Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Chapter 239 The Best Bishop of Frosttown

When Wayne and the others returned.

The sky was already turning white.

The main street of Frost Town was packed with people.

Behind him were the town's residents—men, women, the elderly, and children—pushing wheelbarrows, using canes, and carrying babies, crowding the entire main street.

"They're here!" Griffin came running back from the street corner, his helmet askew, the armor plates clattering. He reached Wilford, his heels touching, and stood at attention. "Mayor, the bishop and the others are back!"

Wilford straightened up abruptly, turned his head, and shouted behind him, "Stand still! Stop whispering!"

The crowd was quiet for a moment, then became noisy again.

"Bishop Wayne is back!"

"I heard they wiped out the entire headless bandit gang!"

"More than two hundred people, not a single one was spared!"

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! It was said by one of Commander Diaz's men, how could it be false?"

"So we won't have to worry about moving anymore?"

"Don't be afraid anymore, don't be afraid anymore! The gang is gone, what's there to be afraid of?"

Wilford stepped out of the crowd, strode forward, stopped in front of Wayne, and bent down.

"My lord, you've worked hard!"

Wayne reached out and supported his arm, straightening him up.

"Mayor, there's no need for such formalities."

Wilford straightened up, his gaze sweeping over Wayne's face and then over his body, making sure he wasn't injured before he felt relieved.

"Sir, the entire town is waiting for you. Look..."

Wayne's gaze shifted from Wilford's face to the crowded figures on both sides of the main street.

Wayne looked away.

"Let everyone disperse."

Wilford paused for a moment.

"Sir, won't you say a few words to everyone?"

"There's not much to say." Wayne's tone was calm. "The gang is gone, the road is safe, and we'll set off on time in three days. Tell everyone to go back and pack their things, those who need to prepare, and those who need to rest."

Wilford opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him again, but seeing Wayne's expression, he swallowed his words. He turned around, facing the crowd, and raised his hands to press down.

"Everyone, disperse! His Holiness the Bishop said the bandits are wiped out, the road is safe, and we'll depart on time in three days! Everyone go back and pack your things, those who need to prepare, prepare; those who need to rest, rest!"

The crowd did not disperse immediately.

Someone squeezed forward a couple of steps. It was an old woman, hunched over, holding a bunch of wildflowers in her hands, who walked shakily to Wayne.

"Your Excellency, I picked these from the back mountain early this morning, please don't mind..."

Wayne took the bouquet, glanced down at it, and saw that the petals were pale purple and he didn't know their name.

"thank you."

The old woman's eyes reddened, she drew a holy emblem on her chest, turned around, and walked away with her cane.

Someone started, and others followed. One by one, they stepped out of the crowd, walked up to Wayne, and handed him what they were carrying: a bouquet of flowers, a loaf of bread, a jug of water, a basket of eggs, and a pair of newly sewn shoes.

Wayne did not refuse.

Griffin squeezed through the crowd, leaned close to Wilford's ear, and whispered.

"Mayor, what should we do with the people who were rescued?"

Wilford glanced at him sideways.

"We'll arrange for them to stay at the mountaintop manor for now, and then take them all away in three days."

After the crowd finished giving the gifts.

Wayne looked at the crowd and remained silent for a moment.

The morning light surged from behind him, stretching his shadow long across the stone path, all the way to the front of the crowd.

He spoke.

"May the goddess protect Frosttown."

There was a moment of silence in the crowd.

Then a voice came from behind.

"Long live Bishop Wayne!"

Then came the second, the third, the tenth, and the hundredth.

"Long live Bishop Wayne!"

The sound traveled from one end of the main street to the other, from the street corner to the alleyway, and from the alleyway to even more distant places.

An old woman held up her cane, children rode on their father's shoulders, men tossed their hats into the air, and women wiped their eyes with the backs of their hands.

Wilford stood beside Wayne, watching the jubilant crowd, his eyes reddening. He glanced at Wayne, wanting to say something, but then felt that anything he said would be superfluous. In the end, he said nothing and just stood there.

The crowd shouted for a long time before slowly dispersing.

It was noon when we returned to the church.

The sun was shining directly overhead. The front door was open, and Vera stood in the doorway, wiping dust off the doorframe with a rag. Seeing Wayne walk in from the front yard, she draped the rag over her shoulder and went to greet him.

"My lord, you're back."

"Um."

Vera's gaze swept over him, from head to toe and from toe to head, confirming that he was not injured, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Dinner is ready. Would you like to eat first or take a shower first?"

"Take a shower first."

"The hot water is ready, and the bathtub has been cleaned. You can go straight there."

Wayne looked at her.

How did you know I was coming back to take a shower?

Vera's ears turned slightly red.

"Just a guess."

She turned around and walked quickly toward the kitchen.

I came out after taking a shower.

Wayne changed into a clean coat.

He walked towards the backyard while drying his hair with a towel. Just as he turned the corner of the corridor, he heard Emma's voice coming from the direction of the flowerbed.

"You guys don't know, but last night that bad guy named Feru was carrying such a huge machete..."

Emma sat on a stone bench next to the stone table, gesturing with her hands to show the length of the famous machete, making it appear taller than herself.

"You just swung your sword at me like that!"

Her expression was exaggerated.

"I didn't even have time to dodge; the knife was right in front of me! It was just a hair's breadth away!"

She pinched two fingers together, leaving an almost invisible gap, and held it up to her eyes for Aya to see.

Aya sat opposite her, her eyes wide open, her face tense, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

"and then?"

"And then..." Emma's lips curled into a grin. She pulled her hands back from in front of her and spread them out to her sides. "Then my sister made her move."

Ella stood beside the stone table, holding an unsealed potion bottle in her hand, adding something into it without even looking up.

"My sister only used one move! Just one move!" Emma held up a finger and waved it in front of Aya, "and she froze that bad guy's knife!"

Aya's pupils dilated slightly.

"and then?"

"Then the knife froze, his hands froze, his whole body froze! He stood there, unable to move, and could only wait for his master to come and deal with him."

Aya's gaze shifted from Emma's face to Ella's.

"Ella is amazing."

Emma jumped off the stone bench, ran to Ella, and hugged her arm.

"Of course my sister is amazing! My sister is the most amazing!"

Ella finally raised her head and glanced at Emma.

"Stop messing around, I'm adding medicine."

Emma stuck out her tongue, let go of her arm, took two steps back, and ran back to Aya.

Emma patted her chest and raised her chin even higher.

"If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just come to me, and I'll get my sister to beat them up for you."

Aya nodded.

Wayne draped the towel over the back of the chair next to the stone table.

"What are you talking about?"