She is not an investigator.

"Actually, you can, you just don't want to."

Igris spoke without hesitation, but under his surprised gaze, she still shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, you can pretend I didn't say anything."

"...Okay, I'll do my best."

He didn't say what he had tried his best to do, and Igris didn't ask any further questions. After all, it was their family matter, and Igris shouldn't interfere too much. It was best for her to just do what she was supposed to do.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I won't bother you any longer. If there is anything, just call the servants. I'll take my leave now."

Nanko nodded politely to Igris, then left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving only Igris and Olivia inside.

"Has he always been like this?"

Which aspect are you referring to?

Olivia sat down in the chair, casually took a loaf of bread from the basket, and took a bite. Even though it was meant for Igris, she had taken too much, and eating a few wouldn't hurt.

"In terms of personality, his family background should be a source of pride and honor for him, but he appears too timid. It's hard not to wonder if he experienced some kind of trauma in his childhood."

Igris held out her hand to Olivia, who, understanding perfectly, handed Igris a piece of bread she had already taken a bite of. After being glared at by Igris, Olivia could only exchange it for a new piece of bread and then said...

"No, he's always been like this since I've known him. He was often bullied in school because of this, and because of his withdrawn personality, he didn't have many friends to help him. His brother always had to avenge him."

"how about you?"

Olivia blinked and shrugged.

"I was the one who bullied him."

"It's amazing that you two became friends."

"What do you know? It's precisely because I was the one who bullied him that most people don't dare to bully him, which indirectly helps him a lot."

Igris didn't want to comment on this, she just silently took a bite of her bread.

"Wow...it's so sweet..."

It was even sweeter than any dessert she had ever eaten; no wonder it was honey bread, it was incomparable to ordinary white bread.

"Eat more, you look even thinner than Nan Ke."

"So why is he so thin? Anorexia?"

Olivia shook her head.

"No, but no matter how much he eats, he always looks the same. I don't even know where his fat and energy go. Isn't that amazing? I wish I had that ability too."

Iglesias glanced at Olivia's figure and gently shook her head.

"At least you look pretty good right now."

Is this a compliment?

"If you say so, then it is."

Olivia was in such a good mood that she unconsciously picked up the glass of milk that was meant for Igris.

Fortunately, under Igris's gaze, she realized what had happened, put down the milk as if nothing had happened, and pushed it towards Igris.

"You know what? You look really thin, like you've been locked up somewhere for a week and haven't eaten much."

"This also makes my body more aggressive than that of the average woman."

Without even looking up, Iglesias told a joke that wasn't funny at all; at least Olivia didn't find it funny.

"So now it's my turn to ask you, Mio, why are you so thin? (Look at you) It's like you have anorexia, or did you suffer some kind of abuse in the past?"

"I'm a picky eater."

"That's a great answer."

Olivia didn't ask any more questions. Igris's expression practically screamed "I don't want to talk about it." Continuing the conversation probably wouldn't be of any use. There was still plenty of time to get to know her assistant, so there was no need to rush.

After swallowing the bread in her mouth, Igris picked up the milk and asked casually.

What are your thoughts on Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)?

After saying that, he took a big gulp, clearing the blockage he had accidentally choked on while swallowing the bread, and sighed comfortably.

How could anyone be so stupid as to actually choke on honey bread?

"What kind of evaluation do you want, that of him as a person, or that of this incident?"

"I want them both."

Igris took another sip of milk and wiped her mouth, without trying to get any more bread.

Olivia hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Regarding this matter... I can't judge whether what he did was right or wrong. I don't have the right to say that. But if it were me, I certainly wouldn't want to be bound by others either. But that's ultimately my personal opinion. I don't understand what family honor means, so I'm destined to be unable to understand the Noval family. As for him, he does seem a bit unreliable, but how should I put it... he's quite persistent in some ways and willing to take action for it. He's also quite good to his friends. He's not a great person, but at least we can get along."

At this point, she gently shook her head.

"But unfortunately, this guy has almost no friends. Apart from me, I only know that he's on good terms with a guy who studies art. But that guy, like me, didn't go to college, and I don't know where he went after that. I'll probably have to ask him."

"Then why didn't you go to university?"

"Because I've become a detective."

Seeing Olivia's composed demeanor, Iglesias almost forgot that she was only twenty years old.

However, she probably forgot that she was only eighteen years old.

The Gods' Fool - The Castle's Invitation: Chapter Nine, Begin the Exploration

"I bet your family doesn't support you."

"Indeed, but he only has one daughter, me, so I currently have enough money to afford it."

As expected of a young lady, Igris's first impressions are always very accurate.

"What about Ling? How did you meet Ling?"

