What kind of family was the Pluto Ducal House?

Even I knew its legendary reputation. It had been a staple in the fairy tales I loved growing up, always appearing alongside the demon Baal.

Just as it had been centuries ago, the Pluto family still inherited an extraordinary divine power, stronger than any other family.

How strong, you ask? Strong enough for Duke Baldwin Pluto to defeat the Great Demon King Baal five hundred years ago.

Although Baal had resurrected, the Pluto family had given the empire centuries of peace in his absence.

Even now, members of the Pluto family were part of the Holy Palace, devoted to protecting the nation.

The head of the family, Duke Reuben Pluto, was a cardinal, and his heir, Marquis Miles Pluto, held the rank of bishop.

And Meteor Pluto…

He was Marquis Miles Pluto’s eldest son. The youngest in history.

The youngest holy knight, at just thirteen years old.

“Th-thank you,” I managed to stammer, barely in time. I hurriedly pulled my hand out of his grasp.

Even I had heard the rumors about Meteor Pluto.

In a time when holy knights were celebrated as heroes, the popularity of the Pluto family had soared higher than ever.

Among them, Meteor stood out. Born with the strongest divine power of his lineage, he was already being named as the one most likely to slay Baal once and for all.

But why had someone like him shown up here?

Could he have come to find me?

The aura of divine power surrounding him made his very presence seem to glow. The only other person I’d seen who shone like that was my dad.

Especially his eyes—they were so dazzlingly blue, so mesmerizing, it felt as if I could fall into them.

Meteor studied the girl in front of him with a careful gaze.

Curly golden hair. Candy-pink eyes.

Her delicate features made her stand out, even in the darkness of night. She was so radiant, so lovely, it was almost blinding.

Was she around his age? Or maybe a little younger?

But just a moment ago…

He’d seen it—just for an instant, when he was destroying the Magi.

The girl had been standing before it, her eyes closed, almost as if she were waiting to die.

It wasn’t his imagination. He was sure of what he’d seen.

The girl had faced the Magi with an air of acceptance. There had been no trace of fear in her.

“What’s your name?” Meteor asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

The girl blinked in surprise, caught off guard. She seemed wary, so he softened his tone.

“Oh, I just mean… if you’re okay with it, could you tell me?”

“M-my name is Dallas,” she replied hesitantly.

“Dallas,” he repeated, smiling faintly. “That’s a sweet name. Like cotton candy.”

She shifted her gaze uncomfortably, clearly unsure of how to respond.

Meteor hadn’t come to this region by chance. He was searching for the daughter of the Great Demon King Baal.

Lloyd Delight.

That was the name Baal had used to live among humans. A brilliant, deceptive name for someone like him.

And as Lloyd, Baal had a daughter—Crescent Delight.

Though Baal’s former home in Neverland still stood, the family’s portraits had been removed. Meteor had scoured the house for any clue, but it was as if someone had deliberately erased all traces.

“Maybe the daughter who was left behind got rid of them?”

Without any portraits, the only description of Crescent came from the villagers’ testimonies.

"She had golden hair and pink eyes, the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen. She looked like a doll—so sweet, so kind. And her father—uh, well, the Demon King—was just as stunning. He was so kind to the villagers, everyone was completely taken with him."
"He doted on her like no other. He only owned a few pieces of clothing himself, but he bought her new outfits for every season. And he was so good with his hands! Lloyd could fix anything!"
"He was the heart of our village, our problem solver. And to think it was all an act—a disguise—!"

The people of Neverland trembled with fury at the betrayal.

Meteor recalled their description of Crescent:

Golden hair, pink eyes, a beauty unlike any other.

The girl standing in front of him fit that description perfectly.

The realization sent his heart pounding.

Could she truly be the Demon King’s daughter?

“Why are you out alone at night?”

“I just… like going for walks at night.”

“You shouldn’t. It’s dangerous these days.”

“But I’ve never seen Magi before tonight.”

“Never?”

“Yeah. This was my first time.”

That made sense. Even though Magi had become more common, there were still people who’d never encountered it before.

But something about the girl unsettled him.

She had just seen Magi for the first time, yet there hadn’t been even a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“Could she really be Baal’s daughter?”

Yet, there was no trace of Magi within her.

She was definitely human.

But how had the Demon King ended up with a daughter? Was she his biological child? Who was her mother?

The villagers had said the two looked strikingly alike, as if they’d been carved from the same mold.

That resemblance puzzled Meteor the most. Why was the Demon King’s daughter human? And why had the Demon King raised her?

Not only that—he had been so devoted to her that the entire village had nicknamed him the ultimate “daughter fool.”

It was impossible to reconcile that image with the Demon King’s known nature.

Regardless, Meteor knew he had to find and capture Crescent Delight.

If she was caught, she would be imprisoned in the Holy Palace’s special dungeon and used to help defeat Baal.

“This girl… she must be the Demon King’s daughter. I need to take her to the Holy Palace to confirm it.”

Yet something about her made him hesitate.

Her disheveled hair, her desperate eyes, her calmness in the face of Magi.

And beneath it all, a profound loneliness, as if she were shouldering the weight of the world alone.

With a heavy heart, Meteor asked, “Where’s your home? I’ll escort you. It’s not safe to be out alone at this hour.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine. I can go by myself,” she replied casually, as if it really didn’t matter.

But letting her leave alone felt wrong.

Meteor’s instincts screamed at him not to let her out of his sight.

“Even if you’re okay, more Magi could show up. I’ll just stay with you until you’re home, to make sure you’re safe.”

“Really, it’s fine. I can—”

She froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening as if she’d seen something.

A horse’s desperate neigh broke through the air.

Hiiing—!

“What is it?” Meteor turned to follow her gaze.

Before he could see anything, the girl grabbed his arm and yanked him backward, shoving him away.

Staggering, Meteor’s eyes widened in shock.

Right in front of him, black smoke rose in a shapeless mass.

Low-tier Magi.

His white horse had already fallen prey to the Magi, leaving behind only a single hoof.

Why didn’t I sense it?

The Magi loomed over the girl, growing larger as if ready to devour her.

“No—!”

Meteor reached out desperately.

The girl’s radiant golden hair turned black as it was swallowed by the Magi.

He was just inches away.

“Dallas!”

Driven by nothing but the instinct to save her, Meteor lunged for her hand.

But the Magi was faster.

In an instant, the girl was gone, consumed by the black smoke.

All that remained of her were the ghostly echoes of her wide pink eyes, staring at him as she disappeared.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Before the Magi could claim him too, Meteor swung his sword, obliterating it.

For a long time, he stood frozen in place, unable to believe what had just happened.

The girl had saved him—at the cost of her own life.

The weight of that reality kept him rooted to the spot for what felt like an eternity.