My Dad, the Demon King, Is a Big Problem

Chapter 59

How many days had passed since then?

The leave I had taken from the Holy Palace for the debutante ball was nearing its end.

Until then, I intended to make the most of my time outside, and of course, that meant searching for Magi.

Dressed in a simple outfit for going out, I left the mansion. However, there was one place I needed to stop by first.

"Oraeboni (Brother)."

With a bright smile, I approached Meteor. He was leaning against the large golden chain tree in the garden, reading a newspaper.

Meteor, too, was enjoying a short vacation before returning to the Holy Palace.

The Pluto family had originally planned to host a ball to welcome him home, but he had firmly refused, and the plan was scrapped.

Had my arrival interrupted his peace?

A slight frown marred Meteor’s otherwise flawless brow.

"It feels so strange when someone calls me that."

"You should get used to it! Honestly, it’s still a bit awkward for me too."

"If it’s awkward for you too, wouldn’t it be better to just call me by my name like before?"

Meteor returned his gaze to the newspaper. I shuffled closer and crouched down beside him.

Being so near to him, I noticed he had a faintly pleasant scent.@@@@

"What are you reading?"

"...I’m checking how many people have died and where. The Magi distribution map changes every day."

"I see."

I already knew what he was referring to.

The Holy Palace printed maps in newspapers that marked the locations where Magi had appeared. Two full pages of the newspaper were dedicated to a map of the empire.

Since the Magi began appearing six years ago, the map had been steadily filling up.

The northern regions, in particular, were so densely marked that there was barely any empty space.

As I stared at the map, a thought crossed my mind, and I spoke.

"...It really feels like a miracle that we’re alive and meeting again after six years. I heard you got caught up in high-tier Magi eleven times."

"Well, didn’t you say you’d been to the Demon Realm nine times?"

Finally, Meteor raised his head to look at me.

I smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, but thanks to that, I improved a lot! There were moments I thought I’d die, but there were plenty of small-fry demons too. How about you? I’ve always been curious."

Because his training had been classified, hardly anyone knew what Meteor had gone through.

We only heard about it when he returned from the Demon Realm. Any encounter with high-tier Magi required a report to the Holy Palace.

What kind of place had Meteor visited in the Demon Realm?

Had it been as harrowing as I imagined?

What sort of demons had he encountered? How had he survived?

Had he... perhaps met the Demon King?

These thoughts, a mix of curiosity and concern, swirled in my mind as I waited for Meteor’s answer.

"...All Demon Realms are pretty much the same."

His response was surprisingly curt.

I widened my eyes, and he folded the newspaper.

How could all Demon Realms be the same?

Every demon I’d met there was a maniac whose mind seemed twisted beyond reason.

Studied abroad.Devoted to weapon development.Multiple invention awards across the empire.Handsome face.]**

"Hmm. This is a surprisingly cheerful place for a weapons shop. Let’s go in."

"Alright."

Meteor responded coolly.

As we pushed open the door, a wooden puppet mounted on the doorframe began dancing, accompanied by music.

Startled, I glanced back at the door.

"Wow. That’s amazing. Do they really have things like this?"

Was that another invention by the shop owner?

My curiosity about the shop grew. More than anything, I wanted to know if the owner was who I thought it was.

"I knew the customers would like it."

"!"

A voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned away from the puppet.

Standing there was a boy with strikingly blue hair—bluer than the sky—and pitch-black eyes like polished obsidian.

He seemed about fifteen or sixteen, close to my age.

The moment I saw his face, a name naturally came to mind.

Cyrillote.

The boy’s features overlapped with the Cyrillote I had known in the orphanage, now grown up.

Cyrillote stared back at me, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Crescent?"

"...Cyrill? You remember me?"

I thought he might have forgotten, given how young we had been.

Of course, I wasn’t limited by the memory of an eight-year-old, but he had truly been a child then.

Cyrillote broke into a wide grin, his mouth stretching from ear to ear.

"Of course. How could I forget the most beautiful girl from Eva Orphanage?"

"You’re just as sly as ever."

I replied curtly, though a faint smile tugged at my lips.

But calling me beautiful? During the tutorial, maybe. But the last time we’d met, I was eight.

Who calls an eight-year-old beautiful?

Then again, I’d been told I was pretty even as a child.

"How could I forget you, Crescent? You left for the Pluto family’s sponsorship, and later, we heard you even gained divine power. The orphanage was buzzing about it for days."

"Ah? I see."

Come to think of it, I hadn’t realized how much of a sensation I must have been.

Being the first girl in 150 years to possess divine power had made headlines across the empire.

It must have been even more shocking at Eva Orphanage.

Cyrillote spoke again.

"I always thought that if I ever came to the north, I might see you again. But to think you remembered me—it’s an honor."

"Why didn’t you write me a letter, then?"

If I’d known he was in the north, I might have visited sooner.

But then, we had spent so many years apart without any contact.

As I mulled over this, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"You two know each other?"

Meteor cast a sharp glance at Cyrillote, his eyes narrowing slightly.