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

It's a dead end; it's an endless vicious cycle.

To defeat the goddess, the final boss, one must first break through the world's limitations and surpass the tenth rank, or at least reach the same level as the goddess.

But breaking through the world's limitations is equivalent to defeating the goddess head-on...

Simply put: you can't win without breaking through, and you have to win to break through.

How can this be considered a market?! I might as well go home, wash up, and go to bed!

Realizing that this was an unsolvable dead end, that he had no way of breaking through it all, that he could not resolve the cycle of rise and fall of the Demon King and the Hero, and that he could not rescue Bai Lin from the Goddess's clutches.

This is what caused Gray to become so depressed.

Regardless of day or night, his eyes were lifeless, yet he was still walking towards his destination.

He walked at a slow pace for an unknown amount of time, and had no memory of what happened along the way. When Gray regained some of his senses, he was already in a familiar landscape.

The orchard—that was the orchard of Iota, his fiancée Cyrus Grenven.

He had already reached Bifeng Territory, and the Brant family mansion would be within a short distance.

He seemed to have caught up with the harvest season.

The apples huddled together, hanging heavily on the branches, bending them into dangerous arcs as if they would break at any moment. The ripe skins were taut, gleaming with a waxy sheen, a mixture of green and red, tinged with purple, like a belly full of sweet, stagnant blood. Some of the apples had already split open under their own weight, revealing the juicy flesh inside, sweet juice condensing at the edges of the cracks, attracting swarms of bees that buzzed and hovered around them.

Suddenly, a muffled "thud" was heard—a branch finally gave way, and an overripe apple crashed into the grass, splashing juice everywhere.

The apple fell to the ground, drawing Gray's thoughts to the girl in his memory who was deep in thought, clutching an apple under the tree.

This memory is incredibly precious; the scene of first meeting anyone is always a treasure.

Go check out Iota.

This is a routine; every time Bifeng takes a trip, he will sit for a while at home or in Aiota's research room.

But this time seemed different. In the past, he would just stop by to see his fiancée, but this time, he desperately wanted to see Aieta's face. He felt like ants were crawling all over his body, and his anxiety was palpable.

Even though he was so anxious, Gray knew that if he went to see Iota in his current state, people would notice that something was wrong.

To avoid worrying her, Gray suppressed his anxiety and composed himself.

At least I can't keep keeping a sullen face...

Gray didn't carry a mirror with him, so he couldn't know what he looked like. He just felt that he had adjusted himself enough, so he headed towards the Eota Research Lab.

Iota's research lab is located deep within the orchard, requiring him to walk through rows of fruit trees.

Along the way, you will encounter workers hired by Cellas (Aiota's biological father) to harvest the fruit.

Most of the workers knew him; Grey Brant, the adopted son of the local lord, was well-regarded and had a friendly image in the hearts of the people.

The people would genuinely greet him when they saw him.

He was deeply loved by his people, but Gray had no time to care about that, nor did he remember talking to the workers. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing in front of the laboratory door.

Pressing your thumb on it still uses fingerprint recognition technology that's outdated.

The gate opened, and after walking a short distance, he saw that long-lost figure.

"Gray!!!"

The red-haired woman's soft body rushed into his arms.

He seemed to have arrived at just the right time; Iota wasn't conducting any research and came to greet him immediately after receiving the announcement that the gates were open.

The girl buried her head in Gray's arms, savoring the warmth of the moment.

She looked up to see her fiancé's face, a look of astonishment on her face.

Gray felt that Iota seemed to be holding him tighter, and he met Iota's worried gaze.

"Grey, what's wrong?"

Gray was instantly exposed; he hadn't expected his expression to be so abnormal, which Aiota saw right through.

Gray tried to struggle a bit, forcing an awkward smile.

"What do you mean, what's wrong? I'm just like usual."

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a punch to the chest from Iota.

The force was like that of lovers teasing each other, but the girl in his arms looked very angry.

"You're lying! Anyone can see something's wrong with you. If I, as your fiancée, can't tell, I might as well break up with you!"

Hearing this, Gray gave a wry smile: "It can't be that obvious... Is it really that obvious?"

Aieta nodded: "You usually have this confident, sunny, and cheerful guy vibe, but today your style has changed, you've turned into a melancholic god... but you're still pretty handsome..."

Aieta knew she couldn't get carried away by Gray's transformation into a handsome man, so she patted her face to ward off any hint of infatuation, and continued, "His gaze is gloomy, and he looks a bit thinner... like he hasn't eaten or slept for days..."

She immediately realized something, and comparing her expression to when she had been studying all night for days, she was certain of this conclusion, and anger welled up in her voice.

"Fine, Gray. You told me to get enough sleep and eat well every day for fear I'd die from overwork, and I strictly followed your instructions, but you're the one who doesn't listen!"

Iota hugged her even tighter, so tight that she felt a little pain from the pressure, but Gray didn't seem to feel anything.

Just as Aieta had said, Gray had been in a daze for the past few days. He didn't even know how many days had passed since he left the secret realm and arrived at Bifeng Territory, and he couldn't be sure how many days he had gone without eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Gray lowered his head guiltily, which made Aieta even more certain of her conclusion.

She sighed softly, her voice softening: "Never mind, I don't know what happened to you that could turn the once spirited Lord Demon Shadow into this state. You must tell me what you have to say later!"

But before that, eat something and get some sleep…

Iota released Gray and soon came over with a basket of apples, the aroma of which filled the air.

"With your physique, eating fruit on an empty stomach is no problem at all. Eat something first to line your stomach."

These apples were picked from the improved fruit tree variety I grew. Let's taste them.

"I'll have someone make some more food now..."

He took the apple from Iota and took a bite. The sweet taste made Gray's eyes sting, and he almost shed tears.

So sweet...

This refers not only to the taste of the apple, but also to the warmth of his fiancée's care for him.

Taking a bite of the apple, Gray suddenly felt incredibly hungry, and could finish the apple in just a few bites.

Iota watched Gray eat with a smile, constantly offering him apples.

so cute……

Iota wants to feed Gray someday too...