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

"It doesn't matter."

Gray murmured softly.

There was no desert map, which meant that I couldn't show the destination to Sita and Aita. After all, the map in the Demon King's legacy only existed in my head and I couldn't show it to others.

As for replicating the map in one's head...

Nugreat is incompetent; this four-dimensional map… he himself is only a three-dimensional being…

It would be possible to draw a complete map of this year, but it would be time-consuming and laborious. Since I already have a map in my head, there's no need for that.

Now Gray can only point out the direction of the destination to Sita and Eita. He himself doesn't know what the "red cross" is. Maybe it's just an ordinary treasure map or something?

Gently sinking my consciousness into my mind, I pressed my face against a large map, afraid he wouldn't see it.

"The location of the red cross is also in the desert, but it's a bit far from the Shadow Mountains..."

Uh-huh?"

Gray's tone shifted as he found his location and saw the marked Shadow Mountains on the map.

Originally, the map only showed the location of the Shadow Mountains and Blood Spring, as well as the complex terrain within the mountains. However, upon closer inspection, a new label, "Orc Kingdom Shad Mountain," has been added.

Before Gray reached the Shadow Mountains and met the orc warriors, he remembered that the map did not mark "the orc kingdom of Shad Mountain".

This shows that the "four-dimensional map" changes over time, not because its creator, the "sage," could predict the future, but simply because he deduced changes in the continental plates and what kind of changes non-biological factors would cause to the map.

However, the impact of biological factors, such as the behavior of humans, demons, and orcs, on the world is truly unpredictable.

Even that "sage" could not have imagined that, several years after his death, the orcs would be driven to the desert by humans, relying on the shade of the mountains to shield them from the scorching sun and the blood springs to sustain their lives, and establishing the "Shad Manting" orc kingdom.

The orcs' migration to the desert took more than twenty or thirty generations of demon kings before the "Sage" era.

The fact that the map now includes the label "Orc Kingdom Shad Mountain" is clearly because it has the ability to gather intelligence from its surroundings and change the map itself.

It has the same automatic update function as the Demon King's Legacy.

Gray opened his eyes, and the map disappeared as the Demon King's legacy was shut down.

He turned in the direction of the red cross.

"We will head east."

—————————————————————

A brief rest was taken under the protection of Shad Mountain's deep caverns. The precious, uncontaminated remnants of the blood spring were carefully collected to treat the wounds of the most severely injured warriors.

Elder Baturu's soul was burned beyond healing by medicine. He could only rely on his rock-like will to slowly resist the embers of the dark blue flames. His massive body leaned against the cold rock wall, and the light in his lava eyes dimmed like a candle in the wind.

Elder Gomur's internal injuries were slightly less severe, and obsidian-like crystals slowly flowed across his body, repairing his damaged muscles, but his sharp eyes could not hide his deep exhaustion.

The air was filled with the bitter scent of herbs, the coldness of rocks, and the lingering heaviness of the battle.

The moment the first pale rays of dawn pierced the horizon of the "Scorched Throat" like a cold probe, the small team had already gathered outside the huge valley entrance of the Shadow Mountains.

Gray's figure was shrouded in that light-devouring black robe, standing as still as an abyss.

He took a half step forward, and Sita's gaze, hidden beneath his hood, calmly swept across the boundless sea of ​​sand before him, as if yesterday's fierce battle and pain were nothing more than an insignificant interlude.

Beside her, Aita, who had shed her black robes—her orange hair as dazzling as the rising sun, her orange-gold vertical pupils leaping with a wild light in the morning light—was clumsily adjusting the shoulder straps of her close-fitting leather armor with her uninjured right hand.

Her burns on her ribs and arms were covered with a specially made black ointment that emitted a cooling sensation, but her tightly pursed lips and the occasional furrowing of her brow as her movements aggravated the wounds showed that the pain was not far away.

The fluffy orange cat tail, however, swayed gently behind it with a spirited air, carrying an anticipation of embarking on its journey home.

Her gaze would occasionally drift towards Gray, a look that was hard to define as pure loyalty, or perhaps mixed with something else entirely…

At the edge of the valley's shadow, two tall figures stood like the last boulders extending from the black mountain range.

Elder Baturu stood up with difficulty, supported by two strong orc warriors.

His rock-like body was wrapped in thick bandages soaked in dark medicine, and the broken part of his left shoulder was covered with cooled, solidified lava-like material.

Though his lava-like eyes were dim, they still burned with the unwavering resilience of a "heart of rock."

His massive head drooped slightly, producing a heavy, rock-grinding sound: "Fellow members of the Shadow Court... Shad Montin... remember this kindness." His voice was hoarse, yet carried the most solemn promise of an orc.

Elder Gomur stood slightly ahead; his injuries were healing more quickly, though his face remained pale. His hard claws were tucked at his sides, and he gave a solemn, chest-touching salute, the most respectful gesture for an orc warrior, facing Gray.

The movement aggravated his internal injuries, causing his lips to twitch slightly, but his gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on Gray's deep hooded shadow: "Shadows provide shelter, rocks endure. The road ahead... is treacherous." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the eerie blue burn marks on Aita's ribs before finally returning to Gray. "Take care."

Their farewell was simple yet heavy, devoid of superfluous words. A thousand words were conveyed in their eyes: gratitude, concern for their ally's future, and awe of that unfathomable power. Shad Mountain's survival was ensured by yesterday's aid; this debt of gratitude was etched into the rock-hard heart of every orc warrior.

Gray nodded slightly in response, but there was not a trace of his aura emanating from him. After all, he had just arrived and had not fought alongside the orc warriors for as long as the other servants had.

Sita nodded slightly, her movements elegant and aloof, as if accepting the farewell.

Aita was the one who made the biggest move among them. She straightened her back, met the gaze of the orc elder with her orange-gold vertical pupils, and nodded vigorously. Her cat tail also stopped swaying and became taut, to show her solemnity.

There were no more farewells. Gray took the first step, stepping out of the last precious inch of shadow cast by the massive Shadow Mountains, and into the boundless golden inferno ahead, shrouded in the pale morning light.

Xita followed closely behind, his steps steady.

Aita took a deep breath of the scorching air, a sharp pain shooting through the dark blue burn marks on her side, but her orange-gold eyes showed no sign of hesitation as she strode to catch up…