Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wilford picked up his glass and took a sip of water.

"Sir, do you know Bellino?"

Wayne thought for a moment.

"One of the five provinces of Wiggins, and the capital of the province of Bellino."

"Yes." Wilford nodded. "Belino City is under its jurisdiction, and Frosttown is under its control. But not directly; there's the city of Adrian in between. Frosttown is subordinate to Adrian, and Adrian is subordinate to Bellino. It's layered on top of each other."

He paused.

"The kingdom's intention for this relocation is that all towns located in the Frosttown area, which borders the shallow abyss, will be moved to the nearest major city of their respective provinces. Frosttown is under the jurisdiction of Bellino, so we're going to Bellino."

Wayne leaned back in his chair and didn't say anything.

Bellino.

He knew this city.

Of the five provinces of Wiggins, Bellino is neither the largest nor the richest, but it is the closest to the capital. The journey from Bellino to Antwerp, the capital, takes less than two days by horseback.

Wayne sighed.

"Belino...it seems it's time for him to go home and visit."

Wilford was still holding his glass, the rim resting on his lips, but he hadn't drunk from it. He turned his head, his gaze falling on Wayne's profile.

"Sir, your home... is in Bellino?"

"I am in the capital."

Wilford pondered for a moment. The capital, Antwerp, the heart of the Kingdom of Wiggins. There lived the king, queen, ministers, nobles, and… He glanced at Wayne. And the Papacy.

"Mayor, do you know Lynch?" Wayne asked.

Wilford raised his voice slightly.

"You mean the newly crowned Marquis Lynch Angus? The Lynch Angus who rose through the ranks from a minor border noble?"

Wayne nodded.

That's my father.

There was a moment of silence around the stone table.

The marquis's son.

He swallowed hard.

"Sir, you mean...you are the son of a marquis?"

"Um."

Wilford placed the cup on the stone table, rested his hands on his knees, leaned forward, and glanced at Wayne's face.

From the face to the shoulders, from the shoulders to the waist, from the waist to the hands resting on the table.

"No wonder."

"No wonder what?"

"No wonder your demeanor is different from ordinary people." Wilford's tone was certain. "I felt you were no ordinary person the first time I met you. That kind of bearing, that kind of speech, that kind of way of handling things, how could an ordinary priest have that? I thought to myself at the time, this bishop must be someone important."

Wayne's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't reply.

Wilford moved forward half an inch.

"My lord, then... how did you come to Frost Town to become a priest? Shouldn't the son of a marquis be serving as an official in the capital? Why have you come to this border town?"

Wayne picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"It's a long story."

He glanced at Wilford, then changed the subject: "However, there's not much point in discussing these aristocratic residences."

Wilford, being a shrewd man, immediately shrugged off, "You're right, sir. It's pointless, pointless."

He picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Wilford then continued to ask questions.

"Sir, what kind of person was your father, Marquis Lynch?"

Wayne looked at the flowerbed in the corner of the yard.

"He is a very ambitious person."

Wilford thought for a moment and nodded.

"It's impossible to rise from a minor border noble to a marquis without ambition."

Wayne turned his gaze away from the flowerbed.

"I just wonder how many more younger siblings he's given me over the years?"

Wilford coughed.

He rubbed his hands together.

"Um... that sir, uh... your father, is he interested in women?"

Wayne's lips twitched.

"I wouldn't say I'm completely uninterested."

He paused, as if considering his words.

"Half and half?"

Wilford's eyes darted around, then he stopped. He didn't press further and looked away from Wayne's face.

Wayne looked at him for a couple of breaths.

"Mr. Wilford must have come here to tell me more than just this, right?"

Wilford paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead.

"Right, right, I almost forgot about the important matter."

He straightened up from the stone bench, his expression shifting from relaxed casualness to serious business.

"Sir, I've come to ask you when those people will be released?"

Wayne tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Let's do it in five days."

Wayne continued.

"It will probably take them about a month to get back to St. Hilde. By the time they get back, we'll have already moved out."

Wilford's eyes lit up.

"You're right, sir. A month is enough time for us to get everything done. By then, if they want to cause trouble, there will be no one left in Frost Town. And if they want to find you, you won't be here anymore."

He paused, and then a slow smile spread across his face.

"Sir, your timing is impeccable. If we released them a day earlier, they might go back and inform the Crusaders, allowing them to intercept us before we moved. If we released them a day later, unexpected problems might arise during the relocation. Five days is just right, not too far, not too near."

Wayne waved his hand.

"It's nothing, just thinking through everything I need to think about."

Wilford stood up and straightened his collar.

"Sir, then I won't bother you any longer. I'll go back and make arrangements to release him in five days."

Wayne nodded.

Wilford turned around.

He asked Wayne.

"My lord, has Celine come to see you again recently?"

Wayne thought for a moment, then answered without hesitation.

"Cerine? Hmm... she's been coming quite often lately, and Sophie often comes with her too."

Wilford's smile froze on his face.

He exclaimed in astonishment.

"What? Sophie often comes along too! You mean Sophie... comes with Celine too?"

Wayne looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

Wilford's lips trembled slightly.

"N-nothing..."

The panel then appeared.

[Wilford - Current Status]

[State: Mind blank. He thinks he misheard, but he didn't. He thinks he misunderstood, but he didn't. He believes there's still room for maneuver, but after glancing at your expression, he realizes there might not be.]

[Note: He misunderstood everything.]

[Note 2: To some extent, he did give Celine a task. Celine did indeed do so, coming more often than before, and each time bringing some homemade snacks. He was quite satisfied at the time, thinking his wife was sensible, understanding, and knew what to do at what time.]

[Note 2: He doesn't think that way anymore. He thinks Celine is getting revenge on him. Revenge for his philandering over the years. He thought he was already outrageous enough, but he didn't expect Celine to be even more outrageous. They're mother and daughter! He sighed inwardly, thinking his retribution had finally come. He felt he deserved his current state.]

Wilford looked at me with an expression as if he'd just eaten a fly's dropping.

Wayne understood instantly.

"Mr. Wilford, I think you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstand?"

"Cerine and Sophie came to church to pray," Wayne said calmly. "Cerine is here to pray for her health, and Sophie is here to pray for her studies. They came together just because they were passing by."

He looked at Wilford and explained.

"They didn't do anything, they just came to pray."

Wilford opened his mouth.

"treat?"

Wayne nodded.

"Cerine hasn't been feeling well lately, so she came to the church to see me. I prescribed some potions and gave her some massages to help her recover. Sophie came with her mother and is sitting in the church's foyer for a while, reading a book by herself."

"That's...that's all?"

"Otherwise what?"

Wayne was slightly annoyed.

"Mayor, I never expected you to see me that way. Let me reiterate, I am a proper priest!"

Before Wien could even think about it.

Then, Wilford made a startling statement.

"Well, Your Excellency... actually... actually, it's not impossible for the two of them to be together."

Wayne's finger stopped on the stone table.

He looked at Wilford.

Wilford was looking at him too.

Their eyes met in the afternoon sunlight.

Ok!

The weather is pretty good today.

Wayne completely conceded defeat.