Chapter 34: The Last Day of Roxane

The bar fell into a long, heavy silence. In that quietude, every erratic behavior of Roxanne’s was suddenly explained.

The staff at the Imperial Federal Reserve had mentioned that on the day he took his own life, Roxanne had been utterly absent-minded. The performance, rehearsed countless times, had gone awry; there was no humor to be found in it, causing Marshall to lose face before his guests from Gear City. He had been kicked out of the banquet hall, stumbling and knocking over a glass of red wine by the door on his way out.

The owner’s eyes widened. He raised his hand several times as if to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he pulled out three glasses, filled them with spirits, and—not caring whether Ethan and Ivy would drink—he picked up his own, gesturing into the void. "To Roxanne, and to his daughter."

He downed the drink in one go. But a single glass of strong liquor could not soothe his emotions. He grabbed the bottle and gulped down the rest. Predictably, he slipped, collapsed onto the bar, and fell fast asleep.

Ethan had no intention of touching his glass. It was working hours, and his superior was right beside him.

"Want to go for a walk? Or you can go back if you prefer," Ivy said suddenly.

Strictly speaking, the case was not complex. Once all the clues were strung together, they understood the final day of Roxanne’s life. Ethan also deciphered the reflection that had appeared in the apartment. It was not a magic book, but a ledger. It likely contained records of the high-interest loans he had taken out at the Imperial Federal Reserve, which explained why Roxanne opened it every day after his performances—he had been recording the extra money he earned performing at the bar.

"The cursed object must be the ledger Roxanne left behind. Marshall had someone take it, which is why he was cursed," Ethan said, stating his judgment. He steadied himself. "It should be a 'CI' class cursed object. Its effect causes bouts of hysterical laughter. This might be related to his identity as a clown. From what we’ve seen, it doesn't appear to be immediately lethal."

The case regarding Roxanne was now closed, and the next steps were simple: extract the location of the ledger from Marshall and transfer it to the Containment Bureau. In Old Mo’s shop in Hearthstone Bay, there was a locker specifically for storing cursed objects below CI rating. They had brilliantly completed the commission issued by the Imperial Federal Reserve in only half a night, which should establish a good reputation for the Riverwood Town intelligence outpost.

Yet, Ethan felt something was missing—or more accurately, even having found the truth, he felt a sense of helplessness.

The walk back was unusually quiet. The two of them and the chicken walked side by side through the town streets. It was the darkness before dawn, the most silent moment in the world. Ivy had already made a plan: the Imperial Federal Reserve opened at 7:00 AM, so they would kill time, find a place for breakfast, and then bring this commission to a definitive end.

Ethan did not know how long he had been wandering the dark streets; he was never one for going out. When he finally regained his focus, they had deviated from the main road. This was the path leading to Baron Glading’s mansion. The manor was shrouded in the night, and the servants were all asleep.

Ivy walked up to the manor, turned around, and gazed at the winding path leading up the hillside.

"I saw him that day."

She finally spoke. She had been on the second floor of the manor, the view outside the window obscured by a torrential downpour. Captain Haig, having received orders, had led the manor’s guards rushing into the rain, anxious to investigate the town's water supply. On the path down the slope, a figure moving through the storm had intercepted them.

At the time, Ivy could not see the man’s face in the rain, but now, that man had a name: Roxanne, the town’s clown performer.

She took a piece of wax-sealed paper from an inner pocket of her coat and lit the powder inside with a match. This was the first time Ethan had seen Ivy use the spells taught to her by the Enlightenment Society. Just as elemental spells were to elementalists, believers in the God of Truth learned many skills that defied common sense after reaching the second tier.

The powder ignited with a ghostly green flame. As it burned completely, it transformed into a wisp of blue smoke that drifted toward the winding mountain path nearby.

Without realizing it, a fog had risen. The white mist outlined the silhouettes of several people. Though he could not see their faces clearly, Ethan heard familiar voices.

