The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 73

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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 73

Chapter 10: The Secret of the Horns

I stood before the Mirror with my arms crossed, glaring at it with all the intensity I could muster.
How long had I been standing there? The Mirror’s surface rippled, and gradually, the reflection of someone other than myself began to take shape. The moment I saw it, I grabbed the Mirror and cried out.
“Oh no, Zeles!”
But an unexpected voice reached my ears.
“I apologize, but I’ve come in Zeles’s stead.”
“Ugh, Your Holiness!”
I recoiled in shock, scrambling away from the Mirror. Pope Beronas, his face still bearing that gentle expression, remained within the glass.
“It has been quite some time since we last met. I hope you have been well?”
At my greeting, Pope Beronas chuckled and nodded.
“An old man like me never changes. But more importantly….”
As Pope Beronas began to speak, I swallowed hard.
“You asked whether the mission could be reassigned.”
“Ah, yes! Though I’m not saying it must be done that way—it’s just that if, by any chance, someone more suited to this mission were to appear later, or if someone happened to have spare hands available… well, if circumstances permitted, you understand. If circumstances did. Haha!”
“Is this mission proving difficult for you?”
“I’ve rarely encountered a mission that wasn’t difficult. This one is no exception.”
“Then why did you submit such a report? Saying you wished the mission to be changed?”
I rolled my eyes frantically before finally dropping to my knees and letting out a whimper.
“I’ve lost my confidence! I’ve clashed with Khalid twice so far, and I lost both times. I’ve been watching for an assassination opportunity since then, but I haven’t found a decent opening yet! I’m not sure my skills are sufficient to kill him. Surely the mission assignment was made in error?”
“But Leoryna, your mission was assigned by the Holy Maiden herself.”
“Even the Holy Maiden can make mistakes sometimes, can’t she? Or perhaps even Goddess Petila can err. There must have been some oversight. Surely someone stronger should have been sent for this task, not someone like me….”
I exhaled deeply.
Everything I said as an excuse was true, yet I could not bring myself to tell Pope Beronas that I had grown far too close to Khalid.
“Who is stronger than you? Are you speaking of Roabel?”
“Yes, I don’t understand. Why must I specifically infiltrate as a Graduate School student and wait for an opportunity at Khalid’s side? Why couldn’t you have simply killed him from the beginning, Master?”
As I pleaded, Pope Beronas clicked his tongue.
“Had she been necessary, I would have sent her from the start. But what this mission requires is you. And you are already performing admirably.”
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
“Am I truly doing well?”
“Does Goddess Petila not have reason for choosing you? So, Leoryna, believe in yourself. Simply continue as you have been.”
Pope Beronas smiled kindly, but I could not smile in return. No words of comfort could reach me now.
Then came the sound of tapping on the window. I turned to see Pope Beronas’s raven automaton outside the glass.
I was still speaking through the Mirror, so I could not fathom why he would send an automaton. I looked to him questioningly, and he shrugged.
“You seemed so dispirited that the Holy Maiden sent a small gift.”
I opened the window and lifted the raven automaton’s back panel to find a simple ring inside.
“What is this?”
“It’s a ring imbued with the Holy Maiden’s sacred power.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Who knows? The Holy Maiden must have had some intention.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Even as I spoke those words, I slipped the ring onto my left index finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been crafted to match my finger size from the very beginning.
“In any case, thank you. I’m sure I’ll find a use for it someday. Please convey my gratitude to the Holy Maiden as well.”
I bowed my head respectfully.
“Summer will be here soon.”
At that moment, Pope Beronas suddenly brought up something completely out of the blue.
“The weather is lovely—why don’t you go on a picnic or something?”
“I’m in the middle of a mission, though?”
“You’re still young, after all. Don’t spend all day thinking about your mission. Now that things have come to this, wouldn’t it be good to clear your head a bit and get some fresh air?”
I, trained to think only about my mission all day long, furrowed my brow.
Pope Beronas tapped his temple lightly.
“Ease up your mind. Your mind.”
Then he ended the communication.
Left alone at home, I rolled across the floor and thrashed my legs about.
“Argh! What am I supposed to do about this?!”
I had just spoken with Pope Beronas, but I still couldn’t find an answer. My insides felt like they were turning inside out. Pongko, who had been chewing hay in the corner, looked at me with pity.
“The Pope said that too, so just stop worrying. Why do you even need to worry about it?”
“How can I not worry?! I’m not doing my mission properly! If I fail, the world will be engulfed in the flames of war!”
“Leoryna. Are there really so few skilled masters in Yorken who could kill Khalid?”
“That’s… not true.”
I shook my head, thinking of Roabel, my teacher.
“Then if you fail, that person can just kill Khalid instead. That way there’s no problem, right?”
“Well…”
As I made a dumbfounded sound, Pongko chewed his hay again and spoke with perfect ease.
“You have nothing to worry about, Leoryna. Even if you ease up your mind, everything will work out fine. You’re not alone.”
“Is… is that so?”
“That’s how it is.”
“Then what should I do now?”
“Play.”
“Play?”
“Just do everything half-heartedly, everything.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course it’s okay?”
At Pongko’s words, I continued to nod my head with a dumbfounded expression.
“I will… today… play!”
“Don’t just play for today—go ahead and play for a few more days with real enthusiasm.”
“Yes, yes.”
Leoryna complied with Pongko’s words like an automaton that simply followed its commands.
She headed to work with a solemn expression, muttering under her breath.
“I will… take a break!”

