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

Aita immediately suppressed her excitement and curiosity, her orange-gold vertical pupils instantly sharpening, her ears twitching alertly, catching any unusual sounds nearby.

She instinctively moved closer to Gray and Sita, her fluffy orange tail no longer swaying merrily, but instead slightly bristling and hanging low like a sensitive radar, sensing the slightest movement in the air.

She even bent down and carefully sniffed the air, trying to discern any discordant scent among the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.

Sita occupied Gray's flank, his hand resting lightly on his waist, where a real weapon seemed to be hidden, poised to strike.

Her gaze was like the most precise scanner, calmly analyzing the shape of every blade of grass, the luster of the dewdrops, and the most subtle disturbances in the flow of energy on the ground.

Gray himself was positioned slightly forward of the center of the formation. He did not completely abandon his mental probing, but rather narrowed the scope to an extreme degree, like a high-powered searchlight focused on the area in front of him, carefully scanning every inch of land, every plant, and every energy flow within a few meters around him, leaving no stone unturned.

The heavy hood slowly turned, filling in the blind spots that were difficult to see with the naked eye.

This small team immediately switched from exploration mode to a highly vigilant tactical advance mode.

Centered around Gray, they moved slowly like a spiked steel fortress, carefully traversing the verdant meadow, towards the nearest shimmering stream.

The warm sunshine was still comforting, the birdsong was still melodious, and the breeze still carried the fragrance of flowers.

However, this idyllic scene, under the intense tension and limited perception of everyone, unexpectedly gained an eeriness and unknown danger hidden behind its beauty.

The team maintained a highly vigilant and tightly packed formation, like a slowly moving steel hedgehog, cautiously advancing towards the stream as it rolled over knee-high green grass.

The rich life energy in the air is still invigorating, but it also acts like a heavy curtain, hindering the extension of the spirit and forcing everyone to rely on the most primal senses of sight, hearing, and intuition.

After walking only a few hundred meters, an unusual, rapid rustling sound suddenly came from the grass to the side.

All the servants' weapons were instantly drawn. Sita's hand went to her waist, Aita's claws popped out, and a low, threatening growl came from her throat. Even Gray's focused mental energy instantly locked onto the source of the sound.

However, what suddenly sprang out from the dense grass was not the ferocious monster as expected.

It was a creature that resembled a deer in size, but was more slender and agile.

Its entire body is covered with soft, emerald-green fur that resembles newly sprouted moss, dotted with tiny, dew-like white spots.

Its limbs are long and slender, and its hooves have a warm, woody texture. Instead of antlers, it has a cluster of slightly glowing, translucent blue mushrooms on its head that tremble gently as it runs.

What's most peculiar is its eyes, large and round, a pure amber color, filled with panic and curiosity, yet without a trace of violence.

This peculiar creature clearly hadn't expected to suddenly run into such a group of beings exuding a cold and dangerous aura.

It abruptly stopped, its amber eyes widening in terror as it stared at the uninvited guests shrouded in black robes and gleaming with weapons, especially the terrifying aura emanating from them that seemed so out of place in this vibrant land.

"Neigh—" It let out a short, crisp cry, like the wind whistling through crystal bells, then turned around without hesitation, its four hooves propelling it into a streak of emerald light. It galloped at an astonishing speed toward the strange forest in the opposite direction of the group, disappearing into the dense grass in a few leaps, leaving only a rustling sound that quickly faded into the distance and a faint, fresh scent in the air, like a forest after the rain.

From the moment they appeared to the moment they fled, it was only a matter of two or three breaths.

The team maintained a defensive posture, remaining tense for a moment before relaxing slightly after confirming there were no further movements.

"Quick reaction, prioritizing avoidance of the enemy, no intention to attack. The magical reaction is highly integrated with the surrounding environment, suggesting it is a native creature." Sita calmly reported and analyzed, slightly moving her hand away from her waist.

Aita stared in the direction the creature had disappeared, a hint of curiosity flashing in her orange-gold vertical pupils, her ruffled tail calming down slightly: "It ran really fast, meow... It looked pretty strange too, but it didn't seem very fierce?"

Gray nodded slightly. The little beast's magical reaction was indeed pure and natural, originating from the same source as this secret realm. Its panicked escape reaction was also in line with the instinct of a weak creature encountering unknown danger.

“Harmless. Let’s move on.” He said in a low voice. Although this encounter turned out to be a false alarm, it confirmed that a unique ecosystem did indeed exist in this place.

After walking a while longer, we could clearly hear the babbling of the stream and even see the shimmering light reflected off the water.

However, just as they were crossing a small area covered with a large number of dark purple, thorny bushes, the attack suddenly came.

This time, without any warning, the drawbacks of limited mental perception became glaringly obvious.

The bushes on the flank suddenly burst open, and several dark purple figures, resembling twisted thorns, lunged out with screams.

These monsters were not large, resembling large hunting dogs. They had no eyes, and their heads consisted of only a huge mouth filled with pale white fangs that constantly opened and closed, dripping with slime.

Their limbs are made of sharp thorns, and their bodies constantly emanate a violent, chaotic, and bloodthirsty mental fluctuation.

"Enemy attack! Left flank!" A low-ranking waiter immediately sounded the alarm.

These are monsters known as "Thorn Fangs," whose minds seem to be filled only with the most primal desire for destruction. They completely ignore the difference in size and number between the two sides and charge directly into the team's tight defensive circle.

"Hmph." Sita snorted coldly, without even using the weapon at his waist, he simply pointed his finger in the air.

At the same time, the two or three thorny fangs at the front suddenly froze in mid-air. They twisted and struggled, their fangs opening and closing, but they could not move an inch.

Almost simultaneously, the short-handled scythes of the other two lower-ranking waiters drew a chilling arc.

Swish!Swish!

The blade flashed precisely across the imprisoned thorny fangs. Their tough, thorny bodies were easily severed like withered branches before the sharp scythe imbued with purplish-black magic.

Dark purple liquid splattered out, landing on the grass with a sizzling, corrosive sound, and a foul, fishy stench filled the air.

On the other side, Aita's figure flickered like a ghost.

"You nasty thing, meow!" she hissed, dodging the poisonous barbs that splattered from a thorny serpent's lunge. Her claws, imbued with a dark purple magic, struck first, plunging directly into the gaping maw of another thorny serpent, unleashing a burst of violent, dark purple magic.