Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne was slightly puzzled by Vera's shouts.

Strange, why is someone looking for me? Could it be that Wilford has come again?

Wayne called out towards the door.

"Who contacted Vera?"

Vera's voice came from behind the door.

"My lord, this is Marco, your old friend."

Wayne's hand paused for a moment.

Marco.

Of course he remembered the name.

When he first set off from Aldrian to Frosthold, Marco was one of his bodyguards. He was a skilled swordsman, a man of few words, and efficient in his work. After arriving in Frosthold, the two parted ways. Marco said he wanted to venture out and explore, and Marco had given him more than ten gold coins. Little did they expect that this separation would last for several months.

Wayne put on his coat and pushed open the door.

Vera stood in the doorway, holding a tray with freshly made breakfast on it.

"Sir, would you like to have breakfast first...?"

"Let's leave it for now."

Wayne strode across the corridor toward the foyer.

The church doors were open.

There was a person standing at the door.

The man wore a worn leather armor; the sleeve of his left arm was empty, having been neatly cut off at the shoulder and tied with a strip of cloth. His right arm, however, was intact, thick and strong, with an unsheathed longsword hanging at his right hip.

His face looked much older than it had a few months ago. But his back was still straight, and he stood there like an old tree that had been battered by the wind countless times, its branches broken but its roots still in the soil.

"Marco, it's been a long time."

Marco looked up, a smile spreading across his weathered face. He took a step forward, opened his right arm, and embraced Wayne.

"Lord Wayne," his voice was a little hoarse than before, unhurried, "long time no see."

Wayne released him and glanced down at the empty left sleeve.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Biten." Marco's tone was calm, as if he were talking about someone else's story. "A fourth-tier magical beast, a thunder wolf. One bite, and it shattered everything, bone and flesh together."

"A fourth-tier magical beast?"

"Yeah. I only realized it was tier four after I finished the fight." Marco chuckled. "If I had known it was tier four, I wouldn't have bothered."

The panel popped up at this point.

[Marco - Character Information - Supplement]

[Tier 4 Warrior.]

[Past: After parting ways with you, he joined a mercenary squad in the North. The squad accepted an escort mission to transport an earl's illegitimate daughter from the western border of Wiggins to the eastern province of Bandle. The journey traversed most of the Kingdom of Wiggins, a long and perilous one.]

[The journey was fraught with countless encounters: attacks from wild beasts, raids by bandits, and ambushes by monsters. Marco risked his life to protect her, and in the most dangerous battle, to protect the girl, he had his left arm bitten off by a fourth-tier thunder wolf. Despite the excruciating pain of his severed arm, he broke through to the fourth tier and killed the thunder wolf with a single sword strike.]

[Note: The girl's name is Fina, the legitimate daughter of the Border Earl. Her mother died early, and she was raised by only an old butler. The Earl's new wife couldn't tolerate her and sent her to live with distant relatives in the Bandle province. After the Earl's death, she was legally entitled to inherit his estate. Therefore, she was constantly being assassinated on her way back.]

Just then, a boy ran in from outside the church.

At the age of seven or eight, he was as thin as a bamboo pole, with tanned skin, and wore a gray short-sleeved shirt that was several sizes too big, with the hem almost reaching his knees.

He ran up behind Marco and stood there, panting heavily, one hand gripping Marco's belt, the other wiping sweat from his forehead.

Wayne looked at the little boy.

"And this is...?"

Marco stepped aside, letting the boy out from behind him, and placed his right palm on the top of his head.

"This is my new apprentice, Caven."

Calvin tilted his head back and greeted him warmly.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Bishop."

Wayne crouched down to be at eye level with Calvin.

"Hello there."

Kaven blinked twice, his gaze shifting from Wayne's face to Marco's face, and then back to Wayne's face.

"You must be...Bishop Wayne?"

"Um."

"My master said that you are the best person he has ever met in the world, and the person who is closest to a goddess."

"You've got a sweet tongue." Wayne chuckled, stood up, and stepped aside to let the doorway pass. "Alright, stop standing there, let's go inside and talk."

Marco didn't stand on ceremony and stepped over the threshold.

Calvin followed behind him.

Wayne said to Vera.

"Let's have breakfast together."

Vera nodded, turned and went to the kitchen to add two more sets of bowls and chopsticks. Footsteps came from the other end of the hallway, and Emma and Ella ran out from around the corner.

Emma ran ahead, her pale red hair like a dancing flame in the morning light, while Ella followed behind her, her steps neither hurried nor slow.

Emma ran to the front door and suddenly stopped.

She saw Marco.

"Uncle! You're back!"

She ran two steps toward Marco, then stopped three steps away from him, her gaze falling on his empty left sleeve.

Emma's smile slowly faded.

"Uncle...your hand..."

Marco looked down at his left shoulder, tugged at the empty sleeve, and pinched it with his right hand.

"I was bitten by a monster and couldn't save myself."

Emma's eyes reddened.

She took two steps forward, reached out, and cautiously touched the empty sleeve. Her fingers paused on the fabric for a moment, then she withdrew them and looked up at Marco.

"Uncle, it must hurt a lot, right?"

Marco looked down at her, and a hint of gentleness appeared in his cloudy eyes.

"It hurt for a moment, but then it stopped hurting."

Emma was quite certain.

"You're lying. How could it not hurt if you don't have a hand?"

Marco didn't reply, but gently tapped her head with his right hand: "See, isn't Uncle doing great? He can still walk, run, and wield a sword. One hand is enough for him."

Ella walked up from behind and stood next to Emma, ​​her hands clasped in front of her.

"Mr. Marco, welcome back."

Marco looked at her and nodded.

"You've grown quite a bit taller."

Ella's lips curved into a smile.

"Um."

Wayne stood to the side.

"Alright, everyone, stop standing around and start eating."

Wayne's gaze fell on Aya and Calvin.

Aya stood at the farthest side of the table, her hands hanging at her sides, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt, her face tense, like a taut rope.

Kaven stood half a step behind Marco, his eyes darting around as he looked at everyone in the front hall.

"Aya, Caven. You two sit down too, don't be shy."

Aya's body trembled slightly.

Emma peeked out from behind her, put her hands on her shoulders, and pushed her forward half a step.

"Come on, come on, sit next to me."

Aya was pushed forward by Emma, ​​her steps light and quick, like a little duck being herded onto a shelf.

Calvin stood still.

He glanced at Marco.

Marco didn't look at him, but pulled the chair out from under the table with his right hand, the chair legs scraping softly on the stone floor.

"sit."

Calvin then went over and sat down.

Soon, Vera came out of the kitchen carrying a tray filled with bowls and plates. Porridge, bread, fried eggs, pickles, and a small dish of dried meat were laid out on the table.

Wayne looked at Marco.

"Let's eat! We can talk while we eat."