Shaking her head, she blamed it on the stress of her pregnancy.

She wanted to take a break from the bakery, but their financial situation was tight, and they still had debts to pay.

"Just four meat buns, please, Lady Glorina."

As Seth said this, he remembered the event from his first visit.

"Ah, right. Has the situation from the other day been resolved?"

Glorina prepared his order, her expression shifting.

"Are you talking about that good-for-nothing, Eddie?"

She sighed, her face darkening.

"Let me tell you, it's better not to waste your breath on that man. He got what was coming to him."

Hearing this, Seth's curiosity was piqued.

"Why do you say that?"

Glorina was silent for a moment as she skillfully bagged the meat buns and handed them to Seth, who paid her.

Her voice dropped to a hushed and quiet tone.

"The truth came out... as it turns out, he was beating his young boy for years now. His wife, Lina, finally snapped and killed him before dumping him in the garbage can."

She shook her head, a mix of disapproval and pity on her face.

"I don't agree with what she did, but as someone who's also struggled, I understand. When you're poor and the system doesn't protect you, sometimes people feel they have no other way out. The city officials are too busy collecting taxes for the nobles' new projects to care about a woman and her child being abused. They don't protect us, they just profit from us."

Hearing this, Seth pondered the information.

It was a sad story, but his mind, now trained to look for inconsistencies, focused on a key detail.

"What about the matter of the body being taken away? Who took it?" he asked.

Glorina shook her head.

"The officers didn't say much to the public. They just announced that Lina was the murderer. I suppose she must have moved the body herself. Her little boy certainly couldn't have done it."

Seth did not argue with her, but he immediately found a flaw in her assumption.

He analyzed the facts quietly.

The place where the body was dumped was quite a busy street teeming with numerous activities.

For a single, distressed woman to secretly remove a dead body without anyone noticing would be nearly impossible.

This led him to two logical conclusions: either Lina had supernatural means—like being a witch or having a demonic weapon—to help her dispose of the evidence, or she was not the true murderer and had help from someone else with the power and stealth to do it.

The official story was too simple, and Seth felt that simple stories in this city often hid darker, more complicated truths.

...

After filling his stomach, Seth did not waste time and quickly went to find Matilda.

He expected to see her in the same alleyway, but the spot was empty except for the homeless old man sleeping on a dirty pile of boxes.

Seth frowned as he circled the area.

He needed that information. If she was gone, he would have to find another source, which would take more time and possibly money.

Finally, he spotted the familiar female figure kneeling on a bench, completely focused on her writing.

Her face had less of the usual thick makeup.

Without it, the lines and marks of age were more noticeable.

Seth fell silent for a moment as he remembered her story.

He remembered how Matilda had once been a top student, completely dedicated to her studies before getting pregnant by a professor she admired.

All of which lead to his abandonment of her, and getting kicked out of her school before later losing the baby.

Her entire life fell apart because of one man's betrayal.

Watching her careful, obsessive writing, Seth felt a pang of sadness.

He thought about how different her life could have been.

If she hadn't trusted that professor, she could have finished her studies.

Perhaps in another life, she could have had a good job and a family.

Instead, she was here, an old woman who had to sell her body just to afford food.

The difference between a good life and a broken one was sometimes just based off of one bad decision.

Seth hadn't activated his [Null Presence], so Matilda quickly noticed his approach.

"Oh, you're here." she said, brushing back a loose strand of hair.

"Why are you trying to walk so quietly?"

"You were focused," Seth replied.

"I didn't want to interrupt."

Matilda gave a thin smile.

"Focus is about the only thing I have left these days."

She reached into her old bag and pulled out several stacks of worn paper.

The edges were folded and stained, but the writing was neat.

"I haven't finished most of the information you asked for yet."

She admitted, placing the papers on the bench between them.

"But these here… they already contain information about the government bodies and a few notable family figures."

Seth glanced at the pages, flipping through a few.

Matilda watched him carefully, almost nervously, waiting for his reaction.

He did not intend to fully read it out as of now, but a quick look showed him the work was high quality.

Certain words were capitalized for importance, and others were underlined.

The organization showed her academic background hadn't completely left her...

It was clear she was using her old skills.

Seth spoke out after a moment.

"Much more detailed than I expected."

Matilda let out a scoff.

"Of course. I even went around town yesterday. Asked a few people who still remember certain things. And I checked the old newspapers behind the printing shop. They throw away more than you'd think."

Seth nodded.

"You did more than what I asked for."

Matilda looked down at her hands.

"It's work I can actually do. I… prefer this over the other things I usually have to resort to."

Satisfied, Seth quietly handed her two Bathala bills totaling 200.

Matilda looked hesitant, unsure if she had earned that much.

Seth gave her a small, genuine smile as he explained.

"I'll pay in advance for this batch. The extra hundred is for the clear and abundant detail you provided. Good work deserves good pay."

Hearing this, Matilda gratefully accepted the money, her posture relaxing slightly.

"Oh right," she uttered, remembering something.

"About that pawnshop you told me to keep an eye on... I don't know the reason, but it apparently closed down last night."

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