She is not an investigator.

However, upon remembering that the person in front of her was Felina, Igris's heart settled down, and she nodded very naturally.

"You're right, we've known each other before."

"You actually admitted it! I'm jealous!"

"...Why are you jealous?...We don't seem to know each other that well."

Upon hearing Igris's words, Philina looked up in realization and gave an awkward laugh.

"...Shall we go inside and sit for a while?"

"..."

Is this child really a little bit dim-witted?

The Gods' Fool - The Northern Train: Chapter Twenty-Five, What is Your Identity?

"Ah, you've come."

Inside the driver's seat, Cecilia still had a cigarette dangling from her mouth, and when she saw Igris and Felina actually get in, she patted the seat next to her enthusiastically.

The driver's cab isn't very spacious. Besides Cecilia's seat, there's a small folding stool. Although it doesn't seem to make much difference, it does serve a purpose in this situation.

Unfortunately, there was only one seat available, so neither Igris nor Philina could voluntarily come and sit down unless Igris sat in the chair and held Philina; otherwise, one of them would have to stand.

"I have some news to share with you, although this news should theoretically be sent to that group of people... but telling them probably wouldn't make any difference, so I might as well talk to you about it."

"So... what is it?"

Igris pulled Philina, who was hiding behind her, out and pressed her onto the small stool, using her shoulder to support her arm.

This pose makes Felina look even shorter.

"I have just successfully contacted the nearby military. They will be waiting for us at the next temporary station. Our job is to bring these people to them."

Cecilia tapped on the communicator in the car, which looked like a large lunchbox, except with some wiring and mechanical components that Igris couldn't recognize.

This might be good news, since the sooner these troublesome individuals can leave the train, the safer they will be.

However, Igris was more curious about another question.

"The military even manages this? And... why are they in this area?"

They are not vampires that randomly spawn in the wilderness. This highly organized armed force only appears in areas where force is needed to suppress them, rather than wandering around aimlessly.

If they are in this area, does that mean they are dealing with something special?

"They have both the right and the obligation, as for why they are here..."

Cecilia pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't know, and I don't want to ask. Knowing this won't do me any good. As long as I achieve my goal, that's all that matters. After all, I'm just a driver."

"Fine, whatever makes you happy."

"Hehe... I'd probably be even happier if you could have a drink with me later?"

Cecilia held the cigarette between her fingers and slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke.

Igris had no interest in secondhand smoke, and with a hint of disgust, she brushed the smoke away, retorting without hesitation.

"Since you know you still need to drive, you shouldn't keep thinking about trying to numb your brain with alcohol. Of course, if you'd like to treat me to a meal, I'd probably be happy to."

The main reason Igris wasn't full was that the piece of meat was really unappetizing, and the portion was also quite small.

Even Cecilia herself clearly couldn't eat much, let alone Igris.

Igris didn't consider herself a particularly picky person, but she would rather drink blood than eat that kind of thing.

However, Cecilia shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sorry, but our chefs probably won't have time to prepare food until the train is cleaned up. And once it's cleaned up, we'll need to get back on the road as quickly as possible, as this isn't a good place to spend the night."

Cecilia glanced at her watch. Although it wasn't too late, based on her familiarity with the route, she knew when to set off to find a suitable place to rest before sunset.

Never staying up late is probably the secret to her still looking youthful.

"Since you know what's going on, then I have no further questions."

Igris had only come to warm up, not to discuss the rest of the journey with Cecilia. That wasn't her concern; she was just a passenger.

However, Philina, who had been pressed into a chair by Igris and had been quietly watching the two talk, seemed to have some other thoughts.

Or rather, it's troublesome.

"When will we reach the next temporary station, Ms. Cecilia?"

Philina was very polite, a stark contrast to her behavior with Igris. Although she had initially treated Igris the same way, she seemed to realize that Igris didn't like this attitude, so she stopped doing so.

When faced with Felina's question, Cecilia thought for a moment and then said uncertainly.

