The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 47

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

Chapter 47

I helped Khalid to his feet and laid him down on the sofa. Then I asked in a worried voice.
“Professor? Are you conscious?”
“Mm…”
Khalid barely managed a response, his face hazy as he exhaled hot, ragged breaths. Even so, he kept a firm grip on his collar.
“No… not my clothes…”
“That’s exactly why I’m wondering why you’re clinging to them so desperately… Never mind. Just stay like that.”
I pulled up a chair and sat beside him. Resting my chin in my hand, I waited for his condition to deteriorate further.
‘I wonder if he’ll survive this like some kind of cockroach again?’
Given how tenaciously Khalid had clung to life until now, I observed him with skepticism. His cheeks were flushed crimson as he trembled.
“Ugh…”
To anyone watching, I was clearly neglecting him, but Khalid was in no state to dwell on such things. He lifted his hand and flailed at the empty air.
“Leoryna… Leoryna, are you there…?”
I took his hand.
“Yes, Professor. I’m right here.”
Khalid’s vision seemed clouded as he gripped my hand tightly and murmured.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
‘Because I need to confirm you’re dead.’
“Without me… I can’t protect you…”
Khalid continued speaking through his groans.
“You’re weak… if something happens to you somewhere… I can’t allow that…”
‘What is he even saying?’
I sighed.
I was far stronger than Khalid realized, and right now I was waiting for him to die. Hearing such words only made me uncomfortable.
“Professor, just go to sleep.”
“No.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“What if something happens while I’m asleep?”
“I already told you—I’m not going anywhere. Even if a stranger comes, I won’t open the door. Isn’t that enough?”
“No… that’s not what I’m worried about… Nifra was the same…”
At the name that left Khalid’s lips, I tilted my head in confusion.
‘Nifra? Is he talking about his sister Nifra?’
“What are you trying to say?”
“It happens when you’re most vulnerable… they exploit it… that’s why I can’t sleep… if I fall asleep and you end up in danger…”
“I’m telling you—there’s no danger to be had!”
“I… need to protect you…”
‘Should I just knock him unconscious?’
Leoryna was growing increasingly irritated with Khalid, who lay awake yet intoxicated, muttering incoherently. When she pressed a pressure point along the nape of his neck, his head lolled to the side.
“Hmm, it seems pressing acupuncture points is acceptable.”
It appeared that the enchantments woven into his garments would not activate unless someone harbored genuine intent to kill him or cause him harm.
“I’m beginning to grasp the activation conditions…”
As Leoryna murmured to herself, the magical arrays inscribed upon Khalid’s clothing suddenly blazed to life in unison.
“What now?”
Leoryna squinted, retracing her steps to determine what she had inadvertently triggered.
Yet she couldn’t recall doing anything particularly suspicious…
As the magical arrays activated, a spherical barrier of luminous mana materialized around Khalid.
Whoosh!
The force sent Leoryna sliding backward.
“What is this? What’s happening now?”
Leoryna reached toward the mana barrier. But it enveloped Khalid so securely that her hand could not pass through.
‘Does it activate while he sleeps? But in all this time, I’ve never seen the magical arrays respond like this when Khalid was unconscious before?!’
Bewildered, Leoryna stood deliberating her next move when she heard a sound from outside.
Shaka shaka.
Shaka shaka.
Leoryna buried her face in her hands.
‘Damn it, Zigzagel is coming.’
Since she couldn’t kill Khalid outright, she resolved to seize the initiative before Zigzagel discovered this disaster and interrogated her. Leoryna bolted from the Research Laboratory, crying out.
“Professor Zigzagel! Please help!”
Zigzagel, who had been walking while enthusiastically shaking maracas, widened his eyes and stared at Leoryna.
“What’s wrong?!”
“Something’s happened to Professor Khalid, but I have no idea what!”
“What are you talking about?”
Even as he spoke, Zigzagel hurried into the Research Laboratory. Upon seeing the mana barrier circling protectively around Khalid, he wiped his face.
“Ah.”
Though Zigzagel was somewhat startled, his expression suggested he understood the situation well enough.
He quickly approached Khalid and extended his hand, beginning to mutter incantations. The flow of mana ceased, then was smoothly absorbed into the magical arrays inscribed upon Khalid’s clothing.
Zigzagel turned to Leoryna.
“What happened?”
“Well… Professor Khalid suddenly developed a high fever and collapsed. After that, the magical arrays on his clothes began to glow, and it became like this.”
Leoryna offered her explanation while conveniently omitting her own involvement. Zigzagel, however, harbored no suspicion of her. He placed his hand on Khalid’s forehead and said.
“I see. He’s burning up quite severely.”
He cast a spell upon the sofa where Khalid lay. The sofa immediately became covered in thick ice. Leoryna thought it a rather crude method, but Khalid’s face appeared somewhat relieved.
