Dekan looked slightly puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Teacher Cat didn't explain but raised its front paw, revealing a card on its paw pad.
Dekan took the card and examined it.
[Polymorph: Elven Cat]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Purple Rare]
[Tier: 2]
[Effect: Transforms into an Elven Cat upon use. Continuously consumes mana and can't use polymorph again within 24 hours after reverting.]
[Note: Meow meow meow!]
"You can turn into a cat yourself, meow! I want to exchange this card for a permanent supply of that potion, meow!"
"Unfortunately, this card can't be used to transform enemies."
Dekan handed the card back with a hint of disappointment.
"Transmutation spells that forcibly transform enemies are something you can't use yet! Also, this card can only be crafted with Elven knowledge; you can't buy it in the market, meow!"
"Uh..."
Dekan hesitated. While it seemed like a good deal, in the long run, he didn't know how much gold coins this cat would eat up.
"I can tell you, meow, there's no Elven Cat in this school who would let that girl named Cornelia touch them. Even the strongest of us would be half scared to death by her! If you want to help her fulfill her dream, then turn into a cat yourself!"
"...Alright."
After some thought, using this card as a disguise was an excellent idea. After all, it was a card that couldn't be bought on the market. Even if he had to spend hundreds or thousands of gold coins for this silly cat in the future, it was worth it. Besides, he was getting a pet for free.
Dekan took the cat into his dorm, then headed to the workshop to mix up a bowl of diluted cat lure potion. He placed the bowl on the floor.
The cat quickly began to lap up the new type of beverage joyfully.
After settling the cat, Dekan decided to try out his newly acquired card. When he activated [Polymorph: Elven Cat], he suddenly felt his field of vision lower, and his body became much lighter. In no time, he had transformed into a four-legged, agile creature.
He checked himself in the mirror and found that he had become a light gray cat.
"I've actually turned into a cat, meow!"
Dekan exclaimed in surprise. Even his speech patterns had undergone an irreversible change.
"See, I wouldn't sell this card for a thousand gold coins, meow."
Teacher Cat lifted its head and glanced at Dekan the cat.
Hmm, not bad-looking.
Dekan Cat said, "Alright, from now on, you can come to me anytime for food and drinks, meow."
Teacher Cat replied, "Not bad, you're a much more honest student than the rumors outside suggest, meow."
Dekan Cat replied, "Well, I'm just a good-natured guy, meow."
While the two cats chatted, there was a knock on Dekan's dorm room door.
"Knock, knock."
Dekan's dorm room door was being knocked on.
It seemed like Mielle had arrived.
Dekan was about to revert his transformation when he suddenly thought he could try to see if his current state would reveal his identity. After all, the coloration was quite similar to his original self.
He leaped up high and unlocked the door.
Mielle pushed the door open, her gaze somewhat surprised as she scanned the living room to see only two cats.
"Dekan actually has cats... Wait, are you the Cat Teacher from the Mage College?" Mielle asked, looking at Teacher Cat.
"Yes, meow!"
"May I ask where Dekan is?"
"Wait a moment, meow! Why is a girl coming to this guy's dorm so late? Are you planning to do something...?!"
Dekan Cat crawled over to Teacher Cat and nudged its head.
"What were you thinking, meow! We agreed to study together."
"Studying? Did you take me for a fool? Alone together in a room late at night, meow?"
"That's really what it is, meow."
As the two cats communicated in human language, Mielle looked surprised at the light gray Elven cat.
"Are you Dekan?"
Mielle asked.
Dekan Cat replied, "How about it, meow? Isn't this a fantastic disguise?"
"Great, now you can come in and out of my dorm late at night conveniently," Mielle remarked.
Teacher Cat exclaimed, "What?! You're going back and forth? You don't mean to tell me that you going to her dorm is also for studying, do you?"
Dekan & Mielle replied, "Exactly."
After saying that, Dekan reverted back to his human form. Then, he eagerly took Mielle to his card-making workshop; leaving the baffled Teacher Cat in the living room.
All night long, the curious Teacher Cat occasionally pressed its ear to the door of the card-making workshop to listen for sounds from inside. It even sniffed around the workshop's door to check for any unusual smells.
"Meow? Strange, are they really studying?"
...
On Monday, Dekan arrived at the classroom early.
Not long after, Cornelia arrived.
Dekan: "New."
Cornelia: "What?"
Dekan: "Heal, Pain, Danger."
Cornelia: "Welcome."
Cornelia also appreciated having a reliable healer in the team, regardless of his specific role in the future.
So, they agreed to meet with Croix after class.
Hearing that a new teammate was joining, Cornelia seemed to be much more energetic throughout her math class.
She was quite excited.
Since Dekan acknowledged that person; he must be a great candidate.
Before the end of the class, the two of them eagerly raised their hands and signaled their intention to leave the classroom, making many classmates wonder if they were planning to conduct a robbery.
Dekan had already investigated Croix’s class schedule with the help of Teacher Cat.
So, they knew where to find him at this particular time.
When they arrived at the Mage College dormitory, just shortly after classes had ended, they should be able to meet Croix.
However, when they reached the target classroom, they found several students gathered at the entrance. It seemed like they had just happened to pass by and were watching the commotion.
"Excuse me, what's going on?" Dekan tapped the shoulder of a third-year Mage College student standing at the door.
The student didn't turn around and continued to observe the situation inside the classroom, saying, "Just watching the show. Young Master Flatta is causing trouble for Croix again."
"Oh? Can you give me more details?"
"Since the start of the school year, Young Master Flatta has caused trouble for Croix several times."
"Why does he want to trouble Croix?"
"It's said that Croix caused severe injuries to the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Prin in a Shadow World incident last year. Young Master Flatta is fond of the Marquis's second daughter, Claire. Claire always speaks ill of Croix, so Young Master Flatta tries to win Claire's favor by causing trouble for Croix."
The third-year Mage College student referred to Flatta as "Young Master" with a hint of mockery, not out of respect.
"That Flatta guy is really pitiful, resorting to such methods to pursue a girl."
"Hush! Don't speak recklessly. His family holds power and influence, and he's quite powerful himself. Don't provoke him."
The third-year student, who had been focused on the drama, finally turned around. He wanted to see who had the audacity to mock Flatta. However, when he turned around, he saw a young man and woman in red school uniforms standing behind him.
"Fuck, Dekan!"