"Under normal circumstances, assuming we don't encounter any other unexpected events that force us to stop along the way, it should take us about three hours to reach the next temporary station."

Three hours isn't a long time. It's around 1 p.m. now, and we'll arrive at the next stop at 4 p.m., which is still some time before nightfall.

However, Felina doesn't seem to be worried about the time being too long.

"Hmm... they probably won't get on the bus when we get there, right? You know who I'm talking about."

Felina's uneasy expression aroused Cecilia's suspicion. Even though most people would be wary of these armed men, it shouldn't be this bad.

Her unusual behavior also caught Igris's attention, making her vaguely think of a somewhat strange possibility.

For example, Felina is not actually a rich young lady at all, but a major suspect who is wanted by the authorities.

Of course, the probability is very small. Even if she really is a wanted criminal, as long as she didn't destroy a city by herself, most soldiers probably still wouldn't be able to recognize her easily.

Could she be an abnormal being disguised as a human? Or perhaps a special being created by other races to infiltrate human society?

Well, Igris's imagination is a bit too bizarre, which is probably a manifestation of her neurasthenia.

“Listen, although I never care about the identities of the passengers on this bus.”

Cecilia's expression became unusually serious as she looked at Felina on the bench and spoke in a manner that could almost be described as solemn.

"But your behavior is so suspicious that I have to find out your identity to make sure there won't be any other problems with the car."

For example, harboring a wanted criminal and then being caught on the spot by the army, and being taken to prison along with Cecilia.

Igris patted Felina on the shoulder, partly to comfort her and partly to prevent her from suddenly standing up and running away.

“Now it’s your turn to explain, Philina.”

"Can you promise me you won't distance yourself from me because of this?"

"I will consider it based on the specific details you provided."

Igris only ever considers...

The Gods' Fool - The Northern Train: Chapter Twenty-Six, Another Anomaly

"Philina Somerset".

Igris didn't know much about the surname, but Cecilia seemed to know something about it, so much so that her expression became quite indescribable.

"So why did you come here?"

There are many reasons.

Felina pouted and said in a wronged tone.

"One is... I'm traveling around, so it's not surprising that I appear anywhere, and the other is..."

She glanced at Igris, seemingly saying nothing, yet also seemingly saying a lot.

Igris was a little uneasy because they had only met for the first time.

…etc.

Igris did meet her on the first day, but... would she meet Igris on the first day?

She rushed up alongside Igris the moment Igris stepped onto the train, even right behind Igris.

Could it be... that she's intentionally following Igris?

"and many more."

Igris interrupted their conversation in time, looking at the bewildered girl in front of her with disbelief.

"So...to a large extent, you really got on this train because of me?"

"Uh... um."

She nodded honestly, giving an answer that almost drove Igris crazy.

"Why?! We...we don't even know each other!"

"Actually, I've been observing you for a long time, since the time in Molkens..."

"From Molkens?!"

Igris felt that this guy was probably more like a lunatic than she was. How could anyone really be so bored as to stare at a complete stranger who hadn't even greeted her?

What is she trying to do? Just keep watching?

"...I'm going out for some fresh air."

Igris left without looking back, and Cecilia and Felina wisely refrained from stopping her.

After all, she did look like she needed some peace and quiet.

“Now let’s continue our conversation, Miss Somerset. I need to know whether your wanderings are permitted, and… how you plan to ensure your safety.”

"Of course I'm allowed to leave the house, otherwise I definitely wouldn't be able to... As for protecting my safety, you don't need to worry about that. After all, I've received military training..."

As Felina spoke, her gaze unconsciously fell on the black bracelet on her wrist.

Cecilia noticed this detail, but didn't say anything more, only sighed with some emotion.

"I hope everything goes smoothly from here on out. I can't even imagine what those people would do to my car if something really happened to it."

"Haha..."

Felina's smile was somewhat awkward and forced.

She hadn't expected this, but faced with the combined questioning from Igris and Cecilia, she seemed to have no choice but to fully reveal her identity.

I wanted to interact with everyone as an ordinary person, but now there's really no way around it.