The next morning started with an incredible number of people flooding into the town, and from the sounds of the arguments outside, not all of them were in agreement that the rule of the Grand Dutchies had been a bad thing.
Of course, that could just mean that there were a lot of Grand Dutchies soldiers outside, but it didn't sound quite that lopsided, as the soldiers only made up one in twenty of the residents.
They had also brought in merchants and others to help the city run according to their vision, such as the auction master that Wolfe had dealt with the last time he was in one of their towns. But just listening to the arguments outside made him wonder how things actually were for the residents here, other than the ones kept as slaves for having magic.
The noise woke up the girls, so Wolfe started to get ready for the morning, preparing them black judicial robes for the day, just in case there were any questions about the role that they would be playing in today's proceedings.
Both Morgana Coven and Gormana used similar robes for their judges, so it should send a clear signal to anyone who was watching, while the people of Forest Grove would mostly recognize everyone in charge by face.
"Should we go out and greet the people first? Or should we gather the reporters?" Wolfe asked as Cassie fixed the braid in her hair, and Ella splashed water on her short blue pixie cut to make it point in the desired direction.
"Address the people first. They need to feel important, and if we ignore them in favour of the reporters, it will only breed animosity from both sides, as if the reporters are a biased faction that has gained favour with us." Priya explained.
"See, this is why I've got smart people with me. Alright, there is a balcony in this room, so I will step out and address the people. Are you all feeling presentable?" He replied.
"Close enough to it. It's better that we don't look perfect first thing in the morning. It sets the standards at a more reasonable level for tomorrow, when we will all be feeling bedraggled." Priya whispered back, which made Cassie laugh, then quickly attempt to return to a serious expression, as the crowd would expect.
Wolfe opened the curtains of the office they had turned into a makeshift bedroom and stepped outside, waving to the people as he did. Then he waited for the crowd to gather before he began to speak.
"Good morning everyone. I can see that a significant number of you have a desire to speak your piece. So, we will be starting the morning with testimony from a few respected Elders, and then we will be accepting input from everyone else that has gathered.
We will have staff pass out numbers. Enter the building in the order that you get your number because we will not be waiting for those who are out of place. If you lose your spot, take another one near the front of the line. If your number was called while you were away, we will take you wherever you happen to be in the line.
So, it won't do any good to muscle those with low numbers out, they will be able to return. Also, once I finish speaking to you here, we will be casting three spells over the city. Mana Purification, to prevent curses from being used. Kind Intentions, to keep aggrieved parties from killing each other in the streets, and finally the Justices from the Covens will cast Truth over the entire area, compelling everyone here to speak nothing but the truth."
His explanation caused a minor uproar in the crowd, as many were calling for blood. But Kind Intentions wouldn't prevent justice, it would just stop them from killing each other in the streets over accusations.
Priya cleared her throat. "I will ask that you make way for the dignitaries among you. The ranking businessmen and the Elders. We will be asking many questions under the effect of the truth spell, and if there are others who abused their power and chose not to turn themselves in among the witnesses, we will detain them.
But know this, for those who simply went along with the status quo, we will not be hunting them down to punish them. The burden will be borne by their leaders, and from that point onward, we will expect the decisions to be respected."
There were some angry noises in the crowd at her speech, and an old woman stepped forward to speak, with the younger women clearing the area around her out of respect.
"What of the ones who do not come forward? May we charge them ourselves? Or will their past actions be protected by the Covens and Forest Grove?" She asked.
"If they are not charged here, and they deserve to be for crimes that would have been a crime even in the Grand Dutchies, we have no problems with you dealing out justice yourselves, or driving them out of town. The guardians that will arrive today will assist you with that part of getting things settled in your hometowns." Wolfe replied.
The old witch nodded in satisfaction. "Good. There are many who abused their power to escape justice, even though those officers you have on trial knew they were doing wrong."
If those people were smart, they would be running right now. It was already obvious that they weren't going to hold on to power, and with the entire population behind them and no more corrupt military officers to hide behind, it was basically down to run or die.
A man in an odd military uniform that Wolfe didn't recognize stepped up beside the old woman, who gave him a reluctant nod of recognition. Whoever he was, he wasn't one of the ones she had been speaking about.
"Chaplain Smith of the Grand Dutchies Army, or formerly of the Grand Dutchies army, I should say, as my commission was ended some months ago for failing to report suspected magic users. I would like to ask what will happen between us and the Grand Dutchies in the future?
The Grand Dutchies have also fallen under the protection of various Demons and Fae, as we will now be. Will we be allowed to continue trade in legal goods?"
Wolfe nodded. "We will soon have a formal agreement with the Guardians in the Grand Dutchies, but until then, there is no reason that you cannot continue legal trade. There will be steep penalties for illegal trade and trafficking of persons, but the Grand Dutchies are still in a precarious spot as it relates to resources, so we will not stop trade.
However, I recommend that you get in touch with the air traffic control stations for Morgana Fortress and Sylvan City, as they will be tracking all air traffic. If they know that the planes are monitored and legal trade vessels, it will prevent suspicions and searches when the planes pass over their airspace.
That is a matter that you will be able to take up with your town's guardian, once they arrive later today. The transition won't be instant, that's unreasonable, but they will begin explaining any changed rules as soon as they arrive."
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