Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Time quickly passed to the next day.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the edge of the bed and casting a thin, golden ribbon across the wooden floor.

Wayne opened his eyes.

Ella was still fast asleep in the blankets beside her. She lay on her side, her breathing even and long, a few streaks of pale blue hair scattered on the pillow, obscuring half of her face.

She secretly came to sleep with Wayne last night, because it would be pointless if her idiot sister also came to sleep with her.

Wayne did not get up immediately.

He slept very well last night, perhaps because his body was relaxed after the bath, or perhaps some other relaxation method that was even more thorough than a bath worked. In any case, he slept more soundly than the previous few days.

He turned his head and glanced at Ella's profile.

She did not wake up.

In the past, back in Frosttown, Ella always woke up before him. She would quietly get up, fix her hair, put on her clothes, and go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. By the time Wayne woke up, a steaming hot breakfast and a glass of water at just the right temperature would already be laid out on the table.

Perhaps it was due to overwork.

Wayne did not wake her.

A new day begins.

He stood there for a while, when he heard a soft moan behind him, followed by the rustling sound of the blanket being pulled back.

"Owner……?"

Ella's voice was a little softer than usual.

Wayne turned around.

Ella was half-sitting up, propped up on the edge of the bed. The blanket had slipped down to her waist, and her long hair was disheveled, draped over her shoulders and back. Her gaze was not yet fully focused, carrying a sense of bewilderment and languor unique to those who had just woken up.

She blinked, her gaze falling on Wayne standing by the window. She paused for about two seconds before she seemed to truly come to her senses.

Her face flushed slightly.

"...I overslept."

She quickly tidied her hair and prepared to get up, but was interrupted by Wayne's words halfway through the action.

"No rush. There's nothing particularly urgent today, you can sleep a little longer."

Ella paused, looking up at Wayne standing against the light by the window. The morning light shone through him, casting a pale golden halo over his features. She couldn't quite make out his expression, but the gentleness and concern in his voice made her obediently listen to him.

She lay back down.

"……Um."

She pulled the blanket up to her chin, turned her head, and looked at Wayne's back with a sense of peaceful satisfaction in her eyes.

The panel popped up at this point.

[Ella - Current Status]

Status: Satisfied and at ease.

[Note: She didn't actually sleep much last night. She repeatedly checked that she was in her master's room and not dreaming. She didn't finally fall into a deep sleep until almost dawn. That's why she woke up late this morning.]

[Note 2: Although physically tired, I feel extremely fulfilled on a mental level. If I had to choose a metaphor, it would be like walking on clouds.]

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a short knock.

"Brother, are you up?"

It's Alice's voice.

Wayne walked to the door and opened it.

Alice stood outside the door, dressed in a neat morning dress, her hair already combed. Her gaze swept quickly across the room, past Wayne's shoulder, before landing on Ella on the bed. She lingered for a second, then casually looked away.

Then she gave Wayne a sweet smile.

"Brother, breakfast is ready. Today we have chestnut porridge and honey bread, which you used to like to eat when you lived at home."

Wayne nodded: "Okay, I'll be right there."

Alice didn't linger. She replied, "Then I'll go down first," and turned to walk towards the stairs. After taking two steps, she stopped, turned back to look at Wayne, and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Oh, right, brother, there's an extra breakfast in the kitchen. If Ella is hungry too, she can come down and eat with us."

After she finished speaking, she walked briskly down the stairs without waiting for Wayne's reply.

Wayne turned around and looked at Ella on the bed.

Ella's ears were still red, but she had already sat up and was gathering her loose long hair behind her head, her movements much more natural than before.

"Master, it's time for me to get up too."

Wayne nodded.

"Okay. Let's go downstairs for breakfast together."

[Instant Reporting of Spying Records]

[Subject: Alice Angus]

[Behavior: She woke up earlier than you this morning; to be precise, she barely slept all night. She used the magic crystal ball left behind by the Great Sage to watch some wondrous stories.]

[Note: For many people, peeping into others' secrets provides a stronger sensory stimulation. This is also true for Alice.]

[Note 2: The crystal ball in her hand was purchased through underground channels several years ago. It was said to be an heirloom of a deceased great sage, possessing extremely high image clarity and being almost undetectable by conventional methods. She initially bought it just for fun, never expecting it to actually work.]

Wayne came downstairs to the dining table. Alice was already seated, sipping a glass of warm milk. She smiled at him when she saw him come down. Wayne pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze naturally falling on Lynch, who was at the head of the table.

Then he paused.

Marquis Lynch Angus was clearly not right today. Most noticeably, there was a distinct bluish-purple ring around his left eye, as if he had been punched in the face.

Wayne's gaze lingered on the bruise for a moment, then shifted away, asking calmly, "Father, what happened to your eyes?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qi's teacup wobbled slightly, almost spilling the tea. He put down the cup, coughed lightly, glanced to the side, and stammered, "N-nothing... I accidentally bumped into the door frame last night."

[Lynch Angus - Real State]

[Source of eye injury: The Pope.]

[What happened: Lynch went to the Papal Palace again last night, trying to catch up with the Pope. The Pope had now completely transformed into a young and beautiful woman. Lynch thought this was a new opportunity, but the Pope completely ignored his attempts to be attentive, even finding him annoying, and punched him in the eye socket. The old Pope had become younger, but also more irritable.]

[Note 2: Lynch never hits women. This is one of his proudest principles. So after taking this punch, he had no choice but to cover his eyes and back away.]

[Note 3: The Pope is now completely controlled by Queen Evelyn. While he remains nominally the supreme leader of the Papacy, he has virtually no autonomy in decision-making.]

Wayne finished reading the panel, looked away, picked up the bread in front of him, and took a bite. He had no interest in his father's trivial matters; the only reason he asked that question was because the dark circles under his eyes were so noticeable that not asking would seem deliberate.

As for why the Pope became like this, even without the panel saying so, Wayne already knew the news in advance—it was a little trick the Queen used on the Pope through the King's power.

The role played by his adoptive father was to maintain an improper relationship with the Pope in order to preserve the Pope's abnormal status.

In a sense, her father was a key element in the queen's entire scheme.