Leoryna clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘So the fever won’t melt his brain after all.’
“Do you have any idea why he suddenly fell ill?”
At Zigzagel’s question, Leoryna replied with an expression of complete ignorance.
“No. He said he suddenly had a fever and then collapsed.”
“Hmm… Leoryna, could you fetch me some fever-reducing medicine? There should be a medicine box on the upper shelf over there.”
Leoryna rummaged through the shelf Zigzagel indicated and discovered a syrup labeled as fever-reducing medicine. She brought it to Zigzagel, who then carefully dripped it into Khalid’s mouth bit by bit.
After administering the medicine, Zigzagel tilted his head thoughtfully and sat down on the chair Leoryna had placed beside the sofa.
“I’m not sure what’s causing this, but if everything else is fine, we just need to bring the fever down. For now, we should observe and then decide whether to go to the Hospital.”
Zigzagel didn’t seem particularly flustered.
“Wouldn’t it be better to remove his clothes to help lower the fever? If he stays bundled up like that, the heat won’t dissipate properly.”
“That’s… a bit difficult.”
“Why? If it’s because of those protective clothes he wears in case of attack, Professor Zigzagel is right here anyway, so nothing should happen. So there’s no need to worry about that aspect, is there?”
“It’s not quite that simple.”
Zigzagel was more resolute than expected.
‘Damn it. Khalid won’t remove them himself, and I can’t remove them for him. The medicine to raise body temperature failed, so next time I’ll have to try a different remedy. I still have plenty left.’
Leoryna recalled the various remedies stored in the Cabinet and brought over another chair to sit beside Zigzagel. She harbored a faint hope that Khalid’s condition might worsen—perhaps fatally.
“I’ll take care of nursing him, so Professor Zigzagel, you can go.”
“With him in this state, I can’t leave you two alone. There might be situations where I need to be here.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There are such things.”
Just as Leoryna was about to express her frustration at Zigzagel’s evasive manner, Pongko returned.
“I sensed a sudden surge of powerful magical energy, so I came back. What happened?”
At his words, Zigzagel waved his hand dismissively.
“The situation’s resolved.”
Pongko bounded over and hopped onto the head of the sofa where Khalid lay.
“Is Khalid sick? Is he completely unconscious?”
“Seems like it.”
“Is he okay for now?”
“It doesn’t seem to have reached a critical state yet, but we’ll need to monitor the situation to see if he remains stable.”
When Zigzagel answered in a tone suggesting it was nothing serious, Pongko didn’t take the situation gravely and settled comfortably beside the sofa before speaking.
“Do you know what I saw while I was enjoying the Festival?”
“What did you see?”
“That Las fellow was hitting on another woman.”
“Ah.”
Leoryna unconsciously pressed her forehead with her hand.
‘Ah, so the real Las is enjoying the Festival, not Zeles in disguise!’
“It’s a shame I have to stay here and guard when I’d love to go torture him.”
Zigzagel looked at Leoryna with considerable regret. However, since Las was essentially an innocent victim, she hoped Zigzagel wouldn’t do anything rash.
“Please don’t tell Professor Khalid about this. I’m afraid of what he might do.”
But Zigzagel seemed to be only half-listening to Leoryna’s words.
At that moment, Khalid’s eyelids, which had been closed, began to flutter.
“Oh, Khalid. Are you coming to?”
“…I’m dying.”
Khalid opened his eyes and groaned.
“Damn it, I lost consciousness. Please tell me nothing happened to Leoryna while I was out?”
The moment Khalid opened his eyes and asked about her safety, Leoryna’s heart was pierced sharply.
“No, Professor. I’m perfectly fine.”
“It’s fortunate I was here. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Zigzagel placed his hand on Khalid’s forehead while pressing his other hand to his own.
“Your fever has dropped considerably.”
“My head aches a bit, but otherwise I’m fine.”
Khalid sat up, his eyes still somewhat hazy.
“Your body feels alright?”
“Yes. So please don’t worry too much—”
Before Khalid could finish, Zigzagel spoke up.
“Perfect timing. I just got word that Las has been hitting on another woman.”
At Zigzagel’s gossip, a peculiar gleam flashed across Khalid’s eyes.
“Let’s go teach him a lesson.”
“Oh yes! Punishment! Punishment!”
Khalid sprang to his feet and cracked his knuckles loudly. Beside him, Zigzagel shook maracas enthusiastically, egging him on.
“I know exactly where that bastard is!”
Even Pongko joined in with a cunning expression.
The three of them rushed off with Pongko leading the way to arrest Las, leaving no room for Leoryna to intervene.
“No, wait, Professors!”
Leoryna had to stop them before the innocent Las suffered needlessly.
Zeles, you damn bastard—aren’t you supposed to help me with this?
Leoryna wrapped up her aching side and ran after the two men and one creature.
“I’m fine, so please just leave that person alone, Professors!”
But her words didn’t seem to reach them, and the three showed no signs of slowing down.
Today too, Halderion Academy remained peaceful.

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