All-around teacher at the magic academy

While eating.

Leon gave a brief account of his battle and his assessment of his opponent's strength.

He hoped to provide the Night Watchers with some experience through his analysis, so that they would not encounter misfortune if they met the other party again.

"I never expected them to choose to disguise themselves as Night Watchers in an attempt to slip through," said a colleague sitting next to Leon.

After a brief introduction, Leon learned his name—Philip. He had never been to school, and no one knew where he had learned magic. He claimed that a goddess had taught him in a dream.

The goddess also said that he was the protagonist of this world, shouldering a great mission. When someone asked Philip what that mission was, he said the goddess forbade him to tell anyone else, and he had no way to do so.

Leon didn't comment on this. If there really was a protagonist in this world, his chances were probably higher, since he was a transmigrator.

Philip was also working part-time, apparently because his sister had contracted some unknown illness. The exorbitant medical bills had drained his savings. He had no choice but to work harder, tutoring during the day and working night shifts at the law enforcement branch.

Even so, no one ever saw Philip complain about how hard life was. On the contrary, he often played the role of the atmosphere-maker among the Night Watchers.

Leon felt that Philippe was much better than him in his attitude towards life.

"But what exactly is their purpose? Is it simply targeting us, or were they forced to kill us because they were caught doing something shady by the night watchman?" Kate, the person in charge, asked.

“I think it’s more likely to be a direct attack on the Night Watchers,” Leon guessed.

“I agree with Leon’s point of view. After all, it’s unlikely that the three Night Watchers were killed in one night because they all happened to run into each other,” Philip added his own thoughts.

...

After the meal, he got to know everyone. The Night Watchers were all friendly, but everyone seemed to be having a hard time.

"What would you do with a colleague who has died?" Leon asked Mr. Kate near the end.

"The captain will handle this. Usually, the deceased's family will be notified and some compensation will be given. There's no way around it; these kinds of things happen all the time. Human life seems a bit cheap here."

Leon remained silent, unsure of what to say. What could he possibly say? To everyone else, this was already a common occurrence.

He felt terrible, perhaps because he had never been used to seeing people die around him. But what could he do? The only thing he could do was find the murderer and bring him to justice.

After the meal, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Leon also returned to his residence, feeling quite tired after a busy day.

...

For the next two days, Leon continued his night watch as usual. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and the night watchmen enjoyed a brief period of peace.

Unfortunately, there has been no news of the perpetrator since the last incident.

He seemed to have vanished without a trace, and law enforcement was unable to find any possible trail of movement.

The murder of the Night Watchman was not published in the newspapers.

Since this is an internal matter for law enforcement, even if it were published in the newspaper, it would only cause unnecessary panic.

Because no one can clearly see the criminal's face, it's difficult to issue an arrest warrant. The only information available about the criminal is basic information: he is preliminarily identified as male, around 30 years old, highly skilled, and proficient in dark magic.

That leaves no other possibilities. This information alone is insufficient to identify the culprit. Even if the perpetrator used dark magic, and dark magic users are relatively few, it's impossible to take every magician you encounter away for questioning.

"This is really troublesome. They killed three Night Watchers and got away with it, while we are helpless. It's like they're rubbing the enforcers in the ground."

Captain Max rubbed his forehead and said with deep pain.

Because of Leon's previous outstanding performance and his great advantage when facing criminals, the captain was even more impressed with Leon. He came to talk to Leon and hoped that he could give some advice.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any useful advice, because there are very few relevant clues. We don’t even know the other party’s criminal intent. Although it is most likely that it is simply targeting law enforcement, the other party has obviously become very cautious since our last encounter,” Leon said apologetically.

Indeed, sigh.

Max sighed, "If it weren't for the fact that Professor Leon is a teacher at St. Peter's Academy, I would have recruited you to our Enforcers. Someone like you is exactly what we need. If it were reported, I think you might even be able to join the Knights."

"Well, although being a teacher at St. Peter's Academy is quite good, the identity of the Knights is more respected than being a teacher at St. Peter's Academy."

"No, I think being a teacher at St. Peter's Academy is quite good. I just want a peaceful life. I can teach students when I have free time and rest when I have free time. I think that's good enough."

"As for joining the law enforcement or the knights, that would be extremely dangerous for me. If I joined, I would inevitably be fighting people everywhere, and I cannot put my life in such danger."

"Then why do you also work part-time as a Night Watcher? And although you say you don't want to put yourself in dangerous situations, don't you still risk your life to deal with criminals when you encounter them?"

"To be honest, I'm actually living in rather dire financial straits. You wouldn't believe it, would you? I only have about 4 rubles on me right now, hahaha." Leon tried to hide his embarrassment with a smile.

"As for the matter of catching criminals that you mentioned, since I have taken on the role of Night Watcher, I have to live up to this job. Perhaps I originally had a fluke mentality, but when I saw a colleague die next to me, it still touched me to some extent."

