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

"That won't be necessary, with servants and such."

Gray answered slowly.

Lillian looked as if she had been hit hard, while Delta nodded slightly with delight.

Yes, not just anyone can become Lord Shadow's servant. Only a lucky few can win Lord Shadow's favor, and I am one of them.

Lillian has already humbled herself considerably. As a vampire, she says she wants to be a servant to humans (Grey, who doesn't show his demon horns, is simply treated as a human). This is a great humiliation for vampires who consider themselves to be at the top of the food chain.

Even so, Lillian still proposed such a humiliating treaty, which shows how attractive the Grey blood was to her.

And the humans before us are unwilling to accept even such conditions?

But Lillian didn't want to give up obtaining Grey's blood, which was a delicious food and a nutritious supplement for vampires.

So Lillian turned to her childhood playmates for help.

"Help me, Annabelle!"

Delta was now inexplicably proud, and comparing her own experience with Lillian's rejection made her feel a little smug.

Of course, as she may be, Delta doesn't want another waitress like Lillian, who has similar attributes to her, to appear among the waitresses, for fear of losing favor (you'd better have been favored before).

They are both blonde-haired, red-eyed vampires, and both are tall, slender adult women. Their roles overlap, and they will definitely have a tough time when competitors appear.

Therefore, Delta has no intention of helping Lillian, who asked her for help, since she herself hasn't even figured out the relationship yet.

At this point, it is appropriate to assert sovereignty, which is the same as fighting for food.

This blonde, mature vampire is never a coward, just not usually brave. Today, she finally showed some courage.

Delta retreated to Gray's side and pressed her delicate body against him.

Gray was surprised that the blonde vampire would suddenly attack at this moment, but he let her be.

Gray's bottom line has been lowered to this extent, gradually dragged down by a certain pink-haired succubus!

Delta declared, "No, Lord Shadow, he is my lover." (It is suggested to add "etc." after "my lover.")

"Lover?" Lillian was startled when she heard the word.

Vampires and humans?

However, given the precedent of mixed-blood vampires, Lillian wasn't too surprised.

Upon hearing the word from Delta, Lillian immediately began to consider the feasibility of becoming "lovers".

Yes, besides master and servant, lovers can also bind their relationship together, and the status is much higher. How wonderful!

For some reason, Gray had a bad feeling...

"Don't be so stingy, Annabelle. I can do it too. We can serve someone together... um... Lord Shadow..."

Lillian uttered these words without batting an eye, which made Gray feel very uneasy.

Gray: Huh? You... you're sitting at the same table as that stunning pink-haired succubus from Capana!

Upon hearing this, Delta nearly exploded.

No way! Absolutely not! Forget about the sisters of the Ten Shadows, but Lillian, you mere childhood friend, dare to try and steal Lord Demon Shadow?

Delta's expression changed, and she stared intently at Lillian, determined to make her take back what she had just said.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Gray rushed in to break up the fight and acted as a mediator.

“Lillian, you want my blood, don’t you? There’s no need to go to such lengths.” Gray offered a solution, or rather, that was exactly what he had planned, but Lillian had misunderstood his refusal to take servants.

“You can join us and become a servant of the Shadow Court, just like... Annabelle.”

Gray originally intended to recruit servants, not attendants. The Shadow Court wanted like-minded people, those who shared hatred for the demonic order.

At most, we'll need to hire a few more waiters as subordinates; there's no need for a master-servant relationship.

"The Shadow Court's main job is to investigate and eliminate the Demonic Order, which means eliminating the people who imprisoned you in the dungeon and drained your blood. How about it? Interested?"

Only then did Lillian realize what the "Shadow Court" was all about.

Thinking of the torture she endured day and night in the dungeon, Lillian constantly thought about skinning, disemboweling, and drinking the blood of these cultists. She was certain that she would take revenge on the demon cult once she was rescued.

Joining the Shadow Court, an organization dedicated to eradicating the demon cult, not only allows one to exact revenge but also offers the chance to receive the Shadow Lord's blood as a reward.

This is a win-win situation! (She wins twice.)

What a deal!

She immediately agreed: "Yes, I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you!"

Gray smiled.

They've tricked... no, they've recruited new members again.

“From now on, your code name will be 0712,” Gray said in a deep voice.

"0712... There are already so many people?"

Lillian immediately recognized that these were codes based on the current number of people, and she was not satisfied with the rather large three-digit number.

Lillian asked, "Then, Lady Shadow, what is Annabelle's number?"

Delta looked quite pleased with herself and answered quickly, "I am Delta, a servant of the Shadow Court, who hides in the darkness, hunts shadows, and serves the Supreme Being."

"The Fourth of the Ten Shadows, oh, he was one of Lord Shadow's original ten attendants."

Lillian: ...

Suddenly I feel like my status has hit rock bottom...

Annabelle was way ahead of them...

Actually, Lillian had always wanted to ask Delta a question, but it was a much lower priority than obtaining the Shadow Lord's blood, so she only asked it now.

"Annabelle, how did you reach the eighth rank? Those pure-blooded ancient beings have been stuck at the peak of the seventh rank. Is it... the power of Lord Shadow Demon?"

This "old-timer" refers to the original pureblood vampires, but they no longer exist.

Delta nodded, proudly puffing out her chest: "Of course it's because of Lord Shadow. I am a loyal servant of Lord Shadow, and I have received the blood of the Ten Shadows—Delta! You have also joined the Shadow Court, so shall I grant you power?"

Lillian had many questions: "What grants power? How is it granted?"

Delta only said four words, and Lillian immediately understood the principle.

Those four words are...

"The Demon King's Clan!"

The amount of information contained in just four words is considerable.

Lord Shadow, are you the Demon King?

Indeed, Lord Shadow and Lord Demon King are only one word apart.

But why would the Demon King form the Shadow Court to cause trouble for the Demon Order?

Besides... won't the Demon King eventually be defeated by the hero?

Annabelle knew this, yet she still joined the Shadow Court without hesitation.

Is it because of the attraction of blood? Or is it because of something else?

In short, she believed in Annabelle.

I'm on this pirate ship!