the cultists' view so that they couldn't see that there were two people squatting on him.

The moment the cultist emerged from the passage, they struck with lightning speed and killed him on the spot.

Gray was very curious about the passage.

These mysterious passages usually contain many valuable items.

Is this where the Demon Cult keeps its valuables, or is it just a basement?

In short, we'll have to go inside and see for ourselves to know.

As they descended the stone steps, the passage was straight and deep, with flickering torches hanging on the stone walls on both sides, casting long shadows on the rough stone surface.

As Gray continued downhill, the air grew more humid, and echoes reverberated through the passage, making each footstep exceptionally clear. Finally, at the end of the passage, they came to a locked door.

The door was made of special wood from a precious, magical tree, and its surface was covered with a layer of iron, on which intricate magic circles and mysterious runes were engraved. In the center of the door, a huge lock core was inlaid with gemstones, gleaming with a ghostly blue light. It was clearly not an ordinary lock, but a seal containing magical power.

“The cultist from earlier might have had a key on him…” waitress number 0333 suggested, and the next moment, her eyes widened.

Gray walked to the door and kicked it, causing the heavy door to collapse.

No. 0333: (O_O) I was too hasty.

The door was kicked open quite loudly, but the passage behind the mural was also quite long. Gray didn't want to waste time going up again, so he decided to be quick and efficient.

Kicking down the door would be too loud and might alert the cultists inside, but Gray didn't care. Whether or not he revealed his whereabouts, killing the cultists inside would be a piece of cake for him.

If we really want to exchange blows with Graydo, we'll have to get the demons they worship to come.

Just a little bit of wind and frost.

As the door fell down, dust billowed, revealing a gloomy dungeon.

"A dungeon?" Gray examined the dungeon's structure.

The cell was dark and damp, the iron bars of the door twisted and deformed, covered with a thick layer of rust, creaking mournfully whenever the wind blew through. A heavy lock hung on the door, the keyhole showing obvious signs of wear.

The cell was small and cramped, filled with the smell of mildew. The walls were made of rough stones, with moss growing in the cracks, and water droplets occasionally dripped down, hitting the cold floor with a pitter-patter sound. In the corner, a dim oil lamp flickered weakly, barely illuminating the gloomy space.

The ground was a hard stone slab covered with a thin layer of dust and grime. In the corner, some old straw was piled up, which was the prisoners' bedding for warmth. Next to the straw, a rusty iron bowl and several broken pottery jars were scattered on the ground. These were the containers that the prisoners used to hold food and water.

Rows of cells stretched along the stone wall. The outermost cells that Gray could see were empty, with nothing locked up inside, so they must have been moved elsewhere.

If my guess is correct, these cells must have once housed slaves.

The slave trade is a highly profitable black market industry, and Gray would find it strange if the Golden Weasel Merchant Guild didn't have a slave trade business.

Slave-catching teams, slave traders, and the Golden Weasel Merchant Guild.

This is a chain of interconnected processes. First, slave-catching teams capture slaves, then slave traders train and educate them into obedient slaves, and finally provide them to the Golden Weasel Merchant Guild for sale.

These cult members have done all sorts of evil things!

Among the Shadow Court servants, a high percentage are slaves rescued by Gray and the Ten Shadow Servants who join the Shadow Court out of gratitude.

He barely managed to suppress his anger; he shouldn't have expected these cultists to retain much humanity in the first place.

Gray decided to venture deeper into the dungeon; he didn't believe such a vast dungeon would be completely empty.