All-around teacher at the magic academy

Elijah gently placed the white chrysanthemums in her hand before Philip's grave, then knelt down, her voice trembling slightly, and recounted to Philip the events of the past few days.

Leon stood silently behind Ilya, his gaze gentle yet profound.

He felt he could finally give Philip an explanation.

Philip's greatest wish is about to come true: Elijah will be able to live a normal life like everyone else, and she will have the opportunity to enter the halls of St. Peter's College and make more friends.

Leon finally felt relieved, and everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. The only regret was that Philippe would not be able to witness it all.

“We should go,” Leon said softly, feeling that it was about time. They would have many more opportunities to visit in the future. “I will also come here often when I have time.”

"Mmm." Ilya slowly stood up, gently patting her skirt and trying to brush the dirt off her knees.

"Brother, I love the gift you gave me so much." Ilya's voice choked with emotion as she pointed to the dress she was wearing. "Look, I'm wearing it right now, isn't it beautiful?"

Leon gently patted her shoulder, a silent comfort, signaling her not to be too sad.

“Oh, right, Brother Leon,” Ilya suddenly remembered something, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, “the day before my brother had the accident, someone delivered a letter to him. In all these years, that was the first time I’d ever seen someone write a letter to my brother. But I don’t know what it said.”

Her voice lowered, tinged with unease. "My brother mentioned that someone wants to see him, apparently there's a place he needs to go. I'm wondering if that letter is related to what happened to my brother?"

Upon hearing this, Leon frowned, sensing a strong connection between this matter and Philippe's death. Who was Philippe's last farewell?

“Yes, I understand.” Leon replied in a deep voice, deciding to keep the matter to himself and not let Ilya get involved in any potential risks.

“Let’s go, let’s go say hello to the captain first.” He gently patted Ilya’s shoulder, indicating that she didn’t need to worry about it anymore.

"You sit here for a while, I'll go upstairs and say hello to the captain." Leon didn't intend to let Ilya come upstairs with him, but instead chose to have her wait for him in the lobby.

Leon hurried upstairs, found Captain Max, and carefully recounted the letter Ilya had mentioned. "That's the situation, Captain. I just learned about it from Ilya myself," Leon said, his voice tinged with urgency.

“When I was sorting through Philip’s belongings, I didn’t find any letters,” Captain Max said firmly, clearly certain of this.

“It seems the letter was likely taken by the attacker. It might contain clues to the killer’s identity,” Leon deduced. He was convinced that Philip wouldn’t leave such an important item lying around at home; he would have carried it with him.

"But according to witness testimonies, it seems no one approached the scene after Philip was murdered," Captain Max said, his words revealing his bewilderment.

"To be able to kill Philip silently in broad daylight, the murderer must have a way to take the letters from him without attracting attention."

Leon, however, held a different view. He was skeptical of the information provided by passersby, believing that things might not be as simple as they seemed.

“Philip’s belongings were untouched, so it seems the killer’s motive wasn’t money.” Captain Max also noticed this detail and realized that this incident was unusual.

“Unfortunately, Philip didn’t anticipate that the other side would act so quickly, otherwise he might have left some useful clues.” Leon sighed regretfully.

"None of us expected such a tragedy to happen," Captain Max said, his words carrying a sense of comfort.

“Here’s some money, the remaining balance on Philip’s person, and the compensation from law enforcement. Please pass it on to his sister.” Captain Max said, taking a sealed envelope from the drawer and gently placing it on the table.

"Okay, Captain, aren't you going to hand it to her yourself?" Leon picked up the envelope, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, not understanding why the captain wouldn't do it himself.

“No, I’ve seen too many scenes like this.” Captain Max shook his head, his tone revealing deep self-reproach. “As captain, I failed to protect my team members, and I have no face to face the grief of their families.”

Leon looked at Max sincerely and said firmly, "Captain, you have done everything you could. We cannot foresee or prevent all tragedies. Everyone has seen everything you have done for this city. You should not blame yourself like this."

"Alright, go ahead." Captain Max waved his hand, turned to look out the window, seemingly ending the conversation in this way.

"Take care, Captain," Leon said respectfully.

...

“We’ve finally managed to get out of the house, how about we go for a walk around the streets? How are you feeling? Is there anything wrong with your body?” Leon looked at Ilya with concern, his tone full of sincerity.

"I'm feeling fine so far, nothing's bothering me. I'd like to buy some household items," Ilya replied softly, a hint of shyness in her voice.

“Let’s go then. I’ll take you for a walk around the streets. You can tell me what you want to buy,” Leon replied immediately, his tone revealing a rare generosity and open-mindedness.

...

In a clothing store, a salesperson greeted them warmly: "Sir, your girlfriend is very beautiful. This outfit suits her perfectly and brings out her elegance."

“She’s my sister,” Leon politely corrected the saleswoman’s misunderstanding, while Ilya didn’t say anything more, continuing to focus on choosing clothes in the fitting area. Faced with the dazzling array of beautiful garments before her, she seemed somewhat overwhelmed, unsure of where to begin.

"If you like everything, then pick out a few more. After all, it's not easy to come all this way," Leon encouraged.

“Okay!” Ilya replied excitedly, his eyes sparkling with joy.

Leon glanced at the price tags on the clothes and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the prices were all within an acceptable range; otherwise, he would have felt the pinch.

They strolled around the streets for a long time, gradually accumulating shopping bags, all of which were carried by Leon alone.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that shopping with girls was a tiring task, and wondered how Ilya managed to stay so energetic.

But whenever Leon saw the smile on Ilya's face, he felt that all the hard work was worthwhile.

"Is there anything you particularly want to eat? I'll take you to try it." Leon asked.

"I'd like to try some cake."

"Let's go. Let's buy one." Leon hadn't had cake in a long time either. He remembered that the last time he celebrated his birthday was with his older brother, and he missed that feeling a little.

As evening fell, Leon and Ilya returned to the academy with bags full of their spoils. Ilya mentioned that she preferred cooking at home, so Leon specially selected some fresh ingredients, planning to show off his culinary skills at dinner.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them as they strolled side by side, chatting and laughing, along the path back to the college, creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere.