The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 124
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 124
Rather than abandon Leoryna as she wept and cried out on the street, Khalid cast a spell of concealment over both of them. Now, even as Leoryna sobbed uncontrollably, no one spared them a glance.
Khalid spoke to her gently, trying to calm her.
“Alright. Then at least let me escort you home.”
“I told you not to follow me!”
“But Leoryna… there’s nothing quite as sorrowful as crying alone.”
“That’s not for you to decide, Professor!”
Leoryna let out a sharp cry, but Khalid simply shook his head.
“Then… well, what should I do…?”
After a moment of deliberation, he suddenly removed his outer robe and draped it completely over her head.
“?”
As Leoryna blinked in the sudden darkness, Khalid’s voice came from outside the fabric.
“This way, it feels like you’re alone, doesn’t it? No one can see you crying.”
He was right. It was far better than looking directly at his face.
The robe carried the distinctive scent of aged paper.
“I’m lending this to you specially. Stay like that.”
From within the robe, instead of her usual defiant tone, Leoryna’s sniffles grew louder than before.
Since Khalid had removed his outer robe, she could have seized the opportunity to attempt an assassination, but Leoryna no longer wished to kill him. And the fact that she didn’t want to only made her cry harder.
Then Khalid gently took her hand and began to lead her.
“I’ll take you home. Watch your step.”
Leoryna, her tears soaking through his robe, followed him obediently.
The distance from the Academy to Leoryna’s House was not far. Khalid carefully seated her on a chair at the Front Porch Deck.
Leoryna continued to cry, though not with the same bitter sorrow as before.
Khalid crouched beside the chair and asked.
“Do you still not want to tell me why you’re crying?”
She nodded.
“Is it something I can’t resolve?”
She nodded again.
“There’s truly nothing to be done?”
Khalid sighed and gently patted the top of her head where it was likely positioned.
“Then cry as much as you need to.”
She nodded.
After that, Khalid fell silent.
Breathing in the scent of his robe, I thought to myself.
‘Something is terribly wrong.’
I didn’t want to be angry the moment I saw Khalid. When we met unexpectedly just now, I was actually glad. I stubbornly insisted on being alone, but with Khalid beside me like this, I couldn’t deny that he was right.
Yet his tenderness pierced my heart relentlessly.
Khalid had done nothing wrong, and yet I had only spoken harshly to him. Despite that, he harbored no anger or irritation—instead, he worried about me. I had no face to show him. So I couldn’t bring myself to return his robe for a long while.
‘What do I do now?’
Leoryna stood motionless in her clothes, lost in thought.
‘How should I treat Khalid?’
Just because she harbored affection for Khalid didn’t mean she could carelessly reveal it. She would have to kill him someday, and such feelings were nothing but poison.
Yet she truly did not want to kill Khalid.
‘Is there a way to avoid killing Khalid?’
Leoryna let her thoughts flow freely.
‘The Holy Maiden said it herself. There might be a way to prevent the future without killing Khalid. But since I don’t know what that method is….’
She exhaled deeply.
‘No, wait. As long as there’s the option of not having to kill him, I just need to find that method. According to the Holy Maiden and Sungha, there’s still plenty of time. So….’
Suddenly her mind cleared and her vision opened wide.
‘I just need to find that method!’
She pulled back Khalid’s outer coat that had been draped over her. Though her eyes were still swollen, Leoryna’s expression was resolute.
“Professor Khalid.”
“Hmm? Are you feeling better now?”
At Leoryna’s call, Khalid turned to look at her. His expression still carried concern.
Leoryna felt the weight lifting from her heart as she gazed at that face, and she gently bit her lower lip.
“Yes, I think I’m alright now. Probably.”
“Your eyes need cold compresses.”
Ignoring her reassurance, Khalid examined the bruised area around Leoryna’s eyes and clicked his tongue.
“Want something sweet? When you’re feeling down, a little sugar helps lift your spirits.”
As Leoryna slowly nodded, Khalid dashed off toward the Dessert Shop directly across from her house.
Leoryna stared blankly after him when Pongko asked a question.
“Leoryna, are you really alright?”
“Yes. I’ve reached my own conclusion.”
“What is it?”
“There must be a way to prevent Khalid from becoming the Demon King without killing him. I don’t know what that method is yet, but I’m going to find it from now on.”
“But your mission from Yorken is to kill Khalid, not to find a way to avoid killing him. That’s not an order from Yorken.”
“No. I’ve decided. Sungha and the Holy Maiden gave me considerable time. That means I can postpone the assassination unless it’s a critical moment. So if I find a way to avoid killing him before that critical moment arrives, then I don’t have to go through with it.”
“That’s not entirely wrong, I suppose….”
While Pongko tilted his small head back and forth, Khalid returned with bags in both hands.
“Here.”
The bags Khalid offered wafted with the sweet aroma of desserts.
“I can’t possibly eat all of this.”
“Just freeze them and eat one at a time.”
“Yes….”
Leoryna accepted the bags filled with desserts. She glanced at Khalid hesitantly before speaking.
“Um, Professor… would you perhaps stay for a moment? Since you’ve been so considerate yesterday and today, I’d like to offer you tea as thanks….”
Pongko’s mouth fell open beside her.
The Leoryna of yesterday would have said that gratitude aside, if he had any conscience for treating her that way, it was only natural he do well by her. She certainly wouldn’t have invited Khalid into her home so casually.
I wasn’t sure how Khalid interpreted it, but he answered cheerfully.
“Is that so?”
At his words, Leoryna’s face brightened a little.
She opened the entrance door, then belatedly wondered if the state of her home was presentable to others. She snapped to attention and quickly blocked the narrow gap with her body as she spoke.
“Professor, just a moment. Please wait here!”
She left Khalid outside and rushed in, hastily sweeping up the clothes scattered across the floor and the Grand Temple’s confidential documents carelessly left about, shoving them into the wardrobe. The pile of unwashed dishes in the sink she dumped into the trash bin.
While Leoryna worked, Pongko asked in a flustered voice from beside her.
“Inviting Khalid into your home—what are you thinking?”
“This is all for intelligence gathering. I’ve been far too formal with Khalid until now. Since I’ve changed my plan, I need to understand more personal aspects of him. It’s part of my strategy.”
At those words, Pongko nodded with a convinced expression.
And whether Pongko was convinced or not, Leoryna moved busily, tidying the house. With Khalid waiting outside, she didn’t have time for lengthy explanations.
Once she’d cleared away all the visible mess in an instant, Leoryna opened the door to Khalid, breathing slightly heavily.
“Please come in.”
“I’ll excuse myself.”
“Please make yourself comfortable, and I’ll bring you something to drink.”
“Thank you.”
Khalid sat on the guest sofa and glanced around the interior of the house.
Leoryna’s home had nothing particularly remarkable about it. She had furnished it with only the bare essentials needed for living.
Since it was a place she would leave without hesitation once she killed Khalid, she harbored no attachment to the house.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————