Chapter 3
Cyrilotte.
The boy who entered the orphanage a day after me—Cyril.
His bright blue hair was, as always, a mess. With sparkling black eyes, he approached me.
“You’re just a scaredy-cat like the rest. I bet you’re hiding because of the rumor that a demonic presence appeared nearby earlier today, huh?”
“No, I’m not. The holy knights are taking care of them anyway.”
As long as they wiped out the demons and nothing else, I was grateful enough for the holy knights.
Demons manifested as swirling, jet-black smoke.
Anything that came into contact with that smoke—humans, animals, plants—would be contaminated and die.
If they only appeared in smoky form, it was manageable. That meant they were lower-grade demons.
But the ones classified as upper-grade demons dragged people into dungeons.
Inside those dungeons, wicked devils would appear and snatch away lives in all sorts of horrifying ways. That was their form of entertainment.
Before Baal appeared, low-grade demons only occasionally emerged in the northern regions.
Now, however, even upper-grade demons were frequently appearing across the empire. The Grand Temple was constantly dispatching holy knights.
It was, quite literally, a hellgate.
The tragedy that had been dormant for five hundred years in the Empire of Ciantry was unfolding once more.
Cyril plopped down next to me and stretched out his legs.
“Doesn’t matter in the end—we’ll all be consumed by demons anyway. We’re all gonna die.”
“Do you want to actually die?”
“The Archdemon Baal exists, you know. I overheard the holy knights earlier—they said there’s no knight stronger than Baal.”
“Hmph.”
So my dad is the strongest being across both the human and demon realms, huh.
Whatever the case, I still wanted to find my dad again.
What if he had been wrongfully possessed by the Demon King?
What should I do to bring him back? Could I even meet him?
“Even the Pluto family that defeated Baal five hundred years ago probably wouldn’t dare dream of hunting an Archdemon again. They’ll just keep pouring water into a bottomless jar, eliminating a few demons until they’re overwhelmed.”
“Then why don’t you just move to the demon realm already?”
I sneered, and Cyril smirked.
But I thought differently.
Even if the holy knights were on the losing side now, they might grow strong enough to kill Baal someday.
Just like he had been vanquished centuries ago.
But there was one problem.
“That can’t happen. If they kill him… then Dad will die.”
He had left me behind, and for that he deserved a scolding. Even if I sulked for a week—no, over a month—he would have no excuse.
But to die bearing the name of the Demon King… that was unthinkable.
That would mean losing him forever.
I had to find a way to restore him—no matter what.
“I’m going to bed.”
There was still a way I could meet my dad. A connection between this world and the demon realm definitely existed.
“Suit yourself.”
Cyril lay back on the grass, using his arm as a pillow.
Was he planning to stargaze?
I looked at the face of the best-looking boy in the orphanage for a moment, then turned away.
Eventually, when the crescent moon vanished from the courtyard,
Cyril sat up.
He wandered deep into the forest. His young boyish form blended into the darkness.
Suddenly, his height surged—growing two heads taller than the crescent.
He was now taller than most adults, with a slender figure that could charm anyone.
The handsome boy’s face remained, only matured into adulthood.
The only difference was his lips, which had turned a deeper, painted red.
In the shadows, his pitch-black eyes gleamed like starlight.
“Heh heh. So interesting.”
Just what was so interesting?
Cyrilotte’s laughter echoed through the woods. Then, in an instant, he vanished—melting into the darkness.
“They say the Demon King’s daughter is hiding somewhere in this country!”
“Where could she possibly be?”
“No one knows. The holy knights have been scouring the entire continent for years.”
“I hope they come to our village!”
“Let’s just ask the Grand Temple directly! Maybe then they’ll search our village first.”
“Great idea. Let’s write a letter right away!”
Two more years passed at the orphanage, and I turned twelve.
I overheard this conversation while visiting the market—proof that the time had finally come.
Which is why I was sneaking away in the dead of night.
“Four years… That’s a long time to stay in one place.”
If the holy knights showed up in this village, the first place they’d search would be the orphanage. And I didn’t want to run into them.
Because they’d kill me.
So, during all this time, I prepared to meet my father—by waiting for a demon to appear.
I wandered the streets at night on purpose.
If I ran into an upper-grade demon, I’d be dragged into a dungeon and meet a devil.
Then I could threaten it: “I am the daughter of the Archdemon Baal. Take me to him.”
That was the only way I might be able to meet my dad.
But whether that was a blessing or a curse, no demon had touched me yet. I hadn’t even seen one in years.
“Haah, I’m so tired.”
Catching my breath, I looked behind me. As expected, it was silent—no sign of anyone following.
Leaving the orphanage I’d grown attached to over four years wasn’t easy. But the fear of my secret being discovered was greater.
…They’d come to hate me, just like the people of Neverland Village. The ones who used to love and care for me would change in an instant.
I didn’t want to disappoint them.
So where should I go now?
I didn’t know.
All I could think about was finding a demon and being dragged into a devil’s dungeon.
“It’s been way too long since I saw Dad.”
Sure, he was obsessed with his daughter, but I was also a total daddy’s girl.
Just as I turned to leave—
My whole body froze. A wave of dread and chills washed over me.
What was that?
I barely moved my eyes to scan my surroundings.
Something darker than darkness caught my gaze. It looked like a wound torn into the air itself.
And in the center of that wound, a small vortex spun.
“An upper-grade demon!”
Everyone knew: a vortex inside the smoke meant an upper-grade demon. If there was no vortex, it was a lower-grade one.
The vortex grew larger, coming closer.
I couldn’t move.
My body was being pulled toward it against my will.
This was the moment I had been waiting for. But unease crept up inside me.
What if the devil didn’t take me to the Demon King? What if my father still denied me?
“I don’t do this ‘father’ thing for humans.”
That line—spoken by the Demon King wearing my father’s face—was still embedded in my heart.
But this was the only thing I could do to see him again.
Just as I closed my eyes—
Whinny!
A horse’s cry rang out nearby.
A flash of light blazed through my shut eyelids.
Startled, I opened my eyes. The pitch-black vortex that had filled my vision was gone without a trace.
In its place, someone was reaching out their hand to me.
“You okay?”
“…?”
I looked up in a daze.
Instead of the vortex, a boy with snow-white hair and jewel-like blue eyes filled my view.
And in that moment, my heart dropped.
His face was so mesmerizing, it left me breathless.
Dazzling, radiant eyes that I couldn’t tear my gaze away from.
Delicate white lashes like silk, casting shadows over graceful eyes.
His very presence felt like divine power—an overwhelming aura that seemed to purify my soul.
While I stood dumbfounded, the boy grabbed my hand and gently helped me up.
“Good. I got rid of the demon before it opened.”
“W-Who are you?”
“I’m Meteor Pluto. Demons appear more often at night, so be careful.”
“……”
Pluto?
Could he be from that Pluto family—the one that destroyed Baal five hundred years ago…?
