She is not an investigator.

Return to nothingness.

A sense of disorientation began to surface before Igris's eyes, like the countless flashbacks that had occurred in the ancient castle. The endless, lightless deep sea once again engulfed her, and the despair hidden beneath the deep sea revealed a part of itself once more.

The surrounding air seemed to be filled with seawater, trying to drown Igris on the spot.

This is a hunt, a hunt that transcends time and fate, a hunt for the soul.

But the next moment, the crisp sound of gears turning rang in Igris' ears, and the seawater seemed to freeze, ceasing its aggressive attack and simply enveloping Igris within it.

The pain continued until a worn-out, ancient longsword pierced the waves, and the surrounding creatures vanished in an instant, leaving only a dazed Igris under the moonlight, panting heavily.

"...What was that just now...?"

Igris shook her head and looked at Momokawa beside her. Momokawa seemed to be lost in thought as well, and after a moment of stunned silence, she looked at Igris in return.

"...This feeling is really not good."

She touched her neck to make sure there were no wounds, then looked at the knight slowly walking towards the two of them.

The knight's longsword had been drawn at some point, just like the ancient longsword that pierced the waves.

“You who are hated by the sea, you who are longed for by pain, why are you here?”

His voice was hoarse and strange, and no expression could be seen beneath his heavy armor. His tone was also devoid of emotion, but an invisible pressure lingered in the hearts of the two women.

The knight does exist, but he shouldn't be here.

His time was thrown into chaos.

"And why are you here?"

Igris slowly stopped, looked at the knight in front of her, and asked her question.

“Some people are calling for justice, and I am responding.”

His vocal cords seemed to have a problem, and his voice was intermittent, but he still managed to express what he wanted to say.

He should have been a spirit slumbering in the earth, but he was summoned by the unknown, transcending time and space to appear here.

He is still alive, but he is already dead.

Standing here is not the knight himself, but his faith buried in the earth, the creed he pursued throughout his life.

That's why he'll be here, standing beside everyone who suffers oppression and injustice, using his own weapons to pave a path for those in need.

He is the last knight.

Igris glanced at Momokawa beside her. She didn't say anything and didn't look well.

The illusion just now seems to have happened to Momokawa as well, but I don't know what happened to her. It doesn't seem to have ended as simply as it did with Igris.

However, compared to that, Igris had something more important to do.

"I have something to ask you."

The knight looked at Igris, bowed slightly, and planted his longsword in the ground.

“Those hated by the sea, those whose fates are intertwined, I too have questions to ask.”

"It looks like we can have a good talk now."

The Gods' Fool - The Last Knight: Chapter 30, Losing Oneself (Bonus Chapter 2/5)

Amidst the desolate rocks, the knight sat cross-legged, longsword in his arms, gazing quietly into the distance.

Igris leaned against the tree, tugged at her collar, and hid her expression.

Momokawa stood still, quietly watching the knight and Igris, remaining silent for a long time.

The silence was finally broken when the knight's decaying and hoarse voice rang out.

"Your name is..."

“Igris, you can call me that.”

The knight nodded slightly and spoke slowly.

"I have been called to uphold justice, but..."

Why did you hurt the owner of that factory?

If he continues asking questions slowly like this, they probably won't get to the bottom of things even if they talk until dark.

The knight was silent for a moment, seemingly unsure how to answer, and then scratched his helmet.

This action was strange; it was his habit, but he couldn't take off his helmet.

"They are oppressed, and I am just helping them."

"Is this why you killed him? You thought he was oppressing the factory workers and was a bad person?"

The knight nodded, but still offered an explanation.

"They stopped me. I didn't understand, so I didn't continue."

The knight lived in an era so ancient that the best way to uphold justice in his mind was to slay evil.

But he seems to have lost the ability to judge what is evil.

Why do you think he is evil?

"…I have no idea."

When he woke up, he had already lost a lot.

He remembered nothing of his past experiences, life lessons, except for the battles themselves and the creeds etched into his bones.

All he knew was that evil people should be killed.

Bullying the weak is evil.

Those who deceive and are cunning are evil.

The indiscriminate killing of innocent people is evil.

Those who are disloyal, unjust, and unkind are also evil.

Evil shall be punished; that was the only thing he remembered.

Why can't the factory owner be considered evil? He bullies the weak, uses his status and position to oppress his employees, reduces wages, making the already difficult situation of the workers even more difficult, colludes with those above and below him, and has even kept the illegal factory running to this day.

Is this really not considered evil?

Why can't he be killed? Should such a villain be protected?

“Killing him won’t help at all, and they won’t thank you.”

"why?"

"He was indeed not a good person, running an illegal factory and withholding wages, but they often had no choice. They needed the job, even if the income kept decreasing, even if the work became increasingly tiring, even if there was no safety guarantee whatsoever, they had to do it because they wanted to live. Without money, they couldn't survive. You killed him, you killed an evil person, you think you're doing justice, but countless people will lose their jobs, lose their source of income, and eventually die this winter. Do you still think that's justice?"

The knight fell silent. He couldn't answer the question because he himself had never understood why people would willingly bind themselves.

Slaves always yearn for freedom, and once their shackles are removed, they will rush towards freedom without hesitation.

But now, the slaves are wearing invisible shackles.

Perhaps what binds them is only themselves.

"I was summoned again."

The knight looked at the distant city and suddenly felt a sense of desolation.

This era does not welcome him, nor does it welcome such simple justice and righteousness, nor will it welcome such a decadent old relic.

People don't crave his salvation, and no one expects the knight to save them.

His timing was wrong.

“They…don’t need me.”

"Do not."

Igris looked up at the knight and the longsword in his arms.

"They still need you, they need a knight of justice."

"There's nothing I can do."

"Where are your virtues? Where is your glory? Stand up and take a good look at what this city really needs."

Igris pointed to the distant city of Molkens, an industrial metropolis that always seemed lifeless.

"Even now, there are still organizations that take pleasure in killing and believe in evil. Because of them, cities struggle to develop, and countless people are displaced, their families destroyed, and their lives ruined. If you truly consider yourself righteous, then you should know who your real enemy is."

The knight remained silent and did not answer.

"The city does not welcome knights."

Igris mimicked its tone and continued.

"Because the evil lurking beneath does not welcome justice."

"..."

"This city will not be peaceful for long."

Whether it's blood worship or those still lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.

With a new mayor taking office, a major reshuffle is inevitable in Molkens.

For the city itself, this will definitely be the best opportunity for a cleanup.

The rats will come out sooner or later, and when that happens, the knight who symbolizes justice will be more precious than any wealth.

"We will meet again, and hopefully by then you will have figured out what you really need to do."

The knight did not answer, remaining quietly seated and gazing at the distant city.

From the moment he became a knight, he had already figured out what he should really do.

But he forgot.

The mud and dust blurred his mind, leaving his past behind and washing it clean, leaving only the creed she had deeply imprinted in his soul.

He should help others.

Fairness should be upheld.