Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The surrounding crowd became agitated.

The believers and monks who had been watching from a distance were now whispering to each other much louder.

"Is he the Bishop of Wayne?"

"I heard he also offended the Papacy of St. Hilde?"

"So handsome, how could he conspire with a witch..."

"Colluding with witches, blaspheming against the gods, and overstepping her authority to execute the missionaries of St. Hilde... If this were true, she'd be shooed for the stake, wouldn't she?"

Whispers spread through the hall.

Dalton stood outside the encirclement, listening to the whispers with a smug look on his face. Only after the whispers subsided slightly did he slowly speak.

"Wayne, as a classmate from the seminary, I really never imagined you would stoop to this level."

He shook his head regretfully.

"Back when you were at the seminary, you excelled academically and were highly regarded by your teachers. We all thought you would become a pillar of the Holy See. Who could have imagined that after leaving the capital, you would embark on such a path? Colluding with witches, blaspheming against the gods, abusing your power... one thing after another, how can any of these actions be worthy of the Holy See's nurturing of you?"

However, Wayne showed no mercy.

"Dalton. How dare a clown who rose to power by selling his genitals try to teach me a lesson?"

The church hall fell silent for a moment.

The whispering believers were stunned, and the actions of the inspectors also paused noticeably.

Dalton looked at Wayne in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

Wayne didn't repeat himself. He stood there, his gaze calmly fixed on Dalton's face, a slight smile still playing on his lips, like an adult watching a child throw a tantrum.

Dalton's face turned from white to red.

"You're about to die, and you still dare to talk big!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Guards! Seize this blasphemer!"

Wayne stood still, not taking a single step back, his gaze sweeping over the restless inspectors.

"I'd like to see who dares to do that. According to the Wiggins Vatican Law, falsely accusing a bishop of a region is punishable by hanging."

The inspectors, who had already taken half a step, abruptly stopped. They exchanged glances, and none of them took another step forward.

Then Wayne looked away, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Dalton, Dalton, all those years of studying, did you just waste your time?"

Wayne slowly pulled a folded document from his pocket, with the front facing Dalton.

Dalton's gaze fell on the contents of the document.

That was a transfer order.

"Dalton, look carefully. This is a decree issued by the Supreme Council of the Holy See, ordering all bishops who have been evacuated from the border to return to the capital to report for duty. I am now on a mission to the capital, passing through Bellino, and following regulations to enter the city and report to the local diocese. I am not to be subject to the scrutiny and conviction of the local diocese."

Wayne continued.

"Don't you know that the power to judge and arrest bishops in a region belongs to the Royal Court? What right do you, an assistant bishop of a local diocese, have to lay a hand on me here?"

Everyone initially thought that Dalton would be helpless, but in reality, he acted with complete confidence.

"Wayne, you think you can get the upper hand over me just because of this transfer order? You're too naive. I knew you'd do this."

Then he pointed to the book of sins in his hand.

"Did you see that clearly? This mark in the lower right corner is a temporary authorization from the Royal Court. Is that sufficient?"

Dalton continued.

"You probably don't know this, but the day before you arrived in Bellino, the Royal Court granted me a provisional warrant. It authorized the Bellino Diocese to conduct a preliminary investigation into several charges against Bishop Wayne of Frosttown during his tenure. If the evidence is conclusive, they have the authority to temporarily detain him, or even execute him."

The surrounding crowd began to whisper again.

"I didn't expect that Assistant Bishop Dalton could even get a temporary authorization from the Royal Court..."

"This is going to be a problem for the bishop of Frosttown..."

"It seems that most of those accusations are true."

"As expected of Lord Dalton, he always handles things flawlessly."

Dalton enjoyed the way people looked up to him and the thrill of toying with his prey.

"By the way, Wayne. Those two slaves you bought in Frosttown, if I'm not mistaken... they're witches, right?"

Wayne's gaze shifted.

Dalton caught that slight change, and his smile widened. He spread his hands: "The evidence is on its way. Don't blame me for this. I'm doing this for the sake of the Vatican's purity. Two wanted witches being personally escorted by a bishop, if that gets out... tsk tsk."

The panel popped up.

[Ella Emma's Status Update]

[Status: The two were abducted by the priests' servants while shopping at the market. Dalton had arranged for people to follow them beforehand, and while the two were selecting fabric in a shop, he covered their mouths and noses with a handkerchief soaked in a sedative. Currently, the two are bound hand and foot, gagged, and are being escorted to the church. They are expected to arrive within an hour.]

[Note: Hena is completely unaware of this; she is currently taking a nap in her hotel room. She has expended a lot of energy these past few days and is undergoing a deep recovery.]

[Note 2: Vera witnessed the entire incident. She tried to intervene but was pushed to the ground by the servants of the priest. She is running towards the Church of Bellino to deliver the message, but she doesn't know the way and it may take some time.]

Wayne looked away.

The air pressure around him became very low.

"You dare lay a hand on my people?"

Dalton stood there, leaning forward slightly, his tone carrying an undisguised provocation: "So what if I am?"

Wayne didn't move.

Dalton continued.

"You think I don't know your secrets? Those twins you bought in Frost Town, they're witches, right? Ice and fire types, aren't they? You think you've hidden them well, but you've forgotten one thing: in this world, everything that's done leaves a trace."

He took a half step back, straightened up, and raised his voice so everyone in the hall could hear: "Just wait! The Divine Servant Team will be here soon. The identities of those two witches will soon be revealed! When the Anti-Magic Stone is tested, the evidence will be irrefutable. Let's see what you can use to argue then!"

He had just finished speaking.

A dark shadow flashed by.

Dalton felt suffocated.

The next second, Wayne appeared in front of him without him even noticing, grabbing his neck with one hand and lifting him off the ground.

Dalton's feet left the ground, kicking wildly in mid-air. He gripped Wayne's arm tightly with both hands, trying to pry his hand off, but Wayne's knuckles wouldn't budge.

"Dalton".

Wayne's voice was calm.

"Since you're in such a hurry to die, I don't mind sending you to meet the goddess."

Dalton's face flushed crimson, and his voice, strained from his throat, stammered, "You...you're insane...you...you dare kill me? You'll die too!"

Wayne increased the pressure on his hand.

Several black-robed inspectors reacted quickly and were about to pounce when Wayne turned his head to look at them.

"Anyone who dares to come up here, I'll snap their neck. You can bet on whether you'll touch me first or I'll kill him first."

Upon hearing what Wayne said, the inspection team immediately stopped what they were doing, looking at each other in a dilemma.