Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne had barely finished speaking.

The Angus family guards quickly closed in, surrounding the six paladins along with Aubrey, who had just climbed up from beside the stone lion.

The sounds of swords being drawn echoed in the morning light.

Aubrey, who was about to leave with his team, abruptly stopped. He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the quickly closing guards, his face darkening. "I've already said I won't investigate anymore, what else do you want?"

Wien stood on the steps, looking down at him: "Are you deaf? Have you forgotten every word I just said? And since when has my Marquis's mansion become a place you can come and go as you please?"

Lynch stood beside Wayne, hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, and continued, "My son is right. If you have a bad memory, I'll remind you again. Apology, compensation, and get out. Nothing can be omitted."

Aubrey's expression darkened further, his gaze finally settling on Lynch's face: "Marquis Angus, are you sure you want to make things this ugly? We're members of the Holy Knight Inspection Team, after all. You're making us apologize and pay compensation at the Marquis's mansion gate? If word gets out, it won't look good on you either, will it?"

Just as Lin Qi was about to continue speaking, a steady footstep sounded from behind the crowd. A middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray outfit walked out unhurriedly.

He wasn't particularly burly, and his body was devoid of any unnecessary adornments. A long sword, still sheathed, hung at his waist.

This is Keynes.

The guards assigned to Lynch by the Queen.

A late-stage Tier 5 warrior.

I've seen Wayne a few times in the few days since he came back.

He walked to the front of the crowd, gave Wayne a slight bow, and said respectfully, "Young Master, is there anything I can do for you?"

Lynch stood to the side, paused for a moment, pointed to himself, and said with obvious dissatisfaction and confusion, "Hey, Keynes, aren't you my bodyguard? Why don't you ask me about him, but instead ask my son?"

Keynes didn't even turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on Wayne. He replied helplessly, "Your Excellency, Her Majesty the Queen specifically instructed me when she sent me here that in matters of great importance, Young Master Wayne's opinion should prevail."

Lin Qi opened his mouth, but then choked back his words. In the end, he awkwardly lowered his hand and said nothing more.

Wayne didn't look at Lynch; his gaze fell on the six paladins who were caught in a dilemma. He gave the order: "They have offended the nobles of the capital and are plotting to murder Marquis Lynch. Knock them all out and take them down."

At that moment, Aubrey became excited.

"What murder of a marquis?! This is a frame-up!"

Keynes completely ignored these clowns.

His figure disappeared from the spot.

In the next instant, he appeared in front of the paladin on the far left. Before the paladin could even react, Keynes's hand chop had already landed precisely on his neck.

The first person fell to the ground.

Keynes' figure blurred again, appearing beside the second paladin and delivering a clean elbow strike to the opponent's chin. The second man didn't even have time to utter a sound before his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

The remaining four paladins finally reacted and tried to spread out and create distance. However, the gap between late-stage fifth tier and fourth tier cannot be bridged by reaction speed or tactical coordination.

The third person, the fourth person, the fifth person.

Keynes' figure flashed through the crowd several times, each pause accompanied by the dull thud of a paladin falling.

Within six breaths, all six paladins lay on the ground, their swords scattered everywhere. None of them had a chance to make a complete parry or counterattack.

Looking at the six men lying on the ground, Lin Qi couldn't help but ask Wayne, "Son, what should we do next? What should we do with these six people?"

Wayne said, "Strip them naked, hang them in front of the Marquis's mansion, and then notify the people at St. George's Cathedral to pay ransom."

Lin Qi said worriedly, "Son, isn't this going too far? We've offended the people of St. George to death. It will be difficult for our Angus family to move forward in the capital in the future."

Wayne glanced at him: "Father, have you forgotten how you obtained your marquisate?"

Lin Qi was taken aback by what he was told.

Wayne continued, "The reason I was able to obtain Her Majesty's decree and stand here in this mansion to speak with you is not because I was adept at playing both sides, but because I chose a side. In the face of the royal family, anyone who tries to remain neutral is an enemy. And since we have already made our choice, we must naturally be prepared to take sides."

Lin Qi stood there, looking at his son's calm face, remaining silent for several breaths. He suddenly realized that, as a father, he had indeed fallen far behind his son in terms of political awareness.

Wayne is right. His marquess title was earned by siding with the Queen. If he shows any wavering or backing down now, he will not only lose face with the Queen, but also gain no advantage with St. George, ending up pleasing neither side.

Once Lynch understood this, he straightened his back a bit more. He nodded to Wayne, his tone carrying a resolute determination.

"My son is right! Now that we've chosen a side, there's no reason for us to back down."

He turned around and waved to the captain of the guards behind him: "Did you hear what the young master said? Strip these men naked and hang them at the gate of the manor! Then send someone to St. George's Cathedral to tell them to bring money to ransom them!"

The captain of the guard was stunned for a moment, clearly taken aback by the order, but he quickly recovered, nodded vigorously, and turned to call his men to get to work.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the scene in front of the Marquis's mansion became extremely spectacular. Six paladins were stripped down to their underwear, lined up in a row, their wrists bound with rope, and hung on the metal in front of the iron gate.

On the other side, St. George's Cathedral.

Edmund received the news immediately.

He was very angry at that moment.

Edmund was completely unaware that Aubrey had led an inspection team to raid Angus’s residence.

The important thing is that this fool not only failed to find anything, but was also stripped naked and hung at the door for public display, and St. George had to pay money to ransom him. This story will soon spread throughout the capital.

"Idiot! A complete and utter idiot..."

Edmund's insults continued unabated.

The messenger below didn't dare to look up at all.

After a moment of silence, Edmund gave the order.

"Get some money and ransom him. Do it quickly, don't let him hang at the door for too long, St. George has already lost enough face."

The liaison monk nodded hurriedly, turned around, and quickly left.

After the monk left the room, Edmund stood alone by the window, looking at the old locust tree in the courtyard, which looked wilted in the afternoon sun, and remained silent for a long time.

Wayne Angus.

The new head of the Black Order.

Queen Evelyn personally issued a decree granting the Black Order independent investigative and arrest powers, with their authority even surpassing that of the Holy Knights.

He knew what this meant.

Once the Black Order develops, it will become a sword hanging over St. George's head. All the connections, illicit income, and opaque operations cultivated by the old order over the years will be exposed by this sword.

Therefore, the plan to assassinate Wayne not only cannot be stopped, but must be accelerated. Aubrey's failure has already caused him to lose face completely.

If Edmund can regain his teacher's trust with a successful assassination while eliminating this huge future threat, his position within the Old School will be even more secure.