with it. And you’re the dean, and…»
«Do you think,» I said, «that I’m going to help you get away with it because I’m your boss? What the heck…»
«Oh, no. Think so… More precisely, not to go out, but simply not to get bogged down deeper. You see, if my boss is going to have doubts, then these bloodhounds are even more so. It’s just that believe me, I have nothing to do with it.»
«We’ll see who’s what,» I stepped to the side, pulling back the curtain and shaking his hands off my shoulders. «I’ll draw my own conclusions…»
«I just wanted you to understand…»
With a grunt, I slipped out of the alcove, dusted myself off, and began to go up the stairs.
Perhaps it seemed to me, but at some point the professor wanted more than just understanding…
***
John’s office faced west, and the sight of the sun beginning to set shocked me. It’s not that I’m new to such sights, but as long as I’ve been studying and working here, I’ve never seen the windows and the whole this office so free of clutter.
Well, not garbage, just miscellaneous furniture – cabinets, chests of drawers, bookcases, tables, chairs, stools and stepladders, equipment – appliances, cones, sets of chemicals, artifacts of all kinds from different parts of the world, thousands of books and hundreds of gifts. Today, the holy of holies of Vice-Rector Roginis seemed almost empty. The carved three-dimensional maps of our Enthuaria, Bergar, and other states of the Core World, which occupied the entire far wall, were now especially striking: magnificent works of art, after all.
«Damn! I thought only the Emerald Azuin had been stolen, but I see it’s more serious. The thieves did their best,» the smile on my face quickly faded as soon as I met the man sitting at the huge desk. Yes, the joke failed, it seems.
The captain – evidently, he was – was not a bilious old man at all, but a young man of interesting appearance – not particularly remarkable, at first glance, but for some reason not allowing you to take your eyes off.
He was of medium height, as far as I could tell, with wheat-brown hair, a little longer than is customary for civil servants, a sharp, well-groomed goatee, and penetrating eyes as blue as mountain lakes. A blue shirt and a dark jacket… The guy was handsome, if you look closely: he was spoiled only by tightly pressed lips and strictly knitted eyebrows. However…
That «however» I didn’t think of: he finally deigned to introduce himself.
«Greetings, Dean Chimer. I’m Captain Christophe Wolfrock, Senior Investigator for Special Cases at the Azuin Office for the Supervision of Magical Phenomena. I am glad that I can talk to you.»
Neither «hello» nor «sit down» for me. He didn’t even deign to get up from the table. Yes, politeness is clearly not taught in these detective universities, or whatever it is. Pff…
Without asking permission, I sank into the chair opposite him, carelessly straightened my hair, and, putting on all the sternness of which I was capable, addressed the man who had so intimidated my friends:
«Good afternoon, Captain. I’m ready to answer your questions.» I wasn’t going to get nervous and take the situation too personally. To be honest, I hadn’t recovered from our little close encounter with Erchin yet, so I had a lot to worry about other than this question… or interrogation, judging by the stories.
He leaned forward slightly, looked at the papers on the tabletop, pulled out a small colored card, and pushed it toward me.
«Here. Do you recognize it?»
The photo was small and old, I did not take it in my hands, but only bowed my head a little lower, peering at the image.
«Yes and no,» I shrugged and looked directly at the investigator; strangely enough, he was silent, asking no further questions and giving me a chance to speak myself; knows how to play these games, ahem. «Yes, it’s Emerald Azuin, obviously. I’ve seen paintings – not photos, really, – and I’ve read something about the symbol of our university, like everyone else, I think, who has anything to do with it. No, because I’ve never seen him «live’, so to speak. That is, I did not see the figure itself, not to mention the snake…»
«A snake…» He slammed his fingers on the table. «So, you think the serpent exists.»
«That’s what I used to think. But, of course, I can’t vouch for it. The statuette is a little over seven hundred years old, you know. I’m a little bit younger,» I smiled, but Wolfrock was serious.
«Tell me what you know about this sculpture and about the dragon.»
«I’m sure you’ve already been told. As far as I know, you have already interviewed most of our teachers, including specialists in zoology, monster studies, demonology, and others. They’re definitely more competent at it. I’m on the plants…»
«I understand. But I would like to hear from you as well. I need to put everything in my head very accurately, without gaps, collect all the crumbs of information. Even in the capital, they are very concerned about what happened, as I was informed. It’s all pretty strange…»
«Oh, I see,» I nodded, «that sounds like an old fairy tale to a no-mage, doesn’t it?»
«Something like that,» he looked at me for the first time with real interest. «Will you tell me?»
«Of course, there’s nothing to hide. What should I start with… In general, about a hundred years after the foundation of our university – at that time there was only a tiny village here – a celestial serpent appeared in the area, that is a dragon named Azuin. The beast was as old as the world itself, and, as it said, tired of life, but at the same time its magical aura was so strong that it interfered with any practices of local sorcerers. It even directly undermined their health. And it, the serpent, lay down there on the hills,» I waved my hand toward the window, where beyond the waters of the Farinech I could see the waves of the evergreen foothills of Ney. «Well, it didn’t want to fly anywhere. Farther… the then heads of the university somehow came to an agreement with it. In short, dragon went into hibernation, hiding its strength, and the mages promised to keep it safe and peaceful. And the continuation of the practices in this place, next to the statuette, preserved its strength. Or even multiplied, no one can say here. So, it slept until now…»
«Do you think it’s awake now?»
«I don’t know that. It doesn’t feel like it, and if it does, it’s not here, it’s somewhere far from here, otherwise we would have felt it. But on the other hand, why steal it if not for liberation?»
«Will the one who frees it get something?»
«I don’t know. But he probably expects to get it. To be honest, the thief doesn’t bother me too much: he probably won’t be able to cope with what he’s done. As for the serpent itself,» I shook my head, «if the legends don’t lie, the entire Core World will be shaken.»
«But
