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

Following Alpha's guidance, the group passed through the last corridor and entered a relatively spacious stone chamber, furnished in a simple yet grand style—this was probably the "meeting room" Gray had mentioned.

Two people were already waiting inside.

One of the women (Gamma), dressed in the same black robes as the other waiters, bowed gracefully upon seeing Gray enter, her posture impeccable and filled with absolute respect: "Lord Shadow."

The other one (Aiota) reacted much more calmly, simply raising her eyes, which seemed perpetually lost in thought: "You're back?"

Her gaze lingered briefly on Gray and Philippa in his arms, a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes beneath her red hair, but she quickly regained her composure.

Then, their gazes passed over Gray and fell on the "guests" following behind the waiters, each with a different expression.

Meanwhile, Philippa, who had been carried all the way by Gray, seemed to have calmed down a bit because she had temporarily escaped the extreme situations of fighting and the revelation of her identity.

The shame that had been masked by anger, despair, and impulse suddenly surfaced like a rock exposed after the tide receded.

Feeling the warmth of Gray's chest and his steady heartbeat, and realizing that she was being held so intimately as they walked through the eyes of everyone (especially her companions and his black-robed subordinates), her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She instinctively tried to struggle down, but her severe injuries and weakness rendered her efforts futile. She could only bury her burning cheeks deeper into Gray's black robe, trying to avoid those gazes, inwardly cursing herself for her weakness and this awkward situation.

Sofia took in Philippa's rare shyness, which she saw as Philippa's tacit approval and indulgence of Gray's intimate behavior.

This made the jealousy in her heart burn like hot oil being poured on it!

She stared intently at Gray, her blue eyes practically spitting fire, her teeth clenched. If looks could kill, Gray would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

'That damned demon king! That filthy man! How could he make Philippa make that face! Unforgivable!'

Taric, however, was more focused on the two newly appeared men in black robes and the overall assessment of their strength. His gaze swept over Gamma and Eiota, and his heart sank.

The woman (Gamma) who had just bowed exuded a vast and boundless magical aura. Although she seemed to lack sharpness, the sheer magnitude of her power was suffocating.

As for the other red-haired woman (Aiota) and the other eight servants, he could not sense any specific magical power from them. It was as if their existence itself was already integrated with the magic of the surrounding environment, or was obscured by some higher-level power.

This kind of "unknown" is often more unsettling than "known power." 'There are two more... and those whose magical power cannot be sensed are perhaps even more terrifying than the one with vast magical power...' The warrior's instincts raised his assessment of the danger before him to the highest level.

Phoenix maintained a calm demeanor, but his gaze swept across the entire conference room quickly and discreetly, like the most sophisticated scanner.

Looking at the material of the stone walls, the structure of the ceiling, the faintly visible ancient runes, and the magical veins flowing in the air, Phoenix seemed to be pondering something...

After everyone had roughly settled around the long table in the conference room, which was made of ancient stone, the atmosphere remained tense. Gray carefully placed Philippa on the stone chair, then looked around at the various expressions on the faces of the people present, and said in a deep voice, "If we're going to talk, we need to show sincerity."

His gaze swept over the ten shadowy attendants standing solemnly to the side, and he ordered, "Remove your black robes."

The order was given without the slightest hesitation. The ten servants simultaneously raised their hands and unfastened the hidden clasps that bound their black robes.

As the heavy black robe slid to the ground, revealing its true form and features, a barely audible gasp filled the conference room.

Philippa, Tarik, Sofia, and even Phoenix couldn't hide the surprise on their faces.

They had assumed that the Demon King's forces would mostly consist of ferocious demons or other dark races, but the scene before them completely shattered their expectations—

Humans make up nearly half of them! The sword-wielding leader (Alpha) is a human woman with a cold demeanor and long, straight black hair; the blue-haired mage (Epsilon) is human; the red-haired researcher (Eiota) is human; and even the one who previously exuded vast magical power (Gamma) is a purple-haired human mature woman with a shrewd and capable air.

There are two demi-humans: Eta, with orange hair and cat ears and a lively swaying tail, and Zeta, with blonde hair and dog ears, who still looks "out of the loop" but has fierce eyes.

One of the elves: Beta, with white hair and green eyes, stunningly beautiful appearance, and ethereal temperament.

However, only three of them fit the traditional image of a "Demon King's subordinate": one is a vampire with blonde hair and red eyes, exuding an aura of both bloodlust and elegance (Delta); another is a succubus with alluring pink hair and captivating eyes (Kappa); and the last one is the demon girl with pale purple eyes and an expressionless face (Sita).

There were four humans, two demi-humans, one elf, one vampire, one succubus, and one demon!

This composition makes it seem more like a small continental race joint expedition team than a demon king's terrifying legion.

Philippa's gaze involuntarily swept across the faces of these beautiful and diverse women.

Alpha's aloofness, Beta's stunning beauty, Delta's enchanting allure, Kappa's captivating charm, Eta's lively spirit, Theta's exquisite elegance... each possesses a unique and captivating charm.

She recalled Gray's earlier words, "and established similar... intimate relationships with nine of them...", and looking at the nine charming faces in front of her (plus Eiota and Gamma), an indescribable bitterness and subtle comparative feeling welled up uncontrollably from the bottom of her heart.

She subconsciously pursed her lips, and her head, which was already lowered due to her injuries and shyness, drooped even lower, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Sophia was stunned, then her anger flared even more! So many...so many women?! And each and every one of them... She couldn't even imagine what kind of "complex environment" Philippa would have to face in the future! Her gaze towards Gray became even more ferocious.

Taric's throat felt dry. He had originally thought he was only facing the demons, but now he discovered that the Demon King's power had infiltrated and recruited so many powerful individuals from different races. The implications of this sent chills down his spine.

Phoenix's deep gaze slowly swept across the faces of each waiter, yet his reaction remained calm.

I even felt a little relieved...