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

The mark is in the shape of a sword, and is gold in color with a faint shimmering light.

This mark is undoubtedly a symbol of courage.

Gray's nemesis, the hero whose mission is to slay the Demon King, is actually this princess?

The moment Sita saw the mark, she was on high alert. Her usually expressionless face grew even colder, and she gave Gray a murderous wink.

Should we strike first and eliminate this hero?

Gray immediately understood what Theta meant.

He would never kill someone without a reason, even if the hero was not someone he knew.

Gray shook his head slightly, signaling her not to rush.

"Are you really the hero?" Gray asked Philippa with a skeptical look.

Philippa, who was being questioned for telling the truth, pouted and said with a hint of annoyance, "Of course, the mark wouldn't lie to you, would it?"

Gray hadn't actually doubted Philippa's intentions; he was just trying to raise the next question.

"But heroes are born to defeat the Demon King, right? Heroes throughout history only appeared to fight the Demon King when he led the demon race on a massive invasion. But now, not only is there no Demon King, but the demon race has all been wiped out and disappeared without a trace. How could a hero possibly appear?"

Philippa was taken aback by his words, as they did seem to make some sense, but she still hurriedly retorted, "It's definitely because the Demon King has led the demons into hiding, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack..."

"Yes, that's right, that's it!"

Philippa thought this argument made sense and immediately solidified her position.

You're half right. The Demon King is indeed hiding, right in front of you, but I have no intention of leading the demons to attack humans.

“Alright, I believe you are a hero.” Gray “believed” Philippa’s words.

"So, Hero, what do you plan to do now?"

Philippa tiptoed to make herself appear taller, just as she was about to tell Gray about her grand plans for the future.

A squad of guards, clad in light armor, approached, their armor clanging as they walked.

The armor plates gleamed with a cold luster under the dim light, and the sound of orderly footsteps echoed in the empty street.

The night was as dark as ink, and the stars were sparse. The captain of the guard stood at the front of the column, his eyes sharp as he scanned the surroundings.

Philippa, who was wearing a khaki cloak, naturally caught the attention of the captain of the guard.

"Hey you over there, take off your cloak and let me check!"

Philippa's delicate body trembled.

"Does it have to be this dedicated? Patrolling so late at night?"

Philippa knew these guards were there to take her back, so she naturally wasn't going to obediently let them search her.

"Grey, I'm outta here. See you another time!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Philippa used her magic to cast a wind spell that accelerated her speed, and then slipped away as if her feet were greased.

Now the guards knew that this person was definitely suspicious, and they couldn't let him get away even if he wasn't the princess.

The guards immediately gave chase, and the captain of the guards shouted, "Stop! Don't run!"

"Forehead……"

This chance encounter ended with Philippa evading the guards' pursuit.

Philippa is gone, but Gray still has to face Theta's questions.

"Lord Shadow Demon, she has only just become a hero and is still very weak. Why not strike first and eliminate her before she grows stronger?"

Gray, of course, couldn't reveal the real reason he didn't want to kill her because of their good relationship. He quickly changed his mind and said in a pretentious tone, "It's useless."

Sita asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Gray coughed lightly and continued, "Do you think the Demon Kings of the past never tried to eliminate the hero before he grew up?"

Xita was taken aback.

Indeed, with so many generations of Demon Lords, wouldn't they have thought of eliminating the Hero beforehand? Someone would definitely have tried.

So why are the Demon Kings of each generation ultimately defeated by the heroes?

"Even if the hero is killed prematurely, a new hero will be born. As soon as the hero dies, a new hero will immediately become the hero and receive the goddess's blessing."

Even if you keep finding and killing newborn heroes, the goddess's blessing will gradually grow to a terrifying level, making the heroes stronger and stronger.

There are even instances where someone becomes a hero and immediately gains power comparable to the Demon King through the goddess's blessing.

Then, with a little more training and growth, he'll be able to easily defeat the Demon King.

Recalling the Demon King's legacy, particularly the part about the Demon King and the Hero, Grayding discussed the matter.

"How... is this..."

Having understood Gray's meaning, Sita, who was usually expressionless, revealed a look of utter despair.

"Doesn't that mean...we can never defeat humanity?"

For Theta, who had always been loyal to the Demon King and believed in leading the demon race to victory over humanity, the truth that Gray had come up with was a devastating blow.

"So I plan to keep this hero for now. At least we know who the hero is now, and the goddess's blessing on the hero is at its weakest, so his growth rate is relatively slow."

Before this hero grows strong enough to kill me, I will seek other ways to break this deadlock.

Seeing Gray's cheerful demeanor, Sita slowly rose from her despair.

Speaking of which, Lord Shadow is the one who is destined to be killed by the hero.

However, even after learning this despairing truth, Lord Shadow remained steadfast and dedicated himself to finding a way out of the predicament.

Even Lord Demon Shadow hasn't given up, so how can I, as his subordinate, easily despair?

Upon realizing this, Xita immediately knelt down in worship.

"Your subordinate swears to follow Lord Shadow Demon to the death!"

Gray quickly pulled Sita up.

Luckily, it's already late and there aren't many people on the streets, otherwise Sita's behavior would have attracted too much attention and she would have been seen as a weirdo.

But as the saying goes, as long as I'm not embarrassed, then it's others who are embarrassed.

Or maybe you don't know anyone on the street, and you might not have any interaction with them in the future, so what's there to be embarrassed about?

If it's someone you know, then it's even less awkward!

Is this what social anxiety is all about?

Social phobia refers to social terrorists.

Actually, the problem wasn't as serious as Theta thought.

Although he benefited from being the Demon King, Gray didn't necessarily want to rule the demon race and destroy humanity. There was no real reason for him to be enemies with the hero.

Moreover, the hero is in the open, while I am in the shadows.

At worst, you can just hide for the rest of your life. After all, those with the power of shadow are meant to hide in the darkness and hunt those in the shadows.

The apparent identity and the identity of the Shadow Demon should be kept separate so that others do not perceive any connection between the two.

It feels like being a secret agent.

You can't expect a secret agent to become famous after saving the world, can you?

Ultimately, if a secret agent becomes famous... even if they could actually achieve that, could they continue being a secret agent?

Being able to live a second life is already a great privilege.

Gray would be quite satisfied if he could also fulfill a dream he couldn't achieve in his previous life.

I do not seek to make contributions to the country, but only to remain true to my own conscience.