Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Chapter 199 They were honored.

Wayne turned his gaze away from Wilford's face.

He turned to Christina.

"Did you know they captured a lot of witches?"

Christina's fingers paused for a moment, and her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were processing the meaning of those words.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"That's not true."

Her tone was firm.

"I just took a headcount of the cult members this morning, and everyone is there. Emma and Ella are in their room, Dora is next to me, Emily and Tilulu returned last night, and the other members are all in their respective positions. No one is missing, and no one has been captured."

Dora stood up from the bedside, withdrew her fingers from Wilford's wrist, and turned to look at Wayne.

"Mr. Wayne, are you sure you heard correctly? They might not have captured a witch, but someone else entirely?"

The panel popped up at this point.

[St. Hilde - Last Night's Operation - The Truth]

[Operation Details: St. Hilde's missionary team departed last night in three groups, heading to three villages near Frosttown: Willow Village, Stone City, and Black Soil Slope. Each group consisted of five people, led by a combat priest. The objective was not to capture witches, but to "create" them.]

[Specific Method: They forcibly poured a liquid called "Enchanting Potion" into the villagers' mouths. This potion is a secret recipe of the St. Hilde Inquisition, made with the blood of abyssal monsters as the core ingredient, supplemented with thirteen kinds of herbs. Those who take it will gain magical power within an hour, becoming an acquired "demon."]

[Note: Demons are not witches. A witch's magic is innate, derived from her bloodline. A demon's magic is acquired, derived from drugs. The difference lies in the fact that a witch's magic is symbiotic with her body, while a demon's magic is incompatible with it. The price a demon pays for gaining magic is constant physical pain.]

[Note 2: St. Hilde's missionary teams often used this method to "boost their performance." Capturing natural-born witches was too difficult; witches could hide, conceal themselves, and resist. But creating witches was simple: find a few remote villages, force-feed them some drugs, capture people, and burn them. Afterward, report to the Vatican that "a number of witches have been eradicated," and they'd receive promotions, rewards, and praise—nothing was lacking. As for the villagers who had been drugged, no one cared whether they were real witches or what they had experienced before their deaths.]

[Note 3: Andrei was unaware of this. It's hard to believe that a perfectionist is foolish; those around him always seem to make decisions for him.]

Veins bulged on Wayne's forehead.

He slammed his hand on the table next to him.

boom!

A crack appeared on the desktop.

"They're audacious! They dare to exploit innocent civilians!"

The room fell silent for a moment.

All eyes were on Wayne.

Wilford propped himself up in bed, the blanket slipping down to his waist, revealing his wrinkled undershirt. He rubbed his ears, which were still ringing from Wayne's loud bang, and looked up.

"Your Excellency, what exactly happened?"

Wayne turned around and his gaze fell on Wilford's face.

"Mayor, I have a question for you."

"Please speak."

"Did the people of St. Hilde do this in Frosttown before I came here?"

Wilford opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

"I've done it."

His voice wasn't loud.

"The year before last, seven people went missing in Willow Village. Last year, twelve people went missing in Stone City. Each time, it was after the missionaries from St. Hilde's came that the people disappeared. When we reported it, they said to investigate. But no matter how much we investigated, the final conclusion was always 'they left on their own.'"

He paused for a moment.

"Leave on their own. Take their families with them, abandon even the livestock overnight, and leave. Do you believe it?"

Wayne didn't say anything.

Wilford's voice rose a half octave.

"I don't believe it. But I can't do anything about it. I'm just a town mayor. Above me is the city lord, above the city is the lord, above the lord is the king, and above the king is the pope. What can I, a mere town mayor, do?"

He paused, then lowered his voice again.

"I can only put boogers in their food."

No one in the room laughed.

Wayne walked to the bedside and looked down at Wilford.

"Mayor."

"Um."

"Before, when I didn't come, you all endured it."

Wilford looked up and met Wayne's gaze.

Wayne's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"Now, it's time to make a choice."

Wilford's throat moved.

"What choice?"

Wayne straightened up, his gaze shifting from Wilford's face to everyone in the room: Celine, Sophie, Christina, Dora, old Hard, before finally settling back on Wilford's face.

"In six months, the Millennium Purple Sun will arrive. Frost Town is located at the boundary between the shallow and deep abyss. At that time, the abyssal energy from underground will surge up, and ordinary people cannot withstand it. The kingdom and the church are already formulating a relocation plan. Once the plan is finalized, the entire town will be moved."

He paused for a moment.

"In other words, Frost Town will cease to exist in six months."

Wilford said, sounding insecure.

"It doesn't exist anymore? Where do we move to?"

"The royal capital. Or another city protected by a barrier. We'll wait for the kingdom's notification regarding the specific destination."

Wayne's gaze was fixed on Wilford.

Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away.

"Since this town won't exist in six months, why should we continue to endure it?"

Wilford's breathing became slightly heavier.

"Your Excellency, you mean...?"

"You endured it before because you still had to live here. If you offended St. Hilde, you could run to the church, but not the priest. But things are different now." Wayne's voice was as calm as if he were talking about an everyday matter. "In six months, Frosttown will be gone. Everything will be gone, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Wilford's eyes went from confusion to clarity, and from clarity to a light that Wayne had never seen on his face before.

"Your Excellency, please tell me what to do!"

Wayne turned around, his gaze sweeping over Wilford's face, over Celine, over Sophie, over Christina and Dora.

He walked to the center of the room and stood still.

"This matter was spearheaded by Wiggins Church in Frosttown."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"I'll lead you all to wipe them out."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Christina spoke first.

"Yes! Let's exile them!"

Her long purple hair swayed behind her shoulder as she took a step forward from the foot of the bed.

Wilford sat up in bed:

"Yes! Let's exile them!"

Dora: Let them go!

Even Hader shakily raised his hand.

"Let them be exiled!"

Celine stood at the head of the bed, lost in thought.

"Your Excellency, what exactly should we do?"

Wayne's gaze fell on the ground, as if he were sorting out the plans in his mind one by one.

A moment later, he looked up.

"The first thing."

He looked at Wilford.

"Mayor, lead all the guards and surround the hotel."

"Okay! No problem!"

Wilford then raised a question.

"Your Excellency, what happens after we surround them? What if they resist? There are three fourth-tier warriors among them, no! Four fourth-tier warriors. The town's guards can't stop them."

"I will handle it."

Christina took a step forward.

"Is there anything the Order needs to do?"

Wayne glanced at her sideways.

"need."

"Please speak."

"Have Emily notify all civilians in your cult to go offline, and have the people of town gather at the inn on the north slope."

Christina's brow twitched slightly.

"Gather? What are you gathering for?"

Wayne's gaze was sharp.

"I will peel off their ugly faces bit by bit."

The room fell silent for a moment.