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

"Plop! Plop! Plop!"

Regardless of age or gender, all the villagers, as if drawn by an invisible force, knelt down deeply in the direction of Gray.

The craftsman dropped his tools, the mother pulled her child to kneel down, and even the bewildered children imitated the adults, pressing their foreheads to the ground.

The entire village, which was a peaceful scene of people working one moment, has transformed into a sea of ​​devout pilgrims the next.

Everyone was so excited they were trembling, and some of the older villagers were even in tears, as if they had seen a myth that had only existed in the oral tradition of their ancestors come to life.

"Greetings, Lord Demon King!" "Welcome, Your Majesty!" A jumble of excited yet awe-inspiring shouts rose and fell, merging into one.

Seeing this scene from afar, Xita relaxed his hand slightly, understanding the situation, yet he was secretly shaken by this sudden recognition of his master.

Aita's mouth dropped open in astonishment, her orange-gold vertical pupils filled with disbelief, and she exclaimed softly, "Meow!..."

Even the low-ranking servants hidden by the stream, though unable to see the specifics, could faintly hear the excited collective kneeling and shouts of "Your Majesty the Demon King."

Gray stood rooted to the spot, utterly bewildered by the sudden and unhesitating collective kneeling.

no……

Gray pondered that he had indeed revealed his demonic characteristics, but there was no reason why he would be immediately recognized as the current Demon King.

After all, only his demonic horns were revealed. There shouldn't be any particularly unique claim about a demon king's demonic horns. The true demon king's identity, his domineering aura, and his demonic power should not have been revealed and he shouldn't have been recognized.

With this question in mind, Gray slowly raised his hand, making a gesture of support. His voice remained calm, yet carried a natural, submissive authority:

"Flat body."

Just two words, yet they acted like a decree, calming the excited crowd's commotion slightly.

Surrounded by the villagers in a state of excitement yet orderly harmony, Gray, Sita, and the curiously peering catgirl Eta were led to the largest house in the center of the village—the village chief's house—built from sturdy living wood and a giant, colorful mushroom cap.

Along the way, all the villagers spontaneously knelt on both sides of the road, heads bowed, expressing the utmost awe and excitement, yet no one dared to make a sound or look directly at them.

Only the children secretly raised their eyelids, their eyes filled with curiosity and bewilderment, chasing after the hem of the legendary Demon King's robes and his tall figure.

The village chief's house was spacious and simple, filled with a natural ambiance. Most of the furniture was made of polished wood and crystal, and animal bones and bundles of strange herbs that emitted a faint glow hung on the walls. A faint scent of sandalwood and wood permeated the air.

The old man who recognized Gray—now the village chief—respectfully invited Gray to sit on the first stone chair covered with soft animal hide, while he and several of the village's oldest elders stood respectfully below.

Sita stood silently behind Gray, her gaze calmly surveying the surroundings.

Aita stood somewhat awkwardly on the other side, her orange-gold vertical pupils curiously surveying everything in the room, especially the glowing herbs, her tail tips unconsciously curling slightly.

A young demon woman carefully offered a cup of sweet-smelling juice in a wooden cup, then quickly bowed and withdrew, her posture extremely respectful.

Once the room had settled down a bit, Gray's deep voice broke the silence, cutting straight to the heart of the matter:

"Why are you here? And how did you recognize me at a glance?" His questions were concise yet hit the two most crucial points.

Upon hearing this, the old village chief immediately stepped forward, bowed deeply once more, his voice hoarse with excitement and utmost respect:

"Your Majesty! We are here on the orders of our ancient ancestors!"

A mixture of reminiscence and reverence appeared in his cloudy eyes as he continued, "According to ancestral teachings passed down orally from generation to generation, in a very, very long time ago, so long that we can no longer remember exactly which great Demon King was in power... it seems that the Demon race was on the eve of a great calamity..."

The old village chief's voice became low and solemn: "His Majesty the great and insightful Demon King, in order to preserve a pure bloodline for the demon race and prevent its complete extinction, secretly dispatched several loyal tribes, carrying the seed of the demon race, to migrate through various clandestine means to some secluded secret realms and small worlds undiscovered by the outside world. Our tribe, the 'Guardian Tribe,' was one of them, and was ordered to migrate to this brand new world."

"And our mission," the old village chief's tone became incredibly solemn, even carrying a sense of holiness, "besides surviving and multiplying here, and protecting the flame of demon civilization, the most important thing is to guard this place for generations, waiting! Waiting for Your Majesty's arrival!"

"The ancestral precepts have been passed down through generations and must never be forgotten: 'Guard the secret realm and await the king's arrival. If you see demons from the outside world, their might as deep as the abyss, their horns ancient and unseen, then that is the Demon King you have been waiting for for generations. You must serve him as your master and be loyal to the death!'"

He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Gray, and exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, you come from the outside world, bearing a supreme pressure from the very source of our bloodlines that we have never felt before. Who else could it be but you? There is no mistake about that!"

It turned out to be the case.

Gray understood.

This is a "spark" force secretly dispatched by a visionary demon king on the eve of an ancient catastrophe. Their existence is for the purpose of continuation, and their core mission is to wait for and identify the true demon king who may find this place in the future.

No wonder they could accept their master so readily; it was not a simple blood connection, but rather the core instructions and beliefs etched into the lineage.

Aita, listening from the side, was deeply shaken. As a descendant of a demon general, she had never heard of such a secret plan. After all, countless years had passed, and even the demon people of this bloodline who had been guarding this secret realm had forgotten the name of the demon king who issued the order, only remembering their mission.

The very existence of this group of survivors is a huge secret and a treasure.

Aita blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite, and muttered softly, "It seems like we've been waiting for ages, meow..."

Gray remained silent for a moment, processing the information. It explained their origins and the reason for their allegiance, but it also raised new questions: What kind of calamity did that ancient demon king foresee? Why choose this particular secret realm? Besides waiting, is there something else hidden here?