All-around teacher at the magic academy

Leon took a deep breath; he didn't want to disrupt this peaceful life.

He didn't want to turn to crime, and he didn't want to live that kind of life of hiding and running away again.

He knew that once he took that step toward revenge, there would be no turning back. His life, his future, and the people he loved could all be affected by his decision.

A wave of helplessness and sorrow washed over Leon. What had Philippe, that always smiling man, so full of enthusiasm for life, done to deserve such a fate?

If he couldn't do anything for him, would his sacrifice have been in vain? The guilt and unease in his heart surged like a tide, almost overwhelming him.

He then tried to comfort himself; Philip was dead, and there was no need to dwell on it anymore. Everyone's lives were relatively peaceful now, so why disturb that tranquility?

However, an inner voice told him that this was his responsibility to his friends.

Leon's thoughts drifted to his past life, and he remembered his father who died young from illness.

The father's passing not only took away the pillar of the family, but also left behind a heavy financial burden.

The medical expenses and hospitalization drained the family's entire savings, which is why the family has been struggling financially ever since. His mother was constantly busy working, enduring hardship and exhaustion, while Leon could only watch helplessly.

During those difficult days, Leon often complained about his father. Death should end everything, but it leaves such a heavy burden on the living, causing them suffering.

As a child, Leon was filled with incomprehension and anger over his father's early death.

That feeling was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart. Whenever life was not going well, whenever he felt tired and wronged, he would unconsciously blame his deceased father.

In his view, it was his father's departure that caused all of this, that he had put himself and his mother in a difficult situation, and that he had filled his life with regrets.

Now, sitting in his office, Leon is filled with self-blame and regret.

He realized that he had been shirking responsibility all along, blaming his incompetence and failures on an undeniable past.

He used his complaints about his father to gain inner comfort, as if this would make him feel better and cover up his powerlessness and weakness.

Leon felt how ugly and selfish his behavior was. He had never truly understood his father's predicament, nor had he ever felt the helplessness of a life in the face of illness.

He was simply pushing his pain onto someone who could no longer respond. The reason he was like this wasn't because of his father, but because of his own avoidance and unwillingness to face reality.

Yes, I seem to be such a selfish person, someone who only thinks of myself. For so many years, I have been running away, afraid to face that weak self, that ugly soul.

He struggled to lift his head, his gaze piercing through the dimness of the office, fixed on the ceiling.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, recalling the mistakes he had made over the years, those selfish decisions, those misunderstandings about his father. His eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, and the scenes from his memories played out in his mind like a movie.

He remembered that it was when he was about six years old, or maybe that age, but he couldn't remember the exact time.

Back then, he naively dreamed of owning his own bicycle. He didn't know why he had such a wish; he just simply wanted it, so he asked his father about it.

For their family, which wasn't well-off, buying a bicycle was no easy feat. In those days of relative scarcity, bicycles weren't a necessity. However, after some hesitation, the father decided to fulfill his son's wish.

I remember excitedly following in my father's footsteps, running all the way to the bustling market.

The market was bustling with activity, and various stalls offered a dazzling array of goods, but his gaze was fixed on a children's bicycle. Painted in bright colors and adorned with colorful ribbons on the handlebars, it was the most alluring thing to him.

His father knelt down and examined the bicycle with him, then paid for it without hesitation. At that moment, Leon was filled with joy and satisfaction; he felt like the happiest child in the world.

However, just as they were returning home with their newly bought bicycles, the sky suddenly became overcast and a torrential downpour began.

To protect the newly bought bicycle from getting dirty in the rain, the father didn't hesitate to hug it tightly, while the child followed behind him, jumping excitedly, completely immersed in his own joy.

At that time, Leon had no other thoughts in his mind, only knowing that his new car brought him endless joy, and he did not notice his father's difficult figure in the heavy rain.

Looking back now, Leon is filled with guilt. He can't imagine how his father gritted his teeth and carried that bicycle back those few kilometers.

At that time, he knew nothing about his father's aching shoulders or trembling arms, and never cared. He only knew that he had a new car, but ignored the effort and sacrifice his father had made for this gift.

As he grew older, Leon's childhood memories became mostly blurred, like footprints on a sandy beach worn smooth by time.

But that incident, that rainy afternoon, the image of his father carrying his bicycle through the rain, remains clearly etched in his heart.

He didn't know why this memory remained so stubbornly deep within him, and why it surfaced so clearly in his mind at this moment, touching the softest part of his heart.

Now, how Leon wished he could go back in time, stand before his father again, apologize to him, tell him about his life and changes over the years, and tell him how much he missed him and how much he truly missed him.

dong dong dong-

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door, the heavy knocking breaking Leon's thoughts.

He sat up abruptly, hurriedly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, and took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.

He forced himself to remain calm and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Please come in."

The door slowly opened, and Leon's eyes flickered for a moment as he looked at the figure standing in the doorway, but he quickly regained his composure. Perhaps this was fate.