The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 58

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

Chapter 58

Nifra spoke with an impassive expression.
“If you kill me, Khalid’s autonomous defense system collapses—the same as if it were destroyed. Then he’ll awaken. That’s not the situation you’re hoping for while trapped in this dream, is it?”
At her words, Leoryna’s movements froze. She narrowed her eyes, studying Nifra intently.
“Then stay bound there and watch.”
Nifra exhaled a sigh but made no further attempt to restrain Leoryna.
With Nifra now compliant, Leoryna passed her without difficulty and stood before the door. She grasped the handle and turned it with all her strength.
Beyond the open door lay a desolate castle.
Leoryna gazed upward at the half-collapsed, charred structure.
“Is this… Khalid’s dream?”
Leoryna was bewildered. She had certainly used an elixir designed to induce pleasant dreams, yet this landscape was utterly divorced from anything remotely pleasant.
“Did I misuse the elixir?”
Leoryna scratched her head in uncertainty.
Though I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t simply stand idle. So I decided to move forward and explore.
The castle’s perimeter was nothing but scorched emptiness, leaving me few options for where to venture.
I entered through the Castle Wall Gate. Inside, debris scattered from the castle lay strewn about in all directions.
It was an extraordinarily desolate place. Yet the castle’s scale was immense, so surveying it would take considerable time. I paused, uncertain where to begin.
“I don’t know where to start looking.”
At Nifra’s words—she had freed herself from her bonds and approached my side—I nodded in agreement.
“What do you want to see?”
“Khalid’s weakness.”
“This is a dream, not a place that reveals weaknesses.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I passed Nifra and resumed walking, arriving at the castle gate ahead.
Upon opening and entering the castle’s main gate, I could only squint in horror.
The interior of the castle was a sea of blood.
And corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses.
Despite having witnessed far more death than any ordinary person could bear, the sight was nauseating in its brutality.
Young people in their prime lay dead. Elders brimming with wisdom lay dead. Children with bright futures ahead lay dead. Someone’s mother lay dead. Someone’s beloved lay dead.
Nothing but death. Death. Death. Death. Death.
I cradled my head in my hands.
Remaining here any longer would shatter my own mind. I spun around and fled, bursting out of the castle and slamming the door shut to block out that horrific sight.
Once beyond the castle, I found myself collapsing to the ground without conscious thought. Nifra crouched beside me as I gasped for breath.
“Not as entertaining as you expected?”
“Is this a pleasant dream?!”
At my exasperated words, Nifra shook her head.
“You’ve been going on about pleasant dreams this whole time, but Khalid doesn’t have pleasant dreams. When you entered expecting to see one, there was nothing because there truly is nothing. Instead, he locked away all his other dreams behind the door.”
“Then Khalid doesn’t dream at all?”
“Normally, I keep the door sealed against dreams, but when my mind and body grow weak, the door cracks open slightly, and nightmares slip through.”
Nifra rested her head on her hand.
“That’s why I created something like an autonomous defense system to guard the door. But since I’m part of him, I can’t control it completely. Look at what’s happening now—I let you inside.”
At those words, Leoryna lifted her head.
“Why did you let me in? You didn’t resist my attacks. You even warned me beforehand that Khalid would wake.”
“I can’t venture deep into this place alone. That’s why I needed outside help.”
“Deep into this place…? You mean Inside the Castle?”
“I’m talking about the dream carved into the Deeper Realm beyond this castle.”
“What are you going to do there?”
Leoryna asked, and Nifra helped her to her feet before answering.
“There’s something I need to see.”
“What is it? Khalid’s greatest weakness, something like that?”
At Leoryna’s words, Nifra shook her head quietly.
“It’s the opposite. It’s the dream that made Khalid strongest.”
“Ugh, I don’t need that. I’m looking for a dream that could become Khalid’s weakness.”
“But to find that dream, you’ll have to pass through the place I mentioned.”
Leoryna fell silent in thought for a moment, then rose and began walking.
‘Damn it, let’s hope this is worth the trouble.’
Muttering to herself, Leoryna followed the path that ran along the castle’s outer edge. Behind the castle, she discovered a Glass Greenhouse gleaming with pristine white light—a jarring contrast to the surrounding landscape of ash, crimson earth, and shattered Castle Wall fragments.
Leoryna glanced at Nifra. Since Nifra showed no reaction, Leoryna decided to approach the greenhouse.
Upon opening the greenhouse door and stepping inside, she found it brimming with flowering trees. She had only ever seen such a magnificent greenhouse in the Sanctuary of Yorken’s Saint, so she was somewhat taken aback.
As she ventured deeper, the sound of stringed instruments reached her ears. Leoryna moved silently and peered through the trees toward the source of the music.
At the far end of the greenhouse stood a bench, where two people sat. A third person leaned against a nearby tree at an angle.
The first figure to enter Leoryna’s view was Khalid. He possessed a complete pair of horns on his head. As she then spotted the two other people seated on the bench, Leoryna’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Why is Zigzagel here?’
Zigzagel sat with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand, while beside him Nifra plucked the strings of a wooden instrument.
Leoryna was aware of the connection between Khalid, Zigzagel, and Nifra, so she wasn’t surprised to see these three together. But the way Zigzagel looked at Nifra…
‘It’s not just affection. That’s the gaze of someone in love.’
Warmth radiated from Zigzagel’s eyes. And Nifra felt the same. Both of them laughed brightly at Khalid’s idle chatter, clearly delighted.
‘Ah… I see. Khalid treasures those two…’
Sensing that she shouldn’t disturb this moment, Leoryna turned her attention to the other Nifra beside her.
Gatekeeper Nifra smiled softly and nodded.
“Yes, this is the beautiful dream you were searching for. But this dream is…”
Her smile carried a hint of melancholy.
While Leoryna tilted her head in confusion, the Nifra who had been with Zigzagel opened her mouth.
“If you loved me that much, I wish you had just died by my hand.”
‘What?’
Leoryna’s eyes went wide.
The surrounding landscape had shifted. The Glass Greenhouse stood with only its frame intact, the rest shattered completely, blood splattered across its remnants.
On one side, Zigzagel lay bleeding. And from the opposite direction, Khalid…
“Nifra….”
Nifra’s blade pierced deep into Khalid’s abdomen.
Nifra’s face, which had been as expressionless as a porcelain doll, contorted for a moment before she shook her head.
“No, that’s not right. If you loved me that much, you should have killed me.”
The blade cut mercilessly through Khalid’s flesh and organs.
“Nifra….”
Khalid coughed blood from his mouth as he grasped the blade.
“Nifra… hm? It’s fine. I can handle this.”
Even through the pain, Khalid forced a smile. The sight was so gruesome that I found it agonizing to witness.
“What is happening here?”
At my question, Gatekeeper Nifra lowered her eyes.
“This dream always ends like this. So it can’t be called a good dream.”
“But why did you stab Khalid?”
Just then, I heard Pongko’s voice in my head.
-Leoryna! It seems like Khalid is trying to wake up!
‘Damn it.’
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
-He’s groaning and moaning—it looks like he’ll wake up soon.
“Ah, I see. If my presence here is causing Khalid’s dream contents to leak out, then he must be having a nightmare right now, isn’t he?”
-Hurry, hurry!
“No! Wait! Just a little longer—I think I’m about to understand…!”
I refused to leave the dream. But then the space trembled, and Khalid’s eyes—which had been fixed on Nifra stabbing him—shifted toward me. He stared at me with an expressionless face and asked.
“What are you?”

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