Sitting around the table, Dina, Roger and Macky couldn't believe what Christopher and Selestia had put in front of them: It was a big plate of food for each of them, or rather, a huge plate filled with so much food.

Pasta and meat for Dina and Roger, while for Macky, since she belongs to a vegetarian race, Christopher was in charge of preparing the most delicious dish of fruits, vegetables, eggs and mashed potatoes accompanied by a sauce made from honey and also a little pasta since what she did not consume was meat.

Macky looked to the side, seeing Valentina who was smiling sweetly and tenderly at her so that the demi-human wouldn't be afraid. Tenderly, Macky focused her one-eyed gaze on Valentina's beautiful eyes and with some shyness she managed to ask:

-Is this for me?-.

Valentina was dying of love, she saw her children reflected in Macky, making her remember when they were still tender children.

-It's all yours- answered the Elf woman -no one will take anything from you-.

Macky looked back and with a smile stretched out his arm trying to grab a fork, but stopped halfway, closing his hands and retracting them again. He looked back at Valentina, but this time in a much more fearful way, something made him too afraid.

-Will you hit me if I eat this food?-.

Both Valentina and Alexander, who was nearby, swallowed, hiding the slight anger that had formed within them.

In unison, the same question was formulated in the minds of both of them - What have they done to this sweet girl? -

And it was no exaggeration that he must have suffered so much abuse and psychological torture that he even doubted when someone offered him food.

The little girl wasn't doing it on purpose, it was her experience and instincts taking control of her body. So it was the Hope family's duty to make these precious people and especially the little girl understand that nothing would happen to them now.

Valentina hugged her very tightly, giving her lots of love and comfort. Macky felt strange, she felt all that affection and love that the Elf was giving her. This affection reminded her of her sister, her mother figure.

What happens is that Valentina's maternal aura is very strong, and it was transmitted through that hug to the little semi-human.

Macky didn't cry or feel uncomfortable, on the contrary, she enjoyed it and finally understood that these people would never touch a single hair of hers.

-Sweet girl- said Valentina while everyone in the place watched the scene with sincere smiles -you can eat everything you want and if you want more you just have to ask me! No one will hurt you here, I promise! You will never feel pain again- with that Macky opened her eyes, despite being just a child she felt renewed.

She could feel an indescribable affection from a person she didn't even know, but she knew that Valentina was telling her nothing but the truth.

She stretched out her hands holding the eating utensils and enjoyed the feast. The scene was touching, but somewhat sad because it was obvious and all too evident that little Macky was very hungry.

-You too- said Alexander, standing up- don't be afraid, as you know, in this city no one will hurt you for something as stupid as eating something. What we don't tolerate here is crime-.

Gignit is a good city, one where races could live together without problems and without discrimination. It was also because the inhabitants themselves had that way of thinking, they were not discriminatory or racist, everyone was dedicated to their own thing and there would be no problems in having to deal with other races. And as already mentioned, there are couples of different races.

-Or do you also want Valentina to hug you? - at this, more than one person smiled.

-If you want, I can hug you- Valentina smiling at them -my hugs are very expensive, but for you I could make an exception-.

Roger and Dina laughed as they felt comfortable and finally proceeded with their meal, savoring and delighting in their respective dishes. Christopher knew how to cook and very well, it was enough to see the expressions on those two's faces as they swallowed each bite. It was extremely pleasurable and happy but at the same time it made something else clear and Christopher thought about it - How long have they been without being able to eat something delicious? -..

Selestia couldn’t help but feel extremely sorry when Dina looked at her as if she was saying “can I really eat this?” It was as if it was up to her whether she would have the chance to eat or not.

If you do whatever you want, surely time will heal your mind completely.

Suddenly and in unison, everyone looked away in every direction, only Alexander and Valentina looked at the ceiling.

The distinctive sound of windows opening came from the second floor. Even though they were on the ground floor they were able to hear it, after the sound some footsteps were emitted and lingered somewhere inside the office.

"It's them," said Alexander, adopting a much more serious attitude and mood.

His smile died and was replaced by a much more serious expression, now he was frowning.