* * *

The moment Leoryna entered the Research Laboratory, she was greeted by Khalid bustling about preparing for his lectures.
“Leoryna, perfect timing. Could you copy this for me—one set per student? And I ordered some new reference materials last time, but I can’t find them. Do you happen to know where they are?”
However, Leoryna barely acknowledged Khalid’s words. She was about to declare to him that she would be taking a week off.
Leoryna drew a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“Professor Khalid.”
“Oh, and I won’t be here starting tomorrow for a week, so—”
Just as Leoryna was about to voice her own intentions regardless of what Khalid said, she paused and asked in confusion.
“I’m sorry? You won’t be here for a week?”
“I have something to attend to, so I’ll be away.”
“Suddenly? You never mentioned this before.”
“I forgot to tell you.”
Khalid replied with a rather dismissive tone.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s nothing in particular.”
Leoryna regarded Khalid with considerable suspicion.
Why wouldn’t he reveal his destination? Was he up to something strange again?
“What about your lectures during that time?”
“I’ll cancel them as needed.”
Leoryna was somewhat taken aback when the word “cancel” came from Khalid’s lips—the man who had always acted as though cancellations were beneath him. Her curiosity surged at what could possibly be important enough for him to cancel lectures and leave without warning.
“Am I coming with you?”
“No.”
Leoryna was shocked for the second time.
‘Khalid, who always said a professor and graduate student are one body, is leaving me behind?!’
This meant Leoryna would be free from Khalid for an entire week. She wouldn’t even need to declare her strike!
Yet even though her original goal was being achieved without effort, she felt compelled to know exactly what Khalid was up to.
“What exactly are you leaving for? At the very least, I should know where you’re going.”
But Khalid merely furrowed his brow and thrust the materials he was copying into Leoryna’s arms.
“You don’t particularly need to know.”
“Then what am I supposed to do for a week?”
“Just conduct some research or something.”
Khalid waved his hand dismissively, clearly signaling her to go make the copies.
But Leoryna stepped closer to Khalid and pressed further.
“Come on, what is it? Why won’t you tell me? You’re not going off to do something strange again, are you? Is this something that could drag me into trouble…?”
“It’s nothing like that, so just leave it alone.”
Khalid shifted his body slightly to the side, finding Leoryna’s excessive interest in his affairs rather burdensome.
“Why not? It’s perfect, isn’t it? Your advisor will be gone for a week, which means you’ll have complete freedom during that time.”
He demonstrated a surprisingly keen understanding of the dynamics between advisors and graduate students.
“More importantly, find the new textbooks I ordered! Make copies and leave them on my desk later!”
As Khalid squawked irritably, Leoryna retrieved the package she had received and handed it to him. Even as she did, she continued to trail behind him toward the Lecture Hall, her relentless questioning never ceasing.
“Where are you going?! Where are you headed?!”
“Why is she like this? Never mind, you don’t need to know!”
Khalid shook his head as he fled toward the Lecture Hall.
“You’re free to do whatever you want for the next week! Just manage on your own!”
“Professor!”
Despite Leoryna’s call, Khalid vanished into the distance in an instant.

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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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