Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

These days...

Wayne received a number of messages from the panel.

He forgot most of them as soon as he saw them. News like the marriage between two nobles in the capital, the suppression of a small-scale demonic tide in a certain province, and the dismissal of a bishop in a certain diocese for corruption appeared every day, flowing across the panel like water, leaving no impression.

But there were two messages he remembered.

The first one is Hena's.

[Hena - Current Location - Northern Territory - Snowfall Ridge]

[Status: Arrived in Snowfall Ridge in the North. Her purpose is to collect "Frostheart," a rare ore found in the frigid lands, rumored to be a key material for forging a perfect high-ranking demon body. She took one hundred gold coins from under your bed because she needs money to hire a guide, buy equipment, and grease palms.]

[Note: She left without saying goodbye because she knew you would stop her if she told you in person. Even if you didn't stop her, you would still go with her. She didn't want you to come, not because she didn't need you, but because Snowfall Ridge was too dangerous. Fifth-tier magical beasts roamed everywhere, and fourth-tier monsters were as common as dogs. She herself was a demon reincarnated; even if she died, she could return to the abyss and start over. You are made of flesh and blood; if you die, you are truly dead.]

[Note 2: But she underestimated the fragility of the human body. The cold winds of Snowfall Ridge were far more intense than she had anticipated. She had been lying in the camp at the foot of the mountain for two days, feverish, coughing, and aching all over. She thought she could tough it out, but she couldn't even get out of bed. She had almost spent her hundred gold coins, and still hadn't seen a glimpse of Frostheart. She began to regret it—not that she regretted coming to Snowfall Ridge, but that she hadn't taken more money.]

[Additionally: She was curled up in her sleeping bag, her mind filled with only one thought: if Wayne were here. In reality, her body was undergoing a process of self-evolution.]

Wayne looked at the panel twice, picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, poured the little water at the bottom of the glass into the flowerpot next to him, stood up, and walked to the window.

north.

Snowfall Ridge.

It would take at least twenty days to travel by horse from Frost Town. By the time he arrived, Hena would either be dead, recovered, or rescued by someone.

In either case, it wouldn't make much of a difference if he went.

He stared at the flowerbed outside the window for a long time.

Forget it.

She's a demon who's lived for hundreds or even thousands of years; she won't die so easily. Even if this human body dies, her consciousness will return to the abyss, and she can simply find materials to create another one.

At most, it'll just hurt a little.

The second message is about the Wiggins Vatican.

[Wiggins Vatican's Response to the Frosttown Incident]

News of the Frosttown incident reached the royal capital, Antwerp, several days ago. The Wiggins Vatican's leadership reacted differently, roughly falling into three camps.

[Radical Faction: Approximately 30%. They believe Wayne did the right thing. The Holy See of St. Hilde has long been encroaching on Wiggins' territory for missionary work and arbitrarily arresting so-called "witches," seriously violating the Holy See's jurisdiction. The Frosttown incident is a good opportunity for the Holy See to establish its authority. They should use this as a pretext to publicly condemn the Holy See of St. Hilde's overstepping of boundaries, and even consider recalling Wiggins's foreign affairs personnel stationed in St. Hilde as a form of protest.]

[Conservatives: Approximately 40%. They believe Wayne went too far. After all, the Holy See of St. Hilde is the head of the seven major papal houses, and offending them would not benefit the Wiggins Papacy. They advocate for a peaceful resolution by transferring Wayne away from Frosttown to appease St. Hilde's anger. As for where to transfer him, "the capital would be best," so that he could be kept under control without appearing as punishment.]

[Fence-sitters: Approximately 30%. They don't express a clear opinion, but rather observe the prevailing winds. They will side with whichever side gains the upper hand. Currently, the radical and conservative factions are evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.]

[Note: The bishop of the diocese to which Frosttown belongs, who is also your direct superior, has not yet taken any action against you. It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he dares not. The Frosttown incident has had too much impact; mishandling it could be a political bomb. He's waiting—waiting for clear instructions from the Holy See in the capital. Until those instructions arrive, he will do nothing.]

