We went through all the artifacts on the list one by one, and the number of those not crossed off was reduced to just thirteen.

  “Tell me which one is the last real artifact.”

  Curious, Elesya unrolled the scroll all the way to the end.

  “Ah, yes. It’s the painting The Fall of the Empire, painted by Hippacros Remo, a painter-mage from antiquity.”

  “Forgive my ignorance, Elesya, but I’ve never heard of him.”

  With great patience, Elesya began to update my knowledge.

  “Hippacros Remo was a renowned mage and, at the same time, a remarkable artist. No one knows exactly how he managed it, but he used his magic to extend his life for centuries. He is the only man who witnessed the entire existence of the Chaotian Empire, from its founding to its disappearance. He painted five magical paintings that capture each major moment of the Empire: the beginning, the rise, the zenith, the collapse, and the end. Four of them are displayed in the Academy’s hall.”

  Without asking, Elesya took me by the hand and led me to the Academy’s main hall on the ground floor. Indeed, near the entrance, the four paintings were mounted on the wall. I had seen them a few times before, but I had never paid them much attention.

  The first two paintings were not particularly interesting. They depicted simple landscapes with mountains in the background. People were only just beginning to lay the foundations of the Empire. A single temple could be seen in the distance in one of the paintings.

  The third painting, however, was truly magnificent. The gleam of marble and gold dazzled the eye at once. On either side of a bay rose the wings of an imposing imperial palace, joined by a stone bridge. The bay was filled with luxurious ships bearing colorful sails and golden ornaments. To the left stood a tall fountain guarded by four stone lions, while atop a column, a statue of the goddess Athena watched over the city.

  I questioned Elesya with a glance, and she answered at once.

  “It’s called The Zenith of the Empire. The painting captures the coronation of Arenterax I, who became emperor after a palace coup about which very little is known. Historians believe that during his reign the Empire reached its peak of economic and cultural development. At the same time, new lands and regions rich in resources were conquered.”

  Looking closely at the bridge, I could indeed see a coronation procession. A man dressed in purple robes, standing in a chariot drawn by an elephant, appeared to be the new emperor. The details were hard to make out, but behind him followed an entire retinue of courtiers and priests.

  The last painting in the imperial cycle was truly desolate. Of the former marble palace, nothing remained but a heap of ruins overgrown with vegetation. Above them rose a pale moon in the twilight sky, a symbol that the age of greatness had come to an end.

  “And why are his paintings said to be magical?”

  Elesya smiled, slightly amused by my lack of knowledge in both art and magic.

  “According to Hippacros Remo’s memoirs, they function as portals through time, allowing a mage to travel into the past, to the exact period depicted in the painting. Since there are five paintings, there are five different moments in the Empire’s history that can be visited.”

  Elesya’s words immediately ignited my imagination. Being able to travel through time to visit vanished civilizations had always been one of my impossible wishes. Whenever I read history books, I tried to imagine what the people, cities, and lands of ancient times had truly looked like.

  “If that’s true, Elesya, then it’s something truly remarkable! Has no one tried to use them until now?”

  Elesya’s smile faded quickly as she answered.

  “They certainly would have, but the paintings only work when all five are together. Shortly after the painter’s death, one of them was lost and never recovered. It’s the painting titled The Fall of the Empire, the very one now listed among the missing artifacts.”

  I sighed. Whenever something interesting came up, there always had to be an obstacle.

  “At least does anyone know what the missing painting looked like?”

  “Oh, yes. A sketch of it was preserved. I saw it some time ago. The painting depicted the Nemeans attacking Heropolis. It was a battle scene, with the Nemean fleet assaulting the city’s docks, and in the foreground stood a gigantic headless statue, symbolizing destruction.”

  Elesya’s words stirred recent memories. I was sure I had seen a painting similar to the one she described, but where? Perhaps in a museum in Boston… Suddenly, I remembered.

  “A decapitated statue, you say? Come with me, quickly!”

  Holding Elesya by the hand, I hurried down to the basement, to the third hall of the library.

  “What’s in this room? I’ve never been here!”

  “It’s where all the things the Academy doesn’t need are kept. Apart from me, no one has entered this place for centuries,” I added.

  Weaving around piles of books stacked on the floor, I led Elesya to the painting I had seen a few months earlier.

  “Look, Elesya! Do you think this is the original?”

  Full of astonishment, Elesya leaned in to examine the painting. After carefully studying the details of the battle scenes, she replied cautiously.

  “I can’t be absolutely certain, but it matches perfectly the sketch I saw long ago. I also see Hippacros Remo’s signature. Moreover, I can feel a strong magical charge emanating from it. Yes, it could very well be the original.”

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  “If that’s the case, isn’t it wonderful? It means we can earn fifty thousand sesterces without any effort. I assure you we’ll split the reward evenly. Our financial worries will be over, at least for a while.”

  Elesya nodded slightly as she continued to study the painting’s details. Then she straightened up and brushed the hair back from her eyes.

  “It’s unbelievable that the painting stood in the library for centuries and no one knew about it,” Elesya said, with a hint of wonder in her voice. “It seems none of those searching for it ever thought to examine this room.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time important things were hidden right under our noses. And I believe that if we search the library more thoroughly, we may find other surprises as well. Let’s get to work now!”

  I found a clean piece of cloth in a corner and tore it into several strips to use as rags. Together, we began wiping the painting, removing the dust that had gathered over centuries. The colors of the canvas had faded with age and lost some of their original brilliance. Fortunately, the painting was well preserved and did not require restoration.

  “I don’t understand why the students haven’t entered this hall until now,” Elesya said as she carefully brushed the dust from one corner of the painting. “I wouldn’t have thought there were still untouched places in the Academy.”

