She is not an investigator.

She just said that the two of them are actually friends.

Having easily convinced herself with these words, the little witch simply popped the candy into her mouth.

The sweet taste melts in your mouth, accompanied by a subtle sourness and a refreshing fruity flavor.

"…tasty."

"I still have some here, but I can't give them all to you; I need to eat them myself."

Seeing that the little witch liked it, Igris took out all four remaining candies from her pocket and placed two of them in her small palm.

"Now can you tell me about it? For the sake of the candy."

"…Um."

Sharti shifted her body back so that her skirt could cover her slightly chilly calves. She suddenly felt a little envious of Igris's trousers; at least her legs wouldn't feel so cold.

"My mom doesn't want me anymore."

"..."

Igris's movements suddenly stiffened, and she silently turned her head to look at the street in the distance.

Her words of comfort were cut off, and the candy in her hand seemed to grow hot.

"...Even if you say that, I will not be your mother."

"...That's not what I meant."

The little witch glared fiercely at Igris, but for the sake of her candy, she continued to explain.

“I come from a single-parent family. My mom adopted me when I was very young, but she actually had someone she liked. And now, she has raised me to this age... but she says she has found that person and is now going to abandon me and this family to be with that person.”

As Sharti spoke, she kicked her legs, her resentment almost tangible, making Igris beside her feel her displeasure.

"My mom is such an idiot. She's hundreds of years old, yet she acts like a child... That guy doesn't even like her, but she keeps pestering him. She already has her own family, yet she still goes and bothers other people..."

Igris was a little hesitant to say anything.

Faced with such family ethics issues, she rarely had any meaningful answers.

Because she had hardly ever seen her parents in either of her lives.

"We had a fight... I was so angry that I ran away. Anyway, she's leaving tomorrow morning, so she won't care about me..."

Sharti's voice grew softer and softer, and she even wiped her eyes in grievance before noticing something. She suddenly raised her head and glared fiercely at Igris with her slightly reddened eyes.

"I wasn't crying! I was just a little sleepy..."

"Of course, I understand..."

Seeing her somewhat resentful expression, Igris helplessly wiped away the remaining tears on her face with her sleeve.

The little witch didn't resist; instead, she took the initiative to grab Igris's arm and rub against it.

"...Why don't you go back and talk to her again? If you two are willing to calm down and talk it over, maybe the outcome will be different?"

"...What you said makes sense, but..."

She silently lowered her head, looked at her toes, and nervously tugged at her skirt.

"...I'm lost."

"..."

Igris silently raised her head, glanced at the pitch-black sky, and then stood up from the bench.

"...Although I'll probably still have some things to do today, if it's just to take you home, I should be able to make it in time."

"Are you going to take me home?"

Igris smiled and nodded, extending her hand to her.

"It's free this time, but it might not be next time."

The Gods' Folly - Regret: Chapter Forty, A Regretful Ending, or a New Beginning

"Then I'll leave you here. It's not really convenient for me to go inside."

At the entrance to the witch academy, the little witch reluctantly let go of Igris's hand and walked towards the still-open gate.

She turned her head, looked around, and said softly.

"Actually... it's okay if you sneak in, the lady who guards the gate isn't here often..."

"Shart?! What are you doing here! Your mother has even come looking for me!"

Before the little witch could finish speaking, a call interrupted her, and accompanied by hurried footsteps, two figures rushed over at the same time.

"Ah...you've come knocking on our door...well, see you next time?"

Sharti turned around, only to find that Igris, who should have been standing at the door, was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, Nolan rushed over in a fluster and pulled the somewhat bewildered Sharti into his arms.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Sharti, I won't leave... I won't leave you..."

"……Mother."

Shallti, somewhat at a loss, hugged the weeping Nolan, but her eyes still couldn't help looking into the darkness outside the door, trying to find the figure who had brought her back and introduce that friend to her mother.

However, she seemed to have left in a bit too hastily.

"We'll have to see each other again next time..."

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.

By the time you read this letter, I will have already left this city. I don't know where I'm going, but perhaps leaving is a good choice for both of us.

Regardless of why you refuse to see me, and regardless of whether you will see this letter or not, I think your actions have already demonstrated your attitude towards me.

Although I don't understand why you resist me so much, and even refuse to give me another chance to pursue you, I also understand that even if I continue to pester you, we will not have any good outcome.

…I've never felt this card was so small before. *Month-*-~First++Release## I have so much to say to you, but I can't write it all down here. But…Igris, no matter how you see me, no matter if you hate me, at least now…at least in the future, you will always be the most important person to me. I don't ask for your forgiveness.

And finally, I don't know if I ever said that sentence to you.

--I love you.]

A cold night wind blew by, scattering Igris's long golden hair and carrying away the black card from her hand.

She arrived at the place where they had finally agreed to meet.

But she seemed a little late because of some things that weren't really that important.

She missed her last meeting with Isabella, and she also missed their final farewell.

She slowly sat down on the roof, just as Isabella usually did.

The night was so quiet that she could easily hear her own breathing, heartbeat, and sobbing.

Perhaps she still couldn't bear to part with Isabella, or perhaps she simply hadn't figured out what she should do.

But in any case, they could have had another chance to meet.

Now, all that remains is regret and emptiness.

There was nothing here but darkness, the moon overhead, and the ever-increasing sorrow and pain in Igris's heart.

"..."

But under that eaves, unnoticed by everyone, Isabella, dressed in black, still leaned quietly against the wall.

The sound of the wind carried to her the faint sound of Igris's sobs, and it also led her to finally meet the person she had been longing for.

However, before that, she had lost all her courage.

Perhaps, even the final farewell isn't so important anymore.

Just like their promise, only this time, she was on the bottom and Igris was on top.

…………

Regret can represent many things: sadness or despair, desire or madness. While pursuing something, people often lose something as well.

Regret may be the last time we could not meet, it may be a decision we were forced to make again, it may be a promise we gave up. People always gain more from loss after loss, yet they still yearn for the past.

You are a hero, a legend who saved the city and the world, but you are also an ordinary person who is vulnerable and helpless.

Misfortune has befallen you, accompanied by fear, hunger, madness, and depression. Some say you will never recover, but many more believe you can rise again to your former glory.

[Title Acquired: Revelation of the Unknown Voice]

—You heard it, that call from ancient times.

Note: It guides you northward, through the erosion of ice and snow, or to become the rising sun of new life.

[Title Acquired: Maliciously Corrupting]

—You felt it, an uncontrollable desire.

Note: Once you are marked, the hunt never ends.

[Title Obtained: Choice]

Make your choice; you'll always reach this point when you embark on this path.

Note: Either you are manipulated to death by them, or you find the key to victory.

[Task phase change: None → Ancient Voices]

Task Description: Your mind is being eroded more severely than ever before, making even your normal life difficult. However, you've received some potentially helpful information from your friends. Find them, gain their trust… or become the next victim.

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.

It seems that no one often observes exactly when the sun rises, down to the minute and second.

But when the sunlight shines on that long-silent sea, everyone will unconsciously remember that the sun will eventually rise.

The sun will rise eventually, no matter when.

"You don't look well-rested? Never mind, never mind. I shouldn't have assumed you were well-rested."

Beside a strangely shaped old train station, Constantine, carrying his suitcase, waved to Igris who was walking towards him.

He looked much like Igris, with a perpetually tired expression and pale skin, almost as if he were anemic.

Igris was also carrying a small box, which contained nothing special except her change of clothes and an axe.