Wayne looked at the panel but didn't touch it.

Radicals, 30%.

Conservatives, 40%.

The fence-sitters, 30%.

Numbers don't lie. Judging from this proportion, the Wiggins Vatican's leadership has a very ambiguous attitude towards this matter. They dare not openly support it, nor dare they openly oppose it. Supporting it risks offending St. Hilde, while opposing it risks alienating other border dioceses.

Soon, Wayne stopped thinking about it.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on his door.

Vera's voice came from outside the door.

"Sir, Mayor Wilford has arrived."

Wayne turned away from the window.

"Bring him in!"

Wilford was quickly brought in by Vera.

"grown ups!"

He picked up the kettle on the table, poured himself a glass of water, tilted his head back and gulped it down, then poured himself another glass and gulped that down too. After finishing both glasses, he slammed the glass down on the table.

"The person has already been sent away."

Wayne remained seated in his chair.

Did Andrei say anything when he left?

"Yes, sir."

Wilford quickly wiped his mouth.

He repeated Andrei's words.

After speaking, Wilford paused, leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed, and asked in confusion.

"Sir, do you think this person is crazy? If he doesn't help you cover it up, isn't that tantamount to accusing you? And he even says he 'won't frame you,' as if he's so magnanimous."

Wayne's lips twitched slightly.

"He's not a hopeless idiot."

Wilford didn't understand, but he didn't ask.

"My lord, I'm not afraid of anything else, I'm just afraid of what's happening at St. Hilde..."

"It's alright." Wayne's tone was calm. "As long as King Wiggins is alive, St. Hilde won't dare to launch a large-scale invasion. No matter how strong their crusaders are, they can't cross the borders of Wiggins' kingdom."

Wilford's brow relaxed a little, then furrowed again.

"You're right, sir. Speaking of the king..." His voice lowered, "When I was young, I had the honor of seeing the king once. It wasn't a special trip; I was traveling to the capital with my father, the previous mayor, in his motorcade that year, and we happened to catch the king's procession. The motorcade was waiting by the roadside, and the king's carriage passed by on the official road, with a guard of several hundred people in front and behind, their armor gleaming and their flags fluttering."

He paused for a moment.

"I wanted to look up and see what the king looked like, but the oppressive aura was so strong that it felt like my neck was being held down, and I couldn't lift it at all. The people next to me were the same, all with their heads down, not daring to breathe. Only after the carriage passed did we dare to straighten up. Later I learned that it was the king's magical pressure, and I still can't forget it to this day."

Wayne chatted casually for a few minutes, going along with what he said.

Then Wayne suddenly remembered the important matter.

"By the way, how are the relocation preparations going?"

Wilford snapped out of his daze.

"Everything is basically ready. The registration of residents in the town, the inventory of supplies, and the allocation of vehicles have all been arranged. I also wrote to the officials of the Bellino Province and communicated several times. They have agreed to allocate a batch of land for the residents of Frost Town for resettlement. The land is not good, but it is not bad either. It's not the best, but it's not the worst either."

Wayne nodded.

"That's good."

Wilford then continued.

"Although the millennium midnight is still a long way off, I plan to set off early, since it's always better to settle things as soon as possible."

Wayne nodded, agreeing with him.

"You're right, settling in sooner will save us a lot of trouble."

"By the way, Your Excellency."

Wilford put down his cup and leaned forward.

"Have you received the order from the church to withdraw from the church?"

Wayne leaned back in his chair.

"no."

Wilford frowned.

"No? That shouldn't be the case. The churches in other towns have already received them. I heard the day before yesterday that the evacuation orders for several parishes under Audrien's jurisdiction had been sent to their respective churches. How come Frosttown hasn't received them yet?"

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"Sir, could something have gone wrong on the way? Was the messenger delayed?"