Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Celine's shoulder twitched.

"You're too quiet, too well-behaved, too..." Wilford paused for a moment, "too bland."

Celine finally looked at Wilford directly.

"So what you mean is?"

Wilford looked out the window at the old tree in the yard and continued bluntly.

"Bishop Wayne is my benefactor."

Celine's fingers twitched inside her sleeve.

"He saved me twice," Wilford said. "The first time was at Rosewood, where the whole town saw me hanging naked from a window. He was the one who saved me and made up a story about being possessed by a demon to make everyone in town believe I was innocent."

He paused.

"The second time, it was in the cemetery. I don't know what happened, but when I woke up I was tied up in the central square. Thomason said it was Bishop Wayne who rescued me from the square."

"Bishop Wayne saved me twice," Wilford said, walking up to her. "Twice in one day. I can't repay that debt."

He paused.

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

Celine looked up.

"What kind of help?"

"Maintain a good relationship with Bishop Wayne."

Celine asked, puzzled.

"you mean……"

"What I mean is, go to church more often, talk to Bishop Wayne more often, and ask him for help."

He paused for a moment.

"Do you get me?"

Celine remained silent for a few moments.

"I see."

Wilford nodded.

"That's good."

He turned around and faced the window again.

"It's getting late, you should go and get some rest."

Celine stood there, watching his retreating figure for two breaths.

"it is good."

She turned and walked out of the study, gently closing the door behind her.

The corridor was quiet, with the wall lamps casting a dim, yellowish light around the walls. Celine took a few steps, supporting herself against the wall, then stopped, leaned her back against it, and looked up at the ceiling.

Her heart was beating a little fast.

It wasn't nervousness, it was something else entirely.

Wilford told her to "make the connections".

The words were spoken politely, tactfully, and flawlessly. But she understood. In the fifteen years she had been married into the Wilford family, she had heard countless orders, instructions, and arrangements, but never before had her heart raced like this.

She closed her eyes, and Wayne's face appeared in her mind: golden hair, gentle eyes, and the hands pressing on her forehead.

Her hands were clenched tightly inside her sleeves.

Over the years, she had considered other people. But who was she? She was the mayor's wife, the matriarch of the Wilford family, one of the most respectable women in Frosttown. She couldn't. At least not let anyone know.

But tonight, Wilford said it himself.

"Maintain a good relationship with Bishop Wayne."

This is not tacit approval.

This is a commission.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Sophie walked down the hallway, wearing a white nightgown, her hair loose over her shoulders, and soft-soled slippers. She was carrying a glass of water, presumably to get a drink, and slowed her pace as she passed the study door.

"Mother?"

Celine straightened up from the wall, her expression quickly shifting in the candlelight from an indescribable excitement to the gentle warmth befitting a mother.

"Sophie? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'm thirsty, come get a glass of water." Sophie took a few steps closer with the glass in her hand, her gaze lingering on Celine's face for a moment. "Mother, what are you doing here?"

"I spoke a few words with your father."

Why is your face so red?

Celine reached out and touched her cheek.

"Really? Maybe it's just too stuffy in the hallway."

Sophie tilted her head and glanced at her, but didn't ask any further questions. She picked up her glass, took a sip of water, and her gaze drifted towards the study door.

"Is Father inside?"

"Um."

"How is he feeling today?"

"It's alright." Celine paused for a moment.

Why are you asking this?

Sophie held the cup to her chest.

"I just saw my brother. He brought someone back, saying he's a paladin. He's quite handsome, but his complexion isn't good, and he walks unsteadily."

Her voice lowered.

"Mother, has my brother gotten into trouble?"

Celine remained silent for a moment.

"no."

"And the person he brought back..."

"It's your brother's friend."

Sophie's lips twitched slightly.

"Friends? What kind of friends need to be brought home to stay? And the way that person looked at my brother..." She paused, as if searching for the right word, "...it doesn't quite feel right."

Celine didn't respond.

She reached out and patted Sophie on the shoulder.

"It's adult stuff, kids shouldn't worry about it. Go to sleep."

Sophie stood still.

"Mother."

"Um."

"I heard my brother call out when I passed by the front hall just now."

"What are you shouting for?"

Sophie's voice went even lower.

He shouted, "He's pregnant with my child."

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

Celine's hand slid off Sophie's shoulder and hung at her side. Her lips moved twice, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.

You misheard me.

"I didn't mishear." Sophie looked up at Celine's eyes. "Mother, has my brother gone mad? That person was a man. How can a man get pregnant? And even if he were a woman, he shouldn't..."

"Sophie," Celine's voice rose a half-octave, then fell back down, "Go back to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Sophie glanced at her mother and continued.

"Mother, um... I like Bishop Wayne."

Celine paused for a moment.

"I want to confess my feelings to him," Sophie continued, her voice a little steadyer than before. "I heard that Father Wiggins can get married. I went to the church to inquire, and Bishop Wayne is not yet married. Mother, I think..."

"no."

Celine interrupted her.

Sophie was taken aback.

Why?

Celine opened her mouth, her mind racing. She couldn't tell Sophie the real reason, couldn't tell her "because I want it too," and even less could she tell her "because I've agreed with your father to improve our relationship."

She needs a reason.

A reason that can be stated.

"You know about Wayne's abilities."

Sophie nodded.

"He can cure diseases, exorcise demons, and convince the whole town that the elven potion is real. Do you think someone like that would lack female company?"

Sophie's lips moved slightly.

"You mean...?"

“I’m not saying he has women around him,” Celine’s tone softened. “I’m saying he has deep ties to the Witch Cult. Do you know what the Witch Cult is?”

Sophie shook her head.

"They were a group of cursed women. Their power came from their bloodline, from the curse, from things even the goddesses were unwilling to mention. Bishop Wayne was close to them not because he liked them, but because he could help them. He helped them suppress the curse, and they helped him maintain the stability of Frosttown. It was a transaction, not a matter of affection."

She paused.

"But if someone takes him all to themselves, that person will become a thorn in their side. The Witch Cult won't let her go, the women in town won't let her go, and even the Vatican will take notice of her. At that point, she'll be in a very dangerous situation."

Sophie gripped the cup tightly with her fingers.

"But……"

"No buts." Celine took a step forward, gently tucking a stray hair behind Sophie's ear. "Sophie, you're still young. You're only seventeen. You said you like Bishop Wayne, what do you like about him? Is it his good looks? His healing abilities? Or his gentle and polite manner towards everyone?"

Sophie didn't say anything.

"That's not liking." Celine withdrew her hand. "That's adoration. Admiring someone and liking someone are different. Admiration is watching from afar and thinking they are good, perfect, like a star in the sky. Liking someone is wanting to get closer to them, to understand them, and to spend your life with them."

She looked into Sophie's eyes.

"You don't even know what he likes to eat, so what do you mean by 'likes'?"

Sophie's eyes reddened.

"Mother……"

Celine rubbed her cheek with her thumb.

"A man like Bishop Wayne does not belong to any one person. His abilities, his identity, and his status dictate that he can only belong to the masses, to the goddess."

Sophie was stunned after hearing this, feeling that her mother's words made perfect sense and she couldn't find any angle to refute them.

"Alright," Celine patted her shoulder, "Go back to sleep. You have to go to church for morning prayers tomorrow."