Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Night falls on the outskirts of Pes.

The moonlight was mostly obscured by clouds, casting a dim light over the fields outside the town. Three figures huddled together behind an abandoned barn, speaking in hushed tones.

A white-haired little girl squatted at the edge of the barn's shadow, clutching a dark purple crystal in her hand, her tone somewhat urgent.

"Big sister, is the magic circle ready? If it's not done soon, it'll be dawn."

The woman in the lead was squatting on the other side of the barn, embedding the last crystal into a groove carved into the ground.

"It'll be ready soon. What's the rush? He's staying at a hotel tonight; he's not going to run away in the middle of the night."

The white-haired loli pouted: "I'm just worried about something going wrong. That priest was able to win the goddess's judgment in Bellino, so he can't be a nice guy."

The woman with the mature, older-looking figure leaned against the wooden wall of the barn, arms crossed, her expression complex: "Big sister, do you think we really have to kill that person?"

The woman in the lead paused for a moment, then pressed the crystal firmly down: "If we don't kill him now, we sisters will die. But let's see what's going on first!"

Upon hearing this, the little girl spat angrily, "It's all that damned Vatican's fault! If there hadn't been a traitor within the order, they wouldn't have had this leverage over us, and we wouldn't be doing this dirty work for them. Serving that damned Vatican? Just thinking about it makes me furious!"

She grew angrier and angrier as she spoke, and she actually crushed the crystal.

The mature woman sighed: "Big sister, are we just going to keep working for the Vatican like this? Killing a bishop today, a priest tomorrow, and when we're no longer of any use, they'll just throw us out like expendable pawns."

The eldest sister remained silent for a long while before finally speaking slowly, her voice hoarse with a hint of helplessness: "Let's just take it one step at a time. Right now, we have no other choice. At least if we finish this job, our sisters can survive. If we live, we have a chance to turn things around. If we die, we have nothing."

There was a moment of silence.

The little girl bit her lip and didn't argue further.

The mature woman lowered her head and stopped speaking.

The eldest sister stood up and took one last look at the dark purple magic circle that had been set up on the ground. Each point of the six-pointed star was embedded with a fully charged crystal, which gleamed faintly in the dim light.

"I'm all ready. You all get ready too. I'll teleport the people over soon."

Three minutes later, the dim light on Wayne's bed flickered silently. He vanished along with the bedding beneath him, and in the same instant, he reappeared at the center of the six-pointed star magic circle in the middle of the barn.

However, the commotion did not seem to wake Wayne; his eyes were closed, his breathing was steady, and he seemed to be having a sweet dream.

Seeing his completely unguarded state, the white-haired girl relaxed a little. She crouched down, took a few steps closer, and used the faint light from the crystal to examine his face.

"...This person is sleeping so soundly? They didn't wake up even with such a loud noise."

The mature woman's short dagger was already half-drawn from its sheath.

"Let's kill him quickly and complete the mission!"

But Wayne didn't give them that chance.

Just as the white-haired loli squatted down...

Wayne suddenly sprang up.

The white-haired loli's pupils suddenly contracted.

too fast.

Before she could even see how the other person moved, a strong force attacked from the side, grabbing her neck and pulling her in front of him.

The entire process takes no more than the time it takes to breathe once.

The white-haired girl's throat was choked, making it difficult to breathe. She grabbed Wayne's forearm with both hands, trying to pry it open, but his hands wouldn't budge. She managed to squeeze out a few words: "You...you...aren't you asleep?"

Wayne didn't look down at her, his gaze sweeping over the remaining two women: "Who are you people?"

The panel appeared before Wayne's eyes.

[Three People - Character Information]

[Identity: Remnant of the Witch Cult in the Royal Capital.]

[Background: Their cult was recently raided by Cardinal Carosso's forces, and most of the sisters were captured. Carosso is using the lives of the sisters in the dungeon as leverage, forcing the three of them to ambush you on the road from Bellinor to the capital. If you are not killed, the sisters in the dungeon will be executed.]

[Note: Carrosso was one of the most radical representatives of the Old School and the infamous creator of the "Paradise Spirit." His perversion would terrify even your father, Marquis Lynch.]

[Note 2: The white-haired loli is named Hilda; she looks like a little girl but is actually twenty-three years old. The green-haired mature woman is Salia, twenty-six years old. The leading busty woman is Tiffany, thirty years old.]

The mature woman subconsciously took half a step forward, but Tiffany blocked her way with her arm.

At this moment, Hilda was being held by the neck and suspended in mid-air, but she didn't show much fear. Instead, she smirked slightly and said, "...You do have some skill."

As soon as she finished speaking, her body suddenly collapsed, as if her skeleton had been removed, and her whole body turned into a pool of thick black water in Wayne's hands.

Then, Hilda's figure re-formed in the shadows several meters away, and the black water flowed upwards from the ground, piecing together a complete body.

She stretched her neck, which had been choked, and commented on Wayne, "Your grip was quite strong."

Just then, Tiffany, the leader, said, "Kid, we didn't mean to kill you. Blame the damned Vatican and your bad luck."

Wayne did not reply.

His gaze swept quickly over the three: two mid-stage fourth tier, and one early-stage fifth tier. Witches fought differently from conventional classes; their abilities were often unpredictable and varied, unlike warriors and mages who followed fixed patterns. Fighting head-on on their home turf without knowing their strengths and weaknesses would likely result in his defeat.

Wayne made a decisive judgment.

He didn't say anything harsh, and then turned and ran.

This move startled all three witches.

"...ran away?"

Hilda blinked and turned to look at Tiffany.

"Big sister, he's run away."

Tiffany frowned slightly, then raised her hand and gestured: "Chase him. He can't get far. I've set up three layers of containment barriers in this area; he can't escape the territory of Pace Town."

Three figures followed closely behind, disappearing into the night.

As Hilda chased after him, she couldn't help but ask, "Big sister, who is this guy? He's actually quite handsome!"

Tiffany didn't turn her head, her gaze fixed on the figure moving quickly through the night: "I don't know. Carrosso didn't give us any details, only a portrait, and said he had to die."

"Not even a reason?"

"No. He only said that if this man wasn't killed, the sisters in the dungeon would be executed." Tiffany's voice turned somber. "We just need to complete the mission; we don't need to ask any more questions."

Hilda bit her lip and didn't press the matter further. She knew Tiffany was also feeling aggrieved, but as the eldest sister, she couldn't show her emotions.