All-around teacher at the magic academy

Before we knew it, a week had passed, and today is already Saturday.

St. Peter's College has a two-day weekend every week, and neither the teachers nor the students are scheduled to do anything.

Leon felt like he was on vacation every day. He didn't have to teach classes during the week, and he could leisurely stroll around the academy during the day.

Watching the students of St. Peter's College busy at their own pace, Leon felt a surge of satisfaction. He deeply loved the vibrant atmosphere of the campus.

Every time Leon sees such a scene, his thoughts drift back to his past life when he was in school.

Back then, he had plenty of free time and spent most of it with his classmates. He didn't feel anything while he was at school, and even always hoped to start working as soon as possible.

But things are different now. Leon misses his time at school, which he considers the most precious gift of his life.

St. Peter's College on the weekend was a far cry from its usual bustling scene. Most students took advantage of the two days of free time to either return home to reunite with their families or to attend to their own affairs, leaving only a handful of students at the college.

Leon got up early and got ready, then walked alone on the academy's path. He strolled for a long time, but encountered very few students.

The long walk alone filled him with an unprecedented loneliness, and he found it all rather dull. He used to never tire of the academy's scenery; on the contrary, he would appreciate and enjoy it every day. But for some reason, the academy today seemed to have lost its former charm, failing to arouse his interest.

He decided to go shopping for some items, since he didn't need to do anything. In this rare moment of free time, he found himself unable to calmly enjoy his rest, and a sense of anxiety crept into his heart.

Looking at the bustling crowds on the street, Leon felt much better. He wandered around, visiting various shops and buying many daily necessities and some food.

Since St. Peter's College does not provide catering services on weekends, but the dormitories remain open, Leon has to cook for himself. Fortunately, he is quite confident in his culinary skills, having learned to live independently at a young age.

Seeing his hard-earned 9 rubles vanish by more than half, Leon didn't feel any heartache. On the contrary, he felt the expense was worthwhile.

Money is meant to be spent. My meager savings seem rather pathetic to keep in the bank.

He returned to his teacher's dormitory with a full load of purchases, glanced at the time, and found it was just past 9:45. He had completed the shopping in just over an hour, which made him marvel at how slowly time passed, and he couldn't help but think of the busy work he did when he was on night duty.

Today's leisure time seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him compared to his usual workdays, and time seemed to have become heavier in his hands.

Leon quickly organized the groceries he had purchased and washed the ingredients he planned to cook. He glanced at his pocket watch again and saw that it was only 10:30.

"Time is passing so slowly. If I start cooking now, I can eat before noon. Maybe I should wait a little longer," he muttered to himself.

Leon wasn't used to eating so early; his eating habits seemed fixed, and he didn't like to change them easily. Perhaps he was just a sentimental person.

Looking around, the emptiness of the dormitory left him feeling somewhat lost. He tried to lie down on the bed to rest, but soon felt restless. A strange unease grew within him; he didn't want to stay alone in the dormitory any longer.

After a moment's thought, Leon decided to go for a walk. He needed some fresh air, and perhaps the outside world could bring him a sense of peace.

"I wonder if Ms. Lian is here, and how she managed to solve the meal problem today."

Leon suddenly remembered Professor Lian and a thought of visiting him arose in his mind. He decided to say hello and perhaps even invite Professor Lian to lunch, which would be a good opportunity to showcase his culinary skills.

Arriving at Professor Lean's dormitory, Leon hesitated briefly before straightening his clothes. He knocked gently twice, waiting expectantly for a response. However, after a few moments, there was no sound.

He guessed that his knocking might have been too soft, so he knocked harder and knocked a few more times, but the dormitory remained silent.

"Mr. Lian isn't here either," Leon muttered to himself, somewhat disappointed. He offered himself a small consolation before turning and leaving to continue wandering the campus. But this time, the time seemed even shorter; he quickly lost interest.

Back in his dorm, Leon finally decided to start preparing lunch, since he couldn't think of anything else to do.

He reminisced about the days when the students were on campus. Although he was alone then, looking at the students around him made Leon feel comfortable, as if he were not alone.

