Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne looked at Srian kneeling before him and said.

"Get up. Go back to the Earl's manor and continue your role as Chief Elder. No one knows what happened today. When you return to the city, just report to the Earl that you lost the person, that the other party used a high-level invisibility potion, and that they also arranged for a Saint Hilde combat monk to cover their retreat. You fought two against one but failed to stop them. The Earl may be unhappy, but he won't fall out with a fifth-tier Chief Elder."

Srian nodded.

Wayne continued, "I'll be sending you messages periodically. You only need to do two things. First, maintain your position in the Earl's mansion; second, keep an eye on the movements in the Bellino diocese, and if there's anything related to the Papacy, find a way to notify me immediately."

"clear."

Wayne dusted off his hands:

"Alright, you can go now. The remaining potion in your body will be metabolized and cleared up automatically in half an hour. Just drink plenty of water after you get back to the city."

Srilian stood up, gave a mage's salute to Vayne, then turned and, dragging his still somewhat numb body, walked towards Bellinor.

After Srian left, Wayne also left the spot and continued searching in the direction Marco had fled.

Following the prompts on the panel, he found Marco in a low-lying patch of grass deep in the forest.

Marco lay prone in the grass, the wound on his back repeatedly scraped open by branches during his escape, the flesh turned inside out, and the edges of the wound were scorched black by the wind blades, so that no blood could flow out.

Wayne crouched down and reached out to check his breath.

There's still breath. Very faint, but still there.

He quickly examined Marco's injuries. There was a deep, bone-revealing wound on his left shoulder, pierced directly by a wind blade; his back had at least a dozen cuts of varying depths, each covered with a layer of dark red scabs; and his right ankle was swollen below the knee.

Wayne looked at the middle-aged man covered in wounds and muttered, "He's a tough guy, isn't he?"

The relentless pursuit of a fifth-tier archmage would have been a stroke of luck for any other fourth-tier warrior, who would have been lucky to escape with a whole corpse. But Marco not only survived the chase, he held out until Marco arrived.

Wayne first used water magic to clean Marco's wounds, then he took out a roll of bandages and a jar of hemostatic ointment and began to treat the deepest wounds.

About an incense stick later, Marco slowly opened his eyes.

He saw Wayne's face, paused for a moment, then looked down at the bandages wrapped around his body and moved his right arm.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.

"My lord...you've come to save me..."

Wayne screwed the cap off the ointment: "What else can I do? I can't just let my guards die at someone else's hands."

Marco's voice was somewhat hoarse:

"My lord... I owe you my life."

Wayne nodded without any formalities.

"Yes, you do owe me a life."

Wayne changed the subject, his tone becoming more relaxed: "But speaking of which, how does it feel to have avenged yourself?"

Marco leaned against the tree trunk and laughed; he had never laughed so happily before.

"Awesome! That's fucking awesome!"

"When that bastard died in front of me, I was trembling all over. Not from fear, but from joy. I've waited for this day for so long." Marco took a breath. "My daughter's spirit in heaven would be so happy to see all this."

Wayne nodded, not pursuing the topic further. He stood up, brushing the remaining ointment from his hands: "Can you stand up?"

Marco tried to push himself up, a sharp pain shooting through his knee, but he gritted his teeth and shakily stood up. He steadied himself against a nearby tree, glancing down at the bandages wrapped around his body: "I can still walk, just slowly."

"As long as we can walk." Wayne turned around and walked out of the dense forest. "Keep up. The group is still waiting ahead. We need to catch up with them before dark."

Marco watched Wayne's retreating figure without saying a word, and limped after him.

By the time the two caught up with the group, it was already dark.

The convoy did not arrive in Bellino as planned today. It wasn't due to a mishap, but because they encountered a group of reckless bandits during the day. Though few in number, they were quite audacious; as the convoy passed a mountain road, they rushed down the slopes on either side, intending to steal some supplies and make their escape.

As a result, they ran into Diaz's mercenary group and Wilford's guard, and the battle ended quickly.

Most of the bandits died, and the rest fled into the mountains.

The group tallied their losses and found that aside from a few startled horses and two overturned crates of rations, there was almost no substantial damage. However, for safety's sake, Diaz suggested setting up camp early and continuing until daybreak. The valley was sheltered from the wind and had a water source, making it a suitable place to spend the night.

Kaven was the first to discover that Marco had returned.

He was squatting by the campfire, handing Aya a flatbread, when he caught a glimpse of two figures, one tall and one short, walking towards him from the valley entrance. He froze, nearly dropping the flatbread into the fire.

"master!"

He practically sprang to his feet. His calf knocked over the water pouch lying beside him, but he paid it no mind.

He rushed a few steps toward Marco, then suddenly stopped two meters away, standing there looking at the bandages covering Marco's body, his eyes instantly reddening.

"Master...you...you're injured..."

Marco, seeing him on the verge of tears, reached out and patted him on the head: "What are you crying about? I'm not dead yet. It's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a couple of days. Have you eaten?"

"……not yet."

"Then hurry up and eat! The pancakes are getting cold."

Calvin sniffed and nodded vigorously.

Aya was sitting by the campfire when she saw Wayne approaching. She stood up and called out, "My lord."

Wayne nodded.

Then her gaze passed over Wayne and landed on Marco, who was covered in bandages, and she asked, "Uncle, are you alright?"

Marco waved his hand at her: "It's nothing."

Wayne sat down by the campfire, picked up a piece of flatbread, and took a bite. Emma quickly came over, handed him a bowl of hot water, and then squatted down beside him.

"Master, what trouble did you encounter on the way? How did Uncle Marco get so badly injured?" She gestured towards Marco's direction.

Wayne took a sip of water.

"There was a minor mishap, but it's been resolved."

Emma didn't press further, simply nodding. Ella, however, brought over a bowl of hot soup, placed it in front of Wayne, and softly said, "Master, thank you for your hard work."

Wayne took a sip of the soup.

After a while, Marco sat down by the campfire with his dry rations. He had changed his dressings again and tightened the bandages. Although his movements were still a little slow, he was in much better spirits than when he first returned.

Wayne put down his soup bowl, glanced at him, and asked, "Have you thought about what will happen next?"

Marco was silent for a moment. "The count's son is dead, and the count's mansion must be searching the whole city for me. It would not be wise for me to go to Bellino."

Wayne then offered his suggestion: "In that case, take Kaven with you, bypass Bellino, and head straight for the capital. I have connections at the Papacy in the capital, and someone will meet you when you arrive. Once you're settled, change your identity and name, and find a lowly job to stay in. After I've dealt with things in Bellino, I'll naturally come to find you in the capital."

After listening, Marco looked up at Wayne:

"Your Excellency intends to leave from Bellino?"

Wayne nodded. "Yes. I have the order to transfer to the capital; it wouldn't be right not to go into the city. Besides, Dalton is waiting for me in Bellino. If I don't go see him, wouldn't I be disappointing him?"

Marco looked at Wayne for a few seconds, then finally nodded: "Okay. I'll do whatever you say, sir."