Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne paused for a moment, then spoke.

"Teacher, your injury..."

Cecil smiled, his tone completely at ease.

"You noticed?"

Wayne nodded: "Your breathing is unsteady, and your complexion is poor. When you speak, your voice is strong, but the ending notes sometimes sound weak. This is not a normal sign of aging; it's a lingering effect of an old injury."

Cecil did not deny it. He narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something: "It happened two years ago. St. Hilde's infiltration is much deeper than you think. They have been operating in the capital for many years, with spies planted throughout every level of the Vatican. I found some things, but before I could organize them into a complete chain of evidence, they discovered it."

He paused for a moment: "One rainy night, I was ambushed on my way home. There were three of them, one sixth-tier assassin and two peak fifth-tier assassins. They were very clean and left no clues pointing to St. Hilde. If my captain of the guard hadn't risked his life to block the fatal sword, you might not be seeing me now."

Wayne asked, "What about the king? Didn't he intervene?"

Cecil sighed. "Maybe he really is sick, just like everyone says."

Wayne paused, then changed his approach: "Teacher, over the years I have gained considerable experience in potion making. Perhaps I can try to help you heal."

Cecil waved his hand: "No need. I see you're still a fourth-tier potion master, right?"

Wayne nodded.

Cecil continued, "I've already had my injury examined by a sixth-tier Grand Alchemist. Even the sixth-tier Alchemists said there was nothing they could do. The gap between fourth and sixth tiers can't be bridged by willpower alone."

Wayne did not back down. His tone was serious and firm: "Teacher, my water magic is different from that of ordinary potion makers. Ordinary potions stimulate the body's own healing ability through the combination of medicinal ingredients, but my water magic can directly act on the foreign energy remaining in the wound, stripping it away, neutralizing it, and expelling it from the body."

He paused for a moment, then added a sentence.

"Perhaps you could give it a try, teacher."

Cecil's gaze lingered on Wayne's face for several seconds. He saw the unwavering certainty in those eyes, not the blind confidence of youth, but a composure built upon a certain accurate understanding.

Cecil put down his pen and made a decision: "...Let's give it a try."

Wayne nodded

He conjured a pale blue water sphere in his hand, its surface shimmering with a soft golden luster.

Cecil's gaze fell on the water sphere, and he leaned forward slightly from the back of his chair, his expression changing from scrutiny to astonishment: "This is... the aura of divine grace."

He looked up at Wayne.

"You've received a gift from the gods?!"

Wayne did not deny it: "This is an ability I awakened the year I left the capital. It's water magic, but it's not quite the same as ordinary water magic. It can purify, heal, and strip away foreign energies, and it also greatly assists in the preparation of potions."

Cecil's gaze lingered on the water sphere for a long time, his tone filled with complex emotions: "...I originally thought that your safety in the region over the years was due to luck and caution. Now it seems that the goddess has been protecting you from the shadows."

Wayne didn't reply, but simply pushed the ball of water forward gently. The water floated in front of Cecil's face and slowly spread out.

Cecil's body tensed instinctively for a moment, but quickly relaxed. He could feel a gentle energy seeping into his body through his skin, like warm spring water flowing slowly through his meridians. The foreign energy that had been entrenched in his old wounds showed signs of loosening under the influence of the water element.

He closed his eyes, savoring the comfort.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at Wayne: "It's working. Although it's not particularly obvious, I can feel that some of the alien energy that was lingering around the wound has indeed been stripped away."

Wayne sighed, "My rank is still too low. If I could reach the late fifth rank, the purification ability of water magic would undergo a qualitative change. When I come back to help my teacher heal then, the effect should be much better."

Cecil waved his hand: "The current effect has already exceeded my expectations. Even a sixth-tier Grand Alchemist would shake their head at my injury; it's a miracle that you've managed to loosen it even slightly."

Wayne didn't delve deeper into the topic. He withdrew his water elemental and changed the subject: "Teacher, what specific tasks do you need me to perform this time?"

Cecil straightened his clothes.

He didn't rush to answer Wayne's question, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated one: "How much do you know about the Black Theocracy?"

"The Black Order," Wayne repeated the name, then began to recall, "I read about it in the antiquarian library of the seminary. Back then, the Black Order was one of the most feared institutions within the Vatican. Heretics, traitors, malfeasants—once targeted by the Black Order, no one could escape unscathed. Later, the Holy Knights expanded their functions, gradually replacing most of the Black Order's authority. Coupled with the fact that several successive leaders were either mediocre or corrupt, the organization eventually became a mere shell of its former self."

Cecil nodded. "You're right. The Black Order is indeed defunct in name only. The organization is still there, the funding is still there, but the people have almost all left. The Black Order is now just an empty shell, with that old sign hanging there, the office piled high with dusty documents, and they can't even muster four people who can actually do the work."

Wayne's eyes flickered slightly: "Does Master mean... that he wants to revive the Black Order?"

Cecil looked at him: "Over the years, St. Hilde's infiltration has become increasingly serious. Within the Royal Capital's Papacy, at least one-third of the mid- to high-ranking personnel have intricate connections with St. Hilde. Some have been bribed, some have been caught red-handed and forced to cooperate, and others were pawns planted by St. Hilde from the very beginning. Even within the Kingdom's Dragonblood Knights, there have been traitors, and they have people in the Papacy's Cardinals. If this continues, when the Millennium Purple Sun truly arrives, Wiggins is very likely to bring about real chaos."

"Therefore, Wiggins needs a knife. A knife that belongs to no faction, is not bound by any interests, and is accountable only to the Papacy and the Kingdom. The Black Order is the most suitable scabbard to be reforged into this knife."

Wayne's gaze turned serious after hearing this.

"Does the teacher want me to make this knife?"

Cecil nodded emphatically.