She is not an investigator.

Igris nodded and took off her slightly wet coat to avoid catching a cold from wearing wet clothes.

Ever since that fever, Iglesias has been paying extra attention to her physical condition.

The room wasn't very big, and there was only one bed, but Igris didn't mind, after all, she was a former homeless person who had slept in garbage cans and on the streets.

However, when he saw Igris sitting in the corner of the room very consciously, Nolan couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"...Actually, you don't need to sleep on the floor. It's cold and uncomfortable there."

Her soft-spoken manner made Igris soften her tone and speak as gently as possible.

"It's okay, I'm used to it. Since you have things to do tomorrow, go to bed early. Don't worry about me, I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Hearing Igris's words, Nolan couldn't help but think of the hardships Igris might have experienced in the past, such as being hunted and displaced, or being forced to sleep near cold, dark sewers...

The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to see Igris suffer.

"Actually... this bed is big enough for both of us to sleep in together."

"It's okay, I don't need it."

Whether it was because she disliked physical contact or because she was a little shy, she didn't want to sleep in the same bed with a witch she had only known for a short time.

Especially since I am in a relatively unfamiliar environment.

"You don't believe me, do you? I won't hurt you, I just... don't want to see you suffer anymore."

Igris looked up at Nolan, who was sitting on the bed, his eyes still fixed on her.

The room, which could only be illuminated by candlelight, remained dim, obscuring her expression and appearance, but unable to conceal the heaviness and sorrow in her eyes.

As someone who is being hunted, she is perhaps a little too pitiful.

Igris found it hard to compare the gentle woman before her with the rumored, dangerous, and capricious witches.

She's more like an ordinary person, a kind and lovely girl who, even though she can't protect herself, still doesn't want to see others suffer.

Igris softened her heart; at least she didn't want to see her disappointed expression.

"If this really won't cause you any trouble."

Igris stood up from the ground and, under Nolan's delighted gaze, slowly approached the bedside.

"...Sorry to bother you."

"It doesn't matter…"

Nolan made way for Igris, and seeing that her body was somewhat stiff, he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

The bed wasn't very big; it was just an ordinary single bed. Even though it was big enough for Igris and Nolan to lie down together, it still felt a bit cramped.

But Nolan didn't care, or rather, she was very happy.

She was happy that her goodwill was finally recognized and understood, and she was also happy that Igris was willing to believe in her and temporarily put aside her doubts.

I'm also happy that... I finally have a companion by my side.

"Good night."

"...Okay, goodnight."

Nolan closed his eyes and, for the first time, drifted off to sleep with a sense of joy, anticipating the arrival of tomorrow and the sunrise.

But Igris couldn't sleep.

Because the bed was relatively small, Igris was practically pressed against Nolan.

While Nolan seems indifferent to this, Iglesias is not.

She ultimately likes women.

The Gods' Folly - The Rain: Chapter Forty-Two, and the road will continue to extend.

Igris forgot how she fell asleep, but she probably woke up not long after.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed Nolan tiptoeing out of bed.

She seemed to be trying her best to avoid waking Igris, but unfortunately Igris was still a bit too sensitive and woke up at the slightest noise.

She picked up the bird-beak mask from the ground, put it back on her head, and went to the door, where she put on a thick set of clothes.

The clothes looked dirty, probably hadn't been washed in a long time, and were very different from what she usually wore.

But before leaving, she stopped and looked back into the room.

Then she noticed Igris lying on her side on the bed, quietly watching her.

"...Did I accidentally wake you up?"

It should still be early, at least earlier than Igris's usual wake-up time, so it shouldn't wake her up, since she hasn't slept much anyway.

Igris simply sat up in bed and looked at her all-ready appearance, asking with some curiosity.

Are you going to work?

"Hmm... the plague is spreading very badly in this city. Actually, I'm also a plague doctor..."

"You can cure diseases?"

Igris couldn't quite tell; at least, there were no herbs or anything else related to doctors in her room.

But Nolan shook his head.

"Not all doctors can cure diseases... At least for now, most people who are infected with the plague are practically sentenced to death, and all we can do is..."

She became hesitant and silent, but still spoke in a low voice.

"Drag the dead people away."