  “That’s precisely why it’s perfectly understandable,” I replied in a sarcastic tone. “This is a library hall, not a party venue. Students normally don’t even enter the first hall. In fact, they only come to the library when they need to borrow money from Ribathrum. Sorry, Elesya, but apart from you, I don’t have a very high opinion of the students here or of their intelligence. I don’t think they’d even be able to answer a simple question. For instance, why is a raven like a writing desk?”

  It was a famous riddle from my world, one without a definitive answer. I was sure it would have stumped both the students and the professors.

  Elesya paused for a second, looked at me in astonishment, and then burst out laughing.

  “Because neither of them can read what the other has written?” she replied in a slightly ironic tone. “Is that good enough for you? Sam, I think you have a far too idealized view of educational institutions. In our world, universities are meeting places for young people, places where they socialize, fall in love, have fun, and build connections without being bothered by parents. Yes, we do learn certain things, but that’s only a secondary aspect. Maybe things are different in your world, though I doubt they differ substantially. If you imagine a university as a place of pure knowledge and reason, I’m sorry to disappoint you. Do you really expect young people to wander through dusty library halls when they have something better to do?”

  Elesya’s words hit me like a cold shower. I had rarely heard her speak so directly and cynically. Still, I had to admit she was right. In just a few sentences, she had perfectly summarized the purpose of universities.

  “Perhaps the only real thing we learn here is how to preserve our social status as mages,” she continued, a faint smile forming on her lips. “It’s a subtle lesson, not written in textbooks, but one we absorb between the lines. It would be good for you to understand at least a fragment of it, even if you’re not a mage. Wyrmlithus isn’t the perfect place for you, but it’s a good enough refuge if you don’t want to end up among the slaves.”

  I watched her closely as she spoke. Elesya was beautiful, but at the same time she had become as sharp as a katana drawn from its sheath. I immediately understood that my earlier sarcasm had touched a sensitive subject. Though she was kind toward me, her status as a mage was the most precious thing she had to defend.

  “I think you’re right,” I said quietly, slightly unsettled. “But don’t forget, Elesya: time wears down everyone, even mages. In the end, we’ll all be like the dust on this painting. Remember what remains of the mighty empire you told me about.”

  I picked up my cloth from the floor and wiped away the last streaks of dust from the frame.

  “All right, enough talk. Let’s register for the competition and then take the painting to the dean. I can hardly wait to see sacks filled with sesterces.”

  With great care, I lifted the painting and carried it up the stairs to the floor where the dean’s office was located. Before reaching it, we made a stop at the payment office to pay the 500-sesterce registration fee for the competition. Never had I spent money with greater enthusiasm, knowing that a hundredfold gain awaited me.

  Without hesitation, we entered the dean’s office and placed the painting and the proof of registration on his desk. Shocked, the dean listened carefully to our explanation for several minutes without interrupting us. It was clear he hadn’t expected a visit from us, let alone that we would bring him an artifact from the list of magical objects.

  The dean wrinkled his nose when he learned that we had come to claim the reward for the newly found painting.

  “You say you found the painting in the Academy library?”

  “Yes, right there,” I clarified. “In the third hall, to be precise.”

  He took several sips from his glass of amber-colored liquid before speaking again.

  “Then I must inform you that I cannot offer you the reward prepared for the discovery of an object from the list of magical artifacts.”

  A wave of indignation choked my voice.

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  Unperturbed, the dean continued his explanation.

  “You see…” he cleared his throat. “If you found the painting in the library—and you’ve just acknowledged that this is the case—then it was not truly lost, merely misplaced. If we think about it carefully, the painting remained in the Academy’s possession the entire time, even if we were unaware of it. It was simply an inventory error. Yes, I know we made a mistake by listing the object among the lost artifacts, and we take responsibility for that. The Academy’s leadership officially apologizes for the inconvenience and deeply regrets the confusion. However, it is not possible for you to receive the reward. The Academy cannot afford to pay for every minor clerical error, otherwise we would be ruined.”

  Hearing how easily he had deceived us, I felt rage well up inside me, and my fist clenched involuntarily. The dean was nothing but a satrap, a miserable and corrupt individual who abused every means available to get his hands on the students’ money. I felt I had to do something to him—if not kill him, then at least make him suffer terribly and force him to apologize for every vile deed he had committed so far.

  The dean rose from his chair and placed a benevolent hand on my shoulder.

  “Of course, I will refund the 500 sesterces you paid to enter the competition. That is, unless you wish to leave them with us and continue searching for another artifact on the list, one that is not located within the Academy. I will also mention your names in the next address I give at the start of the new academic year. Believe me, it will be a great honor for you.”

  I felt my blood pressure rise with fury. It was the third time the dean had robbed me of money. I considered invoking spell No. 55 on the spot. It would have unleashed a deluge of fire that would have incinerated him instantly, along with his office. In fact, I didn’t even need a spell. I was strong enough to break his neck, or grab him by the collar and smash his head against the wall a few times. Or perhaps it would have been better to push him out the window. A fall from such a height would certainly have been fatal. Would the authorities have believed it was suicide, or would they have grown suspicious?

  Elesya, sensing what I was thinking, grabbed my fist and squeezed it gently. I looked at her, and she signaled with her eyes for me to calm down.

  “Perfect, then,” I said through clenched teeth. “We’ll stay in the competition. We’ll bring you an artifact that isn’t inside the Academy.”

  I stormed out of the dean’s office and headed toward the main hall. On the way, we ran into Thanida.

  “I think I know how we can obtain the Scepter of Power,” I said. “But first I need to check a few works in the library. Meet me in my room in an hour.”