Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wilford thought for a moment.

"Strengthen security, send out more scouts, slow down on the road, and avoid danger if possible. Once we reach the territory of Bellino, the bandits won't dare to pursue us. After all, the garrison in the provincial capital is not to be underestimated."

Diaz shook his head.

"Mayor, I disagree with your plan. There are over two hundred bandits, and our guards plus the mercenary group don't even amount to a hundred people. If they really come to rob us, we can't hold them off by just guarding. Besides, we're taking all the townspeople with us, the old and the young, who can't move fast. Once they get on our heels, we won't be able to shake them off."

Wilford frowned.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Diaz slammed his fist on the table.

"Fight them! Strike first before they've fully assembled. Take down the biggest one, and the others won't dare touch them."

Wilford gasped.

"Take the initiative? Are you crazy? With so few men, going to attack the gang's stronghold? Isn't that suicide?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Diaz's voice rose a half-octave. "Wait for them to come and rob us? Wait for them to come and kill us? Mayor, think about it. The people of Frosttown have saved up most of their life's savings, all of it is on the carts. If they're robbed, what will they do? Starve?"

Wilford opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Wayne tapped his fingers twice on the table.

The two of them fell silent at the same time.

"Diaz is right."

Wilford looked up.

"grown ups?"

Wayne's gaze fell on Diaz's face.

"Take the initiative."

Wilford's throat moved.

"Sir, are you sure?"

"Sure."

Wayne's tone remained unchanged.

Do you know where the Decapitation Gang's hideout is?

Diaz thought for a moment.

"It's in a ravine northwest of Frost Town, about a half-day's ride from the town. It's a place that's easy to defend and difficult to attack, surrounded by mountains on both sides, with only one narrow path leading in. The bandits have been entrenched there for several years; they know the terrain well, but we don't."

"Terrain is not a problem."

Diaz paused for a moment.

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

"We have ways to find out their strengths and weaknesses." Wayne didn't elaborate. "You just need to tell me, if we solve the terrain problem, will your men dare to fight?"

Diaz suddenly straightened his back.

"I dare! Sir, although I don't have many men, they've all been through the wringer. We'll fight bandits without hesitation."

Wilford sat beside him, glancing at Wayne and then at Diaz.

"Then... what about me? What can I do?"

Wayne turned his head to look at him.

"You stay in town and organize the residents to prepare for evacuation. Depart on time in three days."

"And what about you, sir?"

"I'm leading the team to the bandit gang."

Wilford stood up from the stone bench.

"Sir, are you going in person?"

"Um."

"No, no, no!" Wilford shook his head vigorously. "My lord, you are the bishop. How can you personally lead the troops to fight the bandits? What if something happens to you? What will happen to Frosttown? What will happen to the church? What will happen to us?"

Wayne looked at him.

"You mean, you want me to hide in the back and let the men below go to their deaths?"

Wilford opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

"That's not what I meant. I meant... you are the bishop, the backbone of Frosttown. You can't be harmed."

"I'll be fine."

He sat down again.

"Sir, when do you plan to depart?"

"tonight!"

Wilford was shocked.

"tonight?"

"Yes. A night raid."

Diaz's eyes lit up.

"The lord is right. A night raid will catch them off guard and launch a surprise attack. The bandits are heavily guarded during the day but lax at night. Moreover, we have fewer people, so a night raid can maximize the advantage of surprise."

Wilford was still a little worried.

"Sir, how many men do you need?"

Wayne thought for a moment.

"Diaz's entire mercenary group has been mobilized, plus Marco. That's enough."

Diaz frowned.

"Sir, the mercenary group has over thirty men, plus Mr. Marco, making less than forty. The Headless Bandits, along with their allied smaller gangs, number over two hundred. We have less than forty men against over two hundred?"

Wayne looked at him.

"Strike the snake at its vital point. This isn't about positional warfare, it's about decapitation. Kill the bandit leader, take down the core leaders, and the rest of the rabble will naturally scatter."

Diaz fell silent.

"Sir, your plan is very risky. If something goes wrong, all of us will be lost."

"There won't be any mistakes."

Marco walked over from the direction of the front hall, a long sword still sheathed in his right hand, his steps steady.

"Commander Diaz, when have you ever seen His Holiness the Bishop fight a battle he wasn't confident of winning?"

Diaz looked up at him.

"Mr. Marco, are you going too?"

"go."

Marco stood by the stone table.

"My life was given to me by the adults. They told me to fight, so I went to fight."

Diaz's gaze darted back and forth between Wayne and Marco twice before he finally took a deep breath.

"Okay. I'll do it."

"Sir, I will go back and gather the brothers right away."

Diaz stood up, gave Wayne a mercenary salute, placed his right fist against his chest, and strode away.

An hour later, the group had assembled in front of the church.

Diaz stood at the very front, followed by more than thirty mercenaries. Armor gleamed, swords were drawn, and their blades gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Marco stood to one side of the group, his right hand resting on the ground, his back straight.

Wayne walked to the front of the line.

"There's only one mission tonight." His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it in the quiet night. "Take down the headless gang, kill their leader, and scatter their main force."

No one spoke.

Are you scared?

"I'm not afraid," Diaz was the first to speak.

"Don't be afraid." The mercenaries' voices followed in twos and threes, not in unison, but every word was sincere.

Wayne nodded.

He turned his head and looked at the two figures standing in the corridor.

"Come here."

Emma emerged from the shadows, her pale red hair glowing like a dark fire in the moonlight. Ella followed behind her, her steps unhurried.

Diaz frowned slightly.

"Sir, are they going too?"

"Yes. Experience."

Diaz glanced at Emma, ​​then at Ella, and swallowed the words he was about to say. "If the adults say go, then go. The adults' decisions can't be wrong."

Emma walked up to Wayne and looked up.

"Master, we won't hold you back."

"I know."

Ella's lips curved into a smile.

Wayne turned around and faced the line.

"Set off."

The group left the town in the night.

Diaz walked beside Wayne, lowering his voice.

"Sir, are you aware of the matter concerning the Kur mine?"

"I know a little."

"Do you know that the Kur mine is located on the territory of the Headless Bandits?"

Wayne glanced at him sideways.

Diaz continued.

"Kur Mine is the largest source of minerals around Frost Town. The ore mined from the mine accounts for 30% of Frost Town's tax revenue. After you came to Frost Town, a major event occurred at Kur Mine."

"A demon killing people?"

Diaz paused for a moment.

"Sir, how did you know?"

"Just a guess."

Diaz didn't press further and continued.

"More than twenty people died in that incident, all of them mine foremen and guards. Not a single one survived. Some people said they saw a woman in a purple dress walk out of the mine, holding a black cat in her arms, and there wasn't a drop of blood on her dress."

"The mine has been abandoned ever since. The miners ran away, the foreman died, and the boss ran away too. The headless gang took over the land after that and made the mine their stronghold."

Diaston paused, then added.

"Sir, that place is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there's only a narrow mountain path leading to the main mining area, which is probably guarded. Sir, are we really going to just attack like that?"