She is not an investigator.

Alex turned his head, waved to Emilyda who was standing to the side, signaling her to come over, and continued speaking.

“These white threads are more like her own power, the [children] who awaken from her independent personality. You can also understand them as... a group of loyal followers, another version of her.”

Sure enough, once you get involved with this kind of supernatural phenomenon, the explanation will definitely feel obscure and difficult to understand, and even somewhat hypnotic.

Fortunately, Alex didn't intend to say much about it; she genuinely had something important to ask Igris.

"Also, because you mentioned before that the watchmaker wanted your pocket watch, I went to ask him about it."

But judging from Alex's expression, it probably didn't go smoothly.

"What did he say? He didn't admit it?"

Alex shook his head.

"He's no longer in Qiliu, we don't know where he went, he didn't notify us, and he might even have encountered some danger."

"Gone?"

Igris saw him repairing something at that watch shop just a few days ago, but he's gone now. It can't be that he's hiding from the limelight, can it? We're all on the same side, why would he need to hide?

"So, I just wanted to ask if you saw him anywhere other than the watch shop recently, or... if he said anything strange to you?"

“What he said was all rather strange… but it wasn’t what you were looking for. He just asked me if I was willing to sell my pocket watch, and after I refused, that was it.”

"Well... looks like we're going to be busy again."

Alex sighed, already imagining himself busy with work again in the future, and even began to regret not having talked to Igris more.

"If you find him, could you let me know? I have some questions I'd like to ask him."

"Of course, no problem...provided that nothing really happens to him."

Igris didn't say anything more, but just looked at Emily, who had been standing quietly to the side.

"Although your changes surprised me quite a bit... thankfully it's not a bad thing."

Amelida walked toward Igris again, but was stopped by Alex's arm as she passed by.

She glared angrily at Alex, but unfortunately Alex didn't even look at her; he was simply reminding Igris.

"Although she is currently fine, we still need to observe her for a period of time due to changes in her body... So during this period, it's best to keep her away from you as much as possible."

"It's probably to avoid contact with others..."

Igris didn't think she was any different from others, but Alex didn't refute or explain, he just forcefully pulled Emilyda behind him.

"Anyway, I'm glad you understand. This is for her safety."

Although she herself didn't seem very happy about it.

"In that case... I'll head back now? I'll come see her again next time I have the chance."

Igris waved and prepared to go back.

But behind her, a very inconspicuous semi-transparent white thread appeared out of nowhere, following her steps.

Alex walked over nonchalantly, stepped on it, turned his head to look at Emily, and a somewhat mocking smile appeared on his face.

"What, are you so reluctant to part with it?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

Seeing that her last trick had been caught red-handed, Amelida lowered her head and refused to say another word.

Actually, their relationship didn't need to be so strained... it's just that they had a big disagreement on some important matters.

This also led to Emily and Alex being unable to stand each other.

If anyone could resolve this conflict, it would probably be Igris, but unfortunately, she couldn't understand or guess what they were thinking.

All she could think about was how to tell the witch that her raven might have been kidnapped by a mysterious, elusive thief.

…Oh no, raven.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Igris stopped in front of the office door. She had a good habit of locking the door when she left, so now she had to take out her key and unlock it to escape the cold air outside.

But between her and the warm-hearted agency, an uninvited guest stood in the way, keeping Igris out.

A wide-brimmed hat obscured her face, and a long, black robe enveloped her body. The sight of her huddled in a ball by the door reminded Igris of mushrooms.

The little witch seemed unaware that Igris had returned. She remained curled up, trying to keep herself warm as much as possible, waiting for the agency's owner to return and bring her some good news.

So much so that she didn't even notice that Igris had taken in her miserable state.

Igris should perhaps remind her, though that might very well provoke her into turning into a crow in her rage.

After all, the probability of this is definitely not zero.

"Cough cough."

Igris coughed lightly, alerting the witch in front of her to her arrival. The giant mushroom in front of her reacted immediately, quickly straightening up and putting its hands on its hips menacingly.

"Why is it taking so long! I've been waiting here for ages!"

"Actually, you can come again tomorrow. I definitely won't be able to find your... Raven in such a short time."

Igris walked up to the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open.