"..."

Igris didn't know what to say, which was probably one of the reasons why those people looked at her with such... fear.

At least in times of rampant plague, before the availability of better medical treatments, there was indeed limited what plague doctors could do.

As a result, most people have developed unnecessary fear and awe towards these special groups of people wearing bird-beak masks.

And they were willing to call them Death.

"Anyway... I have to go help. The city isn't too chaotic yet. If you're in a good mood, you can go out for a walk... but it's best to be careful and avoid contact with patients as much as possible, and have less contact with others... It's best to cover your face and not be too obvious."

She patiently reminded Igris of the things she should pay attention to, completely unaware that time was passing by second by second.

Iglesias didn't know if there were any time restrictions on her work, but she still politely reminded her.

"Perhaps you should go to work now?"

"…ah."

Nolan also came to his senses. Although he was still a little worried, he had no choice but to hurriedly prepare to leave.

But even before leaving, she still earnestly gave him her instructions.

"Oh, and one more thing! Something seems to have happened near the clock tower lately. A lot of nobles in the city are staying in that area, so it's best not to go near there... I'm leaving now!"

Watching Nolan run off quickly, Igris sighed and turned her gaze to the street outside the door.

She didn't have time to close the door, perhaps because she figured Igris wouldn't stay in the room forever, so she simply left it open.

Igris was indeed planning to go out for a stroll, but before that, she did need some rather special measures to... guard against some unnecessary trouble.

Sometimes, being too beautiful is probably a sin.

She actually has two solutions to this.

First, she had a ready-made mask, the one that the Phantom of the Opera had given her.

However, it's hard to say whether wearing this mask will actually conceal one's identity; it might even make one more conspicuous.

Secondly, he could wrap himself up like a dumpling with his scarf, covering his face as well. This way, most people would just assume that he's frozen and has something wrong with his brain.

After careful consideration, Igris ultimately chose to have both.

She not only wore a mask, but also wrapped herself up tightly with a scarf, which made her stand out even more.

However, it's highly unlikely that anyone will want to get close to her.

And so, Igris stepped out of the room and, for the first time, formally saw this city from hundreds of years ago in the sunlight.

At this time, the sun should have already risen, but thick dark clouds still hung over Igris's head, as if brewing some terrible storm.

From a seasonal perspective, this is most likely late autumn, just before winter. The trees along the roadside have become desolate and withered, with no leaves visible on their branches. The bare branches stand there, which can easily evoke negative thoughts.

The street where this house is located is much better and cleaner than the street full of patients that Igris saw when she first arrived.

However, on the houses on both sides of the road, there was also a cloth with strange patterns hanging on it, symbolizing that there was a source of plague inside.

They were either infected with the plague or corpses that had not been discovered and taken away in time and had already begun to ferment.

Igris had no doubt that there was a corpse hidden inside, or another witch similar to Nolan. She would not try to spy on it, nor would she try to open those doors and open Pandora's box.

If it really were a fermented corpse inside, Igris would probably throw up her dinner from the night before.

Before leaving, Nolan specifically reminded Igris not to go near the clock tower, saying that something terrible might have happened there.

Igris didn’t know much about this history, but there didn’t seem to be any particularly famous or significant events that took place at the clock tower in Molkens.

So perhaps she should still go over and take a look, investigate a bit.

She can't really live in the past forever; she'll always have to go back eventually.

Before that, she must find the watchmaker and resolve this disaster caused by time.

Igris put her hands in her pockets, touching the special bullets and sword hilt that were still on her body, which did give her a little sense of security.

If possible, she would try to avoid unnecessary battles to prevent the impact of her past actions from causing too much change in the future.

Like the grandfather paradox, who knows what kind of uproar might each person she kills now cause in the future?

Looking towards the clock tower, Igris silently closed the door and slowly moved forward.

The Gods' Fool - The Rainstorm: Chapter 43, The Witch Hunt Begins

The street layout here is quite different from the future Molkens where Igris is. At least every street has become much muddier and narrower.

Numerous wooden houses line both sides of the street, making the already narrow road even narrower and the routes here even more intricate.

After reaching a dead end on her third attempt to head towards the clock tower, Igris came up with a brilliant idea.