The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 109

Zigzagel nodded toward me as if entrusting Khalid to my care, then left the room in search of Seleya.
Khalid slipped his arm beneath the pillow and spoke.
“Well, since you’ve said as much, I’ll gladly accept your kindness, but I plan to lie quietly in bed—there’s no real nursing required, is there?”
“Even so, I’ll stay just in case.”
I answered with a faint smile. I murmured while watching Pongko, who sat perched on the sofa beside me.
“But Pongko is the real problem here…”
Pongko drooped his ears and avoided my gaze.
“He’s not even a Demon Beast, yet he reacted to Halgrok’s divine power? I suppose we should dissect—”
“Kyaaaah!”
“—him to find out?”
“Kyah! I don’t know anything!”
“But you nearly put Leoryna in danger! Taking you as a Familiar was far too risky after all!”
Both Pongko and I wanted to explain that the situation hadn’t been quite so perilous, but we couldn’t, leaving us frustrated.
“That was an unavoidable accident that occurred because we encountered an inexplicable force in the temple. It doesn’t happen under normal circumstances.”
When I stepped in to defend him, Pongko nodded vigorously.
“I truly don’t know anything! I didn’t choose to transform that way.”
Khalid glared at both Pongko and me.
“Still, I can’t trust this. So make sure you wear a proper mana-control collar from now on.”
Pongko and I exchanged glances.
Well, we were willing to do that much for the sake of maintaining appearances. If we set the collar to allow a reasonable amount of mana usage, it wouldn’t prevent us from casting magic entirely.
“In any case, I suspect Pongko might be connected to Halgrok’s creations—not a Demon Beast, certainly not of the Demon Race, but worth investigating nonetheless.”
“You’re going to dissect me?!”
“No. We’ll approach it from another angle.”
At Khalid’s words, Pongko clutched his chest in relief.
I shared Pongko’s unease. As his Familiar, I knew he wasn’t lying to me or hiding anything intentionally, but since Pongko himself didn’t understand his own condition, I couldn’t help but feel troubled.
‘But if I said that now, Khalid would try to kill Pongko.’
I swallowed a sigh internally.
“Ugh, my head hurts. I don’t understand any of this.”
“You’re a patient right now, Professor, so don’t strain yourself. Just rest.”
“I will.”
Khalid adjusted his position and lay back, closing his eyes. I leaned against the sofa, resting my chin on the armrest.
Here was Khalid in poor condition, defenseless upon the bed. Normally, I would have schemed about how to assassinate him.
But today, I had no desire to do so. Conscience weighed upon me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how he had rushed in to save me. It wasn’t just today. Before, and before that too. Khalid had continuously protected me through every crisis.
I opened my mouth somewhat impulsively.
“Professor, are you asleep?”
“…Go to sleep yourself.”
Khalid, still awake, responded with a slightly hoarse voice. But Leoryna paid no mind and continued.
“Why do you keep saving me?”
“What?”
“Why do you always protect me?”
At Leoryna’s words, Khalid’s expression grew subtle as he slowly propped himself up on his elbows.
“When did I ever protect you like that…?”
“When I was kidnapped by the Terrorists, when I got caught in a mana rampage at the Academy, and even in the Huaderica Territory when I found myself in all sorts of dangerous situations, you protected me. And this time too…”
The more Leoryna spoke, the more she felt like garbage.
Her predicaments were nothing but performances, carefully staged illusions. Yet Khalid had rushed to her rescue every single time without the slightest hesitation or doubt.
As Leoryna counted off each incident on her fingers, Khalid suddenly burst into laughter.
“Wow, so you really are a walking disaster? Maybe you need a purification ritual at Halgrok’s Temple?”
“This isn’t funny!”
Leoryna’s voice rose without her realizing it.
“It’s because you keep doing this, Professor, that I…!”
‘Develop useless emotions that interfere with the assassination.’
Leoryna couldn’t finish her sentence and her mouth hung open.
“You what?”
“…I just feel sorry.”
Leoryna exhaled the words like a sigh. But Khalid simply shrugged and spoke casually.
“Well, I didn’t do it expecting gratitude, and you didn’t do anything intentionally, so there’s no need to apologize.”
‘No, I did do it intentionally.’
Cold sweat broke out on Leoryna’s back without her noticing. Khalid, oblivious to her inner turmoil, continued speaking.
“If my student was about to face disaster right in front of me, wouldn’t it be stranger to just stand by and do nothing?”
“Still…”
“That’s enough. Don’t worry about it. I’m really fine.”
Khalid lay back down.
Leoryna gazed at him with conflicted eyes. But the darkness of the room concealed her expression from his view.
“Well… since you seem to be doing well enough, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll just sleep.”
As Khalid waved his hand dismissively, Leoryna quietly left the room with Pongko.
After exiting the Flying Airship, Leoryna trudged toward the Engine Room where no one else would be, and crouched down. Pongko, sensing something was wrong with her demeanor, sniffed nervously and asked.
“Leoryna, is something wrong? Your expression looks terrible.”
“Pongko…”
Leoryna opened her mouth with a dejected face.
“What do I do? I’ve started to dislike killing Khalid…”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I mean, I had plenty of opportunities to kill Khalid back then. If I used you, whose mana is connected to mine, to trigger a mana rampage in the crystal orb, even Khalid wouldn’t have survived.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“I was too frazzled to think about it then, but I remembered it just now. I should feel angry or frustrated about missing that chance, but instead, I felt relieved. I don’t understand why… the idea of having to kill Khalid just feels… off somehow…”
Pongko, who had been listening silently to Leoryna’s words, tilted his head and asked.
“Leoryna, do you have feelings for Khalid?”
At that, Leoryna’s head snapped up immediately.
“What?! That’s absurd! Who would develop feelings for a reclusive research fanatic like him?! If he at least had a decent personality, maybe—but he’s constantly ordering me around! How could I possibly care for someone I spend all day plotting to kill?! Not wanting Khalid dead and actually liking him are two entirely different things!”
Leoryna was genuinely indignant.
“Is that so?”
“It’s a matter of conscience! Khalid keeps trying to protect me, throwing his own safety aside without hesitation, while I’ve spent every waking moment scheming his demise. Doesn’t something feel fundamentally wrong about that?”
“But Leoryna, isn’t that how it always is when you approach someone under a false identity?”
“I’ve never undertaken a mission requiring me to infiltrate someone’s life before. I didn’t know it would be like this.”
Leoryna exhaled deeply.
“And then there’s that oracle you mentioned at Halgrok’s Temple—it troubles me. Defy destiny? How can I do such a thing when I’m Petila’s servant?”
Leoryna ran her fingers roughly through her hair.
“Ugh, this is maddening! There’s too much to think about! Halgrok, prophecies—I just want to kill Khalid quickly and go home! Why does everything keep getting more complicated?! Being mentioned in an oracle, getting entangled in all this—I never wanted any of it! And now I can’t even bring myself to want him dead. How is that possible? This isn’t how I’m supposed to be!”
“Then why not simply tell Yorken directly? Request a replacement assassin since you can no longer continue the mission.”
At Pongko’s words, Leoryna’s eyes wavered.
“A replacement assassin?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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