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

The Goddess of Light's calm narration, like two boulders thrown into a calm lake, stirred up completely different yet equally turbulent waves in the hearts of Gray and Philippa.

Gray's eyes flickered slightly, but his face did not show much surprise.

He was already accustomed to the Demon King's legacy and understood that this legacy was a miracle created by the "Sage" to fight against fate and ensure the continuation of the core knowledge and power of the Demon race.

He had always vaguely suspected that the "Hero's Legacy" might be a similar mechanism created by some human sage in order to fight against the Demon King.

However, the truth is now revealed—this “heroic legacy” that sustains humanity’s hope and is regarded by countless heroes as the source of their sacred mission is actually a “copy” made by the Goddess of Holy Light in order to achieve “automated production of heroes”, just like copying a work of art, imitating the demon king’s legacy created by the “sage”!

This realization stirred up extremely complex emotions within Gray.

There is admiration for the foresight of the "sage's" wisdom, but also a chilling mockery of the Holy Light Goddess's behavior of treating everything as a tool, and even the "weapons" against her are imitations of the "chess pieces" she wants to control.

'So, the high and mighty gods are too lazy to even create their opposites from scratch, merely clumsily imitating and exploiting them?' This thought gave him a clearer, and more disgusting, understanding of the true nature of the gods. A corner of the mystery was lifted, revealing an even more unbearable truth.

Meanwhile, Philippa, upon hearing that "the Hero's Legacy was created by the Goddess of Holy Light in imitation of the Demon King's Legacy," was struck dumb as if by lightning.

She always believed that "heroes" were the embodiment of light and hope, a unique gift and glory bestowed upon humanity by the goddess to fight against darkness! It was a sacred and inviolable mission!

But what did she hear now?

The power inherited by the hero... is actually... a copy of the Demon King's inheritance? Is it to achieve so-called "automation"?

A dizzying feeling swept over her, as if the foundation of her faith had been completely shaken, or even ruthlessly trampled.

The "hero's mission" she has been fighting for, sacrificing for, and fulfilling has the same origin as the "demon king" who is regarded as the source of all evil? It's just that one is the "original version" and the other is a "knock-off automated version" created by the gods to save trouble.

This is the cruelest mockery of all her past beliefs and efforts!

A profound sense of absurdity and a furious feeling of being utterly fooled, mixed with the pain and guilt left by her previous betrayal of Gray, nearly overwhelmed her reason.

Her face was as pale as paper, and she swayed. If Gray hadn't reached out and gently supported her from behind, she would have almost lost her balance.

She looked at the radiant figure on the throne, and for the first time, besides awe and fear, her eyes were filled with a deep, indescribable... doubt and sorrow.

At that moment, she fully realized that, in the eyes of the gods, whether it was the Demon King or the Hero, they were nothing more than tools that could be mass-produced to maintain His cold "balance".

After processing the cold truth about cycles and inheritance, Gray took a deep breath and asked the question that had troubled him for longer and was more personal. He felt that this question might not even be that important, but it was a key link in understanding his own destiny.

He looked directly at the Goddess of Holy Light, his voice steady yet carrying an unmistakable probing:

"So, after my death in my previous life, my soul was reincarnated into the body of this Demon King... Was that also your doing?"

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of urgency he himself hadn't fully realized, a desire to find the root of the problem: "Why force a soul from another world, with no connection to this place, into the 'balance mechanism' of this world?"

In Gray's mind, since the Goddess of Holy Light was the mastermind behind all of this, able to control even cycles and inheritance, then his becoming the Demon King, as a "visitor from another world," must also be part of Her plan.

Whether it was to add variables to this boring cycle, or out of some deeper, more unfathomable divine wickedness, he simply couldn't think of a specific reason.

When Philippa, who was standing next to him, heard the words "another world," she turned her head sharply, her amber eyes filled with great confusion and bewilderment. She subconsciously whispered, "Another... world?" This was a completely foreign concept to her; Gray had never mentioned it to her before.

However, what happened next was completely beyond Gray's expectations.

On the throne, the Goddess of Holy Light, who had always maintained a perfect indifference and seemed to have everything under control, actually showed a clear look of surprise on her icy, perfect face after hearing Gray's question!

Although the expression was fleeting, so quick that it was almost an illusion, Gray and Philippa both clearly caught it—His icy and fiery pupils widened slightly for a moment, and his eyebrows raised in a barely perceptible arc.

Immediately afterwards, an ethereal voice rang out, but this time, it no longer contained pure indifference or amusement, but rather a hint of... genuine curiosity and confirmation:

"You... are you the reincarnation of someone from another world?"

This rhetorical question was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding directly in Gray's mind!

"???"

Gray was completely dumbfounded.

No... judging from your tone and reaction... my reincarnation as a demon king has absolutely nothing to do with you?!

Why?! Why was I reincarnated from an ordinary human from Earth into the Demon King of this world?

If it wasn't the work of the Goddess of Light, then who is orchestrating all these absurd coincidences? Is it some higher being that even the Goddess of Light hasn't noticed? Or... is it merely an incredibly ironic accident in the workings of the universe?

Countless question marks surged wildly in his mind like boiling bubbles, almost shattering all his previous assumptions.

However, Gray is Gray after all. After the initial shock and confusion, his strong willpower quickly suppressed his turbulent thoughts.

'This is not the time to dwell on this!' He immediately snapped back to reality. Regardless of the truth behind his reincarnation, the situation remained unchanged—the Goddess of Holy Light was still the ultimate enemy they had to face, and breaking the cycle was still the goal they had to achieve.

The reason for his reincarnation may be an important mystery, but compared to the impending war against the gods, this question is not of paramount importance at this moment.

He forcibly sealed away that immense confusion and desire to explore in his heart, and his gaze became sharp and firm again as he met the gaze of the Goddess of Holy Light, which seemed to have gained a hint of inquiry because of this unexpected information.

The most pressing issue is not his reincarnation.