The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 18

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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 18

Part 3: Dragon Fever

Leoryna entered Khalid’s Research Laboratory with an armful of hay she’d collected from the Experimental Animal Feed Storage.
“Ugh, seriously… my workload just keeps piling up.”
And it was supposed to be my day off!
Leoryna distributed the hay among Pongko and the other experimental rabbits while grumbling.
It had been several days since I began caring for the experimental rabbits, but since there could be lingering magical side effects, I needed to keep them in the Research Laboratory for observation a while longer.
“Is hay all you have to offer, human? Do you not have tastier feed or fresh carrots?”
“Squeak.”
“I would prefer delicious feed and carrots to hay, if it pleases you, Leoryna.”
Pongko had initially voiced his dietary complaints, but after Leoryna’s threat, he quickly corrected his tone while rubbing his front paws together. Seeing him like that somehow reminded Leoryna of myself, making him seem rather pitiful.
That was when Khalid entered.
“Good morning, Professor.”
Leoryna greeted him, but Khalid brushed past the greeting and firmly locked the Research Laboratory door. After glancing out the window to confirm no one was around, he finally approached Leoryna.
When Leoryna looked at him with confusion, Khalid leaned in close to her ear and whispered secretively.
“I think today is our opportunity.”
“For what?”
“To conduct experiments with the stolen magical stone.”
Leoryna suddenly wanted to go back home.
The large magical stone that Khalid and Zigzagel had stolen from Sitra was hidden deep within a cave on the Academy Back Mountain.
Leoryna grew anxious, wondering if it was really safe to use it now.
Setting everything else aside, what if we got caught and someone discovered we’d stolen the magical stone?
“Since it’s a holiday, there aren’t many people at the Academy, and I’ve already procured all the materials we need for the experiment. So let’s call Zigzagel too…”
“I understand your position, but Professor Zigzagel is supposed to have the day off. How can you drag him into this?”
“We’re already in the same boat. Even if he complains, since we agreed to write a joint paper, he’ll have to do as I say. But there’s one problem.”
Leoryna took a moment to silently mourn Zigzagel’s lost freedom before asking.
“What is it?”
“Zigzagel isn’t answering his calls.”
“He’s probably still sleeping. It is early morning on a holiday, after all.”
“Then let’s go wake him up.”
It seemed Khalid wanted to push around more than just his graduate student.
‘Just stay away and keep quiet! If Zigzagel’s there, I won’t have a good window to make my move!’
But Leoryna had no choice but to be dragged along by Khalid to who knows where.

* * *

“Professor, are you certain this is Zigzagel’s House?”
“This is the place. Why?”
“Well, it’s just….”
Leoryna stood with her mouth agape, surveying the exterior of the residence.
Zigzagel’s House was an extraordinarily opulent mansion. The garden sprawled generously, with seasonal flowers blooming in vibrant profusion, and the ornamental trees were trimmed with meticulous precision.
‘Dragons truly are wealthy, after all.’
Even after being swindled in an investment fraud and losing everything, it seemed the house itself remained beyond the reach of creditors.
As Leoryna stood nodding to herself in contemplation, Khalid pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
No answer came.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Still no response.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.
“Hmm. No one’s answering.”
Khalid pushed the iron gate with practiced ease, and it swung open soundlessly.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside and rapped the door knocker against the entrance with sharp thuds. After a moment, a loud crash echoed from within.
“Ah, wait. I’m coming. I’m coming. Just a moment.”
A hoarse voice called out, followed by thunderous banging that seemed to shake the entire house. The front door creaked open slightly, and Zigzagel’s head poked through the gap.
Zigzagel recognized his visitors without needing to ask, and upon seeing Khalid, he spoke with a pallid expression.
“Khalid, I’m sorry, but I’m not in any condition to see you today.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Zigzagel opened his mouth to respond, but what emerged instead was a tremendous sneeze.
“Achoo!”
With a resounding crack, the door panel shattered and fell away. Thanks to this, Khalid and Leoryna could now see Zigzagel clearly.
Zigzagel’s right arm had transformed into that of a dragon. His human-form arm had shifted into an enormous dragon’s limb, which had struck the door.
“What is that form?”
Leoryna asked with a puzzled expression, and Zigzagel reverted his right arm to human shape as he spoke.
“Dragon fever.”
“Dragon fever?”
“It’s a condition where, accompanied by fever, I cannot maintain my human form and repeatedly revert to my dragon appearance—essentially the dragon equivalent of a common cold.”
Even as he spoke, Zigzagel’s complexion appeared far from healthy.
“Are you alright? Shouldn’t you be taking medicine?”
At Leoryna’s concerned words, Zigzagel wiped beneath his nose and replied.
“There is a cure for this illness, but the ingredients are difficult to obtain. However, it typically resolves on its own after about a week, so I can manage by taking fever reducers. It’s not a particularly fatal condition.”
Zigzagel spoke dismissively, but Khalid sprang to his feet.
“What are you saying?! You’re going to suffer for a whole week?!”
“Do you think I want to be sick?”
“This won’t do, it won’t do! What about my experiment?”
“Your experiment? Is that really important right now?”
As Zigzagel sneezed again, a tail suddenly burst forth from behind him. Zigzagel, as if this were perfectly convenient, pointed at Khalid with the tip of his tail and spoke.
“Look, how am I supposed to conduct experiments in this condition?”
“If maintaining a human form is difficult, couldn’t you just stay in your dragon form?”
Zigzagel and Khalid exchanged troubled glances at Leoryna’s suggestion.
“Dragons are required to maintain human form within the Academy grounds unless there’s a special reason. It’s to prevent accidents.”
“If I showed up at the Academy like this, security would chase me out in less than five minutes.”
“Ah… then what should we do?”
Leoryna scratched her temple in bewilderment. But her true thoughts ran in a different direction.
‘Zigzagel won’t be at the Academy for a whole week? This is such a golden opportunity!’
“Achoo!”
Crack.
One of Zigzagel’s wings burst through his torn clothing, throwing him off balance. He tumbled sideways with a thud. Leoryna and Khalid exchanged glances as if to say, “What do we do about this?”
“Professor, while you can’t be in dragon form at the Academy, you don’t need to maintain human form at home, do you?”
Despite harboring her own ulterior motives, Leoryna wasn’t heartless enough to abandon a suffering person. She offered Zigzagel words of concern.
Zigzagel awkwardly stuffed his protruding wing back in as he spoke.
“The thing is, *cough*, when I transform into dragon form, I don’t have sweat glands, so *cough*, temperature regulation becomes difficult. *Cough, cough*.”
“Then at least go lie down on a bed.”
“The bed is broken…”
Leoryna gazed at him with pitying eyes—a man with nowhere to rest.
“It’s fine. I can just lie here like this.”
“Professor Zigzagel, that looks so pitiful it’s painful to watch. Please stop.”
“Don’t worry, friend. How could I just stand by while you’re suffering?”
Khalid suddenly began patting Zigzagel’s shoulder reassuringly. But Zigzagel, who had witnessed his countless eccentric behaviors, quickly shook his head.
“Just… just watch from a distance…”
Sensing the ominous turn of events, Zigzagel tried to preemptively shut down whatever nonsense Khalid was about to spout. But Khalid was not one to be deterred.
“If it’s about magical potion preparation, I know quite a bit myself. I’ll whip up a cure in no time. I’ll even raid the Magic Pharmacy Professor’s Research Office if I have to…!”
“You…!”
“I’ll get the medicine!”
“No, Professor!”
Leoryna tried to stop Khalid, but he was already charging through the gate. She glanced at Zigzagel before rushing after him.
“Professor! Take me with you!”
‘I need to assassinate him while Zigzagel’s away. Why is he going alone, you fool!’
“You two… you two? My opinion doesn’t matter at all, does it? Ha ha. Such remarkable students.”
Leaving Zigzagel’s weary voice behind, Khalid and Leoryna headed back toward the Academy.

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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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