However, the situation is different now; Leon is truly alone, and his heart is filled with emptiness.

Soon the meal was ready, but looking at the dishes laid out on the table, he found he didn't have much of an appetite. He only tasted a little of each dish before feeling full.

He suddenly felt a bit wasteful; he had originally planned to treat himself, which was why he had prepared such a feast. However, his body didn't seem to cooperate, and he didn't feel the expected hunger. Leon sighed silently to himself, feeling a pang of guilt for this unexpected waste.

After lunch, Leon tidied up a bit and prepared for his usual afternoon nap. Although he had no plans for the afternoon, he believed a nap would make him more energized.

Leon woke up after an unknown amount of time, feeling as if he had fallen asleep, albeit briefly. He glanced at the hands of his pocket watch and realized that only twenty-four minutes had passed; even his sleep had seemed so fleeting.

Leon lay quietly on the bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, his thoughts drifting to his relatives from his past life, his mother.

Whenever he returned home, his mother's nagging would never stop, and he would always be eager to escape. However, Leon now deeply misses those nagging words, realizing that being able to listen to his mother's advice is also an indescribable happiness.

Unconsciously, a tear slid down Leon's cheek. He missed his mother and longed to be with her, even if she disliked him every day. That longing surged into his heart like a tide, overwhelming him.

Leon never believed that he was a lonely person; he thought he enjoyed being alone and had time to himself.

However, when he was truly alone, he realized that he was very different from the image he had imagined. It turned out that he was actually terrified of being alone.

He realized that he had never truly lived alone before. In his previous life, he had his mother's companionship; and in this world, he had his own family, his elder brother.

But now, he truly seemed to be all alone. In his busy daily life, he might have been able to ignore this feeling, but now, Leon deeply felt the weight of loneliness; he truly felt like he was all alone.

Leon felt lost; he didn't even know how to get through the days ahead. This sudden loneliness left him bewildered, as if he were lost at a crossroads in his life, unsure of which way to go.

Leon composed himself and glanced at the newspaper he had bought that day. He picked it up and casually flipped through a few pages, but quickly lost interest. Right now, he seemed to have no enthusiasm for anything.

He tidied himself up again, preparing to go out. He really didn't want to stay alone in the dormitory any longer; the loneliness was unbearable.

“Hmm, maybe I should go visit Harvey,” he muttered to himself. “I haven’t visited them since they moved to Barton.”

Leon considered whether to make a visit, since he had plenty of time. However, he suddenly realized that he didn't know Harvey's exact address in Barton.

After lingering for a while, Leon finally entered the college library. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the librarian, an elderly teacher. Leon didn't know how long he had been there, but it must have been quite a while.

"Oh, it's Teacher Leon. Didn't you go home or go out to relax this weekend?" The old caretaker smiled kindly when he saw Leon.

"Well, my home is quite far away, and it's too much trouble to go back," Leon casually made up an excuse. He didn't have a home anymore; he was just a wanderer, a pathetic homeless wretch.

"And you, have you been here all this time?" Leon rarely encountered someone he could talk to, and a sense of dependence welled up in his heart. He wanted to chat with this elder for a while longer.

"Yes, I have worked in the library of this college for 12 years. My home, alas, no longer exists. I came to Barton from another city and by chance began teaching at St. Peter's College. After retiring, I thought I had nowhere else to go, so I told the then dean that I wanted to stay at the college."

And so, I stayed at the library and became a librarian. The old man recalled his past and couldn't help but sigh softly, a hint of the vicissitudes of time showing in his eyes.

Leon looked at the old man's weathered face, hesitated for a moment, and then asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Don't you feel lonely, spending all day here by yourself?"

Leon realized that this question might be a bit rude, but he really wanted to know and hoped to find his own answer to coping with loneliness from the old man's experience.

"At first, it was indeed a bit boring," the old man replied calmly, "but as time went on, I gradually got used to it. Just like people become numb to certain aspects of life over time."

Leon felt the old man's words made a lot of sense. Reflecting on his own experiences, he realized he hadn't fully adapted to this loneliness. After thinking for a while, he realized he couldn't continue like this.

