She is not an investigator.

Page 261

The mysterious mechanical noise that echoed in her mind.

"Now, do me a favor."

"...?"

Igris wondered if he had misheard something, but he repeated it again.

"I said, do me a favor, do me something I can't do myself, only you can do it."

What Nyarlathotep couldn't do.

But Igris could do it?

This was the funniest joke she had ever heard in her life, but she couldn't laugh.

"...What is it?"

"It's very simple."

He stood up, walked to the Mirror Demon's mangled body, and gently snapped his fingers.

Its body was quickly swallowed by the mist, and in the next moment, it regained its color and was as good as new.

"This is a deal. I will no longer harm those around you, and in return, I will protect them from harm during this time. But you... you need to personally explore that unknown territory, that region that does not belong to this world."

"Does not belong to..."

"That city, the city projected onto this city, the blood-red world your pet saw—it wasn't in my plans, nor in my understanding. Such a thing shouldn't exist in this world, but it's the same kind as the one inside you. Find a way to solve it."

Igris was silent for a moment, then asked a somewhat silly question.

"What if I refuse, or am unable to do these things?"

"..."

The curses and threats that Igris had imagined did not come. Naya continued to look at Igris calmly, his calm demeanor almost devoid of any emotion.

After a long while, he lowered his head, and the sword blade that had fallen to the ground instantly flew into his hand, which he then tossed to Igris.

Igris took the weapon, but he still didn't say anything.

Just as Igris was about to ask again, he interrupted her and said in a low voice.

Do you want to hear the truth?

"..."

"Most humans know that knowing more is not a good thing. When faced with the ultimate truth of the world and endless knowledge, it will wash away your reason, destroy your values, and reshape your soul until you understand and embrace everything."

As he spoke, he chuckled softly and shook his head.

“I know a lot, even beyond this world itself. Do you know that our world actually exists in a book? You don’t know, but I do know that everything here is fake, constructed from pale and powerless words, including that never-ending dream.”

Igris stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was saying, for he was always deceiving her, and his words were always lies.

"But even so, Igris, you will still cherish everything in this world, the people around you, the life you love, so now tell me, does it even matter if it's true or false?"

"..."

"Now that things have come to this... Igris, this deal between us won't be the last. I don't know what you'll face next, but..."

Naya was silent for a moment, then smiled.

I hope you return victorious.

The Gods' Folly - Beyond the World: Chapter Twenty, The Church from which There Is No Escape

"Of course, you still have time. Those people aren't in any immediate danger; they're trapped where they are. Go to the church; you can find their afterimages there, but after that..."

His voice quickly faded away, time resumed its flow, and everything seemed as if nothing had happened.

Igris stood there, gripping her weapon tightly, her mind still replaying everything she had just heard.

Suddenly, the Mirror Demon cried out. It scrambled to its feet from its kneeling position and lunged into Igris's arms.

"Igris—Waaaaah, I thought I was going to die..."

Looking at the energetic Mirror Demon, Igris hesitated for a moment, but still hugged it and patted its back reassuringly.

"Don't worry... you'll be fine."

The Mirror Demon is indeed no longer going to cause any trouble, but Igris is not.

She seemed to have a new mission, and although the person who entrusted her with this task was a bit strange, Igris seemed to have no choice but to do it.

But Igris still has time; at least Constantine and the others are not in any real danger at the moment.

If only we could find them…

But what happens after that?

We'll talk about what happens next later.

"Simia".

"Hmm—what's wrong?"

Simia let out a long, nasal sound, seemingly somewhat displeased with the intimate actions between Igris and the Mirror Demon, but the Mirror Demon's recent state prevented her from directly expressing her displeasure.

Igris didn't have time to worry about that; after all, they had to race against time.

"Constantine and the others are trapped near the church; we need to get there as soon as possible."

"A church? Wait, how did you know... Never mind, shall we set off now?"

Simia initially wanted to question Igris, but after thinking about it for a long time, she simply shook her head and decided to ignore those minor issues.

After all, whatever Igris wants to do, she can just go and help; there's nothing difficult about it.

"Also, Vicatina... I'm sorry, but those words weren't mine, and I didn't have any objection to your invention. On the contrary... you're amazing, I really think so."

"Actually, I don't care that much about it... but you have to take me with you. I don't want to be left alone somewhere again."

Vicatina overheard their conversation, and naturally, she also chose to follow Igris.

Although the place they were about to go was very likely not safe either, being away from their protection was the real danger for her.

As a witch who is over six hundred years old, she deeply understands how to survive better.

"Let's leave it at that for now..."

Igris patted the Mirror Demon in her arms, which had stopped crying, and only then did it reluctantly release Igris.

"You should go back first. It's safer inside than outside."

The Mirror Demon nodded, but looking at the fragment that had become even more shattered, he couldn't help but whisper something.

“Igris… if you have the chance, please get me a new dressing mirror.”

“I’ll consider it…really.”

Although... Igris never wore makeup.

…………

"Is this a church?"

Constantine looked at the white building as he passed by, and curiously went over to take a look.

It's normal for him to be interested in churches, after all, he is a priest.

However, Igris, who was leading the way, seemed rather uninterested.

"To be frank, I have little good impression of churches; at least most of the churches I've encountered have cult members hiding inside."

Anyway, that's how it's been since she woke up.

Constantine wanted to retort, but remembering that he had once been a cult leader, he simply kept quiet.

"I also think we shouldn't have gone in to take a look."

Anfer shook his head. Ever since he came out onto the street, he had had a bad feeling. Although he couldn’t explain the source of the feeling, he never let his guard down.

"Anyway, I'll listen to Igris."

Simia also offered her opinion, which hardly qualifies as an opinion, not to mention Felina.

Helpless, the group once again moved away from the church and walked towards the end of the street.

The air on the street was indeed cold enough. Although the snowfall wasn't heavy, it was still quite a torment for someone like Igris who was already prone to feeling cold.

This made her quicken her pace, trying to warm up her body through this level of exercise.

Although it's not very useful.

However, as everyone followed Igris' quickened pace and left the block, the scene before them made them all stop in their tracks.

"That's... a church, isn't it?"

Constantine's mutterings made everyone realize that they hadn't misjudged the situation; the church that appeared ahead should have been in the street behind them.

Why did they reappear in front of them?

Igris couldn't help but frown.

“I remember there was only one church in this city, right?”

"That's true."

There is no doubt that they encountered some unexpected event.

Either the church grew legs and magically appeared before them, or…

They're just going around in circles.

"You all wait here."

Igris frowned deeply, turned back to give a word of advice, and then quickly ran off into the distance.

Her actions made it clear that if they were just going around in circles, it wouldn't be long before Igris caught up with them from behind.

She walked quickly, and the street wasn't very long. Before long, Igris's voice came from behind the group.

She quickly returned to the group and squatted down on the ground, panting.