An unexpected commotion broke out at Count Heylroth’s estate.

The noblewomen and children, who had been enjoying a peaceful tea time in the garden, suddenly vanished without a trace.

Upon receiving the report, the Holy Church dispatched their forces to the estate immediately.

Bishop Miles Pluto, Meteor’s father, arrived with a group of holy knights and interrogated the witnesses.

“Are you certain about this? You’re saying miasma appeared?”

A young servant, visibly nervous, stammered in response.

“Yes, sir. I saw it clearly while bringing out more cake. Thick black smoke rose up, swirling like a vortex. And then, in the blink of an eye, the noblewomen and children were gone!”

“…”

Miles and the holy knights exchanged uneasy glances. How could they even begin to process this situation?

As if speaking on behalf of everyone’s disbelief, Miles finally opened his mouth, his tone heavy.

“…An upper-tier miasma? This is… unprecedented.”

The last recorded sighting of an upper-tier miasma was 130 years ago. Lower-tier miasmas appeared sporadically, once every few years or sometimes after a decade-long gap.

But an upper-tier miasma? Such phenomena were so rare that they occurred barely once in a century.

And of all places, why did it have to involve his wife and son?

Count Heylroth, standing nearby, was utterly distraught. Even the holy knights, tasked with resolving such crises, appeared speechless.

“Will they survive?! My daughter Rossie—she can’t die like this!”

The other noblemen, husbands of the vanished women, joined in, their cries desperate.

“Please, save my daughter!”

“We can’t lose them like this! Bishop Miles, I beg you…”

Their pleas were heartrending.

These men had rushed to the estate the moment they learned their wives and children had disappeared into the miasma.

Miles attempted to calm them.

“Meteor is with them. He’ll do everything he can to protect them. And, in a strange way, it’s fortunate that it wasn’t a lower-tier miasma. Had it been, there would be no hope of their survival at all.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?!”

Count Heylroth lashed out, but Miles wasn’t wrong.

A lower-tier miasma would have killed everyone instantly, without even transporting them to the Demon Realm.

Unlike lower-tier miasmas, which existed solely to kill, upper-tier miasmas thrived on play and torment.

Yet, even with the faint hope that they were still alive, there was little anyone could do to bring them back.

“Meteor is only nine years old! How can he possibly bring my wife and child back safely?”

“They’re dead. They’re all dead! It’s over!”

The noblemen’s despair reached a fever pitch, filling the air with anguished cries.

Miles, despite his own despair, couldn’t allow himself to falter as a bishop or a holy knight.

Just then, one of the knights approached Miles urgently.

“Your Excellency, we’ve found evidence of an upper-tier miasma in the area. The witness’s account seems to be accurate.”

“…I see.”

Miles had hoped, even if only faintly, that the servant might have been mistaken. But the confirmation dashed any such hopes.

The appearance of an upper-tier miasma was now a confirmed fact.

The odds of their return were almost nonexistent.

Meteor was too young and inexperienced to face demons alone. And there was no way demons would release humans without extracting their due entertainment.

Is this really it?

Am I going to lose my wife and son just like that?

Unable to pursue them into the Demon Realm, Miles felt his despair deepen.

Then, suddenly, something came crashing from the sky.

“!”

Startled, everyone turned their gazes to the source of the noise.

A series of thuds echoed across the well-manicured lawn, and amidst the commotion, the figures of noblewomen and children emerged, lying unconscious in their fine dresses.

Miles and the others rushed forward to examine them.

“Heylroth!”

Count Heylroth frantically shook his wife and daughter.

“Darling! Rossie! Wake up!”

Meanwhile, the knights quickly checked the vital signs of the fallen.

“They’re alive!” one knight called out to Miles, his voice brimming with relief.

“!”

They were alive?

It was a miracle.

Even the holy knights, seasoned in battle, couldn’t hide their astonishment.

Surviving an encounter with an upper-tier miasma was virtually unheard of, especially considering that the only one capable of fighting demons among them was a nine-year-old boy.

“This is… a miracle.”

Miles’s voice trembled as he spoke, tears glistening in his eyes.

The noblemen collapsed in gratitude, their relief palpable. Count Heylroth clung to his daughter Rossie, sobbing.

“Thank you… Thank you, merciful Amathus, for sparing my daughter…”

“Oh, blessed Amathus…”

As the crowd collectively exhaled in relief, Miles and the knights began to notice something odd.

…They’re not all here. Meteor and Rearwin are missing.

Even Rearwin’s ward, Crescent, was nowhere to be seen.

Why hadn’t they returned?

Just as Miles felt the flicker of hope turn into despair, something else fell from the sky with a resounding thud.

Miles’s heart leaped as he recognized the silhouette before him.

“Meteor!”

Rushing forward, Miles scooped up his son, checking him over for injuries. To his immense relief, Meteor was breathing.

Slowly, the boy opened his eyes, blinking as he took in his surroundings.

“Meteor! Are you all right? What happened?”

“…Father.”

Meteor’s gaze wandered, taking in the blue sky, the lush greenery, and finally, his father’s face.

It seemed like they had returned to the world they belonged to.

“Meteor! What happened? Where’s your mother?!”

Meteor sat up, his movements sluggish. His eyes darted around, scanning the area, and his heart sank.

“Mother… and Crescent… haven’t returned?”

Miles’s silence was answer enough.

“Don’t tell me…”

“What happened? Where is Rearwin?!”

“…”

Meteor couldn’t bring himself to speak. How could he explain that his mother had been taken as an offering for the Demon King?

He had failed to save her. Crescent was gone as well.

Though he had solved the riddle of Aldred’s mansion and found the door, he hadn’t been able to rescue either of them. The moment he unlocked the door, he had been ejected back into the human world without so much as a chance to act.

How could he return to the Demon Realm?

If the Demon King had truly returned, upper-tier miasmas would become more frequent. Perhaps he could find another way through them…

As Meteor wrestled with these thoughts, a sudden noise interrupted him.

Thud!

Two more figures fell heavily nearby.

Startled, Meteor and Miles turned to look.

There, lying on the ground, were Rearwin and Crescent.

“Mother!”

“Rearwin!”

Without hesitation, both father and son rushed to their sides.

Miles checked their pulses, his tension easing as he confirmed they were alive.

“They’re safe,” he murmured, his voice trembling with emotion.

Meteor’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Relief washed over him, sapping the strength from his body.

They had returned.

Despite all odds, his mother and Crescent were back.

Though Meteor couldn’t comprehend how it had happened, in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Everyone was alive.