Elesya stepped in with a suggestion.

  “We would need some form of universal magic capable of disabling other spells. As far as I know, only Chaos Magic could do that.”

  “Chaos Magic?” I asked curiously. “I’ve never heard of it. Where can we learn more?”

  “We can’t,” Elesya cut short my enthusiasm. “Chaos Magic was lost thousands of years ago. There are no mages left who practice it, and no manuscripts about it have survived. We know nothing certain about this branch of magic, except that it once existed.”

  Thanida fell silent for a few moments before speaking again.

  “Still, something might have remained. There is a magical artifact called the Dagger of Chaos, which contains a remnant of this ancient magic.”

  “What does the dagger do, Thanida? And—most importantly—where can it be found?”

  “I can only answer the first question with rumors. It’s said that the Dagger of Chaos truly has the power to nullify any known form of magic when its blade scratches an object or a living being. It’s currently part of a private weapons collection owned by Chareleos, the former governor of Boeotia.”

  “At last, we have a starting point,” I exclaimed. “Tell me, do you think we could buy the Dagger of Chaos? Or, if necessary, steal it?”

  After a few seconds of thought, Thanida shook her head.

  “No, I don’t think either is possible. First of all, Chareleos is deeply attached to his weapon collection and very rarely parts with anything. He’s far more willing to buy—if you happen to have a valuable magical weapon. Second, his collection is extremely well guarded, and the chances of getting past the guards and protective spells are slim.”

  “So you’re saying that if we want to obtain the Scepter of Power, which is heavily guarded, we need a magical artifact that is just as heavily guarded?”

  “Yes, more or less,” Thanida smiled faintly.

  “That’s a wicked problem,” I said irritably. “You try to solve one, and another just as difficult appears immediately.”

  A moment of silence settled between us. Irritated, I began tapping my fingers on the table while I wracked my brain for a solution.

  “Tell me, Thanida—how many magical weapons does Chareleos have in his collection?”

  Thanida shrugged indifferently.

  “I can’t say for sure. I’ve only seen a few of Chareleos’s weapons listed in a collectors’ catalog. It’s said he owns over seven hundred pieces, many of them extremely valuable. But only he could tell you the exact number.”

  “And what is the most valuable weapon he owns?”

  Thanida frowned slightly, trying to recall details about Chareleos’s collection.

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  “The most important weapon in his collection is the Lycian sword, also known as the sword of Kybernis. It’s worth over half a million sesterces. Once the spell is activated, the sword flies out of its owner’s hand and attacks enemies on its own. It’s extremely useful for those who want to fight from a distance without risking anything. It’s more a weapon for cowards than for warriors,” she added.

  Thanida’s words brought a recent memory to the surface. During the exam, I myself had made a sword fly through the air. In a flash, I saw how we could solve the problem troubling us.

  “Thanida, tell me quickly—could we obtain a copy of the Lycian sword? Obviously, I mean a copy without any magic in it.”

  “That shouldn’t be too difficult. There are detailed drawings of the sword. For about a thousand sesterces, a skilled weaponsmith could make you an exact replica. What are you thinking?”

  My mind worked feverishly, assembling a plan piece by piece.

  “Listen carefully, girls. I want to create a copy of the Lycian sword owned by Chareleos. Not just a nonfunctional replica, but one with the same magical properties as the original.”

  Thanida let out an exclamation of surprise.

  “You can really do that? That means you’re a very skilled mage!”

  I felt slightly embarrassed by Thanida’s praise. All my skill in the art of magic came from Vabazon’s book, but I couldn’t admit that to her. I had to keep the secret—for now. Only Elesya knew the truth.

  “I’ll leave that judgment to you, Thanida. What matters is that I can make a sword that functions exactly like the Lycian one,” I said, thinking how easily I could use encapsulated magic in this situation.

  “And what do you plan to achieve with it?”

  “From what you’ve told me, Thanida, Chareleos is an avid collector who parts with items from his precious collection only with great reluctance. It’s hard to believe he’d agree to sell us the Dagger of Chaos. And even if he did, he’d probably ask for a sum far beyond our means. So we need to offer him something truly special to make him accept a deal. And what could be more special than a perfect copy of the most valuable piece in his collection?”

  The girls watched me closely, but they still hadn’t fully grasped what I was getting at. I continued explaining:

  “My plan is to go to Chareleos with the copied sword and tell him it’s available for half the value of the original. The old man will fly into a rage for two reasons. First, a perfect copy will make people question the authenticity of the Lycian sword in his collection. When you have two magical swords identical in appearance and function, how can anyone know which one is the original? On top of that, people will start questioning the authenticity of the rest of his weapons as well. Second, our sword will drive down the price of the one in his collection. Who would still offer Chareleos half a million sesterces for his sword when they could buy an identical one from us for half the price?”

  I paused briefly, letting the two girls absorb the idea.

  “Chareleos won’t be able to tolerate the thought that his ‘unique’ sword isn’t quite so unique anymore, and he’ll do anything to buy our copy. That’s when we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse. We’ll ask him to trade us another magical artifact from his collection. You guessed it—we’ll demand exactly the Dagger of Chaos we need. He should even throw in a few thousand extra sesterces to cover the price difference between the two weapons.”

  Thanida stared at me in amazement for a few moments, then burst out laughing.

  “In all my life, I’ve never heard of a scam so bold and so utterly unscrupulous! Still, I have to admit it’s exactly what we need to get us out of this deadlock. As a warrior, I prefer not to rely on tricks and cunning. But in battle, alongside a hero like Achilles, there’s always a need for a clever man like Odysseus.”

  I thought that comparison was a bit exaggerated. At least for now, none of us came close to matching either of those legendary heroes.

  “What do you think, Elesya? You should tell us your opinion of my plan as well.”

  “It might work. The real question is whether Chareleos will accept your offer. There’s no guarantee he’ll be willing to trade the Dagger for your sword.”

  “That’s true. There’s a fairly high chance the old man will refuse at first, but we have to try our luck. If he doesn’t accept the trade, I’ll sell the copied sword to another bidder. I might not get the full 250,000 sesterces, but I’m sure I’ll secure a decent sum. Even if I don’t end up with the Dagger of Chaos, I’ll at least walk away with the sesterces—and that’s still something.”