Chapter 4
What kind of family was the House of Pluto?
Even I was well aware of their reputation.
They appeared regularly in the fairy tales I loved most as a child—always alongside the demon Baal.
Just as it had been centuries ago, the Pluto family still inherited divine power through generations.
Power stronger than any other household.
How else could Duke Baldwin Pluto have defeated the archdemon Baal five hundred years ago?
Of course, Baal had since revived, but thanks to the Pluto family, the world had enjoyed centuries of peace.
Even now, members of the Pluto family served the Holy Order and protected the nation.
The current head, Duke Ruben Pluto, was a cardinal, and his heir, Marquis Miles Pluto, served as a bishop.
And if it’s Meteor Pluto…
The eldest son of Marquis Miles.
…The youngest ever.
A Holy Knight at just thirteen years old.
“Th-thank you.”
I quickly replied before it was too late and pulled my hand away from his.
Meteor Pluto was a name well-known throughout the Empire.
In an age where Holy Knights were revered as heroes, the popularity of the Pluto family was unmatched.
Among them, Meteor stood out the most, blessed with divine power greater than anyone else in the family.
He was even spoken of as the one who might one day defeat the archdemon Baal.
Why would someone like him show up here?
Could he have come to find me?
Whether it was the divine aura surrounding him or something else, his face seemed to glow. I had never seen anyone like him—except my father.
Especially his eyes—they glowed with such a mysterious, deep blue light that I felt as if I could fall into them.
Meteor cautiously studied the girl in front of him.
Wavy golden hair, candy-pink eyes. Delicate features.
Even though it was the middle of the night, she stood out—lovely and radiant.
She looked to be around his age, maybe a little younger?
But earlier…
Hadn’t she closed her eyes in front of the demon like someone waiting to die?
It had only been a fleeting moment as he was purging the demon, but he hadn’t imagined it.
The girl had been… serene. As if accepting the demon’s approach. There had been no fear in her.
“…What’s your name?”
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened, startled by the sudden question. Sensing her suspicion, Meteor added gently,
“Ah, I just thought… if you’re okay with it, would you tell me?”
“I-I’m Dallas.”
“…Dallas. I see. It’s a name as sweet as cotton candy.”
“…”
At his calm comment, the girl shifted her eyes awkwardly. She seemed quite uncomfortable.
He had come to this region in search of the demon Baal’s daughter.
Lloyd Delight.
Baal had taken on a dazzling, uncharacteristic name and lived among humans.
It was said he had a daughter—Crescent Delight. Their house still remained in Neverland.
Meteor had searched that house for portraits of the two. But all the framed pictures had been removed.
Did the daughter—now alone—get rid of them?
That left him relying only on the testimonies of villagers for her appearance.
“She was a beautiful child—like a doll, with golden hair and pink eyes. I’ve never seen such a lovely girl in my life. And so sweet, too. Her father—um, I mean, the Demon King—was wonderful. He was so kind to the villagers, everyone trusted him without hesitation.”
“There wasn’t a bigger daughter-con in the world. Even if he owned just a few outfits, he made sure she had new clothes every season. He fixed things for everyone in town—Lloyd could repair anything and was good at everything.”
“Yes, he was the village’s handyman—an irreplaceable figure. But to think it was all a façade!”
The people of Neverland trembled with betrayal.
Meteor recalled the girl’s appearance again.
Golden hair like a doll. Pink eyes. A beauty seen nowhere else in the world.
She looked exactly like the description.
Realizing this made his heart pound.
He may have finally found the Demon King’s daughter.
“…Why are you out alone at night?”
“I just like taking walks at night.”
“You really shouldn’t, not in times like these.”
“But this is the first time I’ve seen a demon.”
“The first time?”
“Yeah.”
The first time she’d seen one?
It was possible. Even if demons were becoming more common, some people still hadn’t encountered one yet.
But even so—she’d just seen one for the first time, and yet her eyes showed no fear at all.
That inconsistency made Meteor feel uneasy.
Is she really Baal’s daughter?
Yet he couldn’t sense any demonic energy from her.
She was clearly human.
Then how had the Demon King ended up with a daughter? Was she really his biological child? Who was the mother?
Villagers had said the two looked exactly alike.
That detail puzzled Meteor the most. Why was the Demon King’s daughter human, and why had Baal raised her?
To the point of earning the nickname “daughter-con” from the townsfolk. With everything known about the Demon King’s temperament, it was hard to imagine.
In any case, Crescent Delight had to be found and captured. If caught, she would be imprisoned in the Holy Order’s special prison and used to help subdue Baal.
This girl is the strongest lead so far. She must be Baal’s daughter. I need to take her to the Holy Order and confirm it.
But something about her unsettled him.
Her tangled hair. Her eyes full of quiet desperation. Her calmness even in front of a demon.
And the deep loneliness of someone holding up the world all by herself.
His heightened senses, honed through divine power, could feel it.
Meteor hesitantly spoke.
“Where’s your home? I’ll walk you back. It’s dangerous to be alone at this hour.”
“Huh? No, I’m okay. I can go on my own.”
She declined without hesitation, as if she truly meant it.
He couldn’t let her go alone.
Meteor felt it strongly—his instincts as a Holy Knight screamed that if he let her leave now, she’d disappear.
He couldn’t kidnap her, but if he let her go, she’d vanish without a trace.
Even the name “Dallas” felt made up.
“…I see. But another demon could show up soon. Let me escort you home—just to be safe.”
“I’m really fine. Oh—?”
“?”
Then, her eyes suddenly widened as if she saw something.
At the same moment, he heard a sharp sound.
Hiiinnng!
What was that?
He turned his head in the same direction she was looking.
But before he could see clearly, she grabbed his arm and yanked him back—pushing him behind her.
Thrown off balance, Meteor’s eyes widened.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
A swirling black smoke without any spiral—an indication of a low-grade demon.
His white horse had already been hit. All that remained was a single hoof; the rest had vanished.
What…?
How had he not sensed it?
It had been so close, yet he’d felt nothing.
The demon’s body swelled as if to consume the girl.
No—!
Meteor reached out silently, desperate.
The girl’s dazzling golden hair began to blacken as it touched the demon.
His fingers were just inches away.
He had to save her.
“Dallas!”
Driven by nothing but that thought, Meteor tried to grab her hand—but the demon was faster.
In an instant, the demon engulfed the girl.
And vanished, along with his white horse.
Only her wide pink eyes, opened in his direction, lingered in the air as a hollow afterimage.
Everything had happened so quickly.
Just before the bloated demon came for him too, Meteor managed to swing his sword.
He stood there for a long time, unable to believe what had happened.
The girl had saved him—and died in his place.
That fact was too much to accept.
He couldn’t move for a very long time.