"Weren't we talking about Southern University of Science and Technology? How did you get involved with me?"

Despite saying that, Olivia didn't hide anything and told the truth.

"But Ling... actually, the connection is quite deep. It's because of an unusual item that we met. I don't know if you've heard her mention it, or heard about it from others, about [lovers]?"

Igris frowned and said somewhat uncertainly.

Are you referring to that deck of cards, "[The Lovers]"?

"Yes, yes, it seems you know that we met because of this. I was very interested in the occult and wanted to try learning tarot. In the end, I found a set of tarot cards in my father's collection. The [Lovers] card was unusual, and she was the one who came to contain it."

Igris's expression as she looked at Olivia became somewhat strange. As far as she knew, the [Lovers] in Tarot was about the relationship between the sexes, and the corresponding anomalous item could directly determine this relationship, causing two strangers to fall in love, or causing lovers to break up.

"So, you've been affected by this thing?"

“I know what you’re thinking, but no, it’s just that I accidentally influenced my friend when I was doing a divination for her.”

Olivia shrugged and said nonchalantly.

"Then she broke up with her boyfriend of three years. Although they got back together in the end, it still had a big impact."

Iglesias could imagine how desperate the man must have felt when he was dumped.

Is that the only one?

"Yes, the other cards didn't show any abnormalities. The specific reason is unclear, but we got to know each other because of this and exchanged contact information so that we can contact her directly if anything happens in the future."

Sure enough, for someone like Olivia, making friends is such a simple thing, a skill that Igris will probably never learn in her lifetime.

"You've been talking about me the whole time, but what about you? I'd really like to know more about you."

When Olivia asked her a question, Iglesias didn't really know how to introduce herself, but she could probably tell her some things that Ling might have told her.

For example, she actually saved Maulkenson and blew up a monster that was almost ten meters tall while holding a bomb.

However, there's no need for that. After all, carrying a bomb and self-destructing with someone doesn't sound very honorable, so she can introduce herself in the simplest way possible.

“I’m just an ordinary person who happened to be in danger in Maulkens and was rescued by Ling.”

"I see..."

Isn't this obviously fake? But Igris doesn't care whether she thinks it's true or false, because she will definitely ask Ling directly in the future, and it's better to let Ling say some things.

"Are you going to rest? I'm right next door. If you need anything, just call me."

"I want to go out for a walk first."

At least Igris had just finished eating and went straight to bed to sleep, so she probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

"Alright, but this castle is quite big. If you get lost, you can try calling for a servant or maid, and they will bring you back."

"understood."

Igris felt that Olivia was worrying too much. After all, she wouldn't get lost in a place like this. If she couldn't even return the way she came, Igris probably wouldn't have much of a chance to investigate any more complex terrain.

"Then I'll go and rest first."

Watching Olivia leave the room, Iglesias didn't rush out for a stroll.

She first took out her pistol and checked the ammunition inside.

In the battle at Maulkenson, she nearly used up all the few bullets the Special Investigations Department had given her. Fortunately, the pistol was very forgiving of most types of ammunition, so much so that Igris could load it with almost any bullet, the only difference being the power of the bullet.

Based on my current experience, the bullets from the gun that came with it are still more powerful. One shot is enough to blow a vampire's head to smithereens. However, the accuracy is slightly worse, which is probably the reason for its poor performance.

Then came the ammunition provided to her by the Special Investigations Department. Although the power was slightly weaker, the accuracy was good. And because the power was not strong enough, Igris could even fire continuously without worrying about injuring her wrist or anything like that.

Unfortunately, she only had four bullets left from the Special Investigations Department. Even after loading them all into the chamber, there was still some space left. Although Olivia had repeatedly emphasized to Igris that there was no real danger this time, and Igris had initially thought so as well, neither the strange characters on the stone tablet at the entrance, the bizarre legends about the Tears of the Ocean, nor the familiar hallucinations in the hall could give her even the slightest sense of security. All she felt was suspicion and vigilance.

However, the weapon in hand is probably sufficient.

"Four bullets..."

She might ask Olivia for some bullets later, but not now. She's just going out for a stroll right now, and asking for bullets would be highly suspicious and dangerous.

Lost in thought, Igris put the gun back on her waist and walked out of the bedroom.

Stepping outside, there's a long corridor with many rooms on both sides, but they're all empty. No one lives there or takes care of them, so the doors are all locked.

At the end of the corridor is a window that offers a direct view of the outside scenery, but it is blocked off by iron railings from the outside, probably to prevent someone from accidentally falling from here, since it is quite high off the ground.

Igris looked out the window. It was completely dark now, but a faint light still shone from the windows of the castle courtyard, allowing her to see the general outline of the outside world.