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

"Speaking of which, little girl, what's your name?"

“Emily, Emily Snowdrop, Lord Shadow Demon.”

Gray set off with Emily the following morning.

Although it would be better for Gray to operate at night.

However, considering Emily was leading the way, Grey ultimately decided to let her sleep and set off the next day.

Emily is still a child and needs plenty of sleep. Gray doesn't want the girl to just stop moving around while he's on the road.

Instead of holding the little girl and waiting for her to wake up, it's better to let her sleep well first before leading the way.

However, getting the excited Emily to sleep was also a difficult task.

During the journey, Gray carried Emily in one arm, while Emily pointed out the directions.

He did this because he was worried that Emily's stamina wouldn't be able to keep up with him, so he kept the pace at a level that Emily could handle.

At this speed, Gray could also multitask, teaching Emily some magic usage techniques.

For example, basic applications include using magic to enhance organs and objects, as well as creating black robes and longswords exclusive to the Shadow Court.

After walking for a while, just as Emily finished saying "It's not far ahead," Gray sensed a familiar magical aura.

Almost simultaneously with sensing the presence of magical energy, a dark figure lunged forward.

Gray instinctively wanted to throw a punch, but after seeing the figure clearly, he immediately put Emily down and switched to a defensive stance.

"Boss—!"

The sound echoed for several seconds after the shadow crashed into him. Gray was hit hard all over, but fortunately he was prepared to defend himself, so he did not have to take a step back in the face of this sudden attack.

It's clear that Gray is already quite adept at handling this situation.

At this moment, Gray found a pair of furry dog ​​ears in his arms.

The owner of those ears was nestled in Gray's arms, rubbing against him vigorously, while his sensitive nose was also busy, sniffing Gray's scent.

Gray was used to this action and gently rubbed the fluffy dog's ears.

Among the Ten Shadows, if Beta is Gray's biggest fangirl, then Zeta, the dog in front of us, is like a pet dog, and Aita... when she fights with the dog, she's like a wildcat.

Theoretically speaking, Zeta's behavior is more like that of a dog, while the behavior of the Koya is generally somewhere between that of a human and an animal.

But considering Zeta's intelligence, her dog-like habits... don't seem so hard to understand.

Thinking back to that day...

Under the cover of night and the bright moonlight, the dark purple robes fluttered without wind.

At this moment, four figures in black robes, two large and two small, stood beside Gray.

A black-haired human girl, a white-haired elf girl, a purple-haired human girl, and a blonde, mature vampire.

"Where's the slave-catching team, Beta?"

The lovestruck white-haired elf girl doesn't actually hate the slave-catching team that much; in fact, it was because of them that she was able to meet her Prince Charming. However, in order to maintain her persona, Beta pretends to hate them.

"These people are so hateful!"

Alpha and Gamma nodded in approval, while Delta declined to comment.

"I'll give you some training, and you'll be in charge of dealing with these people in the slave-catching team."

"Yes!"

After saying that, the four figures in black robes dispersed and infiltrated the camp to begin their massacre!

Seeing the four women's lively performance, Gray smiled with satisfaction. If it weren't for his cognitive biases, the small figure under the black robe could have made the scene quite incongruous.

Transforming into a shadow, Gray quickly located the place where the slaves were imprisoned and eliminated the guards.

In the dimly lit basement, two cages stood side by side, the cold gleam of their iron bars glaringly bright in the gloom. Inside the cages, the figures of two demi-human girls, one a dog and the other a cat, were faintly visible in the darkness, their fates cruelly imprisoned in this cramped space.

In the first cage, the canine-like girl sat crouching in the corner. Her canine features were prominent, and her fluffy ears drooped downwards, revealing her sadness and helplessness. Her large, moist eyes conveyed a longing for freedom. Her tail was tightly bound, unable to wag, much like her heavy and unreleased emotions. Faint claw marks marked her hands, evidence of her desperate attempts to break free. Her clothes were tattered, and her skin bore visible scars, suggesting the struggles and resistance she had faced during her capture by the slave train.

"So hungry...(ˉ﹃ˉ?)..."

In the second cage, the cat-like girl huddled together, her cat ears slightly tilted back, revealing her tension and unease. Her eyes, like jewels in the night, gleamed with wariness, but now were veiled by confusion and fear. Her tail swayed gently, as if seeking comfort, but only received a response from the cold iron bars. Her fingers were long and slender, with sharp nails like cat claws, but they offered no help at this moment. Faint patterns, like a cat's stripes, clung conspicuously to her body in the dim light.

After dealing with the guards, Gray glanced at the two demi-humans, a dog and a cat, in the cage.

"A demi-human..."

Having already seen elves and vampires, Gray's appearance of demi-humans no longer surprised him as much.

However, Gray remained very interested in demi-humans, a popular creature in Western fantasy.

Without much hesitation, Gray walked to the iron cage closest to him, where the dog-eared girl was imprisoned.

The hand rises, the sword falls.

A flash of purplish-black magical light streaked across the room, and the iron cage door was forcefully sliced ​​open.

Hearing the strange noise, the Erya girls looked up and saw the figure in black robes.

The iron cage was broken open, and the dog-like girl rubbed her rumbling stomach, but she didn't have the strength to stand up.

The cat-like girl quickly looked around, a glimmer of light shining in her jewel-like eyes—a light of hope!

"My name is Hidden Shadow, Yin Hidden, Yin Hunter. (My name is Demon Shadow, a person who lurks in the darkness and hunts shadows)

You are saved.

You can choose to go back on your own, or you can come with me.

Although Gray gave two options, the first option is actually invalid.

In the bandit-infested Bifeng Territory, two defenseless demi-human girls, even if they managed to evade the bandits, would be unable to cross the border of the Olmec Kingdom and return to their homeland.

The shrewd cat-like being had considered the inability to cross the border, while the dog-like being in front of him hadn't thought that far ahead.

"If you can feed me, I'll follow you."

“That’s natural.” Gray took the dog-like girl’s hand, helped her up, and then supported her as they walked to the cat-like girl’s cage.

The cat-like girl had already taken action before Gray started dismantling the cage.

He knelt on both knees, his voice pleading.

"I pledge my allegiance to you, Lord Shadow."

"Now that you've heard it, I'll save myself the trouble. Get up, I'll take you to get something to eat first."