She is not an investigator.

"I guess you have something you want to tell me."

She probably sensed Igries's hesitant expression and took over the conversation, making sure she was free to talk to Igries.

The more I look at her, the more she resembles a robot.

"That's right. I plan to hand this shop over to you. I'll probably be going on a long trip during this time."

"Hmm... It's troublesome for me to take care of this shop for you. But this is a detective agency, and even without any cases, I might still not be able to handle this job."

She rarely showed a troubled expression when faced with Igris's request.

However, Igris is not worried about this problem.

“I think you’re a good fit. There are very few customers here, and you’re always a help. Besides, you do need a place to stay for the long term, don’t you?”

As Igris spoke, she stuffed a thick envelope into her arms.

"This is your reward. Since I don't know when I'll be back, in a sense, it contains most of my savings."

"You don't need to pay me."

"But running a store like this always requires capital."

Igris smiled and made a shushing gesture, continuing nonchalantly.

"Besides, if you're willing, you can try to renovate this shop and do some things you like... That's your freedom. I just hope that when I come back, there will still be a place for me here."

"……certainly."

Momokawa accepted the envelope, his gaze sweeping over Igris's face before quickly lowering it again.

She probably wanted to ask something, but felt it would be too offensive, so she didn't continue.

Igris knew, but she didn't intend to tell her any more information, after all, Igris herself didn't know how complicated her journey would be.

This is not just about making arrangements for her funeral, but also a way of saying goodbye to her.

"And... well, there will probably be people coming to you. Some you may know, some you may not, but it doesn't matter. You just need to tell them that I'm just traveling and everything is fine."

"Then, where should we find you?"

"Don't look for me, I'll be back sooner or later anyway, won't I?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Igris rubbed her neck, feeling a strange itch.

Perhaps it's the weather that's causing her to catch another cold? Of course, it's also possible that someone is talking about her behind her back, but none of that matters.

"That's enough small talk. I hope everything goes well for you from now on."

"You too... I wish you a safe and peaceful journey."

Igris waved and walked out of the office.

She didn't bring anything extra; she had no suitcase, no change of clothes, only her wallet.

After all, this trip is different from the one to the Arctic; she doesn't need to spend long periods in uninhabited areas, so money will still be useful in this situation.

"But then again, where are you planning to go?"

The administrator's voice appeared in Igris's mind, conversing with her.

She doesn't seem to be leaving, and Igris doesn't know if that's good news or not, but at least she now has someone to talk to.

“Sekred, I have a feeling I can find some clues there.”

Igris couldn't directly tell her that there was a talking creature inside her head.

"That is indeed a city suitable for travel."

The administrator seemed to be being sarcastic, but indeed, that famous place in the city is quite special.

The city wasn't very large, surrounded by mountains, and nearby lay the largest unexplored forest known to date, said to contain many wondrous and dangerous things, so the exploration plan had never gone smoothly.

But if we disregard things outside the city, this small city boasts the largest Christian church.

Igris found it hard to even imagine how such a super cathedral, capable of holding approximately 60,000 people, was built.

It's worth mentioning, however, that the city's total population seems to be less than 60,000, with most of the residents being tourists who come from afar.

It is embarrassing.

"So you really think there might be some clues there, or are you just planning to go for a trip?"

"Hmm...you have them all?"

The compass pointed to many, many places, but the clearest and strongest indication was probably only in this city.

"Besides, don't you want to see the world's largest church? I bet there are a lot of clergy there, and the priests would be very interested."

“If you take a cult member there, they will definitely put you both in jail.”

…………

The door to a new world has been opened, the key remains in your hands. The game between the gods is over; now, you stand alone on this stage.

[Show your sweat and blood, give it your all, and let the audience cheer and go wild!]

This is a stage play that belongs only to you, a fairy tale that will ultimately be written with eeriness and cruelty, until the very last curtain falls.

They cannot leave.

Title Obtained: The Lonely Dancer

—? ? ?

Note: The real show is just beginning.

The bizarre stage play – The Book of Secrets: The End!

Congratulations to myself, I've finished writing a million-word novel and am basking in the glow of the flowers.

Although it's not really over yet, I guess everyone who's been reading this book is pretty much used to it by now.

