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

Although we were staying overnight in the village, it could no longer be considered a village.

After the fire, all that remains are wails and ruins.

The thatched roof was charred black, with only a few charred beams supporting it weakly, as if silently telling the story of the merciless suffering caused by the flames.

Stepping inside, a burnt smell hit me. The once cozy living room was now a scene of utter devastation. Wooden furniture had turned to ash, leaving only scattered, charred pieces.

Most of the houses in the village were in such a terrible state.

Gray saved the demi-human villagers, but extinguishing the fire was not enough to save their homes, the only place they could live.

Gray suddenly felt that the slave-catching team, which was already dead, deserved to die even more; killing them too quickly would only make things easier for them.

You captured demi-humans to be slaves, and then you burned down their houses, making life difficult for the demi-human villagers who were rescued.

The Three Alls Policy, right? Burn everything, loot everything, oh, the demi-humans were to be sent to slave traders to be sold for money, but not all of them were killed.

Who can tell whether you are slave hunters or followers of the Flame and Burning Cult?

Such a house is hardly habitable; it might collapse while you're asleep, and you could be crushed to death by the charred planks.

However, it's unrealistic to say that a few pieces of charred wood could kill Gray, the Demon King; otherwise, Philippa would have retired on the spot.

While he might not die from the impact, if you expect Gray to sleep soundly with the roof possibly falling down, well, sorry, he's not that thick-skinned.

"Mr. Shadow!"

Beside her, the innocent voice of a cute little rabbit-like girl rang out.

The young rabbit-like girl was so excited she couldn't sleep, eager to try things out like a lively little rabbit.

"You're different from the other waitresses. Do you have some special status in the Shadow Court?"

Hearing Little Radish's question, Gray's thoughts were pulled back.

Looking at the young rabbit-like creature, Gray was momentarily stunned, remembering Lia when she was about six years old.

Innocent, cute, and clingy.

She hasn't been given magic yet.

After roughly comparing the size of the little radish head in front of him, Gray mobilized his magic, and a miniature black robe appeared in his hand, which he handed to the little rabbit-like girl amidst her excited gaze.

The young rabbit-like girl beamed with joy and immediately put on the black robe she had always dreamed of.

During this time, Gray pointed his index finger at the little rabbit-like girl's forehead, and a purple-black magical light imprinted a special character representing the Demon King's familiar, completing the ritual of binding the Demon King's familiar.

A pale purple light shimmered on her petite body, and Little Radish Head cheered and jumped for joy, feeling the warm current flowing through her body.

"I am the Shadow Demon, the founder and leader of the Shadow Demon Court," Gray answered the young rabbit-like girl's question in a calm tone.

"Eh?"

"Eh! (Д?≡?Д?)!"

The leader of the Shadow Court? The supreme being mentioned in the oath?

Little Carrot Head panicked immediately, recalling whether he had been disrespectful to Gray before.

Gray was used to the young rabbit-like girl's reaction.

The attendants of the Shadow Court outside the Ten Shadows all treated him this way; the image of the supreme being in the oath was already imprinted in the hearts of every attendant.

Ignoring him, Gray vanished instantly, leaving behind a single sentence.

"Follow."

Young rabbit-like demi-human: "Σ( °△°|||)︴!"

They just disappeared!

The figure flickered and finally landed on the demi-human villagers who were gathered together to discuss matters.

Faced with such a disaster, Gray gave them some time to process their thoughts and calm down.

Seeing that the demi-human villagers had gathered to discuss rebuilding their homes, Gray knew they had finished their preparations, so he appeared to offer his help and requests.

They recovered much faster than expected; it's no wonder they've been attacked by slave hunters twice before.

Gray arrived just in time, when the demi-human villagers were struggling with the issue of rebuilding their houses.

With the help of the Shadow Court, the village quickly recovered.

The demi-human villagers are currently discussing the manpower and resources needed to rebuild their village.

There are plenty of trees around the village, so there's no need to worry about the raw materials for reconstruction.

Their concern lies in the issue of manpower.

Farming is an essential activity for making a living.

The problem is that after ensuring that farming can proceed normally, there are not many people available to rebuild the houses, and it will take a lot of time to repair all of them.

Before the repairs were completed, the villagers of the subterranean people had to endure hardship and live outdoors.

Unfortunately, the weather is starting to get colder, and many villagers will freeze to death before their houses are repaired.

As many problems arose after the disaster, the villagers naturally thought of seeking help from the Shadow Court once again, and Gray happened to be there as well.

The faction led by the village chief Yang Yaren felt that this was a bit too shameless.

The Shadow Court has already helped us once for free, though it wasn't entirely free; at least the Shadow Court recruited a new member.

But for the sake of making a living, they would shamelessly beg for help.

After Gray appeared, all the villagers looked at the sheep-like village chief.

As the village chief, this shameless task is naturally assigned to him.

The village elder of Yangyaren blushed, but he had no choice but to step forward, shamelessly.

"Mr. Shadow, we want to rebuild our home and we beg you to help us again."

"Yes, that's why I came here too."

Seeing Gray nod, the demi-human villagers could not hide their ecstatic joy, and they knew in their hearts that they had received even more help from the Shadow Court.

"They can't come over immediately. They're currently on a mission in a place called Howling Town. It won't take long for them to get here after we notify them."

There's a small problem. I don't know the exact location of Howling Town, and finding it might take a long time, so you'll have to wait a long time.

Gray's original purpose in looking for the village was simply to find a place to rest and, incidentally, to see if he could find a guide to show him the way.

The villagers understood what Gray meant.

“Mr. Shadow, our village’s harvest is sold in Howling Town, and we all know how to get there,” the sheep-like village chief replied.

"You know everything? That's great." Gray pointed behind him: "Does this girl know how to get there?"

The direction Gray pointed to was deserted. The villagers were still a little confused when the sound of running came from behind them. The young rabbit girl stopped in the direction Gray pointed, panting heavily.

Her parents immediately became anxious: "Didn't you say she should stay here?"

"Yes, that's the plan. You've all heard it; I'll train this girl to be able to protect the village, so I'll keep her with me for a few days. Otherwise, if another slave-hunting team comes, we might not be as lucky as we are this time."

Already indebted to Gray, and having needed his help in return, and ultimately having built trust through the Shadow Court's repeated assistance...

After a difficult internal struggle, the parents of the young rabbit-like girl felt the hopes of the entire village rest on their daughter, and they...

"My daughter, please take care of her these next few days, sir."