Time passed as Asa and Saskia talked, but the wealthy merchant had not returned for a long time, and no one else appeared in the spacious house.
After waiting a while, clamorous noises came from outside the house, accompanied by the clashing of iron and the vibrations of galloping horses.
Someone shouted loudly:
"Surround the place! Seize that Dark Wizard!"
"Don't let him get away!"
"Dark Wizard inside, come out!"
"It seems my words were not taken to heart after all."
Asa sighed, not expecting that Oster's family would ultimately choose such a foolish method, actively involving themselves in the dispute between the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and the Church of the Eternal Fire.
"Are they going to break the contract?"
Saskia stood up, eager to try, as she hadn't fought in a long time.
Asa nodded:
"Evidently."
Calling the followers of the Church of the Eternal Fire to surround the entire house could hardly be a good thing, could it?
However, he could not let Saskia get involved, or else it might provoke the soldiers of the entire city.
"Saskia, stay here and don't move around. I'll be back after going out for a moment."
"No, I'm going out with you. We are companions, after all."
Saskia wore an expression that clearly meant she didn't want to be left out of the fight.
Asa shook his head and said seriously:
"You going out will only make things more complicated."
Saskia's transformation into human form was a spell taught by her father, and the people of the Church of the Eternal Fire had made countless Dimeritium weapons specifically to counter Wizards.
If those guys' weapons touched her and the magic was dispelled, Saskia would likely transform into her dragon form on the spot.
Upon hearing Asa persuasion, Saskia finally agreed.
Asa nodded at her with a smile and walked out the door.
At this moment, the two-story house was already surrounded by dozens of priests from the Church of the Eternal Fire, who were clad in plate armor with red patterns on their clothes, holding either long swords or great axes.
Directly in front of them, a man rode a tall horse, his clothes adorned with more patterns than those of the ordinary priests, and as his horse stamped its hooves restlessly, the man faced the house entrance.
This was the Church of the Eternal Fire; even in Wizima, the capital of Temeria, they were still able to keep a private army.
As soon as Asa appeared, the priests immediately aimed their blades and crossbows at him.
"Dark Wizard, surrender immediately, and you might still have a decent death!"
The leader shouted loudly.
Asa looked at the man on horseback—curly hair, a thick beard, triangular eyes, a large nose, and very small pupils; he was quite ugly.
While this man told Asa to surrender, he remained at a distance, keeping a wary watch.
When he saw Asa face, he was even more shocked.
Young, handsome, and dressed in simple yet sophisticated attire, the overall color was black, with dark patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar, and especially the emblem at his throat, which looked like a soaring dragon; looking at it, he felt a faint sense of fear.
A person like this was unlikely to be a Dark Wizard.
The leader thought this, yet he never lowered his long sword.
Because this was the city of Wizima, not Thanedd Island; this was the territory of the Church of the Eternal Fire, where even legendary Wizards had to behave obediently upon arriving.
Judging by his young appearance, he was definitely a student who had just graduated and had come here to show off.
A standoff—he would win!
The Church of the Eternal Fire had always viewed the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which absorbed Wizards from the entire Northern Kingdoms, as their enemy.
There were three reasons: the Brotherhood of Sorcerers ostensibly did not interfere in the politics of the Northern Kingdoms, but in reality, many Wizards served as court Wizards, and this alone violated their promises.
Furthermore, abandoning faith and advocating for truth in places where Wizards gathered was another concept that went against the core doctrine of the Church of the Eternal Fire. Feudal ignorance and enlightened thinking were inherently incompatible.
The Church of the Eternal Fire needed the piety of the lower classes to maintain their status; they did not need the common people to be knowledgeable or clever.
The Brotherhood of Sorcerers, because magic originated from elves, advocated for the harmonious coexistence of humans, elves, and dwarves, while the Church of the Eternal Fire regarded humans as the only intelligent race in the world and was particularly exclusionary toward other races; this was the third reason.
With these three points combined, it would be a miracle if they could coexist peacefully.
It was fine during ordinary times, but now in the city of Wizima, one of the birthplaces of the Church of the Eternal Fire, even if he were not a Dark Wizard, he would still have to bow his head.
However, under the heavy encirclement of these soldiers, Asa only rubbed his ears and said:
"I have never heard of the Church having law enforcement power in secular kingdoms."
"There is no law enforcement power over ordinary citizens, but you are a Wizard. According to the law, all crimes committed by sorcerers are under the jurisdiction of the Eternal Fire!"
"I am a Dark Wizard? How can you prove that?"
Waving his hand, amidst the expressions of the temple guards who acted as if they were facing a great enemy, a piece of parchment flew out from Asa bosom and landed in front of the leader.
It was an identification from the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.
However, the leader didn't even look at it and said:
"Wizard, you had better surrender voluntarily. If you are truly not a Dark Wizard, we will certainly clear your name, how about that?"
The leader's face darkened, and his tone became somewhat sinister,
"This is the city of Wizima, not Thanedd Island; you had better know your place."
Asa shook his head and laughed:
"Saying so much, it's all just empty talk. In the end, we have to see what you're really capable of."
He could step down, but bowing his head was impossible.
The atmosphere was tense, and just as the two sides were about to clash, a shout suddenly came from afar:
"Wait a moment."
On the other side of the street, two people suddenly walked over.
One of them was the wealthy merchant who had disappeared for a long time, Oster, and the other wore luxurious robes, had white hair, and held a staff in his hand.
"Wizard Gadir?"
Asa did not know this old man and did not understand what was going on, but the leader of the Church of the Eternal Fire's priests immediately changed his expression, dismounted, and went to welcome him.
However, the old man walked straight past the grim-faced priest and walked up to Asa, looking him up and down.
Only then did Asa notice that the other party's ears were pointed, clearly having some elven ancestry.
Mr. Oster, who was trailing behind, wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking how close it had been; he had almost caused a grave mistake.
Although Gadir was a Wizard, he was well-regarded in the city of Wizima; he had served the royal family for nearly 50 years and had been granted a title by the royal family, making him a noble of Wizima.
It was more reasonable for him to intervene.
His wife's idea was truly a bad one, and at the time, Oster had not agreed to it.
But Oster had not expected that his wife and son would take advantage of the time he was looking for them to report him to the priests of the Church of the Eternal Fire on their own, and the charge was the so-called Dark Wizard.
How could that be!
Even if he had mastered some Dark Arts, after the matter was exposed, he did not kill them without mercy but instead let it go lightly.
Moreover, he was a Wizard who came from Novigrad, with the words "Thanedd Island" practically written on his face; how could he be a Dark Wizard?