She is not an investigator.

"No...it's okay, it's nothing important."

Wilson shook his head, placed the bag he was carrying on the table, and took off his hat.

“Ms. Igris, thank you so much for your help. Just like the priest said, I am very fortunate to have your help. However, I cannot fully accept this kind offer without expecting anything in return. So I have brought you a gift, although... I don’t know if you will accept it.”

"There's no need to be so formal... but what's the gift?"

Igris wasn't one to enjoy such formalities, but she did appreciate gifts, since she rarely received them.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I picked something that I guessed you would need."

Wilson took the contents out of the bag; it was a gift box, though he didn't know why he had specifically put it in the bag.

As the gift box was opened, a silver pocket watch came into Igris's view.

"A watch."

"I must say, you have excellent taste."

Igris happily accepted the pocket watch, her eyes practically sparkling.

"Thank you, I really like this gift... I will cherish it."

"I hope you like it."

Wilson breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, after all, if you don't choose a gift carefully, it's hard to make the lady satisfied.

And it seems that Igris really likes the gift.

"Then I'll take my leave now, I won't bother you any longer."

He adjusted his hat, nodded to Igris, and turned to leave. He really had only come to deliver a gift and express his gratitude; he had no other purpose whatsoever.

Igris thought he had some other request that required his help, which was why he made the special trip.

"Wait a moment."

"..."

As he opened the door to leave, someone suddenly called out to him from behind.

The voice was unfamiliar; it didn't come from anyone in the room.

So he turned his head and looked at the source of the sound.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Isabella jumped in through the window and, under Igris's somewhat speechless gaze, looked at Wilson in front of her.

"I've heard that you're good at doing dirty work."

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Thirty-Four, The Riot Outside the City

"I quit a long time ago."

"But the stench of your blood hasn't faded yet. Compared to others, calling you an executioner is an understatement... Do me a favor, and I'll give you the reward you want."

Igris didn't know when Isabella had come in, but she seemed to know Wilson and had her own purpose.

"I won't agree to that."

“You can’t live with that mask forever. You should know that you can never start a new life. They won’t let you go, and nobody will.”

"..."

Wilson fell silent. He didn't speak again, but he also didn't try to leave.

"Something's happened outside the city. Those people are in a real mess right now. More and more thugs are showing up outside the city. You should know what you need to do."

"...Why? This has nothing to do with you, and nothing to do with me."

“It’s not related, but a friend of mine died, so it’s related to me now.”

"..."

Wilson remained silent, and no one knew what his expression was like hidden behind the iron mask, but he was thinking and hesitating.

Perhaps he doesn't need to continue doing these things. He doesn't lack money; he just wants a stable life.

But just like when he first received this title, many things did not go as he wished.

"...What kind of compensation can you offer?"

What do you want?

"……never mind."

We can put the reward aside for now; after all, for him, killing someone might be considered the reward in itself.

"I agree, and I'm ready to leave anytime."

"—Simpler than I imagined."

Isabella raised her chin with a hint of smugness and finally looked at Igris, who was standing with her arms crossed, staring at her with a serious expression.

Do you need me to explain?

"Of course we need it."

“Okay…like I said, things are in trouble outside. It’s always been chaotic, but it seems to have gotten out of hand. A friend of mine died, and he died a horrible death…I should probably avenge him, but…how should I put it, I can’t do that on my own, so I need help, help beyond the police who are already investigating…do you understand?”

"So you came here actually to drag me into this?"

"Don't put it so harshly... Darling, I just wanted to ask for your opinion and try to get your help. Of course, you can refuse. I would never force you to do anything."

It was no coincidence that Isabella was here; coincidentally, Wilson was here too.

As an outlaw, Isabella would naturally be aware of Wilson's identity.

"Any more details?"

Igris can help, or rather, she definitely will; she can't just watch Isabella go looking for trouble, but only if she makes everything clear.

Do you know what a cowboy is?

"I've heard of it, but I've rarely actually dealt with it."

Isabella seemed to know that Igris would answer that way, so she chuckled and moved closer to Igris.

“Those people have caused a lot of trouble outside of Bayanka. People used to ignore them because they wouldn’t do anything too outrageous. But recently it seems to be an exception. Those people have slaughtered at least three or four villages. It’s strange… Maybe it wasn’t just the cowboys, but in any case, they were involved, without any purpose.”

"So, your friend just happens to be one of the victims?"

“I don’t know. I’m not clear about his specific situation, but he should be dead, and he died a pretty gruesome death. I heard that there’s not a single living person left in that town, so I’m going to go and collect his body.”

Igris nodded, indicating that she roughly understood.

Although she didn't really understand, she did notice some rather strange things.

Indiscriminate slaughter will not do any good to those chaotic individuals; on the contrary, it will only bring trouble upon them. Moreover, such a thing does not sound like something a normal person would do.

I guess it's some kind of weird mental pollution again?

"So, darling, would you like to come and help?"

"...After all, I really can't put my mind at ease."

Igris turned to look at Momokawa, who brought it up before she could speak.

"If you need help, I can help you too."

"No... I do need your help, but your task remains the same: take good care of this shop."

Igris didn't plan to invite Momokawa to go on the adventure. There were many reasons for this. Besides the fact that Igris' shop needed someone to take care of it and in case someone came looking for her and couldn't find her, another reason was because of her special physical condition.

A person who gets into trouble wherever they go will deliberately seek out trouble, and will inevitably encounter even more trouble.

To avoid further unnecessary danger and trouble, Igris decided not to ask Momokawa to go with her.

To put it another way, Igris is very confident in herself, to the point that if she can't solve the problem, then taking others with her would most likely just be a suicide mission.

In addition, this matter was originally Isabella's private affair.

"If that's really your plan, I'll listen to you."

Momokawa rarely expressed her opinions, so Igris didn't know whether her words expressed dissatisfaction or simply indicated that she was going to do as Igris said.

Humans are indeed complex creatures.

Igris glanced at Isabella, who was still staring at her, looking restless, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

When do we set off?

"Anytime is fine. Now is a good time. The sun has just risen, and we should be able to be back before dark."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you."

Igris sighed, and Isabella just smiled, seemingly enjoying seeing Igris's troubled expression.

Or rather, she enjoyed seeing any expression Igris made.

"Oh, and..."

I almost forgot to mention it, although it didn't seem like a particularly important thing, but Igris still emphasized it again.

"Don't call me 'darling'..."

"Hey—why? Aren't we in that kind of relationship?"

As Isabella spoke, she tried to grab Igris's arm and act coquettishly.

She was deliberately putting on this act, as if declaring her sovereignty over Igris in front of others, although basically no one would care.

Yes, Momokawa didn't care. She had neither the mood nor the desire to watch a crow shaking its feathers and showing off. It wasn't interesting, and it wasn't even worth writing in her notes.

I still hope you can be more normal.

"This is love, love, do you understand?"

The Bizarre Stage Play - The Book of Secrets: Chapter Thirty-Five, A Dual Investigation

As Isabella said, the Bayanka at this moment was far more chaotic than it appeared on the surface.

For example, Alex, who came on vacation but was still dragged to work.

"I strongly suspect that you are targeting me."

"How could that be... it's just that we're currently short-staffed."