"Captain, why are you thinking of joining the law enforcement?"

Leon inquired about Max's reasons for joining the law enforcement. Upon hearing Leon's question, Max hesitated for a moment before not immediately revealing his reasons.

Then he took out a cigarette from his pocket and asked Leon if he wanted one.

Leon had never smoked cigarettes, but he had heard from smokers that cigarettes could greatly relieve anxiety when you felt upset.

To be honest, Leon was also quite curious about this feeling, but he still declined the captain's offer.

He felt he had asked a question he shouldn't have, but it was too late to take it back.

"I don't know where to begin."

Max brought the cigarette to his lips, then took out a match from his pocket and skillfully lit it. He took a deep drag, tilted his head back, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"I am a failure; I can't even protect my own family."

To be honest, I used to be a teacher too, and my wife is a very outstanding woman. I met him at an academy, but not St. Peter's College. We often attended classes together and discussed issues, and over time, feelings developed between us.

We were very much in love and got married shortly after graduating from college. Two years after our marriage, we had our own baby, and you can't imagine how happy I was. The moment I heard the news, I could clearly hear my own heart pounding. I was so happy I almost jumped for joy, and my wife was overjoyed too.

To take good care of the baby in her womb, she quit her job and focused on resting at home. In the days that followed, I taught classes while taking care of my wife, and we imagined how we would raise the baby after it was born.

I bought almost every type of clothing I could find from birth until I was three. Those days were the happiest time of my life; looking back now, it all seems like a dream.

As he said this, Captain Max choked up. His cigarette was finished, so he casually took out another and lit it.

Leon saw the man's hand trembling uncontrollably as he lit his cigarette, and he felt utterly ashamed of himself for being so curious. He didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only try to be a good listener.

"But one day, tragedy struck. On that day, as I excitedly ran home after finishing my lesson, I broke down."

The house was a complete mess, with all the furniture overturned on the floor. At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.

I hurriedly called out my wife's name, hoping to get a response from her, but what awaited me was a moment I will never forget.

My wife died in the kitchen, stabbed seven times, including in the stomach. I felt like the sky was falling. I held her, but I couldn't cry.

My wife was also a sorceress, but she refrained from harming me because of our child, yet she still met a tragic end. A surge of overwhelming hatred overwhelmed me; in that moment, I was blinded by rage, and I vowed to make the perpetrator pay the price.

After that, I quit my job as a teacher and embarked on a path of revenge, investigating everywhere. Finally, three months later, I found the murderer who killed my wife and child.

I tortured that man to death. Before he died, he kept begging me to kill him quickly, but how could I agree? I tortured him all night until he died of exhaustion.

And I was arrested and taken away by law enforcement. Even if the other person deserved to die, I still had no right to kill them. I had lost all hope of living, and after taking my revenge, I had no intention of living anymore.

However, the captain who was then working for law enforcement in Barton City bailed me out. After he brought me out, he said to me, "Come with me to atone for your sins; you shouldn't have done this."

What you're doing isn't just betraying yourself, it's betraying your wife and children. Think about what your wife would think if she saw you like this. You should strive to live, not for yourself, but for your wife who loves you deeply. Join law enforcement, and work for me first.

And so began my life as a law enforcement officer.

After I became a law enforcement officer, I discovered that there are many criminals in this world, and many innocent people suffer. I've seen too many people brutally murdered, while their families can only grieve. I have the ability to take revenge, but others may not. And so, I continued to serve as a law enforcement officer, without ever thinking of leaving. And when he was transferred, I naturally took over his position.

"I'm sorry for reminding you of sad memories from the past."

Leon was very sorry; he hadn't meant it and hadn't expected his captain to have such a tragic past.

"It's alright. A long time has passed since then, and my hatred has long since dissipated with the passage of time. Now, I'm just fulfilling my duties as a law enforcer every day. There will be many more people like me in the future. All I can do is treat others like me the way the captain treated me back then."

I'm telling you all this because I feel closer to you. Actually, I have a younger brother, but he was sold to another city when we were very young.

As I grew up, I tried to find him, even using my connections with law enforcement, but to no avail. I suppose he's gone.

"If he were still alive, he would be about your age. My life has been a complete failure, and I can only use the rest of my time to try my best to help more people."

“In my opinion, you are truly a great person. I think if your brother were still alive, he might be searching for you in another city, just like you are,” Leon said comfortingly.

"Alright, that's enough chit-chat. I have to get back to work. I have a lot of work to do. Good luck, Leon. I think you'll be a great friend. You're different from us, though I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's the feeling."

"Then the captain might be mistaken. I'm just a little stronger." Leon shook his head with a wry smile.

"Indeed, among the law enforcement officers in Barton, there should be few who can rival you."

“Thank you for the compliment.”

"Haha, stop being so cocky. Remember to come on time tomorrow."

"Yes, Captain!"