She is not an investigator.

She put her hands on her hips and nodded happily.

"I can't find her. It seems she accidentally dropped me somewhere, so I turned into a crow and flew around the city, but I still couldn't find her. I thought she was going to abandon me again."

The Mirror Demon couldn't find Igris, nor did she know where Igris had gone. She simply believed that Simia was sent by Igris to take her home.

"Sorry, we... couldn't find her either."

"..."

The Mirror Demon opened its mouth as if to say something, but instead smiled.

An unnatural smile.

"Didn't find her... Haha, it's okay... Anyway, she can't really be dead."

"...?"

"No, I didn't say anything."

Simia sensed something was off about the Mirror Demon, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Perhaps it was because the Mirror Demon was like this; she knew very little about this magical being that could transform, and was unaware of its original appearance.

But she... still felt something was off.

It's as if it's trying to hide something.

Is it concealing grief? Or... the truth it discovered?

"Mirror Demon..."

"Hmm... Ah? What's wrong? Since we haven't found her yet, let's keep looking. Maybe she's looking for us too."

"Mirror Demon, answer me, have you discovered something?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

It diverted attention.

Lies become meaningless in its mouth, and all its actions and performances seem excessively fake at this moment.

It can disguise itself on many occasions, helping Igris overcome difficulties in one crisis after another.

Only now.

It couldn't continue the performance.

"Answer me, you've found a clue about her, haven't you?"

"I…"

"answer me!"

click-

The bullet was chambered, the muzzle raised, and Simia once again pointed her weapon at the Mirror Demon, and at her own teammate.

It fell silent, and remained silent.

"What... happened to her?"

"..."

The Mirror Demon could not answer.

It has no answer.

It had been associated with Igris for a long time.

Therefore, it can sense her emotional changes and her specific state.

Perhaps this was its racial talent? It didn't know, but it was satisfied with it, as it made it feel closer to Igris.

But just before that, not long ago.

The connection between them was severed.

The Gods' Fool's Play - Beyond the World: Chapter 49, The Promised Never to Meet Again

It's only natural that the Mirror Demon is still alive, so there's only one possibility that their connection has been severed.

She is dead.

Because her life had ceased to exist, their connection was severed.

That's the only possibility.

Igris is dead. She is really dead. Her body has vanished, and her soul has disappeared.

But all traces she left behind also disappeared.

The Mirror Demon searched for a long time, but the connection was lost, and it could no longer find Igris.

So it can only linger in the sky above this city again and again.

Until night falls, until darkness envelops everything.

All the results and clues point to one thing.

She really died.

“But I don’t believe it… She said she would take me to more places, show me more scenery. We should have been together forever, even in death… She abandoned me, but definitely not because she was going to die, but… for other reasons.”

The Mirror Demon couldn't believe that Igris was dead, because they had agreed that even if they died, they would die together.

So she must still be alive, so she couldn't possibly just abandon it like that.

"You remind me of my past self."

"...?"

Simia couldn't help but smile and slowly lowered the weapon in her hand.

“Even if everyone thinks she’s dead, you can’t, because if you think so too, then she really is dead, and no one can bring her back… So believe and keep searching. I also firmly believe that she is not dead.”

She wouldn't accept the outcome until someone dumped the body in front of her. - , Moon Chair Qi l iuIX also 鏾Ba (_Six)

Of course, even if someone actually dumped a corpse in front of her, she would just assume it was fake.

Sometimes, whether she actually leaves or not becomes irrelevant.

The important thing is that they must have a reason and motivation to move forward.

Just like she used to be.

Just like them now.

…………

"..."

At this very moment, in Byanka.

Spanning hundreds of kilometers, in a cluster of houses that are strikingly different from the scenery of the Arctic.

A cozy, yet cramped room.

The girl with long, dark red hair was sitting on the edge of the bed, quietly reading a book.

Ah, of course, this is not some mysterious, ancient, terrifying forbidden book.

This is just a fairy tale.

Isabella has recently been enjoying reading these heartwarming little stories, at least in most of them the main characters have a happy ending.

"Why are witches always villains?"

As she watched, she also voiced her biggest question.

For example, using witchcraft to prevent lovers from ever being together, or turning one of them into a frog, or... well, never mind.

Isabella had no problem with witches because she knew witches, such as the cute little guy who lost his pet in Morkens.

"Hmm... I really wonder how the people at the Witch Academy will view this."

As she spoke, she put the fairy tale book away.

It was getting late, and she should rest. Tomorrow, she planned to leave the city. Although she had been planning to leave for a long time, she hadn't seemed to have the energy to do so.

She has now completely emerged from that shadow.

She is no longer the girl who was blinded by love and even prepared to die.

Now, she is a phantom thief reborn! She is the perfect villain who can proudly raise her head and say no to Igris even if Igris reappears in front of her.

"Humph."

Thinking about this made her feel much better.

He probably genuinely imagined himself rejecting Igris to her face and seeing her filled with remorse and weeping, and felt incredibly proud.

Although this was just her fantasy.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

The sound was short and soft, without any particular pattern; it was just a simple tap.

This was quite unusual for Isabella, since most people who really needed to see her would follow certain rules and use code words to knock on her door, or notify her in advance.

Instead of suddenly knocking on her door like this.

Although she hasn't done anything wrong in Byanka yet, she still has a criminal record, so she didn't dare to open the door directly. She just went to the door and tried to look through the peephole.

Nothing.

There was no one outside the door.

"mischief…?"

dong dong dong.

The knocking sounded again.

Even though there was no one at the door, the knocking never stopped.

She felt a chill run down her spine.