Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Diaz burst in, his face bruised and swollen.

He staggered, his armor covered in footprints and dust, and he had a large bruise around his left eye, looking like he had crawled back from the battlefield.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened!"

Wayne was slightly surprised to see Diaz's disheveled appearance.

"Take your time."

Diaz took a couple of breaths, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and didn't care that blood had gotten on his hand.

"My lord, those charlatans from St. Hilde's, they've captured a group of witches!"

Wayne frowned.

"What?"

"What?"

"I received the news this morning," Diaz said quickly, as if afraid he would run out of time if he spoke slowly. "They got the information from somewhere that there are witches hiding around Frost Town, and they sneaked up the mountain last night to capture people. I don't know exactly how many they captured, but I heard that they plan to burn all the witches tonight in the open space on the north slope."

Diaz slammed his fist on the table.

"My lord, though I am a rough man, I know that not all witches deserve to be killed. Besides, this is Frost Town; why should they be allowed to burn those witches?"

Wayne looked up at Diaz.

"Were the injuries on your body inflicted by them as well?"

Diaz's lips twitched, and the swollen side of his face twitched.

"When my mercenary brothers and I heard the news, we went to the north hillside to confront them. They wouldn't let us out, so we surrounded the inn to prevent them from leaving. In the end, three people came out from the other side, all of them at the fourth rank."

His voice lowered.

"We can't beat them."

After Diaz finished speaking, he looked up at Wayne, his eyes, swollen in their sockets, carrying an indescribable light.

"Sir, I know I shouldn't have come to you. You're a priest, you shouldn't be getting involved in these things. But I really have no other choice. Mayor Wilford, what about..."

"What's wrong with Wilford?"

Diaz was about to speak.

"Bishop Wayne!"

A woman's voice came from the church entrance, hurried and panting from running.

Wayne turned around.

A woman ran in from the church entrance.

The person who came was Celine, and her clothes were somewhat disheveled.

Sophie followed behind her, also running breathlessly.

Celine rushed to Wayne, put her hands on her knees, and bent over, gasping for breath. She looked up, her expression not one of panic, but of anger.

"Bishop Wayne, something has happened to Wilford!"

Wayne looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Wilford is unconscious. He hasn't woken up since last night." Elena's voice was strained. "We've tried everything—splashing his face with cold water, giving him strong tea—nothing works. He just lies there, breathing steadily, his heartbeat is normal, but he just won't wake up."

Sophie stood behind Celine, her face pale.

Diaz slammed his fist on the table with a dull thud.

"Sir, don't even think about it, it must have been those people who did it!"

His voice rose eight octaves, his face turned purplish-red with anger, and he looked like a volcano about to erupt.

Celine's voice tightened: "Mr. Wayne, what should we do next?"

Wayne didn't answer her. He turned his head and looked at Diaz.

"When will they burn the witch tonight?"

Diaz wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "The message says it will be after nightfall, but the exact time is not specified. That open space on the north hillside is where prisoners were executed before. They've already sent people to pile up firewood there."

Wayne nodded.

"Then let's go see Wilford first."

He turned around, took two steps toward the entrance of the front hall, stopped, and glanced at Celine. "But you two wait here in the front hall for now, I'll go and make some preparations."

Celine opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but Wayne had already walked out of the front hall and headed towards the backyard.

Wayne glanced at her sideways.

"Come to the backyard too!"

Mimi followed behind him, her steps neither fast nor slow. Today, she had even shortened the hem of her skirt.

Mimi's fingers clenched the edge of her apron: "Okay, okay."

The two walked through the corridor, past the well in the backyard, and stopped at the door of the storage room. The door wasn't closed properly, leaving a crack, and Babaka's muffled voice came from inside.

"...I am truly innocent."

"Yes, yes, you are innocent."

What did you mean by that tone?

"It doesn't mean anything, I just agree with you."

