She is not an investigator.

"So we need to hide until those people come to us, and then take the opportunity to observe their situation?"

Simia interrupted Constantine; she never had the patience to listen to long-winded speeches.

“That’s right, so we’d better leave before dark to avoid any accidents.”

After saying that, Constantine and Simia both looked at Igris, who was deep in thought.

"What do you think?"

"...There's no problem. There's no danger on the streets right now, and...I think I know a pretty good spot that's not too far from here, but it's also hard to spot easily."

After all, before considering the issue of hiding, they had to be able to clearly observe the specific situation of the soldiers who were coming. Naturally, their stronghold could not be too far away.

With Igris's suggestion, Constantine visibly relaxed, his expression even becoming much more relaxed.

"Of course, it's up to you to decide. I trust you."

"Indeed, I have no objection."

Anfer nodded in agreement.

Clearly, the core of this team is Igris, so everyone's emotions have been significantly calmed after she returned.

Igris didn't intend to waste any more time, since time was money in the current situation.

No one knows what might happen in a little while, so while everything is currently calm on the street, we still need to act as quickly as possible.

"Alright then, our target is the old residential buildings nearby. Everyone, please be careful and get ready to go."

After saying that, Igris glanced at Simia, who was carrying a large backpack.

These things are quite heavy; at least for Igris's physical strength, she probably wouldn't be able to carry them very far.

However, Simia doesn't seem to have this problem, since she even carries a spear that is almost half a person's height all year round.

She seemed to notice Igris's gaze, and after looking around, she replied in a low voice.

"Actually, carrying these things isn't that tiring, but if you really intend to reward me, I won't have any objections."

"You're overthinking things..."

…………

"...Did you hear that?"

"Of course, how could I not hear it?"

"Should we...go out now...?"

Inside the store, the three people who had just finished packing all turned their gazes to the street outside.

A cacophony of sounds began to emerge, accompanied by screams, shouts, and gunshots.

From any perspective, the outside world should be quite dangerous right now.

With the sky above almost entirely covered in black, going out now is undoubtedly not a good idea.

So Igris shook her head, as was her natural instinct.

"Of course, we not only want to get out, we want to get out now."

"...?"

What are you saying?

Yes, that's what she's saying.

Igris covered her mouth, her expression gradually turning serious.

That wasn't what she wanted to say; after all, such an unreliable decision was clearly not something she could easily make.

Why? Was she contaminated? Or is there some other anomaly? Why would she say things that are completely contrary to her personality and way of thinking?

Simia clearly noticed that something was wrong with Igris, especially from her surprised expression. Igris seemed quite surprised that she had said such a thing.

So that means that what she meant was not that, but rather that she hoped they would stay in the store and not do anything rash. That was what she meant.

Even if Simia could understand Igris's meaning, this obviously strange anomaly was enough to warrant extra attention and caution.

After all, Igris didn't seem to exhibit any other unusual behavior, nor did she come into contact with anything particularly unusual during this period.

The reason why such a thing happened to her is clearly worth pondering.

“Igris, I understand what you mean. Now… try to answer my question.”

Simia stood in front of Igris, and after Igris nodded in acknowledgment, Simia slowly asked.

"Your name is?"

"Igris".

Everything is normal; there seems to be no sign that this simple problem has been changed.

Without hesitation, Simia continued to inquire.

What should we do next?

"Leave here, go out into the street, and follow in the footsteps of those voices."

After Igris finished speaking, she gently shook her head, indicating that this was not what she wanted to say.

Clearly, this anomaly only affected Igris's decision regarding her next move? Something was trying to entice everyone onto the street, though the purpose was unclear.

"besides…"

Simia paused for a moment, then coughed lightly and asked.

Who is your favorite person?

"...?"

Vicatina, standing to the side, took a half-step back with some confusion, but considering that this might be their way of testing this anomaly, she didn't react any further.

But Igris's reaction became rather intense.

Her expression turned strange, and she looked at Simia, who was pretending not to see her, with a questioning look in her eyes. At the same time, she hesitated and found it difficult to speak.

This is indeed a question she should ponder, but in any case, now is not the time for such deep reflection, especially under these circumstances.

"I…"

Igris instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to refuse to answer the question, but at that moment, the sound slowly flowing from her throat made her suddenly cover her mouth.

Clearly, that thing didn't want Igris to avoid the question, and was even prepared to answer it on her behalf.

As expected, Simia noticed this and gently shook her head at Igris.

"Let it say, I know this isn't your true intention, but perhaps we can get more information from its answer."

What she said made sense, so even though Igris was somewhat resistant to it, she still nodded helplessly.

She opened her mouth, and a faint sound escaped from deep within her throat.

"My...favorite thing is..."

The Fools of the Gods—Beyond the World: Chapter Thirteen, Dangers Wandering Beyond Sight

“...Nyarlathotep”.

"?"

"?"

"?"

The three of them fell into deep thought and confusion, while Igris's face turned ashen.

Before this, she might have suspected that some kind of wild pollution or anomaly had come to haunt her, but now that the name had come out on its own, if Igris still didn't know what had happened, then she had lived for nothing.

This was clearly Nyarlathotep's naked revenge for what she had done in her previous dream, serving almost no purpose other than to disgust her.

And it seems that this isn't the first time that guy has done this; Igris will get used to it sooner or later.

But that's definitely not now.

"My dear Nya is such a kind and loving darling!"

Igris definitely didn't mean it that way; her expression clearly showed it.

They probably used pretty vulgar language.

"So now we..."

Vicatina still looked at the two with some nervousness. After all, she was different from Igris and the other two. If she were really exposed to danger alone, she would hardly have any real combat ability. After all, she was just a blacksmith.

On the battlefield, you wouldn't let the person who provides the weapons stand at the front and be the one fighting, right?

"All we need to do now is obediently go out and die."

"what?"

Igris was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Simia beside her.

The latter shook his head, somewhat helplessly and amused, and explained in support of Igris.

"What she meant was that we just need to stay here for the time being until the unknown situation outside ends, and then we will most likely not encounter any danger."

Igris nodded, agreeing with Simia's statement.

Vicatina naturally had no objections, after all, she would do anything to ensure her safe departure from here.

"But even so, I can't help but be curious about the specifics of what's happening outside."

Simia stroked her chin thoughtfully, then turned to look at Vicatina beside her.

Have you ever encountered this situation during this period?

“Never. The scariest thing I’ve ever experienced is a city suddenly filled with living people. Nothing else.”

Vicatina shook her head vigorously, trying to make herself look as pitiful as possible to prevent Simia from having any further opinions about her.

After all, Simia's attitude towards her was indeed quite bad, especially the kick she received when they first met; it was something that would probably give her nightmares.

Simia glanced at Vicatina, who practically had "I'm a good person" written all over her face, but ultimately fixed her gaze on Igris.

Sure enough, she preferred Igris to interacting with other women.

"Did you find anything?"