And as if nothing had happened, he returned to his calm attitude, even so, a different aura could be felt around him because he was still serious. He looked at his wife and nodded. "Valentina, it's time. Let's go talk to those two."

-Yes, dear- answered Valentina, standing up and stopping playing with Macky's hair. -I'm so sorry little one, I'll be a little busy, but I promise to pamper you again tomorrow-.

Macky didn't really understand what she was referring to, but he did understand the part where she said that she was going to spoil her because her late sister used her a lot, she associated the word with showering her with pampering and she liked that a lot.

-Christopher! Selestia!- Alexander called -you must come too. Each of you must give your version of what happened and bring those two up to date- after putting on the trench coat that characterized him so much Alexander pointed at Christopher with just his gaze -especially you. Don't keep absolutely anything from everything you've been able to discover. Neither you, Selestia. If you know anything else about "The Cantarina Sadist" I would like you to mention it-.

-Dad- said Christopher, -regarding Roger...-.

-Don't worry- Alexander smiled- while I was giving them a lecture, I had asked them questions about their master and so on. As far as I know, Dina has already given all the information she could and everyone is very grateful for that, but unfortunately we couldn't get any information regarding the slavers' base. Roger doesn't have that information either-.

With that said, Dina couldn't help but swallow some saliva and, out of pure reflex, lowered her head thinking that it was her fault. Luckily, Alexander noticed this; he hadn't realized that what he had just mentioned would affect Selestia's new assistant.

He sighed as Valentina and Selestia looked at him with a certain amount of displeasure, hoping that he would add something to what he had said as soon as possible. He cleared his throat, and although he had no intention of making the demi-human uncomfortable, he had no choice but to clear up the misunderstanding.

-But we know it's not your fault, Dina- he said, glancing sideways at his wife and daughter. -We are aware that your former master had to blindfold you every time they had to return to their base. Am I right?- Dina nodded, now a little more calmly, as the fur on her ears and tail bristled at the thought that they had upset her.

-Excellent- said Alexander -with that in mind, we leave- he and Valentina turned around and headed towards the stairs area towards their office. Selestia followed them, the last one to go up was Christopher because he had to give some "instructions" first, so to speak.

-It will probably take us a while- said Christopher- the meeting we are having is very important, so while you can rest here and eat everything there, we will show you to your respective rooms afterwards-.

They nodded and just watched as Christopher turned around trying to catch up with his family, leaving the three of them behind him.

Roger sighed and let out a little breath, but quite relieved. For some reason he thought that making the best impression was crucial to gaining the Governors' approval and working with the children. It was Macky who was in charge of showing him that this was not the case as she spent her time eating next to the beautiful Elf woman while pampering her.

-How envious- he thought amusedly.

She looked at her sister who was energetically and with great enthusiasm gobbling up the plate full of vegetables and other foods suitable for a vegetarian. At least if she can drink juice, which she did.

Roger smiled so happily that he almost shed a tear. Just that morning they were both one step away from leaving for the unknown world of death and now they even have a place in Gignit.

Roger looked at the pretty red rose patch Christopher had bought her, this would help the girl feel pretty.

He was happy, he got an excellent job which was to be an assistant to none other than Christopher Hope, the future Governor of Gignit. Apparently what he will receive as payment will be quite juicy, with time he will even be able to buy a house.

There were many things he liked, but one stood out above all the rest: they were sending his sister to Gignit Academy. She would be able to receive an education, and he was sure she would make many friends.

Finally, Macky finished eating, looking quite satisfied and very happy. Roger can't remember the last time his sister had a good feast until she was full. "Did you like it? Do you want more?"

She shook her head while yawning, that only meant that the little girl could no longer continue eating.

Macky looked at his brother with watery eyes due to yawning and stretched out both arms towards him -I want to sleep-. Roger nodded, stood up and walked around the table to the other side where the little girl was. The whole time he was watched by Dina who didn't miss a single moment of it.

-Emmm- murmured Roger while carrying his sister -have a good appetite-.

