She is not an investigator.

That place is in the suburbs, very remote, and deep in the forest. Why would Momokawa go there and just happen to mark it?

What was it about that place that made her travel so far to find the butcher and leave her mark?

Iglesias didn't want to doubt the kind friend who brought her to the hospital, but she couldn't help but have some doubts; she needed at least a reasonable explanation.

Momokawa was aware of Igris's doubts and suspicions, but she didn't care, as she always was.

"I don't know why that thing was there. Maybe it was chasing something? Anyway, it definitely wasn't there in the first place. As for why I ended up nearby..."

Momokawa hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure whether to explain to Igris, perhaps also afraid that Igris wouldn't believe him.

However, considering that Igrilen might be able to accept most things, Momokawa ultimately confessed frankly.

"I saw a headless horse."

"..."

A headless horse?

It sounded like a very common anomaly, but Igris had never seen it in the investigator's handbook, nor had she ever heard of or encountered it.

Is it a new anomaly that has only emerged recently?

"So you're really curious?"

"...The important thing is that it had a saddle and horse armor, so I wanted to follow it to see who its owner was, but it ran too fast and I lost it near the woods, so I just went in to take a look."

It's a very common reason.

But the headless horse…

For some reason, Igris remembered the knight who appeared in that commission.

Although she still couldn't see it, the knight might really exist, or even be something unusual.

Whether it's appearing and disappearing unpredictably or launching attacks proactively, knights seem to be some kind of anomaly. For example, the most common headless knight is a typical humanoid anomaly, and it also has a high degree of compatibility with headless horses.

Perhaps we could consider shifting the focus of our investigation in this direction.

"So you left without finding anything else?"

Momokawa nodded, trying her best to appear innocent with this attitude, even though it was meaningless, but at least it looked cute.

Unfortunately, Igris had already roughly figured out this guy's character, so she didn't think she was really innocent.

"What are you planning to do next? Continue searching for the hidden darkness in this city?"

Igris said that on purpose because she knew that Momokawa was always getting into trouble, not of her own volition.

"I'm going to grab something to eat, do you want to come with me?"

"You're treating?"

Momokawa took out his wallet, glanced at the amount of money inside, and then decisively shook his head.

"Then I'll treat you."

At least Igris isn't really short of money right now.

The Gods' Fool - The Last Knight: Chapter Sixteen, Roses Again?

Igris didn't take Momokawa to any high-end stores, after all, she wasn't Olivia and wouldn't have that much spare money to listen to piano music.

However, Momokawa was still very grateful to Igris, since it had been a long time since she had been able to eat her fill without worrying about the cost.

This is a fast food restaurant. Although most people would think that fast food is not very healthy and the taste is not great, it is indeed Igris' favorite place to come.

After all, there's fried chicken to eat here.

As a typical carnivore, asking her to drink red wine and eat steak, while having to elegantly wipe her mouth with a napkin every now and then, would make her feel like she's not there to eat, but to perform a show.

That's why she prefers fast food restaurants; at least the atmosphere there is relaxed and natural.

Igris could even see homeless people dressed in dirty clothes eating here. Of course, Igris wouldn't look down on them; after all, who hasn't been homeless before?

It was precisely because of this kind of place that didn't discriminate against customers that she felt more at ease, especially since the fast food was quite affordable.

"Order whatever you want, it's on me."

Igris pulled out her bulging wallet, practically wearing the word "rich" on her face. After being poor for so long, she was finally going to experience what it was like to be rich.

"So, detective assistants make a lot of money?"

Looking at Igor's wallet, Taochuan was genuinely a little envious of her father, and even began to consider whether to accept Igor's invitation.

"It's alright, it's just that Olivia pays me a bit more."

Actually, it's not just a little bit.

Olivia's salary for Leng is practically like doing charity work in Shan. Putting aside everything else, her weekly salary alone is almost as high as other people's monthly salary.

Rather than saying she was working to earn money, it's more accurate to say she was being taken care of by Olivia.

Having a generous and wealthy boss is definitely the luckiest thing in the world.

……

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two finally parted ways. After all, it was getting dark, and Igris had to return to her office, while Momokawa also needed to go back to her own residence.

Today's haul was pretty good. I got a second-line clue about the Knights, a clue about Blood Worship, bought medicine to treat my cold, put my pocket watch in the watch shop for repair, killed a killer, and got a title that seems to be a vampire.

