She is not an investigator.

Igris didn't put him down immediately. Hearing Igris's words, he stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Oh my God, oh my God! What are you saying? I'm just a child. I can't have anything you want, but my life is in your hands now. The nights here are dangerous, there are even wolves. You can't just leave me to die."

“Of course I can,” Igris replied.

No one can ask her to do anything in any way.

But she was just joking.

boom--!

A bullet struck the rope on the tree with perfect accuracy, and the boy fell directly to the ground, screaming loudly.

"Oh my god! I thought I was going to die. Thank you, thank you so much! I think I have to go home now... Do you still want to go on? There might be danger ahead."

A well-intentioned reminder? As payment for saving him?

"Of course, I haven't found my prey yet."

The boy nodded and thanked him again.

"Thank you for saving my life. I hope you find your prey and wish you peace."

He left, heading towards the forest's exit. He might see the body of another of his companions along the way, but that didn't matter; after all, Igris still needed to find her prey.

As she continued forward, she found another child after only a few steps.

This was the third one she had seen, but compared to the previous two, the little guy in front of her was much more pitiful.

His body was embedded in the tree, almost entirely covered in blood and wounds, but he still appeared to possess reason and the ability to think, which made him look even more pitiful.

"Please! Please! Save me! Or kill me!"

He saw Igris, and he also saw the gun in Igris's hand.

He was in great pain, the pain stemming from his wounds and his inability to move his body.

How did you get in?

Igris was very curious about how a person could embed themselves inside a tree.

"A witch! It was a witch! There's a witch in the forest! She kidnapped my companions, killed them, and imprisoned me here!"

He cried out in grief and indignation, and pleaded again.

"Please, kill me! I can't take this torture anymore. Those damn woodpeckers are eating my body. It hurts...it hurts so much..."

boom--!

"As you wish."

Igris put away her weapon and continued forward.

After about a ten-minute walk, she spotted a building.

A candy house.

No child could resist a house made entirely of candy, and Igris was no exception.

So she kicked open the candy door almost without hesitation.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we didn't mean to break in. We were just really hungry and wanted something to eat."

There were many children lying in the room, and their bodies were noticeably larger than usual, far more obese than simply obese.

They were so exhausted that they could no longer walk and could only lie on the ground.

"Where are your other companions?"

"Igris asked."

The children all looked up and pointed in the direction ahead.

"He was all alone there, searching for treasure; even food couldn't entice him."

As they spoke, the children looked at Igris and picked up the candy.

"Try them, these candies taste really good, give them a try."

Igris ignored the children and left the candy store, continuing on her way.

She finally stopped again when the children's laughter had completely disappeared.

She spotted her prey.

A big gray wolf.

Igris instinctively raised the gun in her hand, but the Big Bad Wolf spoke at that moment.

Its mouth was open, and its voice was hoarse and deep.

"Don't kill me."

It's said that the medicine is warmed by leeks and the land is covered with three? >.

“I didn’t eat the children, and I’m not your prey. You should keep going and find the treasure.”

The big gray wolf lay on the ground, revealing its emaciated body.

It hadn't eaten for a long time because it couldn't catch any prey and had nothing to eat.

"Why don't you hurt those children? You look really hungry."

"Igris asked."

The big bad wolf scratched his head and shook it as he spoke.

"The witch will not allow us to harm humans. In order to survive, we have to make sacrifices. As long as we hold on long enough, we will eventually have food to eat."

Igris didn't understand what it meant, but she was very interested in witches.

"Where's the candy store? Can't you eat candy?"

The big bad wolf scratched his head again, shook his head, and said.

"The witch said, we are not allowed to eat people, neither alive nor dead."

Igris didn't say anything, just nodded and continued walking forward.

About five minutes later, a large tree appeared in front of her.

Although there are many trees in the forest, this one is more eye-catching.

Because it can talk and has a human face.

"I am a big tree."

It said that.

Perhaps this was a self-introduction, which Igris couldn't understand, but she still asked out of curiosity.

Why can you talk?

The tree was noticeably silent for a moment, probably thinking, and it wasn't until a long time had passed that it spoke again.

"Because of the witch's request."

She's still a witch.

Who is the witch, Krentia?

"Have you seen a child who passed by here?"

The tree nodded, swaying slightly as if it had been blown by the wind.

"That child was with the witch, and he coveted her treasure, but the witch will not give it to him."

Igris didn't want to know that much; she just wanted to know where to find those two guys.

But at that moment, the tree suddenly moved its body, revealing the cave beneath it.

"Inside, you can find many things: the witch's treasure, the child's treasure, and your prey."

After the tree finished speaking, it withered and died completely.

Because its roots were torn off, it had no chance of survival.

Igris crawled into the hole and, amidst the darkness, slowly plummeted downwards.

Until the feeling of weightlessness suddenly disappeared, everything in front of her finally returned to brightness.

But at that moment, she was already sitting in her seat at the opera house.

The red curtain on the stage slowly closed, and Krendia stood up, looking at Igris beside her.

"The performance is over. Perhaps I just couldn't appreciate it; the opera was just too boring."

Igris snapped out of her daze and instinctively reached for her waist. Relieved by the familiar feel of the pistol, she smiled.

"I'm already very happy that you're willing to try this with me. I'm a little tired today, so maybe we can call it a day."

Krentia glanced at Igris, a subtle, indescribable look flickering in her purple eyes, but ultimately nodded.

"Let's go home, let's go together."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The day after returning to the castle was exceptionally peaceful and serene. After dinner, Clendia once again invited Igris to sleep in the same bed.

He then took out his own fairy tale book.

"Would you be willing to listen to my story today?"

Igris lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling above her head, and nodded gently.

"Of course, just like before."

Krentia smiled, a very happy and sweet smile.

She liked the feeling, enjoying sharing her fairy tales with Igris.

Perhaps in her eyes, this is what love is.

"A long, long time ago... there was a group of rabbits."

Long, long ago, there was an incredible kingdom.

It is built on a girl's fantastic and beautiful dream, filled with incredible beauty and miracles.