-I'm sorry for being so rude and ignoring you- Dina finally deigned and spoke for the first time all night -I'm just not ready to deal with other human beings who are not my lady's loved ones yet- she still hasn't gotten used to her new life of freedom.

By instinct he still seeks a superior figure to obey.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

-Don't worry- Roger replied, not at all offended or angry, he understood the demi-human. What would he say to her? They both went through the same situations -I'm sure that in the future we'll be able to get along-.

Dina nodded and continued eating, unlike Roger and Macky who, thanks to Dr. Wayne, were able to have at least one breakfast. She hadn't eaten anything in at least three days, she was dying of hunger and thirst, she couldn't stand it anymore. So she wouldn't waste the opportunity given by her Lady to be able to eat whatever she wanted until she was satisfied.

Roger took a seat on the comfortable couch and let Macky rest on his chest.

The little girl hugged her brother tenderly, adjusting her head so that his horns wouldn't bother her. She closed her eyes, but something was still missing -Roger, play with my hair- Macky's order had to be obeyed and Roger proceeded with what was requested.

Roger had started doing this so that on nights when they had to sleep outside she could fall asleep faster and it worked wonders for her. Over time Macky acquired a certain liking for this action to the point where she needed it to be able to sleep comfortably. Something that Roger would never refuse, he would do anything for his sister, for the light of his life.

From miles away, one could see the pure, unconditional love the human had for this half-human. She was everything to him and pampering her in this way filled him with joy. He would do anything to keep his sister safe, sound and happy.

...

For a moment, Alexander and Valentina's office was silent, the Governors sitting at their respective shared desks. To one side stood Selestia and Christopher, having just spilled all the information they had regarding the mercenaries and slavers.

Even Alexander joined them, commenting on everything he had gathered through Dina.

-I see, things are getting complicated- said the man who seemed to be in an authoritative voice, which exuded respect and even a bit of fear. He brought his large hands to his chin as if he was thinking.

First of all, her dark reddish hair, which reached down to her lower back, was covered by a black Tartan hat surrounded by a small strap. On her white face, signs of past battles were visible in the form of small scars.

His red eyes seemed to stare into space as he analyzed the information.

A black cloak covered almost his entire body, on top of which was a personalized iron armor, it was an armor where each piece matched the others.

The entire armor was black. The shoulder pads resembled the head of a dark Vampire, adopting its monstrous form. The same was true for those located on the abdomen. In the middle of the mouth of those accessories was a reddish gem, who knows what it was used for, although it could be as a catalyst for a greater magical boost.

Bracers and gauntlets of black iron. A breastplate of the same color covered the sides of his legs so that no enemy could easily attack that area, those tackles seemed to be quite resistant.

Iron boots imbued with magic so that they felt very comfortable and easy to walk in. They had no laces, just a bunch of straps which went up to the knee pads. Of the whole set only the knee pads were silver.

-Do you think the two of you will be able to at least find the trail of blood? - Alexander shook his head in denial - or rather, the smell of blood in the air.

The man just looked at him with the utmost seriousness. A rather powerful breeze came through the open window, making the man's cape dance.

In this way, both Christopher and Selestia could see the saber resting in its guard attached to the man's waist. The saber is a curved weapon that usually has only one edge, which gives it a certain advantage due to its shape, which makes it faster when wielding it.

Apparently this man has other weapons stored away which are now not visible to the eye, except for a crossbow held by a support on his back, not so big because due to its size it could be fired with one hand. The special arrows were located on the left thigh, implying that he aimed with his right hand while reloading with his left.

-Of course we can find him- the voice was not male, but female.

It was a woman with the same characteristics as the man, both in hair and eye color.

She even wore the same armor design, wearing the same cape and hat. Only these were made for a woman to wear.

Even the weapons were the same - you just have to tell us the area where you fought against that slaver, you will see that we will find him either alive or dead - the woman, named Espínetre, seemed to be somewhat more social than her companion and Husband who at no time left aside that serious and cold attitude.

-I think it would be a good idea if both Spine and I split up- added Serpio, that's the man's name- that way we could investigate different areas. Besides, there might be the remote possibility that there is more than one organization on the outskirts of the city. Maybe that man you fought with belongs to another one other than Varanus-.

