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

However, just as she slightly exerted force with her toes, a chilling gaze and several faint yet clearly warning auras, like invisible shackles, instantly enveloped her from her sides and behind.

It was the icy gaze that Alpha could feel even through her visor, and the seemingly casual yet precisely targeted stances of Beta, Delta, and the others, who were precisely locking onto all her points of attack.

Sofia's boiling anger was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, hissing as it rose in resentful white smoke, but she was forced to freeze in place.

She had no doubt that if she dared to take a step, she would be ruthlessly "invited" back into the shadows by these terrifyingly powerful shadow servants on the grounds that she was "interfering with Lord Shadow's date," or even be directly packed up and thrown back to the base.

This frustration made her tremble with anger, her cheeks puffed up like an inflated pufferfish.

Fortunately... fortunately, that Grey Brandt seems to still have a damn, tiny bottom line, and he managed to get around it!

Realizing the crisis was over, Sophia's tense body suddenly relaxed, and she leaned against the wall behind her as if all her strength had left her. She let out a long, trembling breath, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

'At least you still have some humanity, Gray Brandt!' she mentally 'praised' him through gritted teeth, but then a deeper sense of powerlessness and resentment welled up inside her. 'No! This is exactly what should have happened! If he really dared to do that, he'd be utter scum! Bastard! Why should I be grateful for such basic decency! Damn it!'

She shook her head violently, trying to shake off the absurd thought, and could only channel her grief into her appetite, taking a big bite of the cake, unable to resist the allure of sweets.

"Sweet and delicious..."

Gray was about to lead Philippa to the central square as planned when he felt the girl he was holding suddenly stop, her gaze drawn to a strangely shaped device displayed in front of a shop on the street.

It was a transparent box about the height of a person, filled with brightly colored plush toys of various shapes and sizes—there were adorable teddy bears, rabbits with long, drooping ears, majestic little lions, and even some strangely shaped toys that looked like they incorporated features of magical creatures.

A control lever and a button extend from the side of the enclosure, and a movable metal claw hook hangs above the interior.

Next to the machine stands a slightly smaller metal box with a coin slot and a dispensing slot, clearly labeled "Game Coin Exchange".

“Grey, look at that!” Philippa tugged at Grey’s hand, her voice full of curiosity and wonder. “What’s that? There are so many cute dolls inside, are they for sale? But they don’t really look like it…”

Gray followed her gaze, and when he saw the device in its entirety, even with his composure, his eyes couldn't help but twitch slightly.

This... isn't this the kind of claw machine he used to see in that world?! Although the exterior and details are full of otherworldly style, its core gameplay is obvious.

'Aiota... it really was you.' Gray knew in his heart that only his fiancée, who was passionate about researching the 'combination of magic and technology,' could replicate this thing.

Seeing Philippa's eager look, Gray smiled and explained, "This should be some kind of entertainment device. We need to exchange coins for special game coins in the box next to us first," he pointed to the exchange machine, "and then insert the coins to operate the metal claw and try to grab the dolls inside."

"Catch it? That sounds interesting!" Philippa's eyes immediately searched through the pile of dolls, quickly locking onto a small white fox doll with a fluffy tail and innocent eyes. "I want to try that one!"

“Okay.” Gray readily took out a few universal copper coins and inserted them into the exchange machine. With a few soft “clunks,” several slightly thick metal game coins with simple engravings fell out from the dispensing slot.

Philippa picked up a coin and nervously but excitedly inserted it into the claw machine's coin slot. The machine emitted a pleasant start-up sound, and the claw inside glowed faintly, awaiting its operation.

"Hold this joystick to move the grappling hook forward, backward, left, and right. Once you've got the position right, press this button, and the grappling hook will drop down," Gray explained simply from the side.

Philippa took a deep breath and carefully gripped the joystick.

She carefully moved the claw hook directly above the fox doll, then held her breath and pressed the button hard.

The claw hook fell with a thud, accurately trapping the little fox's head.

Just as Philippa's face lit up with a hint of joy, she saw the grappling hook sway slightly as it rose, and then—when it was still a short distance from the delivery port—it gently released itself.

The white fox plush toy tumbled back into the pile of plush toys, knocking a nearby bear to the side.

"Ah—! Just a little bit more!" Philippa cried out in disappointment, her cheeks puffing out, somewhat unwilling to give up.

"It's okay, it's your first time playing and you're already pretty accurate," Gray comforted her, handing her another coin. "Try again, you might need to adjust the strength and timing of your claws."

Philippa nodded and inserted the coin again. This time, she adjusted the position more carefully, making sure she was in the right spot before pressing the button.

The claw descended and grabbed the little fox's body, but the angle of the grab seemed to be not very good. As soon as it was lifted up a little, the toy slipped away.

“Hmm…” Philippa frowned, her eyes becoming more focused, with a hint of defiance in them.

On the third attempt, the claw hook touched the little fox, but failed to hold on and bounced away almost immediately.

After three consecutive failures, Philippa was somewhat discouraged. Looking at the little fox that was so close yet still out of reach, she pouted, "This is so difficult... It always seems to let go at the last moment."

Seeing her adorable expression as she focused intently on her attempts and repeatedly met with setbacks, Gray's smile deepened. He stepped forward and said gently, "Let me give it a try? Maybe I can find a trick."

Philippa immediately stepped aside, looking at Gray with anticipation: "Hmm! Gray, you give it a try!" She was eager to see if Gray could conquer this "cunning" machine.

Just as Gray was about to try to catch the little white fox for Philippa himself, the members of the "tourist group" in the shadows in the distance were also attracted by this novel object.

The ten Shadow Attendants had all heard Gray talk about strange things, and some of them probably remembered this device...