She is not an investigator.

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Instead, it's something else entirely, something even more obsessive and insane…

The desire to see blood gush out.

"You look like a machine."

But she can see.

I saw living beings within those intricate instruments, constructed from steel and gears.

It is powerful, its body is made of steel, and it is indestructible.

But it is also fragile.

Because... it is ultimately a living being.

Since we are living beings, we must be prepared to become targets of predation.

"Come on... come on, tell me."

tear-

An unsettling metallic scraping sound slowly arose, and the giant spider, under Igris's gaze, couldn't help but back away.

But it had nowhere to retreat, so it could only wave its limbs and loudly intimidate Igris in front of it.

Her smile grew ever brighter, and the flames around her intensified.

Finally, she raised her sword again, tilted her head slightly, and murmured.

Do you bleed too?

hiss--!

The giant spider could no longer tolerate it and, relying on its enormous body, charged straight at Igris.

boom--!

A strange gunshot rang out, accompanied by the sound of gears turning. A bullet engraved with blue runes burst out from the flames and struck the spider's claws precisely.

The bullet was deflected instantly, producing a crisp sound and a burst of sparks, but the spider's body was also frozen in place at that moment.

It was unable to move, like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

puff-

Unbelievably, the strange sound rang out again.

That was the sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh, and also the sound of Igris's sword easily severing its limbs, which were indistinguishable from steel.

"hiss--!"

Green blood gushed out, rapidly corroding everything around it, including Igris, who was immersed in it.

Her clothes became somewhat tattered, and scars began to appear on her skin, but they were quickly healed by the flames, which burned away all the blood that had defiled her.

Igris looked at the straight sword, which remained unharmed even after being soaked in a highly corrosive liquid, and couldn't help but smile.

"...You still have seven legs."

The Gods' Fool - The Northern Train: Chapter Thirty-Six, But She Was Never Confused

"Did you... hear anything?"

Inside the carriage, Felina glanced cautiously at everyone, while tightly gripping the umbrella gun in her hand.

It's obvious that she lacks a sense of security, most likely because Igris isn't here, so she has no one to rely on.

The train conductor next to her frowned upon hearing her words.

"There's a monster outside that's been eyeing us like a hawk; it would be strange if there weren't any updates."

"No, she's right."

Anfer interrupted him, frowning as he looked up at the sky.

"...It is crying out in sorrow."

"Who?"

"That monster."

……

"hiss--!"

fear.

The instinct to live.

It finally remembered its place: a creature that was not entirely mechanical, but could rank in the upper-middle of the food chain.

Oh, right.

Only upper-middle class.

There are many, many hunters on it.

For example, the girl in front of me.

Why did it lack awareness of being prey? Why was it so arrogant as to try to attack her?

It's as ridiculous as an antelope trying to attack a lion.

"Are they no longer attacking?"

Igris raised the gun in her hand and twirled the blade of her sword.

This spider is clever. It knows it has no chance of defeating the person in front of it, so it chooses a behavior that will only be effective against humans.

beg for mercy.

Its massive body lay sprawled on the ground, its severed limbs making it appear completely out of balance.

This change was something Igris hadn't expected, and something she didn't want to see.

She approached the spider with its head bowed and poked its head, which resembled a train engine, with the blade of her sword.

"Are you begging me for mercy? You might as well get up and attack me again, and gamble on who will survive."

Seeing the unresponsive giant spider, Igris clicked her tongue and kicked it hard.

She finally managed to recapture that feeling, but before the fight even really started, her opponent gave up.

It's like during sex, you feel like the other person has already finished by the time you start to feel it.

It's unpleasant.

I was extremely annoyed.

But she needs to break free from the dream, and for her, there is only one best way.

Kill all the passengers on this train.

Igris didn't know if it counted as a passenger, but she didn't mind...

I wouldn't mind killing it.

"You're very unlucky, you know?"

Igris patted its head, then raised the sword in her hand.

If this weren't a dream, Igris would probably be more than willing to let it go.

…She was joking.

Clang—!

"hiss--!"

Igris's sword pierced its body, which was made entirely of steel, at an unusual angle.

The green liquid gushed out instantly, and with its final, stubborn counterattack, it continued to splash onto Igris's body.

It could feel pain and despair. In its final moments, it completely lost all reason and crashed heavily into the side of the carriage.

Igris's sword was stuck, but she couldn't let go, because it was the only weapon she could use to defend herself.

She could only cling tightly to the blade stuck on its head, forcibly maintaining her balance in mid-air, dodging its repeated crashes against the wall.

again and again.

"hiss--!"

Its cries of agony and screams mingled together, and the highly corrosive liquid was spilled into every corner of the carriage.

Finally, with another impact, the corroded train wall was smashed open, and Igris's figure was carried directly into the darkness outside the carriage by the spider.

This is a dream, the train's dream.

Where would she end up if she got off the train?

This question didn't last long, because she discovered it.

She woke up.

"...!"

boom--!

Igris woke up in the train's driver's cab, her clothes tattered, but thankfully, she didn't seem to have anything to reveal.

The only slightly unpleasant thing is that my original long pants have been forced to become ripped jeans.

No, now is not the time to think about that.

"Cecilia!"

"I'm alive…"

Cecilia sat down next to Igris, struggled to get up from her seat, and collapsed onto the dashboard.