Christopher nodded because Serpio was absolutely right, he thought he covered all the possible gaps when making his calculations and now he discovers that he was missing the recently mentioned scenario.

-Then, all that remains is for you to tell us where we can find the respective blood trail and in that way- Espínetre could not finish the brief explanation because Selestia interrupted her.

-Espinette, excuse me for interrupting you in such a rude manner- she looked somewhat worried about certain things -my fight against that woman was in the morning, the blood could already be dry or they surely already cleaned it-.

-You don't have to worry about that, little Elf- added Serpio and for the first time he had sketched a smile showing his teeth, drawing attention to the fangs which were much longer than the others -the noses of us Damphirs are special when it comes to finding blood-.

Espínetre also smiled, making it obvious that she also belongs to the hybrid race of the Damphirs.

Like Vampires, Damphirs are also Daemons. Only these do not attack people as Vampires do. They can drink blood or simply consume food, this species is the result of crossing Vampires, although only those capable of procreating with beings of other races.

Because of this, they do not possess the ultimate weakness of the Vampire species, the sun, they can walk under it. But the fact that they do not have the weakness does not mean that they are stronger than Vampires.

Damphirs are known to be very strong beings with great mastery of magic, especially Dark Magic. Damphirs are known as vampire hunters, as they are dedicated to hunting vampires, traveling from town to town seeking to destroy this great threat once and for all.

But as already said, they are not stronger than the Vampires because they must face them using good ideas, strategies and ingenuity to defeat them.

-So everything is decided- Valentina was the one who started a new conversation -I would like to know how many days it would take them to find the owners of the trail they will follow-.

-Considering all the information they gave us- he looked at his partner, who is actually his wife- I would say early in the morning-.

-It could be earlier, but at this time we don't have much information regarding the bases- Espínetre thought for a moment -it would be very lucky if we were to find one of the mercenaries who is carrying out a surveillance round or who is returning to the base-.

-That would be the ideal scenario- added Serpio, adjusting his hat -then, it is time to go. As for our…-.

-You will be very well rewarded, there is no doubt about that- Valentina smiled at them.

-Perfect- Serpio nodded looking at Christopher and Selestia -tell us the area where we can find the blood trail-.

...

The meeting concluded, after giving details about the geographic location of the contest, both Damphirs set out on the given mission.

Espínetre would be in charge of looking for Cantarina, something inside him told him that she should be the one in charge of that search. Leaving Serpio in this way with the mission of finding the other slaver, the one named by Christopher as “The Liar”.

Lies are a lethal weapon, with them one can tip the balance in one's favor. With a well-executed lie, as was the case with Christopher when the slaver said that he had been a SILVER-rank adventurer in the past, the future Lord became nervous.

Serpio thought that this guy would now have to deal with him, being this a being to whom it is not easy to lie and more so because of all his skills and knowledge to detect lies.

...

-Luckily we have a few rooms that would be just right for guests spending the night in our house- Christopher opened the door, revealing on the other side what would be the place where Roger and Macky would spend their days.

At least until Roger feels he is able to buy a house or at least rent one - only our friends usually spend the night here, that's why it is always kept clean - He entered, then invited Roger, who was carrying a sleeping Macky, to come in.

-Try them- he said pointing towards the bed.

Although it was the guest room, it had everything to make the stay of the others quite comfortable. Two beds, crystals of light that can be activated and deactivated whenever one wanted, they just have to put their palm on one side of the wall and channel magic right where a circular seal is located which connects with the crystal, these served as a kind of switch.

It also had windows, although these faced the back of the house, but the view of the trees was still quite nice.

The room had a sphere of cold, used for the interior of this room. He only had to activate it by imbuing it with a bit of magic, which, luckily, Roger knew how to do.

He placed Macky beside him, who hadn't woken up in all this time, and he felt the comfort of both the mattress and the pillows. For a moment he felt a relief that he didn't even understand, it was the relief of finally being free and the joy that his little sister was alive at his side.