He was afraid he would never be able to adapt to this feeling, afraid he would be trapped in this state forever. He disliked being alone and longed for companionship, even from complete strangers; just having them by his side might make him feel content.

Leon chatted extensively with the elderly caretaker, and as the conversation deepened, he increasingly felt a striking resemblance between the man and himself. In the old man, Leon seemed to see a reflection of his own future. This thought unsettled him; he didn't want to face such a future. If this was the only possible outcome, he would rather end it all, for he had little attachment to this world.

However, whenever such negative thoughts surfaced, Leon would involuntarily recall his older brother's expectations of him. His brother wanted him to live a good life, and Leon didn't want to disappoint those expectations.

Throughout his life, Leon seemed to always owe others something, something he could never repay. He felt that the meaning of his existence was to pay off these debts.

Finally, Leon said goodbye to the caretaker and once again wandered alone through the city streets. He watched the passing cars and pedestrians, everyone seeming so busy, as if he were the only one with nothing to do, the only one who didn't need to be busy with anything.

Leon's footsteps had somehow led him to a familiar place—the Enforcers' Division.

He kept reminding himself to avoid getting into trouble, but due to financial constraints, he had to temporarily take a part-time job as a night watchman in the law enforcement department. Compared to law enforcement, the night watchman's work was relatively peaceful, with fewer accidents and less danger.

Since his last encounter with the dark magician, Leon had seriously reflected on his actions. He shouldn't have provoked such trouble, but he ultimately chose to intervene anyway, and his failure to kill the mage on the spot forced him to remain vigilant.

However, he had unknowingly ended up here today. "Oh well, I still have to stand guard tonight, so it doesn't matter whether I arrive early or late," Leon thought to himself. He suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad, at least he had somewhere to go, so he started walking and entered the Enforcer Division building.

"Oh, it's Leon. You're here so early."

Captain Max, who had just come downstairs, was taken aback when he saw Leon standing at the door, and then spoke.

"I have a lot of things to take care of right now, do you need my help? There's overtime pay!"

Max didn't ask Leon why he had arrived so early; he could probably guess, since he had been in a similar situation before.

Leon didn't say anything. He felt that he should stay here, at least it was better than his dormitory.

"Great, Captain. I happen to be free anyway."

For some reason, Leon felt a sense of warmth.

"Maybe this isn't so bad."

...(over)

. . . . . . . . . . .

Since there are no recommendations yet, I can't use the author's note, so I'll just say a few words at the end of this chapter.

Let me briefly share my feelings about writing this chapter.

I'm writing this because it was during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. I'm still a student and was doing an internship at the company during that time. Everyone else at the company went home for the holiday. Since my home and school are both quite far apart, I stayed at the company alone.

Since waking up, I've felt incredibly lonely. I don't know what to do, I can't concentrate on games, and I don't even want to scroll through TikTok. This feeling is really unpleasant. I used to experience this occasionally when I was in school, like waking up from a nap at noon to find myself all alone in the dorm, feeling like the whole world had abandoned me.

But there's nothing we can do; perhaps that's just how life is, but it's really hard to accept.

That day I called home and chatted with my mother for a while, which made me feel much better. I felt a little better, but I still couldn't settle down to do anything else. In the end, I decided to write my novel again.

In fact, Leon's situation was much worse than mine. I still have my own family, and I can call home when I feel lonely. But Leon couldn't; he had no relatives left in that world, and even few friends. So he was actually a very sentimental person, and his heart was very fragile. If someone gave him a little light, he was willing to repay them in kind.

He had nowhere else to go, and the only place he was somewhat familiar with was the Enforcer branch, so he eventually ended up here after going around in circles.

I forgot to mention that this is my first time writing a book, so there might be many inappropriate parts, and I might not even realize when I touched on any sensitive topics. If you find anything inappropriate, please leave a comment, and I will read them when I have time. If you have any good suggestions, I will try my best to consider them. Thank you all for reading this book.

Finally, I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and that you can be with your family and friends, and not be as lonely as I am.