‘Forgive me.’ The rector sighed heavily, leaning against the tabletop. ‘I wanted to talk to you in complete discretion.’
‘That much, Karl? In your own office?’ Gizel narrowed her eyes suspiciously, eyeing von Konlah.
‘Even in my own.’ The aristocrat stopped smiling for a moment. ‘You are not the sole unplanned guests according to academic customs today.’
‘Investigators?’ Darius needed no further explanation to understand the situation.
‘And the Amethyst Guard.’ The rector pointed to the window behind him. ‘They demanded to be allowed to observe today's practical exam. Of course, after they searched through what was left of the arena after our little incident.’ It seemed that the accumulated fatigue of the last few days suddenly appeared on the man's face. ‘Of course, you wanted to ask about that too.’
‘We won't hide the fact that we did.’ The elf rose from her seat and slowly approached the window. She quickly fixed her gaze on a single point somewhere below. ‘Your quick response to our request seemed strange to me from the beginning, and on top of that, you wanted to meet today, and in Solvein of all places. I sense trouble, big trouble.’
‘Perceptive as always.’ Von Konlah smiled crookedly. ‘I always regret that we meet so rarely.’
‘The accident during the exam was not a coincidence.’ Bleist frowned. He didn’t like it. He liked even less what the current meeting might imply. ‘The appearance of investigators is understandable, but the Amethyst Guards don't investigate just any poorly cast spell. Something worse has happened.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Smoke... Red lightning... A silhouette... A deafening roar... Magical shock...’ He hadn't thought the matter was too serious before; after all, it was Solvein, and he didn't attach much importance to the incident itself, focusing instead on its effects. However, this seemingly insignificant information changed everything. ‘Someone tried to summon some kind of creature during the exam. One that should never have been here.’
‘Yes and no.’ The headmaster stood up and headed for his desk. ‘Anton Vechs, a sixth-year military specialisation graduate, a summoner. He disagreed with the
