The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 53

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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 53

‘He massacred his own family members so easily—of course choosing to kill again would come just as naturally to him.’
Yet Leoryna found herself wondering what made her any different.
‘I kill people without hesitation whenever ordered, but…’
Alone with her thoughts, Leoryna quickly reconsidered.
‘Still, those orders come from His Majesty after careful deliberation, so I’m simply following them.’
Meanwhile, the magical apparatus installation was complete.
Zigzagel activated the device as before and turned the lever clockwise. But the lever still resisted, stubbornly trying to rotate counterclockwise instead.
Zigzagel applied force while channeling his mana through it. Gradually, the lever began turning clockwise, though with considerable resistance.
Pongko’s massively enlarged body steadily shrank, and the grotesque fangs protruding from his mouth receded back inside.
When Pongko finally returned to his original rabbit form, Leoryna exhaled in relief. Though still unconscious, Pongko breathed steadily as he slept.
“There’s no need to kill him now, is there?”
Khalid nodded at Leoryna’s words.
“But we can’t leave this creature running loose as we have been. We don’t know why he changed, and there’s no telling what might happen in the meantime.”
Zigzagel grumbled, and Khalid, agreeing with him, spoke to Leoryna.
“Zigzagel’s right about that. Someone will need to stay with him constantly to manage the situation.”
“I see.”
Leoryna could already guess what Khalid was about to say. She tried her best to seem oblivious, but Khalid patted her shoulder regardless and spoke.
“You take care of him around the clock.”
“Why me?”
“You’re my graduate student, aren’t you? Of course you should be managing the research subject.”
“So you’re telling me to take Pongko home and care for him there?”
“Yes. And it’s more natural that way. You already made the excuse that Pongko is your familiar, didn’t you? So naturally he should be with you.”
“No, that really won’t work. My landlord has a strict no-pets policy.”
Leoryna was genuinely troubled.
Walking around Campus with Pongko when she had free time was manageable. If he became a nuisance, she could lock him in the cage at the Research Laboratory.
But having him constantly attached to her would seriously hamper her assassination missions.
She couldn’t afford to be seen regularly contacting Yorken, and besides, her home was stocked with various weapons and poisons for her work.
She had no confidence she could prevent Pongko from discovering them while he stayed at her place.
If Pongko learned that she was an assassin dispatched by Yorken to kill Khalid? Then she might have no choice but to kill Pongko.
‘Wait… now that I think about it, a mage and their familiar can’t betray each other. They can’t even reveal each other’s secrets.’
Forming a familiar contract meant promising to be completely on the other’s side. Therefore, a familiar could never do anything to harm their mage—and the reverse was equally true.
‘If I form a familiar contract with Pongko, even if he learns my true identity, he won’t be able to go around spreading it everywhere? And I could even get his help if needed?’
Leoryna’s mind began working faster and faster.
‘The counterclockwise circuit being 3-Circle does concern me slightly, but since I’m 7-Circle, I should be able to control it without issue.’
While Leoryna pondered her options alone, Pongko groaned and opened his eyes.
He stared blankly at the people looking down at him with worried expressions.
“Why does everyone look so serious?”
“How are you feeling?”
At Khalid’s question, Pongko stretched and replied.
“A bit sore, but I’m okay. What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
The three of them explained to the bewildered Pongko what had transpired. With each detail, his eyes grew wider and wider.
“So you’re saying… I became a Demonic Beast…?”
“Your form was that of a Demonic Beast, but whether you actually transformed into one or not—I honestly can’t say for certain. What I do know is that I’ve never heard of an ordinary animal becoming a Demonic Beast before.”
Zigzagel spoke while stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“To understand what’s really going on, I’d need to dissect you and examine you thoroughly.”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Though I’d rather not subject you to such rough treatment.”
Khalid picked up where Zigzagel left off.
“What we do know for certain is that it’s possible to get your mana flowing properly. The problem is that it circulates counterclockwise.”
As Khalid shrugged, Pongko tilted his head in confusion.
“But I can create a mana circuit that flows clockwise, can’t I?”
“I have a theory. What if that circuit is actually preventing the other mana from flowing counterclockwise?”
At Leoryna’s suggestion, everyone’s attention turned toward her.
“That’s… actually a possibility.”
Khalid nodded and smiled slightly as he spoke.
“Then we just need to prove it now.”
‘Damn it, so it falls on me again.’
Leoryna ground her teeth silently, making sure Khalid didn’t notice.
Still, having a clear objective to prove was far more conducive to research than being completely lost about how to handle Pongko’s existence.
Leoryna crouched down to match Pongko’s height and looked into his bright, gleaming eyes as she spoke.
“Actually, I have a proposal for you. Would you be willing to form a real Familiar contract with me?”
At those words, not just Pongko but Khalid and Zigzagel’s eyes widened as well.
“As I’ve said before, I absolutely despise being subordinate to anyone…”
“No, Pongko. Look at your current state—it’s clearly not normal. You need someone to care for you. If your mana and my mana are connected, wouldn’t I be able to help you create a proper mana circuit? And I promise I won’t treat you harshly or restrain you just because you’re bound to me.”
Khalid interrupted Leoryna’s words.
“That’s a reasonable argument, but forming an actual Familiar contract over something so uncertain could be risky. Why not just keep calling him your Familiar publicly and raise him as you have been?”
“That’s not realistic. I can’t be attached to Pongko 24 hours a day. I can’t constantly monitor his condition. But if we form a Familiar contract, I’ll receive a signal if anything goes wrong with him, so I can respond immediately.”
“If his mana goes haywire, you could be in serious danger.”
“I can handle it. Pongko’s mana circuit is Third Circle. I’m Fourth Circle, so in terms of pure mana capacity, I have the advantage. Even if Pongko experiences mana runaway, I can suppress it with my own mana.”
“That’s true, but…”
Zigzagel stroked his chin and fell silent in thought, but Khalid spoke as if he needed no further deliberation.
“But Leoryna is weak!”
Having played the role of a helplessly frail graduate student whenever she was around Khalid, he had now reached the firm conviction that his graduate student would collapse at the slightest touch.
“That’s… true, but I do have capabilities in this area. You saw me suppress Pongko with magic earlier, didn’t you? I can manage that much.”
Leoryna spoke casually, but Khalid still wore an expression of distrust. It was then that Zigzagel scratched his head and spoke.
“Or perhaps Khalid should form a Familiar contract instead.”
“Ugh….”
Khalid and Pongko both let out sounds of disgust simultaneously.
“No… I did object to it, but even so, that’s….”
“If I must form a Familiar contract, I would prefer Leoryna.”
Pongko, who had spent more time beside Leoryna than Khalid, quickly seized her leg.
“So you’re forming a Familiar contract with me?”
“Yes. After hearing what Leoryna said, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
As Pongko nodded, Leoryna turned to face the other two.
“I’ll do it.”

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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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