Buying Out A Life

Ethan scanned every room, holding a gas lamp in his left hand and a detector in his right. The detector's needle remained in the blue range, emitting no piercing noises, indicating everything was normal.

According to the intelligence from the Containment Bureau, Roxanne didn't seem like the type to return as a ghost for revenge.

The attack on Riverside Town next door had everyone on edge. Therefore, the moment the Imperial Union Bank staff discovered the corpse, they immediately cremated it along with Roxanne's usual Clown Uniform and Headgear. The Guild dispatched three professional Demon Hunters to accompany the entire process, using the rituals they reserved for fallen comrades.

Rituals could bring peace to the souls of the deceased, preventing them from becoming Vengeful Ghosts.

Ethan had been in the Haunted House for nearly an hour when the sound of a key turning in the lock finally came from the entrance.

Ivy entered, looking somewhat exhausted.

"It was the rain. Marshall said that on that day, the Brookwood Town branch had a Social Mixer and invited Roxanne to liven things up. The staff said he was drenched when he arrived, completely out of sorts. His performance at the mixer also went awry. While performing Acrobatics, he knocked over a bottle of expensive Red Wine and was reprimanded."

Ivy summarized Marshall's message to her as concisely as possible.

After Ethan left, Marshall was still angry, so his wording wasn't as... gentle.

He considered Roxanne to be Trash, a Coward, unable to even handle the most basic performance. He thought Roxanne had simply taken the reprimand and the rain too hard and committed suicide.

Marshall was indifferent to Roxanne's death. After Ethan left, he complained to Ivy that these bottom-feeders of society only caused them trouble.

They had provided Roxanne with a job, a means to make a living. But what was the result?

This ungrateful Clown was still causing trouble in the apartment after his death, significantly delaying their work.

Ethan voiced his conclusion, "He wouldn't kill himself over such a small matter."

Ivy mentioned Roxanne's mistake at work that day, suggesting that something unusual must have happened before then. Currently, they only knew Roxanne had ended his life in this apartment, and they had no way of knowing if his death was also influenced by a Cursed Object.

Ivy seemed surprised, "You knew him?"

"Sort of. I handled the handover when he was at the Guild Annual Meeting before. In my memory, he was an optimistic and dedicated person."

Honestly, Ethan admired Roxanne.

It was Roxanne's existence that allowed Ethan to witness a completely different kind of life. If he hadn't found free lodging at the Guild when he first arrived in Brookwood Town, but instead taken out a large Loan from the Imperial Union Bank to buy a house, he would probably be living under enormous Debt every day.

For those unable to repay their debts, the Imperial Union Bank thoughtfully provided them with jobs.

Roxanne was cheerful and skilled at making people laugh, thus becoming Brookwood Town's "Exclusive" Clown. However, in reality, all his jobs were arranged by the Imperial Union Bank – where to go, who to entertain, and his daily Working Hours were all decided by others.

There was a popular saying in the Guild.

Once you owe the Imperial Union Bank money, your life is essentially bought out by them.

Until the Debt is repaid, your physical strength, your mind, and your freedom will be controlled by the Lofik Consortium.

And in this era, there was no such thing as Labor Law.

Ethan later learned that those without specialized skills were sent to the mines near Brookwood Town for manual labor. When Gear City was rapidly building new Military Factories, a group of them were also sent there. Their daily Working Hours started at ten hours, doing strenuous physical work. Some people never returned to town after leaving, and soon, no one discussed them anymore.

The role of a Clown was not easy. Besides the high-intensity performances, Roxanne had to rack his brain every day during his rest time to figure out how to entertain people.

A Joke had a lifespan of only one use; he had to constantly replenish his repertoire.

Ethan learned all this when they talked after the Guild Annual Meeting.

They sat by the fireplace on the first floor of the Guild, with Beer for the Celebration on the table. Roxanne told Ethan many new jokes he had thought of, asking him to evaluate them as an audience.

Roxanne found joy in it; he truly enjoyed the feeling of making others happy.

Ethan also witnessed Roxanne being criticized during his performances. The Clown's status was seen as inferior by many. The people from the Imperial Union Bank spoke of him with undisguised contempt in their eyes.

This Mr. Clown, who always brought laughter and joy, reminded Ethan of a saying: "There is only one true Heroism in the world: to understand the truth of life and still love it."

Ethan believed that if their life paths had been swapped, Mr. Marshall, the Great Banker, might have been subjected to a Fireball Spell on his way to work one day.

Now, it seemed even heroes had their breaking points.

Ivy finished using the detector and said, "There's nothing unusual in the apartment. Perhaps Marshall's actions triggered the Curse, or it could be the Witch's doing."

"It could also be time-sensitive, like the Curse activates at a specific point in time," Ethan added.

Ivy was unaware that Becky and her seven old butlers had been buried in the soil outside the log cabin. She was constantly on guard against the Witch and her Minions infiltrating the town.

It was a shame the Imperial Union Bank had cremated Roxanne's body. Otherwise, the Scroll of Necromancy could have helped them understand what he experienced in the days leading up to his death.

"Yes, that's right."

Ivy paused, feeling that this was probably why detectives always needed an Assistant. Working with Ethan made her feel like she had grown another brain, making case processing twice as effective.

Just like now, Ethan had already formulated an Investigation Plan. "Miss Chloe and I will stay in the apartment. You go investigate where the deceased went in the three days before his death and if he showed any unusual behavior. After all, your other identity is the town Sheriff, and residents are more willing to provide you with Clues."

Ivy responded noncommittally, "I'll bring you something to eat tomorrow morning. I won't forget this time."

After speaking, she paused thoughtfully and added, "I hope you and Miss Chloe don't dig up any corpses this time."

"I'll try my best."

Ethan had to emphasize that this was a world full of hidden dangers, and this case involved some unknown Cursed Object, indicating the level of risk.

The only thing he could guarantee Ivy was that he wouldn't actively create corpses.

However, if a corpse attempted to attack him while he slept, the outcome would be beyond his control.

And now, as an E-Class Investigator for the Containment Bureau, he had witnessed a familiar name commit suicide by hanging in this apartment, naturally triggering an Instinctive Reaction.

He wanted to know why Roxanne had died.

The case was baffling, leaving Ethan with no leads so far. Perhaps he should try using the Process of Elimination to solve the problem.

First, Miss Becky and her seven old butlers could be ruled out.

They had solid Alibis.