Unfortunately, Igris still couldn't pretend to be a vampire, since she wasn't that ugly.

Incidentally, Igris plans to find a waterproof lighter in a while to avoid a repeat of today's situation.

She's still using the lighter that Passa gave her.

As for the Mirror Demon's injuries... Igris couldn't do anything about it, so she could only let it continue to recover in the mirror and planned not to bother it too often in the future.

The Mirror Demon has made a significant contribution. If it hadn't drawn the fire, Igris's first attack probably wouldn't have hit so easily. However, its limitations are still too great. Even if it can transform into a sparrow, a creature that is difficult to hit, it will still be very weak in the face of rain.

Igris plans to take it to the zoo sometime, and maybe it will turn into a lion or an elephant.

Lost in her own thoughts, Igris walked into a clothing store.

She couldn't go back in these tattered clothes, otherwise Olivia would immediately notice something was wrong.

In addition, the weather has gotten much colder, and Igris had been wanting to buy some warm clothes for a while, otherwise she couldn't stand catching a cold every day.

Even her cold hasn't gotten better yet, and it's gotten worse.

Welcome!

……

Igris finally spent a gold coin to buy a set of clothes that she might wear this winter, that she wanted to wear now, that were suitable for her, and even a scarf.

That's the allure of financial freedom; spending money feels really great.

Although Igris didn't have that much money left, including the ten gold notes (one hundred silver dollars) she received for saving Maulkenson, the wages Derain had previously paid her in advance, and the money Pasa gave her, after deducting the expenses she had incurred during this period, the money spent on shopping, the money spent in the hospital, and the money spent on treating Momokawa to a meal, Igris currently only had fifty-three silver dollars left.

And tomorrow Olivia will pay her salary, twenty-five silver dollars. With her current savings, Igris actually has the illusion that she has more money than she can ever spend.

This made her feel better than ever before, and it also reminded her that she still wanted to get a pet.

Forget it, isn't it good to have a Mirror Demon as a pet? Why bother raising a creature that will starve to death if it's not fed?

Igris doesn't even take care of herself that much, let alone pets? Don't even think about it.

But she still planned to bring Olivia a gift back as a way of thanking her for taking care of her during this time.

In other words, it's about building goodwill.

Who wouldn't want to have a good image in front of a generous and wealthy boss?

Igris hadn't decided what to buy yet. Olivia had once owned parrots, which was one of the few pieces of information she knew, but she couldn't find any parrots in the city and couldn't buy one for her. Igris probably wouldn't be willing to spend a lot of money on one anyway.

Is there anything that doesn't cost a lot of money, can provide Olivia with the best emotional value, and is readily available everywhere?

I'll buy a bouquet of flowers.

At least this thing is indeed everywhere.

———— (Divider)

“Olivia—I’m back.”

Igris pushed open the door to the office, but it quickly fell silent.

The office was brightly lit, but Olivia was curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

The office has a second floor, and people usually go back to their rooms on the second floor when they are resting, rather than in places like this.

Clearly, either Olivia suddenly had a mental breakdown and wanted to sleep on the sofa, or she waited too long for Igris to come back and accidentally fell asleep.

In Igris's understanding, she would probably only be the second type.

After all, Igris had only been in this city for a short time and was unfamiliar with the place. It was also getting dark outside, so he was probably a little worried, which is why he kept waiting for her to come back.

Although Igris didn't say it, she still appreciated this kind of care.

So she would only be happy secretly and wouldn't show it.

"Olivia? Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold."

Igris leaned down and gently poked Olivia's face, but Olivia, who frowned slightly, pushed her hand away and continued sleeping.

Igris was almost reluctant to disturb her.

Igris considered carrying her upstairs to sleep, but given Igris' current strength and physical condition, moving this person, who was about the same weight as her or even a little heavier, up the stairs to the second floor would be less feasible. Igris would rather think about how to wake her up.

Igris placed the roses she had bought by the roadside on the table and turned to go upstairs to get a blanket.

Don't ask why she bought roses, because the children selling flowers usually only have roses in their hands.

Just as she went upstairs, Olivia quietly opened her eyes and looked at the roses on the table.

She was faking it.

She just wanted to play a prank.

She just might not be able to keep up the act anymore.

After all, she hadn't expected Igris to return with roses, so she couldn't keep up the act any longer.

A slight smile shouldn't be a big problem.

The Gods' Fool - The Last Knight: Chapter Seventeen, The Changes in the Body