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

Sofia's words surprised both Philippa and Taric.

If others speak ill of the Holy Light Church, they can listen to it as amusement and won't take it to heart.

But now it's the Holy Light Church's holy maiden who's making these accusations. Surely a holy maiden from the church wouldn't just randomly slander the church for no reason?

Therefore, even if Sofia's statement is not 100% accurate, it is at least 99% accurate.

Does the Holy Light Church do absolutely nothing of substance?

Although the fact that cultists broke into the secret realm and caused trouble during the Holy Light Pilgrimage showed that the Holy Light Church was somewhat lax, I didn't expect it to have reached this level.

It's no wonder that Sophia, despite being a saint of the Holy Light Church, doesn't hold the church in high esteem and even shows some disdain for it.

Sophia's words completely shattered any remaining good impression Philippa and Taric had of the Church of Holy Light.

"Even your report, as a saintess, is useless?" Philippa asked.

Upon hearing Philippa's question, Sofia suddenly perked up, looking displeased.

"In name, I am a saintess of the church, but in reality I have no real power. I just happen to have the talent of light attribute, so I was pushed onto the stage as a mascot. I am just a vase every day and have to pray every day."

Even if I report this to my superiors, they won't take it seriously..."

Tarik felt somewhat ashamed listening to Sophia's complaints.

No, is this something I should be listening to? What if I get silenced one day by some church knight-errant or something?

Philippa was also speechless at the Church of Holy Light. She coughed lightly and said, "Since that's the case, I can't just sit idly by. If the church doesn't take action, it will eventually lead to disaster!"

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, saying, "If none of you want to go in, I'll go alone!"

After saying that, he set off to enter the valley, when he suddenly felt his clothes being tugged.

Looking back, it was Sofia.

Sofia laughed and said, "Who said I wasn't going? I'm just a little reluctant."

There are countless things I've always been reluctant to do; entering a valley is nothing compared to the pressure of defeating the Demon King.

“Sophia…”

Seeing Philippa's expression, Sofia knew that she had finally increased Philippa's favorability a little.

Taric also seized the opportunity, waiting for Philippa to finish being moved before speaking: "I also retract my previous statement. If the church doesn't deal with cultists, we can only rely on our hero team."

They may talk a good game, but none of the reasons mentioned above actually hold any weight.

Two of the three have already decided to go in. Are you going or not?

You have to go, even if it kills you.

He's already in a terrible state because of Sofia's "80". If he leaves a bad impression on Philippa, will he still have a place in this team?

There's no place for you in this house anymore! .exe

With His Majesty Phoenix around, there's no need to worry about danger; this unexpected event can also serve as valuable experience.

Taric had no reason to insist on leaving.

Having such a brave soul as my nemesis is going to be tough...

“Okay, let’s go!” Philippa immediately beamed with joy.

The journey to the polluted Emerald Valley was heavy and difficult with every step.

There are no wide, flat paths here, only narrow trails covered by overgrown weeds and withered leaves, making them rugged and treacherous.

From the bushes along the roadside, branches corrupted by a dark aura occasionally peek out, like the arms of demons, attempting to seize passersby. The once vibrant flowers have now turned pale, their petals covered with black spots, emitting a faint, fishy stench.

The soil beneath their feet had become soft and muddy, each step accompanied by a nauseating sucking sound. Rotting plant remains and the skeletons of unidentified creatures mingled together, making the path increasingly difficult to traverse. Occasionally, a gust of cold wind would blow, stirring up dust that obscured the path ahead.

The air along the way was filled with a suffocating stench, a mixture of darkness and death. Walking in such an environment made breathing difficult, making one instinctively want to cover their mouth and nose.

As they ventured deeper into the valley, the light grew dimmer, and the surrounding scenery became even more eerie. The once lush trees were now reduced to bare branches, like skeletal fingers pointing towards the gloomy sky. The echoes in the valley became unusually clear, as if unseen voices were whispering in their ears, instilling a sense of dread.

Just then, the three noticed a noise coming from the pile of weeds and immediately focused their attention on that spot.

A small monster leaped out of the weeds and charged straight at Philippa.

Before Philippa could raise her sword to counter, Sophia fired a beam of light that struck the monster's torso.

The monster let out a piercing scream and was completely obliterated by the light projectiles.

"The light magic is extremely effective; it's definitely not an ordinary monster!"

Just as Philippa finished speaking, a series of sounds came from the pile of weeds.

This time it wasn't just one place; it happened on the 3rd, 7th, 11th... or even more!

The three responded simultaneously.

With a swing of his giant axe, Taric, a melee weapon with a wide attack range, can take down multiple monsters at once.

There's no need to worry about its destructive power. As long as you imbue your attacks with the light attribute, it will be extremely effective against these monsters corrupted by demonic energy.

Sophia drew a circle of light with her staff, and arrows of light rained down from the area covered by the circle. This was Sophia's area-of-effect light magic.

Philippa used both martial arts and magic, and her gleaming sword energy and slashes dealt with many monsters.

After dealing with the current enemy, the three dared not relax for a moment.

None of the three noticed that so many small monsters were buried under the pile of weeds before the monster launched its attack and made a sound.

Clearing these out isn't enough to put our minds at ease; who knows if even more monsters are lurking beneath the weeds?

“Tarik, do you recognize these monsters?” Philippa asked.

Taric shook his head: "I've never seen one before. I can only tell it's plant-based. It doesn't seem very strong individually, but its stealth ability is top-notch. If this kind of monster waits until we get any closer before attacking, we might not have enough time to react and get injured..."

Although he had never seen these monsters before, Taric still gave an on-the-spot analysis of them.

“Understood, come closer to me!” Philippa quickly gave the battle plan, and Sofia and Taric obediently gathered together.

As the incantation was chanted, a halo large enough to accommodate several people emanated from Philippa's center.

The aura restricts Philippa's movement and can automatically deal with the small monsters around her.

How about fully automated mine clearance?