The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 108

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

Chapter 108

“You who are bound by the threads of causality, defy your destiny.”
Pongko turned his head slowly, his gaze settling upon Leoryna. All eyes in the chamber shifted toward her.
Leoryna understood what causality meant—it referred to Petila.
Petila was the goddess who could foresee the future through the power of causality. Her words thus represented absolute fate. And humans, for the most part, lived in accordance with destiny, for Petila, their creator, had ordained it so.
“Yet defying destiny is itself an arrangement of causality, so do not lose your path.”
Pongko continued in his inorganic tone.
For humans, the command to defy destiny was equivalent to a rebellion against divinity itself.
A life of submission to fate. Yet resistance to it was likewise a destiny created by causality.
In the end, humans existed upon the palm of Petila’s hand—that which was called destiny.
Khalid broke the silence.
“Why?”
Khalid tilted his head slowly to one side.
“Why would you deliver a divine oracle to Leoryna, a human, rather than to the Demon Race?”
If Halgrok were channeling an oracle through Pongko’s body, it should have concerned the Demon Race. Yet he was now singling out Leoryna. Moreover—
“No, who are you in the first place? Are you truly Halgrok?”
Pongko turned slowly to regard Khalid.
“You who are reflected in my divine sight, if your will is steadfast, then defy me.”
At those words, Khalid’s eyes narrowed.
“Yet since you are my creation, defying me shall be an arduous path. That destiny you cannot refuse.”
The words were contradictory. The divine utterance from Pongko’s lips spoke of a destiny that could not be changed, while simultaneously urging them to reject it.
The people could not comprehend what this meant.
‘I cannot report this directly to the Yorken Papal See.’
Leoryna felt cold sweat forming within her mind.
It was a divine oracle delivered by Pongko, directly naming Leoryna. She feared what would happen if this oracle reached the Pope’s ears.
Moreover, the oracles of Petila and Halgrok were partially contradictory, which also signified a conflict of interests among the gods themselves.
Though she was merely an assassin who moved at the Pope’s command, Leoryna understood how perilous conflicts among the divine could be. Just as Halgrok had been defeated in the past divine dispute and the Demon Race had declined, if another god’s power weakened, the very fate of this world would become uncertain.
‘This is dangerous. I don’t understand what this means, but I can sense the danger in these words.’
Therefore, it would be safer to interpret this herself first, assess its peril, and then report it.
Then Pongko’s eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness and collapsed heavily. Simultaneously, Pongko returned to his original form.
“What just happened?”
The people exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend the situation.
Then Pongko awoke abruptly. He gasped sharply and bolted upright.
“What happened?”
Pongko was confused, but no one could answer his question. Instead, Khalid pointed his blade at Pongko with undisguised hostility.
“What are you?”
Having only just regained consciousness, Pongko didn’t understand what had transpired and was startled by Khalid’s wary expression.
“Why? Why are you acting like this? What did I do?!”
“You just wielded divine magic. A mere rabbit wielding divine magic? No, even setting that aside, a talking rabbit that casts spells without being a familiar—there’s no way it could be ordinary.”
For some reason, Khalid’s tone was seething with anger.
“Professor! Pongko doesn’t understand what’s happening either right now! Please lower your weapon. He’s terrified!”
“Do you have any idea what you almost suffered?”
“Pongko did attack me, but it wasn’t of his own volition, and—”
“It was far worse than that!”
“Why are you so angry? It’s all resolved now! Pongko has returned to normal—what’s the problem?”
Leoryna found Khalid’s reaction incomprehensible and addressed him with irritation, but her words only inflamed his fury further.
“I should have killed that creature the moment something seemed off.”
At the word “killed,” Pongko trembled violently, peering at Khalid from behind Leoryna’s legs.
“I—I didn’t mean to! I don’t know what happened to me. All I know is that someone’s voice flowed into my mind. After I heard that voice, I lost consciousness, and—”
As Khalid’s rage showed no signs of abating, Zigzagel stepped in.
“Khalid, calm yourself. No one understands what’s happening here yet. We can investigate this matter first and decide Pongko’s fate afterward—there’s no rush.”
“Please spare me!”
As Pongko pleaded desperately, Leoryna embraced him protectively.
“That’s right, Professor Khalid. We should investigate what happened to Pongko before making any decisions. Besides, he’s my familiar. The authority to decide his fate rests with me.”
By law, the right to determine a familiar’s fate belonged to the mage who had contracted with it, so no third party could intervene. Khalid could only grit his teeth and take a step back.
“More importantly, it could be dangerous to linger here. We’ve confirmed the presence of the sacred relic, so let’s leave now.”
Khalid acquiesced to Zigzagel’s words and turned toward the exit. But in the next instant, he staggered, and his body crumpled to the ground.
“Khalid!”
“Professor!”
Zigzagel and Leoryna rushed to his side.
Looking more closely, Khalid was still bleeding from his nose, and his lips had turned pale. Leoryna pressed her hand to his forehead and spoke.
“The backlash from interfering with another’s magical power takes several hours to subside. We need to get outside quickly and let you rest, Professor.”
“It’s not severe enough to cause a magical runaway. But he’s certainly taken considerable damage.”
Zigzagel draped Khalid’s arm over his own shoulder and hoisted him to his feet. However, Khalid was barely conscious.
“Professor? Professor, please stay with us!”
Pongko, still trembling in every limb, took the lead toward the exit.

* * *

Though they had wandered aimlessly on the way in, the return path proved straightforward, and they traversed it without hesitation. The group emerged from the Temple Ruins without difficulty.
The moment all four stepped outside, Nelda erupted in fury. Yet when Zigzagel insisted they seal the Temple Ruins due to the presence of Demon Beasts, Nelda turned away without a backward glance and retreated hastily with his team.
In the meantime, Khalid was carried to the Bedroom Cabin of the Flying Airship they had arrived in.
Zigzagel examined Khalid’s condition while Leoryna stood beside him, watching as he groaned in discomfort. His nosebleed had stopped, but his state remained far from stable.
Once Zigzagel reinforced Khalid’s magical circuits, his eyes fluttered open.
“How are you feeling?”
“Ugh… I’m dying…”
Khalid grimaced deeply and shielded his eyes with his hand. The light pierced his vision, triggering a throbbing headache. Noticing this, Leoryna thoughtfully extinguished the flames.
Zigzagel released a light sigh before rising to his feet.
“I’ve handled the treatment. All you need now is rest to recover your condition. Get some sleep.”
“More importantly, what about Pongko? Nothing else happened after that, did it?”
Khalid glared at Pongko, who was snoring softly across Leoryna’s lap.
A magical control collar was fastened around Pongko’s neck. He hadn’t worn it since establishing the Familiar Contract, but given the severity of the situation, they had taken precautions.
Pongko, having inadvertently caused such a commotion, averted his gaze with a guilty expression.
“I… I don’t even know what happened myself.”
“I understand, I understand.”
Leoryna gently stroked the top of Pongko’s head, soothing him.
“I’ll provide Seleya with a detailed report of everything that transpired in the Temple. As for you, Leoryna…”
“I’ll care for Professor Khalid. He still seems unable to move on his own.”
“Leoryna…”
Khalid gazed at her with an expression brimming with emotion. She found it burdensome and looked away.

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