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Wizard! Chapter 176
Everything important that was happening was centralized in the capital of Canta. On the way, he thought of various ways that he could provide evidence, besides being witness to Cecil Lockridge saying he burned the information on the Demon King. He could also point out how the guild had gone into decline. He didn’t have the exact numbers, but he knew how many wizards there should be in the guild, approximately. This gave a good number for those they had chased off or killed, rather than letting those who did not have money join the guild. Of course, that wouldn’t be their official reason, but it was the truth. Well, William supposed a few people might have been actual magical criminals, but the majority wouldn’t be. In addition to that, William once again surveyed the fields. He couldn’t remember all of the other services wizards had provided for the general populace, but helping with the fields was one. Even if magic wasn’t used, there was knowledge that would let the fields be more prosperous, but it clearly wasn’t being used. That meant it wasn’t being shared, and more specifically that the knowledge was suppressed, otherwise it wouldn’t have faded. It shouldn’t have, anyway, but William supposed that people let good practices fall by the wayside all the time. Still, it was something to add to the list.
As for the Lockridge family, there was only a small amount of additional evidence he could bring against them. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if it would hold up in court. In addition to that, he didn’t actually have any proof of the truth. He still knew though. Specifically, the Lockridges had hired an assassin to finish him off in his previous life, when he was injured after the fight with the demon lord. He didn’t remember it, because he was unconscious. However, Chris had been there, and was a witness. The only slight problem is, although William knew the assassin was sent by them, there wasn’t actually any evidence to that end, and even if it had existed it was long lost. The validity of this testimony depended on whether an intelligent magical staff could give an eyewitness testimony. Would anyone believe Chris was actually intelligent on his own and not being controlled? William didn’t know, but he would bring the possibility up. William knew that it would be hard to make any charges stick… but there was a limit to what could be withstood, and if enough accusations were piled up there would be consequences.
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Once William arrived in Canta, he realized he didn’t know how he was going to get involved. One person he could certainly find was Tyler Dragonfoe, but getting in to see her might be a bit more difficult. After all, she wouldn’t be expecting him, she was probably busy, and it wouldn’t be publicly known that they were… friends? Allies? Convenient acquaintances? William realized he didn’t know which of those were true. However, he felt they had gotten along quite well, considering the circumstances.
There were also members of the Order. William did know how to get in contact with them. They were actually staying with the knights, so he he had to go to their compound in any case. However, they weren’t necessarily at the compound, or even in the city. They would be back, of course, but if they weren’t around, it could take a few days. They wouldn’t ignore him if he could contact them, of course, but they might be gathering evidence for the ongoing trials, among other things.
William arrived at the compound. He hadn’t spent much time looking at it from the outside, and he was glad that he had been let go, even under the guise of an escape. It was a fortress, plain and simple. William thought there might have been more guards patrolling up on the walls now than was normal, but he couldn’t be sure. He approached the guards at the front with a confident look that he did not feel. After all, he was still wanted here, and not all of the knights might be aware that he was on their side.
“Halt. What is your business?” One of the guards stopped William at the gate- as he expected. William didn’t recognize either of the two.
“I have come to meet with the representatives from Liaoyang. I have a letter of introduction…” He pulled out said letter as he mentioned it. He had almost forgotten to bring anything like that with him, but fortunately he had many people helping him prepare. William found he was better at the thinking side of many things than the practical aspects of them.
One of the guards took it and looked at the outside. “Very well. We’ll get this to them as soon as possible. Is there any information on where you will be staying so they can contact you?”
“Well, I was hoping to meet with them immediately, if I could.”
“Well,” one of the guards stroked his chin, “We can’t let you in the compound. These days, there are a lot of big meetings, so it might take a while. However, if you really want to you can wait in that cafe over there,” he gestured a few buildings down the street. “Can’t have you just loitering on the street, however. You can also let us know once you find a good inn, or I can recommend one.”
“I’ll stay at the cafe for now, thanks. Once that letter gets delivered I’m sure they’ll come find me.”
The guard shrugged. “Suit yourself. We’ll get it to them, but beyond that isn’t our responsibility.”
William knew there were likely many people who wanted to get in for one reason or another, but most of them didn’t have legitimate or urgent business. However, he was confident that once they knew he was here, he would be let in. William didn’t feel like making a big deal out of it. There would be no point in antagonizing the guards to possibly save a few minutes.
Thank you very much for this chapter!