She is not an investigator.

Simia took a deep breath, feeling her body quickly regain control, and without hesitation drew her weapon and aimed it at the spirit.

Igris hadn't expected that she had brought other weapons besides that deadly weapon, and the gun in her hand, from various angles, was remarkably similar to the pistol in Igris's hand.

Because this is even a flintlock pistol, the kind that can only hold one bullet.

She's quite nostalgic.

The Gods' Fools - Beyond the World: Chapter Six, A Witch?

boom--!

The gunshot rang out again near Igris's ear, but it was muffled and not very loud.

Simia's flintlock pistol suddenly fired a strange bullet, accurately piercing the translucent spirit in the air, which then gradually disappeared from its spot with an even more shrill scream.

Bullets designed to target spirits? No wonder she's feeling nostalgic.

At least this kind of thing is indeed precious; even Igris has hardly ever seen it.

But what surprised her even more was the voice that suddenly rang in her mind.

[Eliminate or contain; you can choose to expand the abilities of those keys, which will make this calamity disappear from the world forever.]

Progress Update: The Strange Incomplete Existence (2)

—Current progress: Containment (incomplete) Control (complete) Destroy (complete)

Note: This power doesn't actually belong to you, but you do have the right to use it while you are still alive.

"Can you get off me? I don't mind you holding me, but the ground is a bit cold. Maybe we can go somewhere else."

Simia's voice drew Igris's attention away from the incomprehensible words. Igris quickly stood up and helped Simia up from the ground.

But she still didn't understand the meaning of those terms, or the goal she had failed to achieve.

Containment?

That wasn't her job, nor was it something she should be considering, and it was something she couldn't possibly do.

She lacked substantial financial resources and connections, and had no proper legal procedures, let alone the ability to steal work from the Special Investigations Division.

And what she cares about even more are... the tasks she has already completed.

If annihilation was that spirit, then what is control?

Igris couldn't help but recall the time when her title first changed; it seemed to be...

Was it when she was successfully responded to by that scalpel?

So, this is what control means?

What would happen if all three of them completed their tasks?

"Igris? Why are you spacing out? Did you get scared?"

"No, it's nothing..."

Igris took a deep breath, looked at Simia who was full of curiosity, and gently shook her head.

"Let's go to the store first, grab what we need, and then head back. I have a feeling that the dangers in this city go beyond this."

Simia nodded. Although she was a little curious, seeing that Igris didn't seem willing to answer, she didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she went with Igris to the front of the store.

Igris pried open the shop door again using the same method and then pulled it open.

The next moment, something flew straight toward Igris's head. In the blink of an eye, Simia, who was beside her, grabbed the butt of her gun and swung it like a baseball bat, knocking the flying object back.

With a loud crash, Simia kicked over the shelf in front of her without hesitation, shielding Igris behind her and raising her gun.

The shelf collapsed, instantly exposing the figure hidden behind it to the two people and to Simia's gun.

"Don't shoot!"

It's a person.

It's rare; this is the first living person they've encountered in this city today.

"Lower your head! Raise your hands!"

Simia gave a fierce command to the figure in front of her, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

She was clearly angry, probably because of the attack that was obviously aimed at Igris.

Although Igris could have easily dodged it, before she could, Simia blasted it back.

So much so that neither of them could clearly see what it was.

"Calm down... I, I did as I was told..."

Only then did Igris manage to spot the particularly disheveled figure amidst the pile of overturned goods.

A young girl was wearing an extravagant gothic dress, though most of it was covered by a cloak. She had striking silver-black gradient long hair and an exceptionally delicate face.

A possibility also arose in Igris's mind.

"Are you a witch?"

"Hiss...the mask fell off..."

"Answer our questions!"

Simia shouted, and the latter could only nod helplessly.

"Yes... I am a witch, but in this day and age, you shouldn't discriminate against a witch, right?"

"Of course, that's on the condition that you tell me why you're here, why you attacked me, and... your name."

“Vicatina, that’s my name, I chose it myself… Well, you can’t blame me for attacking you, after all, you just barged in like that, and… you really do look a little inhuman.”

