Chapter 62

Thank you for reading.

"My name is Seth Levnia.

Currently, I am unemployed due to poor health, but I used to be an engineer who handled magical devices.

Before that, I was a researcher at the Royal Institute, during the reign of the previous king."

Seth slightly frowned when he said "during the reign of the previous king."

Heine, sensing the underlying emotions, murmured consoling words, "That must have been tough..."

"Those who only knew me from back then probably wouldn't recognize me now.

When I was young, I was quite overweight. It caused me a lot of trouble. People who judged by appearance often underestimated my abilities."

As if recalling painful memories, Seth shook his head and continued, "To be honest, I wasn't always like that. I was just a bit on the heavy side.

But at work, my boss would constantly berate me, saying things like, 'Someone who can't take care of themselves is incompetent.' My boss would steal my work achievements.

It seems that when I was mentally stressed, I would eat more and gain weight. I fell into a vicious cycle.

I gave up. So, I changed jobs to a dangerous workplace.

The pay was very high, but it wasn't a healthy work environment.

Well, it was just right for someone who had given up.

If I couldn't live long, I thought it would be better to die. I had that kind of mindset.

It was then that I met someone.

It wasn't that they comforted me. They weren't that kind of person.

But for some reason, they gave me courage.

I still can't find the right words to describe why."

Seth tilted his head, his expression gentle as he recalled the encounter.

Heine listened quietly, not wanting to interrupt his memories.

"Maybe it was because they were so energetic.

They worked twice as hard for their struggling colleagues and smiled as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

When thanked, they would honestly say, 'You should worship me more!' I'm not sure if 'honestly' is the right word, but it was honest.

Just having her around made everything bright, like a sunny day.

We started talking during short breaks. She was very capable at work, so I would sometimes rely on her. It made things easier.

By then, I had gotten used to the job and found it fulfilling.

It was a challenging job. I had to adjust the magical devices based on the hardness of the rock and other factors. I infused the surroundings with magical power—earth magic. Through this, I could see the layers of the earth. I could feel my magical engineering skills improving.

So, I didn't want to quit. But I failed a health check-up."

Seth paused, as if he couldn't hold back his words.

A fulfilling job and a meaningful encounter... It must have been a happy time for him. The collapse of that happiness must have been very painful for him.

His breath was trembling. The silence lasted only a moment before Seth continued.

"The work site had poor air quality.

In such environments, employees were required to drink medicinal tea every day to purify their bodies.

It was an expensive tea made from magical herbs. However, magical herbs have compatibility issues, especially with magical power.

Unfortunately, I didn't match.

After working for several years, my lungs were damaged.

We couldn't keep a technician who failed health check-ups, so a replacement was sent.

I planned to quit once the replacement was ready.

The handover took over three years.

My health wasn't good, so I tried my best to train the replacement, but it didn't go well.

She died because of that.

At the time, I was still on sick leave.

The handover period was over. It was time for the replacement to work independently.

The bosses thought so too, so the replacement was under pressure.

He was told he lacked motivation and ability, and he became stubborn.

He started a job he couldn't do alone.

An accident happened.

She died in a cave-in."

Seth took a heavy breath.

Heine understood the kind of person Seth was.

"It's not your fault, Mr. Levnia."

Heine stated the obvious.

Seth must have heard this countless times.

According to his story, he wasn't at the accident site.

But he couldn't think that way.

Heine's words, which offered no real comfort, were heard with a tired expression.

Indeed, his heart was worn out and exhausted.

It had been two years since the accident.

Yet, Seth looked as if he had just experienced the shock of the accident.

His tears might have dried up, but his heart seemed to still want to overflow with dried tears.

"I didn't want to leave my job.

That's why I was lenient in training my successor."

"That's not true."

When Heine stated this, Seth looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I can tell that Mr. Levnia is very serious.

From our brief conversation, I can tell that you are a serious person.

One of your defining traits is being serious.

Don't you agree?"

When Heine asked, Seth hesitated, "That... is true."

Since he didn't deny it, Heine continued.

"You took a difficult and dangerous job when you were feeling down.

This is evident from that.

Usually, when someone is feeling down, they wouldn't choose a 'difficult' job.

They would choose something easier.

But you took a difficult job and made it your own, finding fulfillment in it.

You must be very serious.

Moreover, you were in poor health and sometimes took leave.

Despite that, you must have worked hard to train your successor, creating handover materials and sharing your work methods without reservation, right?"

When Heine asked again, Seth was at a loss for words.

Heine was right.

It was as if he had seen it all, leaving Seth speechless.

Heine nodded and continued.

"I think you worked very hard. You did the handover for three years despite your poor health.

Unfortunately, many people who came to such dangerous workplaces had their own reasons.

No matter how much you taught someone without motivation, it was like pouring water into a sieve.

In that environment, your difficult successor tried to show his capabilities and took on a challenging job when you were on leave.

Probably, you had done some preparation, but not enough.

Despite your poor health, you had done what you could.

But it was still too much for the young successor.

Thinking he could do it, he took on the job.

And the accident happened.

Am I wrong?"

Seth, who had been listening with wide eyes, nodded involuntarily when Heine asked.

"Yes... that's right."

"Seth.

I think the woman who died would be angry if she knew you blamed yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

Seth laughed bitterly, finding Heine's words too accurate.

"Would you agree, Seth?"

Heine, almost smiling at Seth's bitter laugh, asked.

"I think so.

That's the kind of person she was."

Seth nodded.

He truly believed she loved him.

She did love him.

Even during the accident, she was the first to notice the danger because she always watched his work.

She was running around, trying to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

"Let's blame it all on that foolish successor.

Since you weren't at the site, you weren't held responsible, right?"

"Indeed, I wasn't.

I had said I would do it.

My one extra day of leave didn't cause any problems.

He didn't need to do it."

"For her sake, let's acknowledge that you had no responsibility for the accident.

Please do that.

It would be better for her. She was that kind of person."

Seth remained silent for a while, then whispered, "I will."

Thank you for reading.

I plan to post at a similar time tomorrow.