She is not an investigator.

"How was your day? Did it go smoothly?"

"Smoothly? Smoothly my ass! That damn mouse chewed a hole in my blanket. I should have gotten a cat a long time ago..."

She complained as she looked at the strangely dressed girl.

"Where did you catch this monster? To guard the gate?"

“Show some respect. She’s a normal person. She’ll be the sheriff here soon, working with me.”

"……Hello."

The girl waved at Jenny, her expression somewhat stiff.

"Sheriff? Give me a break. Those guys you hired before couldn't even beat me. On his first day in office, they were dragged from one end of town to the other by those cowboys."

Even as she said that, Jenny still carefully examined the girl.

"Well, welcome to Deadeye. Hopefully, you'll have better luck and won't die as young as those idiots before. Oh, and..."

Jenny suddenly remembered something, turned around and went back to her room, took out a not-so-new but very clean piece of clothing and handed it to the girl.

"Consider this my apology for what I said earlier; you really should change your clothes."

"…Thanks."

Jenny waved her hand and didn't say anything more.

The two quickly left the area and continued walking forward.

"So, what do you think? Although that guy looks a bit scary and speaks a bit harshly, he's actually a pretty good person, isn't he?"

"……Um."

The girl looked at the clothes in her hand and nodded gently.

It feels weird, but... it's actually pretty good.

Wade noticed her expression, but didn't say anything, just smiled slightly.

"The people in town are pretty friendly... Hey, wool! Come here, look, I've brought you a new friend!"

Suddenly, Wade called out into the distance, accompanied by a series of rapid footsteps. A large white dog suddenly ran over and pounced on Wade.

"Wang!"

"This is Yang Mao, a sheepdog, but its owner died, so it was adopted by everyone in town. It usually lives with me at the police station."

Wade crouched down and patted Wool's head, and Wool jumped around excitedly, clearly showing that it liked the sheriff very much.

"Come on, touch it too. If it accepts you, you'll be a member of this town."

"..."

The girl looked at her own claws and hesitated before taking a half-step back.

This is indeed not a difficult thing, but the problem is that many special abilities belonging to wild beasts have been implanted in her body. Even though her rationality can now completely control her actions, the aura of a predator is still difficult to fade from her body.

In the wilderness, it is precisely because of this that wild animals try their best to avoid her and not approach her.

If she were to actually try to touch the wool, the wool would only be frightened.

She didn't want to hurt the dog, nor did she want to harm the creature she might have to protect in the future.

"..."

"Wang!"

The girl was still hesitating, but before she could, the wool suddenly pounced on her.

It seemed completely oblivious to the danger posed to her, wagging its tail affectionately and rubbing its head against her without any restraint.

"Why…"

"Wool is a smart dog, unlike those stupid dogs. Once you put on that badge, you're a member of this town. Of course, it won't be afraid of its family, especially a guy who will protect it."

Wade stroked his mustache and straightened his hat.

"So, are you ready to become a sheriff?"

"..."

"Wang!"

The girl stroked the wool's head and took a deep breath.

"Yes, sir."

"Alright! Then, let's start by learning shooting!"

A bizarre stage play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Nineteen, The Punisher

Igris left the police station, but she didn't get any useful information.

The police officers there told her that everything had been peaceful lately, even too peacefully, with almost no incidents.

Even minor disputes like fights and brawls have become less frequent.

Igris had to consider whether there was something wrong with her thinking.

Those hidden treasures may not represent disaster or anything unusual; they could just be ordinary objects.

If that's really all there is to it, then Igris probably doesn't have anything to worry about. She can just do her own thing and wait for those things to come to her.

The premise is that those things really don't pose any danger.

"I've had enough... Why can't that guy just come to me and explain everything to me in person..."

Igris grumbled as she strolled down the street.

For now, she doesn't have much to do, so it should be time to relax?

Although Igris now prefers to resolve everything at once before she can finally get some rest.

But it's clear that this is highly unlikely.

"Ugh…"

Why don't we go find Constantine?

Go and cause him some trouble.

Bored, Igris finally decided on her next plan and walked firmly toward Constantine's office.

After returning from Frostville, he continued doing what he had been doing before: providing inexpensive solutions for special and unusual events for people who were less able to cope.

Just like Igris.

However, at least on the surface, Igris's identity is just that of a detective.

…………

In the dimly lit room, a pale, almost bloodless man sat upright on a bench, holding a black-covered book in one hand.

The room was unusually quiet; even breathing was rarely heard. Only the light streaming in from the window brought a touch of warmth and life to the room.

But this tranquility was soon broken.

The door was pushed open, and a tall person wearing a black cloak and mask slowly walked into the room.

"I heard that you can solve some problems by spending money here."

"—"

Constantine put down his book, did not answer immediately, but instead gave the person in front of him a quick look.

Judging from his voice, he should be a man, around thirty or forty years old, perhaps a bit younger, and tall. However, judging from the proportions of his limbs, he should be a tall and thin man, just wearing many layers of clothing to disguise his true physique.

This is normal. If someone really intends to hide something from others, they will pay extra attention to small things, even if it makes them seem more suspicious. But few people will notice.

"That's true in theory, but what difficulty do you need me to resolve, sir?"

"To resolve my nightmares."

Snapped--

As his voice fell, he slammed his hand heavily on the table in front of him.

In his hand was a uniquely shaped revolver.

"Would it be convenient to discuss this further?"

“I received a keepsake from a distant relative I had never met.”

He sat down slowly, his posture still odd, but meticulous.

“I had never heard of the other person’s name or past, but he knew everything about me and was certain of my identity. So, I inherited that property and his belongings.”

He pushed the pistol forward and said in a low voice.

“I don’t know what he did for a living, but I got this gun and ever since then I’ve had some strange dreams. In my dreams, I feel like I’ve become a different person, crazy and dangerous.”

"—"

"On countless nights, in my dreams I would leave my room and wander the streets of this city, seemingly searching for something. Of course, I never found anything, and that's why my dream never ends."

Have you ever thought about seeing a psychologist?

"Yes, of course, I took sedatives and slept soundly. I didn't dream that night, but I didn't sleep either."

He carefully considered his wording and meticulously revised the obviously wrong sentence.

“What I mean is… I was supposed to be sleeping, but after I fell asleep, like in a dream, I left my room, went out into the street, and was looking for something.”

Sleepwalking?

“I thought sleepwalking was just meaningless wandering, so I tied myself up to my bed. I didn’t take my medication that night, but soon I had that dream again. I dreamed that I broke the chains binding me and left the room again, reaching the street.”

Constantine frowned slightly, and his expression finally turned serious.

"Obviously, it wasn't a dream. I did things I shouldn't have been able to do, breaking chains that I could never have broken in my conscious state, leaving the room again and again, searching for something again and again. I haven't made any mistakes yet, but I can feel that it's dangerous, that it will kill innocent people, and that I have no way to stop it."

As he spoke, he finally took off his hood, revealing his dark circles under his eyes.

"I'm exhausted. I haven't slept for three days. I can't go on any longer. I need your help."

"...I know you."

Constantine leaned back, scrutinizing the other person's face, comparing it to the one he remembered.