An open field spread out before Shizuku. Cutting through this open field was a dirt road that branched out east and west. It was a crossroad about twenty miles south of Vespa City, the city in which Shizuku had been summoned. “Darling, if you head west you will be on the right track of making it to the Fallen territory. I think you should go there first and head for Dracluna. Luna city is said to be very beautiful and is the home of Vampires.”

 

“You will be heading east?” Shizuku held Margret’s hand in hers. She was trying to hold back her tears. Partings were never fun. And right now, she was saying goodbye to the mother she had adopted in this world. 

 

“Yes, but I won’t be alone.” Margret motioned with her chin at the man standing at the side.

 

“Should I call him Papa when we meet next?” Shizuku teased, making Margret blush.

 

“Don’t tease your mother!” Margret tapped Shizuku on the nose, causing her to giggle. She felt like a young child again anytime she was with Margret. 

 

“Stay safe. Remember, do not fight the daydreamers on your own. Wait for me to gain more strength. I will help you wipe them out. I will help you take revenge.” Shizuku’s eyes were firm. She wanted to help Margret in this to make sure she was not running in by herself. She even turned to Duglous, who was watching at the said and gave him a meaningful look, which he immediately understood. 

 

“Don’t worry. With me around, she won’t be running off on her own.” Duglous also did not wish for Margret to run off and was glad he could use Shizuku as a means of forcing her to stand down.

 

“You two! Don’t gang up on me!” Margret puffed her cheeks. She hadn’t felt this blessed in a long time. “When the time comes, we will fight together. Mother and daughter. When I regain my looks, people will think we are sisters.” 

 

“What do you mean? We already look like sisters.” Shizuku teased, resulting in her head being knocked. “Ouch!” Shizuku rubbed her head and looked at Margret with a smile. “Then I will be off. Duglous, I am counting on you to keep my mother safe. And Mother…. I will keep in contact, so make sure you contact me as well. If you do not hear from me at least once a week, then contact me.”

 

“I will. You can count on that.” Margret gave Shizuku a hug before picking up her things and turning around. “Shizu, you are now free to explore this world. Do not let the hate of the people slow you down. Push forward and keep going. I know you can do it.”

 

“I will! Stay safe!” Shizuku turned and began walking with Mei and Miyumi at her side. Both Margret and Shizuku did not turn around once as they headed off into the distance. They were both afraid that if they did, they would not be able to leave the other.

 

“Shizu, according to the map, we will be heading straight for a town called Daylight. There is a dungeon not far away that is level 20 to 40. Should we head there first?” Miyumi asked. She was in charge of navigation for this journey.

 

“Sounds good. How long will it take?” Shizuku had no idea how far anything was in this world, so she could only rely on Miyumi, who was very good with this kind of thing.

 

“Mm…. At our speed, roughly three days. Maybe four.” Miyumi replied after doing some calculations in her mind.

 

“Alright. It’s not like we are in a hurry anyway. Let’s enjoy our journey. We have only one set destination. We should try to level up as much as possible on the way.” Shizuku took both girl’s hands and intertwined her fingers with theirs. 

 

- - -

 

“What do you mean she left the city!?” Helen was not in a good mood. Not only did all of the heroes get summoned, but even the ones who were indoctrinated were taken away by the holy knights. The Pope also learned of what happened and punished her and the priests who took part in the so-called baptisms by demotion. The entire thing was covered up, of course. But now the vampire whom she wished would die was now gone from the city.

 

“We have already sent people to track her down, but it seems she left with more than her slaves. We are unable to tell which direction she went.” A priestess in tight black clothing replied. 

 

Helen took a deep breath and looked at the young woman. “Are you sure you wish to still follow me? I am nothing more than a chore maid now. It will be hard to give you all the same rewards.” 

 

“You are the one who raised us up. We will not abandon you.” The young woman in black replied.

 

“Then split up and search both directions. We can not be sure which way she will go.” Helen felt a sense of superiority. She was still able to keep these girls she had trained herself. This gave her an edge. If she were to be able to kill the vampire, she might even gain her position back.

 

“As you wish.” The young woman bowed her head before disappearing, leaving Helen staring at the ceiling, smirking.

 

What she did not realize was that this was all a ruse. Sometime later, the girl in black appeared at a small house on the outskirts of the city. She walked into the yard where many other girls stood. “Did she give the order?”

 

“Yes, we will follow after the Fallen Hero. But we will not return this time. Our job is to protect the future as per the orders Goddess Yunni has passed down. It is good that that old witch believes we are still under her command. Or else we would not have gotten permission to leave the city due to our slave brands. She even asked if I still wished to follow her…. Heh. She knows I have no right to refuse but still asks such a question. Luckily, she did not tell me to kill our future. So we still have one chance left to refuse her order. Get everything together. We leave in an hour.”