She is not an investigator.

Page 396

Then, flames rose up.

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.

Less than half an hour later, Igris, carrying the pink ball, slowly walked onto the street.

Behind her was the princess who followed closely behind, and also the city that was burning fiercely.

"Those guys..."

Igris looked at the sphere in her hand and recalled those seemingly gentlemanly people.

Or rather, it's hard to imagine it as a human-like creature.

They possess intelligence, can communicate, and use fixed rituals to conceal their inner nature, which is no different from that of wild beasts.

They are true hypocrites, and the greatest gift this secret has left here.

Lust.

“Let’s go, Your Highness… I have a feeling that I will gain much more here than I imagined.”

Igris's premonitions were always accurate, even though the caretaker wasn't with her at the moment.

"Uh-huh."

The princess still followed closely behind Igris, but at this moment she seemed somewhat absent-minded, her hands clasped helplessly together, lost in thought.

Of course she has worries; if she didn't, she would most likely become one of the anomalies here.

"If you have any worries, feel free to talk to me about them."

Igoris could see all of this, and she could also see the hesitation and confusion in Igor's heart.

"Although I am not a psychologist and I don't know much about how to comfort people, I will be a good listener."

The princess was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"I just... I just feel out of place with everything that's happening here. I don't understand why my almost perfect, incredible kingdom has become like this. I don't understand... Will our next destination also be like this, filled with despair..."

"My original intention in establishing this place was simply to make this world as beautiful and dreamy as a fairy tale world... rather than as cold and dangerous as the real world."

The princess was ultimately unable to say anything more. She was still reminiscing about all the memories of her time living here, the beauty of that time, and everything she had worked so hard to build.

"...This is my home."

The princess pursed her lips, but still managed a forced smile at Igris.

"I have nowhere else to go."

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Witch of Pride and the Kingdom of Wonders: Chapter Twenty-Two, Sloth, Envy, and Pride

"You, who come from reality, shouldn't say things like that."

The princess raised her head and looked at Igris, who hadn't even looked at her directly.

"You don't understand..."

"I hate that sentence."

Igris interrupted the princess before she could finish speaking and continued on her own.

"Of course I don't understand, because people who say such things never tell anyone about their past, so no one can understand what they're thinking except themselves, including you. You can treat this place as your home, but you come from reality and can't live in a dream forever."

"Everything here will eventually be destroyed. You have to accept reality, whatever reality awaits you, you have no choice."

"..."

The princess lowered her head again and let out a long, dejected sigh.

There's a reason she lives here, and that reason is precisely why she can't face reality.

She hides here, living in this beautiful world she has created, and can completely ignore the malice from reality.

But this place is about to be destroyed. Igris is right; she'll have to accept reality sooner or later.

Unless she wants to be destroyed along with this place.

"..."

"Keep moving forward, and hopefully the journey ahead will change your mind."

The two remained silent as they passed through the burning city, crossed the massive bridge built over the sea, and arrived at the archipelago.

There is the sea everywhere, but you can't hear the sound of the waves or see any waves. It's like stagnant water, devoid of any life.

Each small island was connected by a wooden bridge, which looked flimsy and hadn't been used in a long time.

Only after stepping onto that wooden bridge can one feel a little more at ease, allowing them to move forward slowly.

It didn't take long for the princess and Igris to stop.

On the way to the so-called Thorn Forest, they were once again blocked by a figure.

The man was lying on a deck chair, facing the sea, holding a fishing rod in his hand, fishing for something in the sea.

Only after seeing the two approaching did the man lift his straw hat, revealing his gaunt face.

"Hello, passersby, would you like to buy some fish?"

He took great care of the two of them and lifted the wooden basket beside him, pointing to the fish inside.

Igris glanced at it briefly; it was filled with dead fish, constantly emitting a strong fishy and putrid smell.

It's probably been sitting there for a long time and has started to spoil.

"We want to go there."

Igris shook her head, rejecting his suggestion, and instead pointed to the road behind him.

This guy was positioned to block the road, and if he didn't move aside, they really wouldn't be able to get through.

"That's going to be difficult."

He scratched his cheek in frustration and looked at the sea in front of him.

"As you can see, I'm fishing, trying to catch a legendary mermaid. That way, I won't have to go fishing anymore, I'll have endless money, and I certainly won't be blocking the way here. But I haven't caught one yet, so I can't move aside."

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and showed no intention of getting up.

How long have you been fishing here?

As Igris reached for the pistol at her waist, she asked casually.

"Ten years? Or twenty years? I don't know. It's hard to tell time at sea. If too much time passes, you'll forget even sunrises and sunsets."

Igris hesitated for a moment, then raised her pistol and continued to ask.

"Have you ever thought about doing some other work? The chances of catching a mermaid while fishing here are always very small."

"But if I catch a mermaid, I'll never have to work again, right? What if I leave and the mermaid comes? Wouldn't I be wasting a great opportunity? So why can't I just stay here forever?"

Standing by the sea, rising and falling with the waves. (First published by Yueyi!)

But he's unlikely to catch anything now.

"This place is now a dead sea."

"I know, I know," he replied nonchalantly.

"So I'm waiting. I'm waiting for the mermaids in the sea to die, waiting for their bodies to float to the surface, so I won't even have to go fishing anymore."

As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking very much in anticipation.

But in reality, he can't do it.

Because it's not just this ocean that's dead.

And himself.

"You should have noticed it sooner, noticed the changes in your body, noticed your rotting legs."

He lowered his head, looked at his legs which had turned into bare bones, and couldn't help but grin.

“I know, I’ve always known, but so what? In a place like this, even if I die, I’ll never truly be at ease. The only life I want is to keep fishing here.”

He turned his head to look at Igris's pistol aimed at him, and then gently pointed to his forehead.

"Go ahead, I won't stop you. Even if you kill me, I won't really disappear. You can't kill someone who's already dead. When the sun rises again, I'll still be here, continuing the wish I couldn't fulfill."

As he spoke, he reached into the wooden basket and slowly pulled out a gray sphere from beneath the corpses of the dead fish.

“I guess you’ll need this. The witch once told me to protect it and not let anyone else take it, but for me, this is obviously extra work. She can’t ask me to do this, and I won’t listen to her… Take it with you. The ‘others’ the witch was talking about are probably you.”

Igris took the gray sphere and nodded gently.

"Thank you, and goodbye."

boom--

The trigger was pulled, and the bullet struck him precisely in the forehead, instantly shattering his brain.

The headless corpse quickly fell into the sea, and countless arms suddenly emerged from the calm surface, tearing and peeling away at the body until it was a bloody mess.

It's a mermaid; there really are mermaids in this sea.

They just don't look beautiful.

"lazy."

Igris looked at the gray sphere in her hand and silently uttered its name.

This is the treasure of sloth; including the treasure of desire collected in that city, there are now two treasures here.

Including the gluttony, anger, and greed she had previously collected, now only envy and pride remain.

It would be nice if the administrator were here.

At least if she were there, Igris wouldn't have to think about these issues.

"The Thorn Forest must be just ahead."

Igris looked at the princess beside her, who seemed increasingly distracted, and gently nudged her.

"...Yes, that's right, the exit is just ahead."

The princess snapped out of her reverie and nodded gently, but her eyes betrayed her deep worry.