"Hurry! Find all the water sources throughout the town!" Captain Haig shouted. His distinct, booming voice had great carrying power, audible even from a distance. Naturally, Roxanne had heard it too.

Roxanne had frozen in place. As Captain Haig was about to brush past him, he hurriedly stopped the captain, his voice trembling. "...Are the rumors true?"

Haig was noncommittal. "A witch has attacked Riverside Town. You should get back quickly; it’s not safe out here. Oh, and don't drink any water until we finish our investigation."

Roxanne would not give up. "I mean, everyone in Riverside Town is dead? Has the news been confirmed?"

"Confirmed."

"Then..."

Roxanne stood rooted to the spot, his hands gripping Haig’s arms, looking as if he were wracking his brains. He had finally found a sliver of hope. "Is it possible that some people survived? That they were lucky enough to hide and escape the attack?"

"How would I know?" Haig replied, sounding impatient. They were in a race against time; if they didn't resolve the threat to the town's water supply, Riverwood would suffer the same fate as Riverside. "I'm in a hurry! We’ll talk about this later!"

Ethan watched as Roxanne walked down the mountain path, utterly broken, bathed in the torrential rain, and sat by the side of the road. Before long, a figure on horseback galloped past him. Ethan vaguely recalled that when he had left Baron Glading’s house that day, he had caught a glimpse of someone sitting on the path, but the rain had been so heavy and he had been in such a rush to get back to the forest cabin that he hadn't looked closely.

"Let's go."

Ivy calmly invited Ethan. Seeking the truth was the mission of the God of Truth’s followers; the gods had granted them the ability to glimpse the past. The two walked through the mist, witnessing fragments they theoretically should not have been able to see.

Roxanne returned to his apartment, changed into his clown costume, and went to the banquet hall where the Imperial Federal Reserve was hosting the party. It was prepared for a distinguished guest from Gear City, and the boisterous atmosphere of the venue drowned out Roxanne.

They watched a clumsy performance—it was certainly not Roxanne’s usual standard. The stuttering lines killed the mood of the party many times over. Finally, an exasperated Marshall drove him out of the banquet hall.

Ethan also learned things he hadn't known before. For instance, Baron Glading had pulled himself together shortly after Ethan left, and along with Ivy and Haig, led a coalition force of guards and guild hunters to Riverside Town. They hadn't encountered the witch or her minions in the town, so they ordered everyone to pile the bodies together. They recorded the name of every deceased person on a list as best they could.

Upon their return, Baron Glading gave a speech in the town square. He believed their bravery and unity had deterred the witch from Riverwood, but they could not relax, as the evil witch might return at any time.

Roxanne was in the crowd. After the speech, he squeezed to the front and asked Captain Haig for the death list. He browsed every name until he reached the third page, where he stopped. Time seemed to freeze for him; he remained in that same posture, standing motionless until Haig gave his shoulder a comforting pat.

This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Back at the apartment, Roxanne checked the ledger one last time and changed into a decent set of clothes. He found a thick rope, stood beneath the rafters for a long time, and then, using a carving knife, he crookedly engraved a line into the beam:

"Roxanne was here."

The mist gradually dissipated, and the white silhouettes dissolved into bubbles before Ethan’s eyes. Roxanne’s apartment fell silent once more. They were standing beneath the rafters when he saw all the mist condense into a diamond-shaped crystal, which drifted toward Ivy’s head.

Ethan had read about how believers of the God of Truth ascended; they needed to find enough truths, and the closer they got to the real world, the more power they could share. This was perhaps how the believers of Truth collected the truth.

Ivy’s face remained expressionless, showing no trace of sorrow. Ethan guessed that in the process of chasing the truth, she had long since become accustomed to life and death. But perhaps that wasn't entirely true.

He saw the diamond crystal absorbed by the golden tuft of hair on top of Ivy’s head. Then, that tuft of golden hair drooped, "waist" bending, and sank into her mass of golden locks, leaving no trace behind.