But looking at the witch's appearance, she hesitated for a moment and gave a somewhat uncertain suggestion.

"Of course, you can... come in and sit for a while, and warm yourself by the fire."

Will you charge me a fee?

The witch's emerald green eyes were full of vigilance. She was indeed still young, so being wary of everything was the best way for her to deal with things, rather than trusting people's goodwill.

"of course not."

Igris stepped aside, allowing the relatively warm air inside the office to waft onto the witch's face.

"The agency has standardized fees... I've never heard of any detective charging for heating."

Although Igris is not strictly speaking a detective.

The Gods' Fool - The Rainstorm: Chapter Thirty-Two, The Poor Little Witch

"Please come in. At least I did accept your request, so you can be considered my guest."

Seeing that Igris had said so, the little witch had no choice but to accept the kindness and went into the office.

As Igris closed the door, the warm air began to restore her somewhat stiff body to its original temperature, allowing her to breathe a slight sigh of relief and unconsciously shiver.

Although witches often harbor deep prejudices against humans, Igris's actions changed the little witch's impression of her considerably, and her attitude became slightly more friendly.

"Have you found it?"

Feeling that her body had warmed up, the witch took a step forward, bringing herself closer to Igris, but not so close that it would make Igris uneasy.

The worry on her face showed that she really cared about her pet.

"Unfortunately, I didn't find it, but the good news is... I got some clues and roughly know who took it."

"who!"

Her voice suddenly rose an octave, and her usually slender face turned exceptionally cold with anger.

Igris didn't rush to answer, but instead rested her chin on her hand and asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Your pet... no, your familiar, should recognize its master, which is you, and there shouldn't be any possibility of it mistaking you for someone else, right?"

After all, according to the information Igris had, the bird had almost voluntarily followed Isabella away. If it hadn't mistaken her for its owner, Igris wouldn't have been able to understand why such a smart bird would be so easily taken away.

"Of course! It couldn't possibly mistake me for someone else; someone must have kidnapped it..."

She muttered to herself, her expression shifting between light and shadow, as if she had thought of something extremely terrifying, and she turned her gaze to Igris in a panic.

"You...you have to help me! It can't be damaged! It's my most important family member! If you can help me find it, I'll give you all the money I have!"

"Calm down, Miss Witch."

Igris doubted how much money she could have, but she had no intention of asking for more money, nor would she, even though the little witch in front of her was almost crying because her bird might be in danger.

This probably explains why she was squatting outside the office in such cold weather, wearing clothes that weren't even thick enough, waiting for news.

Igris believed that probably no one would really have the heart not to help such a poor little witch.

The main thing is... she looks so pitiful that it makes people temporarily forget her true identity.

"The clues I have so far suggest that your bird may have been taken by the Phantom Thief... I don't know if you've heard of her, she often appears in the newspapers."

The little witch shook her head. She didn't read newspapers often, nor would she waste time on them.

"Can you help me catch her? I can apologize for my rudeness earlier..."

As she spoke, she took out her wallet.

It was an ordinary, even somewhat worn-out leather bag, looking deflated, suggesting it probably didn't contain much money.

However, after seeing the little witch pull out the only two gold coins she had, Igris changed her mind.

At least... they're not particularly short of money.

"I can give you all this money!"

“I don’t need this money.”

"Then what else do you want? I'm a witch, although... although I haven't graduated yet, I can do a lot of things. As long as you can help me find it, I'm willing to agree to anything you ask!"

Igris hesitated for a moment, then, under her worried gaze, spoke in a low voice.

"Okay, I'll help you find your pet... but on the condition that you have to leave after that. You said yourself that you haven't graduated yet, so why don't you stay in the academy and instead sneak out?"

"I have my own things to do! Studying inside is not something I want to do at all!"

Just as Igris had predicted, the little witch seemed very resistant.

But whatever she said she was going to do, she shouldn't have run away on her own. Witches are generally not allowed to leave the western region, and even if they do, they need to apply and get permission.

If she really wanted to do something important, then her application should not have been rejected, and she would not have run away on her own.

"If you don't agree to my conditions, then there's a high chance your crow will be hard to find."

"you!"

She glared angrily at Igris, clenching her teeth. Her impression of Igris, which had just improved slightly, plummeted again in an instant.