The witch who called herself Vicatina pointed to the bandages on Igris's face, making her look inexplicably pitiful.

Igris touched the bandage on her face, and the next moment, the bandage disappeared, revealing her original appearance.

“We have no ill intentions; we just need to know more about this city.”

"Of course...you're a witch too?"

Vicatina looked up and, upon seeing Igris's original appearance, suddenly asked a question with some curiosity.

This is perhaps the most common misunderstanding that arises from being too beautiful.

"No, but I have many witch friends. Now answer me, why are you here?"

"Um…"

She paused for a moment, looked at Simia's still-held gun, and said with some difficulty.

“I don’t mean anything by it, but… could you ask your friend to put down his weapon? This is making me a little too nervous.”

"of course."

Igris glanced at Simia beside her, who scoffed and put her weapon down.

After all, even if she didn't point the gun at the witch in front of her, she could still raise her gun and kill her in no time.

Igris slowly walked forward and pulled the witch, whose body was half buried in the goods on the shelves, up from the ground.

"Can you answer my question now?"

"Of course... but before that, may I ask your name?"

"..."

Igris sighed silently, and under Vicatina's somewhat curious gaze, silently pressed the pistol against her forehead.

"You're asking too many questions. My patience and time are limited. I'm not here to be friends with you. Answer my questions; you have no other choice."

"No...don't shoot, I'm just curious about you...I'll answer your questions."

Vicatina raised her hand, took a step back in a panic, but accidentally stepped on something on the ground and fell hard to the ground.

She looked truly pitiful, but unfortunately, under these circumstances, Igris would have no chance of showing mercy.

"Actually, I am the owner of this shop..."

A witch who settled in Frostville?

The Gods' Fools - Beyond the World: Chapter Seven, All That Has Passed

"A witch from Frostville? How did you convince the witch academy to let you work in the countryside?"

After all, Frostville is a true northern city, which is considered quite exclusive compared to most other areas. In addition, the climate here is quite extreme, so witches rarely come here.

Not to mention that for an adult, graduated witch, western cities are where they should be going, such as Byanka.

"Actually... I'm not really a witch at the witch academy..."

click.

This is the sound of hope Yu e Yi Jiu Qi Liu Jiu Yi 3 Ba Liu Mi Ya loading the gun.

"Wait! Don't be impulsive! I... I can explain..."

She looked to Igris for help, but Igris simply tapped the pistol in her hand, indicating that she should think it over before speaking.

Vicatina took a deep breath, trying to shift her attention away from the dangerous firearms, and explained, word by word.

“I am actually… one of the witches who survived that witch hunt.”

"...?"

Igris looked at Vicatina in front of her and blinked in surprise.

"You mean... you're at least three hundred years old?"

"Actually, I was 561 years old... but that's not the point. During that time, because of my identity, I had to leave my hometown... which is now Bayanka, and drift north. I disguised myself very well, and when I had nowhere else to go, I came to Frostville..."

Vicatina paused, and seeing that Igris and Simia didn't react in any other way, she continued.

"Back then, this place was still in chaos, with humans and monsters in the wilderness coexisting, and everyone living in constant fear for their own safety... So, no one paid attention to me back then, even though I was a witch... In fact, most people here didn't know much about witch hunts, probably because... such a plague had never occurred here."

This is probably due to the climate and environment. The relatively low temperature and low population density make it very difficult for the emergence and spread of plagues. It is likely that this is why the people here are not very concerned about witch hunts.

“This did give me an opportunity. I helped the locals build a defense line to keep monsters and beasts out, used my knowledge to help them, and opened a shop of my own here… A long time has passed, but I am still here. Even though they told me that the witch hunt was over and I could go home, I… This seems to be my home. I have nowhere else to go.”

The experience wasn't particularly complicated; at least Igris felt it was something that could actually happen.

"So that's how you ended up living here, hiding your witch identity so that the army and law enforcement didn't find out, and those who knew didn't report it to the witch academy, making you an unregistered wild witch?"