The previous volume was a new outline, and the plot might be quite boring because I threw in too many new settings, including black and white cats, Moon Lake, the library, the secret treasure, fairy tale books, the librarian, and a whole bunch of other random things.

So it might look a little awful?

Actually, when I was writing this volume, my outline was a complete mess. Every time I typed, I had a hard time imagining how the plot I wrote would connect together. So I simply scrapped the outline and rewrote it.

Of course, it's not a complete rewrite; at least this volume serves as a bridge between the previous and subsequent volumes (?).

After that, I will carefully organize my plot outline, especially making revisions and adjustments based on the questions and opinions you have given me.

I always felt that this book was like an experimental field, with all sorts of things being stuffed into it.

Although this volume is indeed a bit padded and bland, it is indeed the starting point of a new chapter. I wonder if everyone has noticed the changes in the table of contents.

I won't write any more, lest I exceed the word count and have to pay again.

In short, thank you to everyone who has supported me all this time. One million is a milestone, and I feel quite amazing that I have been able to persevere until now.

Finally, I hope to write a story that will satisfy everyone to a certain extent, so please feel free to leave a comment or join the group if you have any opinions.

Ghana.

The bizarre stage play – The City of Gluttonous Bloodthirsty Thugs: Chapter One, Confessing to Igris!

"Lord...I repent, please forgive my sins..."

“Lost children, please confess your sins, and the Lord will be tolerant of every child.”

"Of course, of course... I confess, my Lord, I always feel hungry, I feel cold, I crave food, I crave more food, my stomach is spasming, it's trembling, my body seems to have lost its mind, it feels like it's going to burst, but I can never fill my stomach... Lord, I confess, I..."

Inside the confessional, the man gasped for breath and wept bitterly.

"I shouldn't have stolen my son's snacks!"

"...Lord, forgive your sins. Everyone who makes a mistake has the opportunity to repent and start anew. Go, live a good life, and don't forget to return the snacks that belong to your son."

"Thank you, thank you, Lord! Thank you!"

The man left in agitation, and a clear sigh echoed from the confessional.

"Is there something wrong with their brains...?"

"I think you're the one with a problem with your brain. Do you find it interesting to be a nun here?"

The administrator's voice launched a merciless attack on Igris, but Igris retorted defiantly.

“What do you know! In places like this, churches are the most likely places to have problems. And they’re even hiring clergy here. Do you know how unusual that is for a church? Not to mention that old man, who just glanced at me and then hired me. There’s definitely something wrong with him.”

"Isn't the reason they recruit nuns just to find some younger, prettier girls to fill their seats? Do you think there are many people who could be called pretty if you stood there?"

The administrator ruthlessly pointed out the truth: if there were many young women who thought they were quite good-looking applying to be nuns, then when Igris also appeared in the application line, no one else could stand out as much as her.

So, do we even need to think about who to recruit? It's obvious even to someone with a brain.

“But I still feel that something is wrong here. They would actually recruit outsiders as clergy.”

Igris touched her chin, her expression quite serious.

Although this was her seventh day at work, she hadn't found any clues, except that the church priest seemed to enjoy gathering in the courtyard to play house with the children.

But this can't be considered indecent behavior, after all, there are probably not many elderly people who can still have such a childlike heart.

"Never mind... it's time to go home. I'll see about it tomorrow."

Igris stretched and slowly walked out of the confessional.

She was wearing a black and white nun's habit, which was specially made for her after she got the job.

Logically speaking, once Igris joined the company, they should have prepared a ready-made nun's habit for her, since that's what most people do.

It was only because of Igris's rather deformed figure that their uniforms had strange gaps.

It's likely that when those people were designing the nuns' clothes, no one really thought that a woman of this height wouldn't be able to fill out a single garment.

However, it seems that because everyone felt that talking about this would be a bit offensive to Igris, no one has mentioned it to her until today, so she has naturally received a very well-fitting and perfect nun's habit.

She always makes people feel a little sorry for her for some reason, even though she herself doesn't care about it at all.

"Igris, you've had a hard day too."

As she walked out of the confessional, her colleague greeted her warmly and handed her an envelope.

"This is your salary."

"Thank you... Why are you the one paying my salary? What about the old priest?"