Liandra was having a hard time even refuting Shizuku’s words. However, at the same time, she was having issues believing them as well. “Why would a priest attack you when the church has said you are not to be touched?”

“You ask him! He got all mad when I told him the truth and then pulled a dagger on me. Mei protected me and kicked his ass. Now tell me what I did wrong when all I was doing was defending myself?” Shizuku said this but quickly shook her head. “You know what, never mind. You church people will protect your own in order to keep your image clean even though its dirtier than the dirt on the ground. I will be leaving since I have no plans to listen to any of your demands.” 

With these words, Shizuku took Mei’s hand and was about to walk away when Liandra once more swung her sword at Shizuku to block her path, but this time, Shizuku sidestepped it and continued going. “Holy Knight, Lady, you should really stop pointing your sword at everyone. One day, you will lose an arm.” 

“Wha?” Liandra was confused by Shizuku’s words but then heard a clanging sound as her shoulder pad fell off. The leather strap that had been holding it on had been sliced off under her arm. “When did she?”

Shizuku not only sidestepped Liandra but also cut her thumb and sent out a small blade of blood right at Liandra’s armpit when her arm was raised. It was small, but it was enough to cut the strap cleanly. Liandra had been too focused on Shizuku to even notice the attack. Shizuku continued walking, not caring for the stupefied expression on Liandra’s face.

Liandra stood there and clenched the hilt of her sword in her hand. She looked at Shizuku’s and Mei’s back and wished she could drag them both back to court. She had never thought someone would dare frame a priest. They were the ones who passed down Goddess Yunni’s words. They would never lie, or so she was taught anyway. 

Liandra grew up in the church and had long been indoctrinated. She grew up believing the priest and priestesses’ words were right. Even when she was asked to undress in front of groups of priests, she did not hesitate to do so. She felt no shame. She felt she was helping with the Goddess’s work. Although they never crossed the line, if they had asked her to do things to them, she would have done it happily, even if she ended up on a train. This was just how the minds of those who grew up in the church worked. Brainwashed to the point that they had no free will of their own. Their thinking was twisted from the day they were taken in.

The society of the world she was in was not one that most people could easily adapt to, especially for those from Japan who had such high morals. Shizuku, on the other hand, only cared about her own survival, which was why she was not adverse to the idea of slaves. While morally wrong on Earth, she had no other choice due to her race. She was too weak to leave the city, and sitting around would get her nowhere. 

In this world, the belief in Goddess Yunni spread through all races, Fallen or not. It was only the higher races of this world who saw the Fallen as enemies. While some of the Fallen races were indeed not good, many were labeled as such due to prejudice. 

And Liandra grew up hating the Fallen just as much as any other person of the church. So, being told off by Shizuku made her wish she could run after the Fallen and cut off her head. Her grip on the hilt of her sword grew tighter as the white of her knuckles began to show. She could not wait for the day the church rescinded the order of protection on the Fallen named Shizuku. Hero or not, she was of no use to the church as a Fallen. No Fallen was allowed to do the Goddess’s Bidding. 

“Just wait… Just Wait, and I will take your head!” Liandra growled under her breath. She sheathed her sword, picked up her shoulder pad, turned, and walked off in anger. For now, she had to return to the priest and give him some gold. She had failed her mission, so she would need to pay out of pocket.

Shizuku returned to the inn in a foul mood. She really wanted to give that knight a few punches in the head. “Shizuku, what’s wrong? Did the shopkeeper give you a hard time?” Margret asked as she saw Shizuku walk in.

“No. I got everything I needed after nicely asking, but a priest attacked me, and Mei kicked his ass. Then a holy knight chased after us.” Shizuku went into more detail explaining things 

 “That bastard! He dares to attack you just because you said a few words!? Maybe I should go and deal with him. No one can say a word if his house accidentally burns down with him inside.” Margret gritted her teeth and turned to go get her sword but was quickly stopped.

“Margret, no. Do not implicate yourself in this. I know you want to keep me out of harm’s way, but this is not something you should get involved in.”