Roger's eyes threatened to close, it was as if his body was saying "I'm not moving from here" after just lying down for a couple of seconds. Even so, he did everything he could to get back up, but decided to leave his little sister lying down.

-I don't know what to say- she mentioned with a certain air of happiness- I appreciate that you have given us this wonderful opportunity to start over, you have no idea how much happiness you have given me-.

Roger performed an act of doggoyle, revealing his unprotected neck - it's the first time since I became a slave that I have the opportunity to lie down in a comfortable bed, I think I've even forgotten what it felt like - he looked at his sister - I'm so glad she can rest like this, she's suffered too much and even lost an eye -.

-Now you can give him the life he deserves- said Christopher putting a comforting hand on Roger's shoulder -but for today I need you to rest because tomorrow you start your job of being my assistant, even if you don't believe it I am very serious about the job. So keep that in mind- he pointed at him with his finger and then turned around -I let them rest-.

-Yes, Lord Christopher- she smiled happily.

The gratitude he felt for Christopher, the young Lord of Gignit, was of such magnitude that it could not be expressed in any way.

Roger looked up at the ceiling thinking about his late sister -Letia-.

Letia, the older sister of these two. The woman who for years endured torture and indescribable pain and all for them. In some way, her dream of being free with her brothers had been fulfilled, although unfortunately not in the way she expected since Letia was free but for that she had to die.

-Letia, I hope you're watching us. We're finally free!- he muttered to himself as he deactivated the circular seal that served as a switch for the light crystal, turning it off.

She walked over to her bed and looked up again. "Please, if you're still here, I beg you to go to heaven." A tear slipped from her eyes. "I promise I'll take good care of our little sister. She won't die before me, I'll make sure she grows up healthy. So I beg you to rest in peace next to mom and dad. Goodbye Letia." With that said, she wiped away her tears and lay down in front of her little sister.

Due to the movement made by lying down Macky woke up, she saw herself in a dark place and felt some despair -where-where am I...-.

-Calm down, I'm here with you- Roger didn't waste any time and made sure to calm his sister down who for obvious reasons was scared, the whole way from the living room to the new room she had been asleep and was unaware of what had happened -this is our new room and now we have a bed!-.

He smiled even though she wouldn't be able to see him, at least not until her eyes got used to the darkness. "You have one too, do you want to sleep in it?"

-No- she answered very sweetly, approaching him and snuggling up to him -I don't want to be alone, I want to stay with you. The darkness scares me, hold me tight-.

How could he refuse if the light in her eyes asked him to hug her and not leave her alone? Like the good brother that Roger is, he hugged her with every fiber of his being. At least for now, he would sleep that way, he would give in to the little girl's whims.

Meanwhile, in another room which had the same furniture as Roger and Macky's. Hugging a pillow and burying her face in it, she tried to stifle as best as possible the sobs that were coming from her being.

After a talk with Selestia, Dina understood that she was free. She was finally free, there was nothing and no one to hurt her, to give her orders, to abuse her. No, her life had finally changed and she had the chance to start over.

He would repay the young Lady's kindness with unwavering loyalty.

That beautiful Elf saved her, her, who just a few hours ago tried to kidnap an innocent child. Who knows what would happen to the little boy? Still, she was forgiven.

She even has a place to sleep, was given warm food, and was treated like a person. These people literally gave her more love in a few hours than her master and minions did in several years, and in fact, they didn't even give her any love at all.

-My Lady, I will never betray you-.

But the reason why she was crying right now was also due to other reasons.

She missed her family: her father who was murdered, her mother who was sold, her brother who was thrown to hungry beasts just for entertainment, and her husband who was used as bait to escape from a fearsome beast.

"I wish you were with me, I miss you so much," she tightened her grip on the pillow, trying to imagine that the object belonged to her father, mother, brother, and husband. She hugged the pillow even tighter, imagining sobbing in the arms of these people "I feel so alone without you," and tears covered that area of the pillow, and some even leaked out and fell onto the bed.

Dina decided that this would be the last time she would cry like this, she would take advantage and vent her anger on her pillow all night if necessary and once it was over she would not do it again. She would leave her old life behind, and live in the name of her family.