The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 28

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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 28

“Professor, are you joining us today?”
At Leoryna’s question, Khalid heaved another weary sigh and trudged down the mountain alongside Zigzagel. After an all-nighter in the laboratory, his plan was to sprawl across the sofa in his Professor’s Office.
But Leoryna was different. The thought of putting the students through their paces kindled a fire within her—all the pent-up frustration she’d been holding back finally found an outlet.
“Today, you’ll only climb the mountain half as many times as yesterday!”
The students thought they’d struck gold. But what came next from Leoryna’s lips was more than enough to crush their hopes anew.
“One of you carries the other up the mountain! Pair up and take turns—one person carries their partner up and down, then you switch!”
They would have preferred death.
The students, tears of blood streaming down their faces, each hoisted their partner onto their back.
And so the second day of hellish training passed.
After rolling the students around all day, Leoryna climbed the mountain again late that night with Khalid and Zigzagel, scattering salt across its slopes.
“It’s snowing~ Snow is falling~.”
And then morning came again. Day three of training and experiment preparation.
“Dodge all these balls! Treat them like bullets! Get hit and you die!”
During daylight, Leoryna drilled the students relentlessly.
“I have no thoughts. Because I have no thoughts.”
At night, she scattered salt.
Day four of training and experiment preparation.
“Run! Imagine a ferocious beast chasing you from behind! Run! Anyone I catch dies!”
“Who made this mountain so massive? Why does it feel like there’s more unsalted ground today than yesterday?”
Day five of training and experiment preparation.
“Building muscle improves your health! This is for your own good! So use those muscles! Ten sets of deadlifts to start! You there—what’s with that form? Anyone whose posture breaks from the proper stance dies!”
“Professor! We’ve finally run out of rock salt! Now we can begin the actual experiment… Wait, Professor. Where did that rock salt come from? Do we need more? Really?”
Day six of training and experiment preparation.
“No matter what you do, get past all the obstacles and reach the goal! The method is up to you! But anyone who doesn’t make it to the objective in time dies!”
“Professor. The stream is so salty that freshwater fish are dying and washing downstream. Isn’t this environmental destruction?”
And then came the long-awaited seventh day of training and experiment preparation.
“Excellent work, everyone! You’ve all done splendidly following my training regimen! Tomorrow is the grand Athletic Competition! Today, to prepare for tomorrow, you’ll rest and recover your muscles and joints!”
At Leoryna’s words, the students embraced one another with tears of joy streaming down their faces. But Leoryna’s booming voice cut through their celebration with a sharp rebuke.
“What are you celebrating for? What you’ve done is merely basic training! You’re still far from being true warriors!”
“But we’re students of the Department of Magic Theory, not warriors.”
Leoryna ignored Shebril’s retort and continued.
“Still, I have great expectations for all of you who’ve completed my basic training! If anyone fails to meet my expectations of victory at tomorrow’s Athletic Competition!”
Leoryna’s eyes swept across the students with a chilling gaze.
“You die.”
The students wanted to cry again.
Looking at the expression their instructor wore, they felt an overwhelming certainty that they would truly perish if they failed to win.
“And drink this.”
Leoryna distributed bottles she’d prepared according to the number of students to each of them.
“What is this now?”
At someone’s question, Leoryna wiped beneath her nose and puffed out her chest proudly.
“It’s my special potion. It strengthens the body and enhances physical abilities.”
“This is doping…”
Shebril muttered while her eyes lost focus, but Leoryna didn’t hear her.
The students drank Leoryna’s potion right there on the spot. Afterward, Leoryna had them do some light stretching and joint exercises before letting them go freely.
The students fled the area as if escaping. Leoryna rubbed her eyes as she watched them leave.
“Damn it, I’m exhausted from pushing myself for a whole week.”
Between training students during the day and preparing experiments at night, she’d barely gotten any sleep.
Still, she was in good spirits. She’d nearly completed the experimental preparations as of yesterday.
Khalid had successfully managed the absurd feat of salting the entire mountain. So today was finally the day they’d move into the main experiment—using the Magical Stone to remove the salt from the mountain.
“Kyahahaha! After tomorrow, I’m free! Kyahahaha!”
Regardless of how strange others might think her, Leoryna laughed with manic glee as she headed toward the Research Laboratory.

