Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne entered the church.

The quiet in the courtyard made him feel completely relaxed.

Emma squatted by the well, drawing circles on the ground with a twig. Ella sat beside her, holding a book—the abridged version of the holy book Wayne had given her earlier. Seeing Wayne enter, Emma dropped the twig and ran over.

"Master! You're back!"

"Um."

"I heard the mayor is possessed by a demon?"

"Who told you that?"

“People on the street are saying,” Emma looked up at him. “They’re saying the master drove the demon away and bent the iron bars. Is that true?”

Wayne looked at her.

Do you believe it?

"I believe you," Emma said matter-of-factly.

"I believe whatever my master says."

Wayne reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"it is good."

The panel popped up at this point.

[Northern Territory - North of Maple Forest - Live Footage]

[Ace Wilford and Paladin Leon - Current Status: Still asleep. Leon's drug effects haven't completely worn off, and the two are entangled in a very intimate position. Ace's clothes are scattered around the carriage, completely covering him.]

[Leon's dream: He dreamt he was riding a white horse, galloping across the grasslands, the wind whistling past his ears, the sunlight on his face—everything was perfect. He didn't know he wasn't riding a horse, but...]

[Ace's dream: He dreamt that he was being coiled up by a giant python. The python's body wrapped around his chest, then around his waist, and then around his legs, very tightly, making it hard for him to breathe. He didn't know what the giant python was...]

[Estimated time of awakening: approximately one hour later.]

[Note: Ace's first reaction upon waking: scream. Second reaction: check himself. Third reaction: check Leon. Fourth reaction: put on his clothes. Fifth reaction: contemplate life.]

[Also: Leon's first reaction upon waking: confusion. Second reaction: recollection. Third reaction: silence. Fourth reaction: continued silence. Fifth reaction: "What happened last night...do you remember?"]

Wayne looked away from the panel.

He closed his eyes and silently recited the goddess's name in his heart, not to pray, but to convince himself that there are still normal, proper, and non-absurd things in this world.

After he finished reading, he opened his eyes.

The panel is still hanging there.

[Also: Ace is thinking about something. Is he the top or the bottom? He can't remember. This is making him very anxious. It's not because he cares about the position, but because he can't remember. He's the kind of person who needs to get to the bottom of everything, and if he can't figure this out, he'll have insomnia.]

Mayfair came in at dinner time.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of creamy mushroom soup. Aunt Grace had baked an extra tray of buttered bread today, which was piled up golden in the center of the table.

Emma was tearing a piece of bread into small strips, soaking them in milk until they softened, and then taking them out to eat, her mouth full of bread. Wayne sat opposite her, drinking a bowl of soup.

Mayfair talked as she ate.

"Mr. Wayne."

Wayne put down his bowl.

"What's wrong?"

Mayfair looked at Wayne and said.

"I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of help?"

"Ten miles to the north, outside the town, there is a cemetery."

The kitchen was quiet for a moment.

Emma stopped making instant noodles.

Mayfair continued.

"I need a guardian corpse. Not an ordinary corpse, but one that was powerful enough in life and harbors enough resentment after death. There are some in that graveyard." She paused, "but when I summon it, other things might come out with it."

"The rituals of necromancers are not as clean as church prayers. When they chant incantations, the spirits within a hundred paces will be disturbed. Some will obey, and some will not. The disobedient ones need to be dealt with."

Wayne looked at her.

"You want me to go and keep things under control?"

Mayfair nodded.

"Um."

Wayne put down the bowl and stood up.

"When?"

"tonight."

Wayne turned to look out the window. It was already quite dark, and in less than an hour, the moon would rise in the east. Time was running out.

"OK."

Emma jumped off the chair, nearly knocking over the soup bowl, but Ella caught it quickly.

"Master! I want to go too!"

"no."

"Why?" Emma's voice rose a half-octave, her pale red eyes widening. "Wherever Master goes, I'll go!"

"Danger."

"I'm not afraid of danger!"

"I'm scared."

Emma paused for a moment.

Wayne crouched down to be at eye level with her.

"A graveyard isn't a place you can go." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Necromantic rituals will send the dead swarming in from all directions. Your fire element can certainly burn them, but can you burn a hundred at once? A thousand?"

Emma opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"I can't be distracted by protecting you," Wayne said. "If you go, I'll worry. If I'm worried, I won't be able to focus on helping Mayfair. If something happens to Mayfair, you'll feel guilty."

He reached out and ruffled Emma's hair.

"So you stay here and wait for me to come back."

Emma pouted, standing there clutching her clothes. She didn't want to be left behind, but she knew Wayne was right; she wouldn't be of any help and would only cause trouble.

"Then...when will Master be back?"

"Before dawn."

"So long?" Emma pouted even more.

"Very soon."

Emma remained silent for a long time before finally letting go.

"My master promised me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Tonight," she looked up, her pale red eyes smiling, "my sister and I will sleep with our master."

Wayne looked at her.

"OK."

Emma's eyes lit up instantly, revealing her two little tiger teeth, and all her previous grievances vanished.

"It's a promise! No taking it back!"

"No regrets."

After dinner, it was already quite dark. Wayne changed into dark clothes and took his scriptures and crucifix with him. Mayfair stood at the church entrance, holding an oil lamp, the light casting a long shadow of her.

Emma and Ella stood on the steps, one with her hands on her hips and the other clutching a handkerchief, both with tense expressions.

"Master, you must be careful," Ella said.

"Um."

"Run if you encounter danger, don't try to fight it," Emma said.

"Um."

"We're waiting for you to come back."

Wayne nodded and turned to leave.

The two little ones stood on the steps, watching the light of the oil lamp grow farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared around the street corner.

Emma plopped down on the steps.

She rested her chin on her hands.

"The master is gone."

Ella sat down next to her.

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Emma suddenly turned to look at Ella.

"Sister, do you think Master will be scared?"

Ella thought for a moment.

"Master will not be afraid."

Why?

"Because the master is very powerful."

"What if we encounter a very powerful undead?"

Ella thought about it again.

"Then the master will still be very powerful."

Emma's lips twitched slightly; this answer was tantamount to no answer at all.

"elder sister."

"Um."

"Why do you think the master is helping Mayfair?"

"Because Mayfair is one of our people."

"But she's going to that cult or something."

Ella was silent for a moment.

"She hasn't left yet."

"But she'll leave," Emma said, her voice lowering. "Once she's gone, she won't be one of us anymore."

Ella didn't respond.

"elder sister."

"Um."

"Do you think Mayfair likes her master?"

Ella paused for a moment.

"Why...why are you suddenly asking this?"

“I just want to know.” Emma rested her chin on her knees. “Every time she comes out of the master’s room, her face is red. Once I saw her almost fall while walking. I thought she was sick and wanted to help her, but she wouldn’t let me.”

She paused.

"And that time, Wendy was receiving treatment in her room, and Mayfair listened in for a long time next door. I saw it; her skirt wasn't even properly tied..."

Ella gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

"You...you saw it?"

"I saw it," Emma said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not blind."

She turned to look at Ella.

"Sister, what do you think Mayfair is doing?"

Ella's ears turned red instantly.

"N-I don't know..."