All-around teacher at the magic academy

As the smoke gradually dissipated, Leon stood there, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding environment, which had been utterly destroyed by his magic.

His eyes revealed an indescribable emotion—whether it was helplessness, satisfaction, or worry, even he himself couldn't tell.

Max stood a short distance away, watching Leon's retreating figure with a complex expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Kate and the other law enforcement officers around them remained silent, some standing still, others resting on the ruins.

Everyone looked at Leon with complicated expressions, as if he were an outsider.

Leon slowly lifted his heavy steps and staggered towards the spot where the monster had stood. Each step was incredibly difficult; the powerful magic he had just unleashed had consumed too much of his mana, and even he was nearing his limit.

As he reached the edge of the pit, Leon's brow furrowed. He stared at the heart pounding within, as if it were testifying to the monster's immortality.

Leon stared at the heart, a feeling of weariness rising within him. Could this monster still be alive?

He leaped into the deep pit and cautiously approached the still-beating heart. He reached out, preparing to unleash his final spell to annihilate the heart and end the battle.

However, just as he was about to unleash his magic, the heart suddenly exploded, and a cloud of blood mist instantly spread out, enveloping Leon's entire figure.

"Leon!" Max witnessed this scene, his heart tightened, and he immediately rushed into the deep pit.

"Cough cough cough... I'm fine, Captain." Leon's voice came from the blood mist. He slowly walked out of the blood mist, his body covered in monster blood, coughing incessantly as he spoke.

He clearly hadn't expected his heart to suddenly explode. Fortunately, the explosion didn't cause him serious injury, otherwise he might have really died there.

"What happened?" Max looked at Leon, his eyes filled with worry, and asked anxiously.

“I don’t know, it just suddenly exploded.” Leon shook his head, fanned his mouth with his hand to try to dispel the taste of blood, and continued, “I think it’s over.”

"Okay, that's good." Max breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"Captain, you're not going to make me pay for this, are you? I don't have that much money. This should be official business. Duke Adams will reimburse me, right?"

Leon said nervously, thinking about the 15 pounds he had just earned, which was his hard-earned reward, and he didn't want to lose it all at once. Moreover, judging from the extent of the damage, even if he lost it all, it wouldn't be enough.

“It’s official business, but Duke Adams probably can’t make up for it,” Max said with a sigh, his voice heavy.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked, puzzled. He sensed that things weren't as simple as they seemed.

“The Duke’s mansion is gone,” Max said in a heavy voice. “Even Duke Adams’ body has not been found; it must have been destroyed by a monster.”

Leon fell silent. He thought of Hansen, wondering what he would do and how he should tell him the news. This news was undoubtedly a huge blow to him.

"Where did this monster come from?" Leon asked, frowning in confusion. He was puzzled as to how such a monster could appear in the city, and even more so, how it could appear at Duke Adams's mansion. It all seemed too coincidental, and Leon sensed an unusual conspiracy.

“I don’t know, further investigation is needed,” Max replied, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. Although he had some guesses, he knew it was not the time to draw conclusions.

"What's going on? I heard there's a monster causing trouble in the city. Where's the monster?"

A voice suddenly broke the silence, and Leon and Max quickly looked up in the direction of the sound.

They saw a group of armored figures standing above the pit, sunlight shining down from behind them, creating a dazzling halo.

The blinding sunlight forced Leon to squint, and he couldn't clearly see the faces of the people above the pit, but he could roughly guess their identities.

"Professor Leon, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice called out.

Leon looked at Lucas, the vice-captain of the Knights, who was standing in front of him, and replied, "I'm here to help the law enforcers deal with the monsters."

“Professor Leon works part-time as a law enforcement officer, and I was the one who invited him this time,” Max added from the side.

"I see." Lucas nodded, seemingly understanding. "Did you also defeat that monster?"

“Yes.” Leon answered without hesitation. He knew that this kind of thing couldn’t be hidden, and a simple investigation would reveal the truth, so he chose to answer truthfully.

“It’s good that they’ve eliminated them. We rushed here as soon as we received the news. Leave the rest to us,” Lucas said to Max in a firm tone. Although his attitude was polite, it revealed an unquestionable authority.

Max frowned. He was clearly unhappy with the Knights' involvement, but considering that the Knights were of a higher rank than the law enforcers, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

“I will assist you,” he finally said, though somewhat reluctantly, but knowing that cooperation was the best option in this situation.

Leon stood to the side, his gaze deep, as if he were deep in thought.

He had some doubts: "Did they rush here as soon as they received the news? But the monster just disappeared and then reappeared. That seems a bit too coincidental."

Leon didn't quite believe in such a coincidence. There was enough time between the monster's appearance and its destruction. Even Max was able to arrive at the scene immediately. There was no reason for the Knights to arrive later than the enforcers.

Leon shook his head slightly, putting those questions aside. He told himself that these things were no longer important; as long as they no longer involved him, he didn't need to care too much. His mission was complete; the remaining cleanup and aftermath could be left to the Knights and the enforcers.

"Nothing else, I'll be going now. Today's battle was a bit too exhausting, I need to go back and rest." Leon made an excuse to say goodbye, his voice revealing a hint of fatigue.

"Do you need me to arrange someone to escort you?" Lucas offered his help warmly, his eyes full of concern.

Leon smiled and politely declined, "No need, I can manage on my own, so I won't trouble you."

“Alright, be careful.” Lucas respected Leon’s choice and simply offered a reminder.

Max nodded to Leon, who returned the nod and said goodbye.

I should probably go and see Hansen now.