* * *

When Leoryna opened the door to the Research Laboratory, Khalid was fidgeting in his seat. He was anxiously repeating a mock trial of the experiment he’d conduct on the mountain tonight.
“Khalid. That’s already the twenty-seventh time. At this point, mock trials in the laboratory are meaningless.”
Zigzagel, who’d been assisting Khalid, grumbled and brushed off his hands before flopping onto the sofa. He gestured to Leoryna while watching Khalid conduct his twenty-eighth trial.
“If it fails, I have to keep trying until it succeeds.”
Khalid spoke with an anxious voice as he mixed salt and soil. He cast a spell to remove the salt from the soil, then waited with trembling legs while the magic executed.
“If the spell fails, I have to start from the beginning. And there’s no guarantee that the Magical Stone won’t be discovered by others in the meantime, nor can I predict when the research will be completed. After all the effort I’ve put in to make this spell succeed.”
Khalid’s research was far from simple. Removing only the salt from the soil while preserving mineral components proved far more difficult than expected. Because it required applying not just chemistry but physics as well, Khalid’s head nearly split while formulating the spell formula.
“Anyway, it’s tonight. Everything will be decided tonight.”
“Yeah. If the experiment fails tonight…”
Zigzagel rested his chin on his hand and smiled with detached resignation.
“Oddrigo will kill us.”
Leoryna shuddered.
Since a large amount of salt had mixed into the soil of the Academy Back Mountain, if they failed, all the vegetation would die, and the animals that fed on them would die as well. For them, that would be a catastrophe.
Besides, it was already a secret experiment. If an accident occurred, it would certainly be more than just disciplinary action.
“Oh, that’s quite a predicament.”
Pongko, who’d been munching on hay in the corner of the laboratory, interjected.
“If you’d like, I could help. If you’d just remove this collar…”
“I don’t need a 1st Circle mage.”
At Khalid’s cold rejection, Pongko clicked his tongue.
“Professor Khalid, I believe in you.”
“Really, it’ll be fine?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Will it be fine?”
“Don’t ask me either.”
Leoryna found it refreshing to see Khalid anxious in a way so unlike his usual demeanor.
In any case, it would happen tonight. Tonight, their fates would be decided.

* * *

As darkness fell, Leoryna, Khalid, and Zigzagel slipped back into the Academy Back Mountain.
Upon reaching the location of the Magical Stone, Khalid suddenly clasped his hands together and cried out.
“Please! Giaros! Please! Grant me success in this experiment!”
As Khalid offered his prayer to the dragon god’s name, Leoryna interjected.
“But Giaros is the god of dragons. Why would the dragon god grant Professor Khalid’s wish?”
“And you think some fallen demon god would grant mine?!”
‘Wait, did he just say something incredibly blasphemous to the god who created the Demon Race?’
While Leoryna was momentarily speechless at his audacious words, Khalid clasped his hands together again.
“Petila! Please, Petila! Grant me success in this experiment!”
“Petila is the goddess of humans, though.”
At Zigzagel’s remark, Khalid patted Leoryna’s shoulder and spoke.
“Since Leoryna is here, she’ll grant it! Pray quickly too, Leoryna!”
‘Um, Petila told you to kill him.’
Leoryna wondered what kind of farce this was.
“Professor Khalid, couldn’t we just hurry and conduct the experiment, then head back down? I have the Athletic Competition tomorrow and need to wake up early.”
“Fine. Fine.”
Khalid began arranging the materials he’d brought for the magic ritual.

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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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