She is not an investigator.

She was always smiling, even though the wounds on her body had left her no room to laugh happily, but she still kept smiling.

"Of course I know you will leave. Everyone leaves. No one can stay in one place forever... Even if you want to, I will drive you away because you still have your own direction to move forward."

clang--

She tapped on the train's control panel and said, trying to sound casual.

“I’ve met many passengers, and they all leave. Igris, you won’t be the exception. In my eyes, you’re still just a passenger.”

"..."

"but."

Cecilia looked at Igris's somewhat downcast expression and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

“You’re not quite the same as them. You should know what I mean… I’ll take you wherever you want to go, and I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.”

As she spoke, she touched her chin again.

"However... I'm not sure if I'll be able to find you again by then. Perhaps you could leave me a specific address? What do you think?"

Igris didn't answer, not only because she didn't know what address to leave, but also because she didn't know how to respond to Cecilia's... enthusiasm.

She was conflicted and hesitant. She knew the true meaning behind what Cecilia had said to her, but should she respond?

"What's wrong? You look like you're getting married tomorrow... Don't worry, I didn't come to see you for something so trivial. After all, we're just friends, aren't we?"

"……I see."

Igris finally nodded, and Cecilia smiled with satisfaction.

Whether it's maturity or pragmatism, she didn't seem to expect Igris to accept everything about her so easily from the start.

Even though they had been intimate and experienced danger, it was only Cecilia's perspective.

She wasn't stupid or naive; she didn't believe her charm could make Igris fall in love with her so easily. She simply needed another chance to find her.

"After this, I will sell this car."

"…Why?"

"I'm not suited to drive this car anymore, that's what it told me. Maybe I should leave this track and find my own life."

such as…

It's nothing.

She'll probably consider buying her own house first.

"So, if you've decided whether or not you want to tell me your location, you can let me know, and I wouldn't mind buying a property of my own in your city."

As for the price, Cecilia wasn't particularly worried.

She wasn't exactly wealthy, but she wasn't poor either. Even if she couldn't compare to those rich young ladies, her savings accumulated over the years were enough for her to live a stable and comfortable life.

He could even support another wife with more than enough money.

"what……"

Cecilia yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"I was hoping to chat with you to perk myself up, but I'm still sleepy..."

The horror of sleep deprivation is something that even love can't save you from.

That's what Cecilia thought.

Do you need me to perk you up?

"Of course, we're still a while from the next temporary stop. If you have any good ideas for getting us up, that would be great."

Igris silently approached Cecilia, whose eyes were barely open from sleep, and awkwardly smoothed the hair at her temples before slowly lowering her head.

They were so close that Cecilia could almost hear Igris's heartbeat and her slightly flushed cheeks.

The weariness and exhaustion vanished without a trace, replaced by anticipation and desire.

Snapped--

Igris lightly flicked her forehead with her finger, and her eyes widened instantly, the chaos in her heart settling into calm.

Igris simply took two steps back silently, looking at Cecilia, whose face was flushed, with amusement.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"...If we could get a little closer, it would probably be even better..."

"Looks like you're still half asleep."

The Gods' Fool - The Northern Train: Chapter 45, The Prey

"Temporary stop, temporarily stopping."

Finally, after countless hardships, the train came to a stop in a relatively safe location.

Now is the best opportunity to adjust the situation, but it is clear that the train is in such a sorry state that there is no need to fix it again.

Alvin and the train crew went to organize the food and supplies, while Constantine and Anfer also began to check around the train to prevent any further danger from approaching.

Cecilia closed her eyes as she wished, ready to sleep in the driver's seat until she naturally woke up, while Felina and Igris naturally became the two most idle people.

No one was surprised that Philina had some free time, but Igris didn't have much to do either.

If I had to say, there was something to do, but because she refused Cecilia's insistence on sleeping in her arms, there really wasn't much else to do.

Perhaps Igris could consider finding something to eat? After all, she hasn't eaten much since yesterday.

Human appetite is a really strange thing. If you don't pay much attention to it, you won't feel hungry for a long time. But if you think about food, you will always feel hungry involuntarily.

Perhaps this is psychological suggestion? Igris didn't quite understand it, but she really needed to eat right now.

She felt like she could eat a whole Philina right now.

However, since Erwin was currently busy processing and preparing the ingredients, Igris had nothing to do even though she was really hungry.

Fortunately, there always seems to be someone who can't stand seeing Igris enjoying this relatively peaceful time.

So, while Igris was still distracted and completely unaware of the footsteps of Philina slowly approaching her, a gunshot rang out.

The gunshot was unfamiliar; at least Igris had never heard such a strange gunshot before, and the sound didn't seem to be coming from near the train.

Sure enough, the moment after the gunshot rang out, Constantine and Anfer rushed over and looked in the direction from which the gunshot came.

It was a snowfield, and in the distance was a coniferous forest, which connected to a small hill that wasn't very high.

From this angle, it's difficult to see the source of the gunfire or whether there's anything unusual.

But Igris had a vague sense of unease.

“Constantine, come with me to take a look.”

Anfer called out to Constantine, squinted, and raised the gun in his hand.

Constantine nodded and followed in his footsteps, heading towards the snowfield not far away.

Igris should have followed, but in this situation, it wasn't a good idea for everyone to huddle together. The best solution was to keep a distance from each other to observe and ensure that no one in front would encounter any accidents.

After all, the snowfield is quite different from most places. Not only are there potential dangers lurking under the snow, but the vast expanse of white can also affect one's static observation ability to some extent.

However, the two did not go far before they stopped.

In Igris's sight, the two men simultaneously raised their guns and pointed them at a sunken patch of snow directly in front of them.

Judging from their strange posture, they have most likely discovered something odd, and the fact that they didn't fire immediately suggests that it's currently impossible to determine whether the thing is malicious.

"I gonna go see."

Igris shoved away Philina's hand that was trying to grab her sleeve and ran quickly toward the two of them, completely ignoring Philina, who was pouting unhappily behind her.

She didn't have time to worry about that right now; at least, Igris didn't want to run into any more trouble.

As Igris arrived beside them, Constantine turned his head and stepped aside so that Igris could see clearly what was in front of him.

Unexpectedly, there was a pit ahead.

A large pit buried in the snow resembled a trap. It was unclear who set it, but it was obvious that the trap had successfully captured its prey.

Even though the prey was covered in a thick layer of snow, Igris could still recognize it.

Or rather, most people can tell.

There is a person lying inside.

She looked to be about the same age as Igris, and also had blonde hair. However, unlike Igris, she didn't tie her long hair up. She was wearing a thick, heavy cotton coat, but on her lower body, she wore a short skirt and thick white stockings. Igris didn't know if she felt cold, but Igris felt cold for her.

There didn't seem to be any other deadly traps in the pit, so the girl simply fell in, and because the hole was relatively small, she was trapped inside in a strange position, with her limbs pointing upwards and her face towards the sky.

That's why she had no way to easily climb out of the makeshift trap, especially after discovering three people above her, which made her even quieter.

Judging from the long, single-shot rifle she was clutching tightly in her hand, which seemed somewhat disproportionate to her height, she appeared to be quite wary of the people around her.

In other words, she was frightened.

However, this is not her fault. After all, if Igris had suddenly stepped into a trap in this freezing weather, a large group of people would have surrounded her around the trap in no time. Her current situation would not be much better than that of the girl lying inside.

Igris glanced at Anfer, who was standing guard to the side. Although she didn't say anything, Anfer understood what Igris meant, nodded, and took the initiative to step back.

He planned to give Igris a chance to speak alone with the prey that had fallen into the trap, and what to do afterward would probably depend on the content and outcome of this conversation.

As Constantine and Anfer left one after another, the girl lying in the middle pointed her gun at Igris, who was still observing her, her deep red pupils filled with a hint of wariness and doubt.

She didn't speak; she was waiting for Igris to take the initiative to talk to her.

And Igris did not disappoint her expectations.

As the gun was drawn and pointed at her head, the girl's eyes reflected Igris's beautiful face, stained with blood, dangerous yet alluring.

And Igris's voice slowly rose above her head.

Tell me, who are you?

The Gods' Fools - The Northern Train: Chapter 46, Relics from the Past

The girl didn't rush to respond to Igris's words; instead, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A witch?"

She was questioning Igris, perhaps because Igris gave her such a similar feeling to those charming women that she naturally developed corresponding suspicions.