She is not an investigator.

"hehe…"

The man in the suit revealed a strange smile.

His lips kept curving upwards, forming an inhuman arc, and it continued to extend.

His face began to contort and blur, and just a glance at it would cause an unprecedented feeling of dizziness and nausea, making it impossible to see and indescribable.

He stepped back slightly, his body seemingly becoming detached and difficult to look at directly, even spinning along with the space around him.

Each change was like a heavy blow to Igris's mind and reason, attempting to drive her to madness and insanity.

But slowly, she closed her eyes, and the flames burning on her body fell into her hair and were slowly extinguished.

A sudden chill ran through her, making her shiver and open her eyes.

Nyarlathotep's figure had vanished, but its strange voice still lingered in Igris's consciousness.

"You will make a choice next time."

"..."

The chill sent another shiver down her spine, and she couldn't help but look up at the sky.

The sky remained overcast, obscuring the sun and everything else except the clouds.

But Igris always felt that something was watching her from there.

Perhaps, it was a dark night.

Perhaps, it is the bright moon slowly rising in the darkness of night.

The Gods' Folly - The Rainstorm: Chapter 51, What Does It Matter to You If You Are Destroyed?

"So, the cracks in time are still widening?"

"…Yes."

Inside the watch shop, the only remaining employee sat behind the counter, nervously fiddling with a watch that looked extremely unusual.

The scale on it was very complex and connected to a rather bulky and large unidentified machine, from which only the numbers could be seen jumping around randomly.

Although only the last one is jumping, the speed is exceptionally fast.

Alex looked at the machine and at his laborious operation, and said somewhat uneasily.

"In other words... Igris did not succeed."

“I told you she couldn’t do it.”

Isabella knew she shouldn't make sarcastic remarks; after all, if she were asked to do it, she probably wouldn't be able to either.

But as expected, seeing that Igris had indeed failed and even died far from home, she still felt a little uncomfortable.

The little witch remained quietly to one side, tightly hugging her raven, without saying a word, but her expression was exceptionally downcast.

"Look on the bright side, maybe she's alright, she just hasn't had time to deal with it yet."

Alex forced a smile, unsure whether he couldn't accept the inevitable downpour or the death of Igris.

Maybe there are.

"But you'd better be prepared in advance, the downpour won't wait for her to act."

Isabella crossed her arms, leaned against the counter, and stared intently at the strange instrument in front of her without turning her head.

The larger the number above, the larger the crack, and the higher the probability of a rainstorm.

The tuning time is meant to minimize this number as much as possible, but it is clear that it increases much faster than it regresses.

"You don't need to worry about that. We have already made the worst-case scenario plan and are evacuating the crowd as much as possible."

Alex's execution ability is second to none. She would rather let those people make a wasted trip than see another victim of this rainstorm because of her hesitation.

But then she turned to look at the little witch.

"And you can leave, but I will send someone to take you back to Byanka. The academy will handle your case and decide whether to punish you... That's none of my business. I'm just asking for your opinion: do you want to stay and witness the future of this city?"

What was she to witness? She didn't know. Was she to witness the erosion of Molkens by the torrential rain, turning it into a mere shadow of the past, or to pray for a miracle to happen?

No one knows if Igris is still alive, nor does anyone know if she can stop the time rift from spreading further.

But Alex believed her.

The same applies to Isabella.

“Little witch, don’t blame me for not warning you, if you leave now, you’ll at most get a scolding and a few days of solitary confinement, but if you stay…”

"I stayed."

Her firm words interrupted Isabella's unspoken words, which was impolite, but no one cared about that now.

"You have backbone, but I hope you won't regret it."

"She'll be fine."

"...?"

Hearing the little witch's unusually firm words, Isabella and Alex couldn't help but look at her at the same time, as if they had also vaguely sensed something.

But... after all, she is Igris, so it's not entirely incomprehensible.

I just don't know if she herself knows about it.

……

clang!

Igris slashed through the chains binding the clock tower's doors with her sword and stepped into the building, which was much newer than she remembered.

What appeared before Igris was still that long staircase, but it was much dustier and looked much cleaner.

Some differences are that the stair railings and handrails are gone, and those were probably installed later.

Slowly, she stepped onto the stairs and began to climb upwards in a spiral.

A strange feeling welled up inside her, reminding her of the first time she came here for an appointment, and of the feeling of looking down at the city from here for the first time.

But now, things seem quite different.

The light streaming through the narrow window was not the glow of the setting sun, and what she carried on her shoulders was no longer a beautiful longing for tomorrow.

Her body was exhausted, her gun was empty, and her blade was stained with blood.

But she eventually reached the top of the clock tower, a high point in the city.

Standing here, the breeze brushed aside the stray strands of hair from her forehead, but couldn't move the rest of her blood-soaked golden hair.

A rumbling thunderclap hung overhead, making it seem as if we were closer to the sky. We couldn't see the sun, but we could see the storm brewing.

The streets were lined with blood-red roads piled up with countless corpses, and the city had not seen such a quiet moment in a long time.

Igris raised her straight sword, her body trembling slightly, but she still pointed it at the old figure sitting on the edge of the clock tower with his back to her.

Fear and awe almost made her want to throw away her weapon, but a sense of mission and willpower held her back, making her stubbornly hold on to it.

Slowly, he turned his head. His aged appearance seemed unchanged, but his eyes had lost their light, as if he had lost everything.

It became nothingness, became vast, became capable of containing all things and knowledge, but it alone, it alone was not there.

He himself was the only one missing.

"I never imagined that the first person to follow me here would be you, an ordinary person."

He didn't stand up, nor did he make any extra movements, like a superior looking at an ant at his feet with interest, but full of contempt.

"A pursuit across time? That sounds romantic, but how far can you go? Standing in front of me is probably your limit."

"Why would you do this? To alter the past? To manipulate time? Does the forbidden knowledge you possess only teach you how to abuse your abilities?!"

Igris's voice trembled, and she even seemed to have difficulty breathing.

Even though the person standing in front of her still looked like an ordinary old man.

He patted his legs and said in a low voice as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, that's power. I can do whatever I want without considering the consequences or the cost. And I'm just making some very simple choices... The course of human history is filled with unnecessary hatred and massacres. That's the dross that's blocking our progress, and it's an obstacle that must be cleared away."

"But you...!"

"I know I know."

He raised his hand, interrupting Igris from what she was about to say.

"Destroying this history would undoubtedly destroy the future of humanity itself, but with my leadership, they can reach a more distant future in a shorter distance and less time, leave this land, reach the other side of the ocean... and even break through the blue sky."

He smiled, a kind and gentle smile, yet it seemed so aloof.

"In my opinion, this is the right choice."

"...But people's fate should not be in your hands."

"so what?"

He looked at Igris with great interest, his calm eyes revealing a hint of... anticipation.

"What does it matter to you if I destroy you?"

The Gods' Fool - The Rainstorm: Chapter 52, Going Against the Current

5.52

boom!

A raging fire erupted from Igris's body, symbolizing her will and the fury of her struggle.

No one should easily decide anyone's fate; everyone should choose their own path.

Even if it is consumed by flames, buried by the deep sea, or torn apart by storms.

She raised her straight sword and resolutely took the first step in her struggle.

Even though her body was trembling, even though her consciousness was becoming blurred, even though her cells were filled with fear.

"But you... still brought me some good things."

The watchmaker slowly stood up, his joy undisguised, even showing a deep appreciation.

He glimpsed the secrets of time, saw all the answers and knowledge, yet he still hadn't seen it.