At that moment, Jenny felt a chill run down his spine.

He had absolutely no idea what Babacar was trying to do.

Wayne pushed open the door.

Babacar and Jenny turned their heads at the same time.

Wayne leaned against the doorframe, watching the two of them.

"Now I'm giving you a chance to leave early, do you want it?"

Babaka's eyes widened suddenly.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

He sprang up from the edge of the bed, rushed to Wayne in two steps, and his expression changed from listless to excited.

"Your Excellency, please tell us! What do you need us to do? We'll go through fire and water for you, just say the word!"

Jenny stood up from the corner, stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a toad. He chewed twice, swallowed, and patted the crumbs off his hands.

"His Excellency the Bishop is indeed a messenger of the Goddess, with piercing eyes and a compassionate heart..."

"Alright."

Jenny shut his mouth, but the smile on his face didn't disappear.

Babaka stood in front of Wayne, rubbing his hands together. "Sir, what's the mission? Is it difficult? Is it dangerous?"

Wayne said, "Save them."

Babaka paused for a moment, then asked, "Save whom?"

"Witch."

"Your Excellency, the witch you're talking about... is she the kind who can curse, poison, and turn people into frogs?"

"That's a witch."

"Is she one of those incredibly capable women?"

"More or less!"

Babaka's throat moved.

He glanced back at Jenny.

Jenny walked over from the corner and stood half a step behind Babacar, his smile fading and replaced with a serious expression. He reached out and patted Babacar on the shoulder, his voice soft but steady.

"Boss, I've taken it."

Babaka tilted his head and looked at him.

Are you sure?

"I'm sure." Jenny's tone was unwavering. "We're originally from the Northern Continent, so we have no qualms about witches. Back in the Northern Continent, you've dealt with witches before. Lina, the one who sold information, wasn't she a witch? You even complimented her on her looks back then."

Babaka's lips twitched.

"When did I ever praise you?"

"Last year, in a tavern on the border of Kanto. You said this after drinking half a bottle of ale. Your exact words were, 'That little wench who sells information is a witch, but she is indeed beautiful, it's just that her breasts are a bit small.'"

Babaka's face flushed red.

"You...you've got it wrong."

"If I remember correctly," Jenny said confidently. "I even asked you if you wanted to go see her, and you said no. I asked why, and you said you were afraid she'd turn you into a frog."

Wayne leaned against the doorframe, watching the two men.

"So, are you going to accept this mission or not?"

Babaka took a deep breath and then exhaled.

"catch."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.

"Your Excellency, what is the proper course of action?"

Wayne straightened up from the door frame.

"No rush. Let's wait until it gets dark."

As he spoke, Wayne immediately threw two bottles of potion to Babacar and Jenny, and also threw one to Mimi behind him.

Wayne said, "Drinking this potion will restore you to your original strength."

Babaka took the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and tilted his head back to gulp it down. Jenny did the same, and after finishing, he even licked the rim of the bottle, not wasting a single drop.

Mimi glanced at it, then looked up again.

Wayne looked at her: "What? Not drinking?"

Mimi tilted her head back and finished drinking.

The potion didn't taste bitter; it had a faint sweetness, just like the one she drank last time.

Jenny's gaze fell on Mimi, looking her up and down, and then back up again, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Is Mimi going too?"

Wayne leaned against the doorframe:

"Aren't you guys a team?"

Jenny's eyes lit up, and he moved half a step to the side, getting closer to Babacar and nudging his arm with his elbow.

"Boss, listen to this. His Holiness the bishop said, 'Aren't you all part of the same team?' What does that mean? It means that Mimi is still part of our team."

He paused, and the smile on his lips widened.

"I reckon that person won't be going back with us."

Mimi's face flushed red.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Jenny spread his hands, looking completely innocent. "I didn't say anything! I just said someone wouldn't be coming back with us. I didn't say who that 'someone' was, so why are you so anxious?"