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

"Okay, stop crying, you're all all bruised and battered."

Gray said that after he saw that Leah had almost finished crying.

Lia blew her nose, her breathing momentarily unsteady, but she had stopped sobbing.

Did they leave without saying goodbye?

Gray had no idea how Ipsilon and Lyra had run away. If they had left without saying goodbye, he would have to give them a good scolding for "making his sister cry."

"No... left a letter... only said that he dropped out of school, without saying why... without saying where he went... without saying whether he would come back... or if he would ever come back..."

Lia's voice was hoarse and intermittent.

It's alright if they didn't leave without saying goodbye.

With a few words, Leila and Ipsyron escaped a scolding.

I have to comfort my own younger sister myself.

Thinking it over, Gray said softly, "Maybe it's a family problem that's inconvenient to talk about. They might be back in a while."

On second thought, Gray asked, "You don't... have any other friends, do you?"

Lia shook her head. Normally, she would have scolded her brother for doubting her weak social network, but she didn't have the energy for that now.

“I’m relieved that you don’t have any friends at the academy…” Gray said softly. “Your eyes are a little swollen from crying. Rest for a bit before going back. You wouldn’t want your father to see, would you?”

"Hmm..." Lia nodded gently.

—————————————————————

"Father, I'm back."

Walking side by side with Lia (though her younger sister wasn't tall enough to keep up, so it was more like walking side by side), Gray entered the hall and immediately saw his adoptive father, Ed Brandt.

Since the old butler had already informed him, Ed was not surprised by Gray's return and simply nodded slightly.

Ed Brandt was quite idle during this period. As a fallen nobleman, he was not favored by the royal family and naturally had no other nobles to curry favor with him. Therefore, he had no invitations or events to attend banquets or similar activities.

Ed Brandt's usual job was simply to occasionally inspect and manage the territory, and then there was nothing else to do.

Spending long periods at home enjoying tea, flowers, and reading seems like a very leisurely and comfortable life.

But Ed Brandt still felt it was better to be busy, because if his family's decline didn't improve (they were doomed sooner or later), they were doomed.

He had originally hoped that Lia would be more active during the Holy Light Pilgrimage to garner some attention for the Brant family.

The good news is that Lia did indeed achieve a good ranking.

The bad news was that the chaos caused during the Holy Light Pilgrimage was so great that the nobles of the entire kingdom had no interest in paying attention to the rankings of the Holy Light Pilgrimage, and no one noticed the Brant family's activities.

No one paid attention to the Brant family before the Holy Light Pilgrimage was held.

The Holy Light Pilgrimage ended quite a while ago, but no one has paid attention to the Brant family yet.

Wasn't the Holy Light Pilgrimage held for nothing?

Ed Brant knew this couldn't go on; relying solely on Leah to revitalize the Brant family was too difficult.

Perhaps it's about time.

“Grey,” he began, “it has been some time since I sent you out to gain experience.”

Gray was startled by what he heard.

Oh no, does this mean they're telling me to end my training and come back?

At this time? The Demon Order still has several factions to deal with, and more importantly, he has no clue how to resolve the issues with the Hero and the Goddess of Holy Light.

He could not possibly stay in Bifeng Territory forever.

Leah realized what Ed was about to say and stopped to listen.

"It's been a while, mainly involving adventurer activities in various places..." Gray answered, forcing a smile.

In reality, Gray only occasionally delivers magic crystals to the Adventurers' Guild to complete quests. On the surface, he is just an ordinary third-tier swordsman and cannot have any particularly impressive battle records.

This is how a twenty-year-old third-tier swordsman behaves in public.

If a professional hasn't improved their magic level for a long time, they are considered to have reached the limit of their talent, and without a significant fortuitous encounter, they will likely find it difficult to make any further progress.

A swordsman with a talent ceiling of 3rd rank is already considered quite a genius among commoners, but among nobles, this talent is only considered mediocre.

Ed Brandt suddenly changed the subject: "Back in the day, my ancestors responded to the king's call and made great contributions in the war against the demons. They were promoted and their family prospered."

Unfortunately, the good times are not long.

Our ancestor fell seriously ill during the war against the demons, and his glory did not last long before he passed away.

The chronic illness that followed even affected future generations, resulting in the absence of talented professionals in my Brant family for generations.

To this day, our past achievements have been forgotten, and it is only through this that the Brant family has achieved its current status.

Upon hearing Ed suddenly bring up such a serious topic, the two of them stared intently at him, trying to guess his intentions.

“Now my Brant family has finally produced an outstanding professional. Lia, you are the hope of my Brant family.”

Ed Brandt continued.

Lia knew this, of course, and understood her responsibilities and the hopes her father had for her.

Fourteen-year-old Lia is expected to shoulder the heavy burden of her family.

But the weight of this burden is far too much for a minor girl.

Her shoulders were not broad enough to support such a heavy object.

Lia has always worked hard, striving for the high hopes her father has placed on her and for the revitalization of the Brant family.

Only she knows the sweat she shed, and only her brother can comfort her when she cries.

She dared not utter a single word of "bitterness" or "tiredness" in front of her parents, nor did she dare to show them her weak side.

“But Lia, you are still young and need to learn more to enrich yourself. In the short term, at least until you graduate from Astraea Magic Academy, I will not let you take over the family affairs.”

Ed said in a deep voice.

Lia's hands trembled slightly.

This is only temporary...

"This may put too much pressure on you, but I want to make it clear first that one day you will have to take over the family affairs and revitalize the family."

But you're not alone in this, Gray. We'll face it together.

I'm not retiring and ignoring everything.

Let's be frank today; I will explain my plans for the future to you.

Lia remained silent, while Grey frowned.

He knew Leah was under a lot of pressure, and he could help relieve some of it for her, but...

That leaves no time to deal with my own affairs, those more important things...

Even knowing that those things were more important, Grey couldn't bear to leave Lia to shoulder the burden of the family alone.

How to do?

Ed Brandt added:

"After Lia graduates, I will entrust some family affairs to you. Until then,..."

Lia is studying diligently at the Astraea Magic Academy.

Gray continued his training, returning home regularly or sending letters back to keep in touch.

"As soon as I contact you, you must come back immediately to work with Leah."