Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The shouts of battle gradually subsided.

Wayne carried the cross through the city gate.

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

It wasn't fear, it was respect.

The respect shown on the battlefield by striking a cross is more real than any words.

Wilford pushed his way out of the crowd.

He was still wearing the same coat, but it was too short to cover his bottom, but he didn't care anymore.

In the moment he was almost dragged away by the tentacles, he had already left his sense of shame behind the city wall.

Wilford's voice trembled.

"Bishop Wayne! Are you alright?"

"fine."

"That's good, that's good." Wilford followed him for a couple of steps, then said, "Bishop Wayne, if it weren't for you today, I would have lost my life at the foot of the city walls."

"It wasn't my fate to die." Wilford shook his head, his voice lower than before, but very earnest. "You saved me. This is the fourth time. Once in the brothel, once in the cemetery, once in the square, and again today."

He stopped, stood in the middle of the road, and looked at Wayne.

"Bishop Wayne, from this day forward, my life, Wilford's life, belongs to you."

Wayne stopped, turned around, and looked at him.

"Mayor, you're mistaken."

Wilford paused for a moment.

"Wrong?"

"Hmm." Wayne lowered the cross from his shoulder, rested it on the ground, and faced Wilford. "It wasn't me who saved you, it was the goddess."

Wilford opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

"The goddess sent me to Frosttown, not to become a bishop, but to save the lost sheep. You are that sheep. Four times you've faced danger, and four times you've escaped unscathed. You think it's my skill? No. It's the goddess who performed miracles on you."

Wilford's eyes reddened.

"Goddess...you really haven't given up on me?"

“Never.” Wayne’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was steady. “You fund the orphanage, you adopt orphans, you give winter clothes to the poor in town every year. You think nobody knows about these things? The goddess knows. She’s watching. She’s always been watching.”

Wilford was stunned.

He thought he had kept this a secret so well that no one would know. Every year, he had his butler arrange the winter clothes, forbidding anyone to mention his name.

The donations to the orphanage passed through several intermediaries via third-party transfers, without even Celine's knowledge. He thought this would allow him to hide himself behind all that good deed and continue being his scoundrel mayor.

Unexpectedly, the goddess was actually watching everything he did.

I didn't expect that Bishop Wayne also knew.

His eyes reddened.

"How...how did you know?"

Wayne did not answer.

He simply looked at Wilford, his gaze calm, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The surrounding crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then a wave of discussion surged up.

"An orphanage? The mayor funded an orphanage?"

"I've heard about it. I heard there's a mysterious person who sends money and food to the orphanage every year. I didn't expect it to be the town mayor?"

"What about the winter clothes? Those winter clothes distributed to the poor every winter, were they also paid for by the town mayor?"

"I remember receiving one one year, a thick cotton-padded coat that lasted for several winters without tearing. Was it given to me by the town mayor?"

"Mayor...you've been doing good deeds all along?"

"Then why didn't he say so?"

"Is it still a good thing to say it? Saying it is just showing off."

"Yes, yes, yes, doing good deeds anonymously, that's what a truly kind person is."

The buzzing from the crowd grew louder.

Some people nodded, some sighed, and some began to recall the winter coat they had received.

"I received it. That winter was particularly cold, and the town mayor paid for my cotton-padded coat."

"I've received one too. My son wore it for several years, patched and mended, because I couldn't bear to throw it away."

"Mayor, you are such a kind person."

Wilford smiled through his tears.

He had heard many titles in his life: "Mayor," "Sir," "Master," "Your Honor," but never before had he been called "Good Person" like today.

He felt that these three words sounded better than any title.

The panel popped up at this point.

Frosttown - Reputation Update

[Wilford's current reputation: Upgraded from "Fear" to "Respect". Reason for upgrade: Good deeds exposed. Seven years of financial aid, five years of winter clothing, all anonymous. After these stories spread throughout Frosttown, the townspeople's perception of him underwent a fundamental change. Before, they feared him because he was the mayor. Now they respect him because he is a good person.]

[Note: Wilford was feeling incredibly relieved at this moment. He had hidden it for so many years, and finally he didn't have to hide it anymore. He could finally lay his good deeds out in the open and do them honestly. This feeling was far better than if he had cried out "Mama" ten thousand times in a brothel.]

Wayne reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Mayor."

"Hmm..." Wilford's voice was muffled.

"The goddess remembers everything you've done. It doesn't mean it doesn't count just because you don't say anything. On the contrary, it counts even more because you don't say anything."

Wilford raised his hand and wiped his face with his sleeve, which became soaked; the tears were still flowing.

"Bishop Wayne."

"Um."

"Will I still be able to do good deeds in the future?"

"Of course." Wayne pulled his hand off his shoulder. "Goddesses never have too many good things to offer."

Wilford nodded, and then suddenly knelt down.

"Thank you, Goddess. Thank you, Goddess, for not giving up on me."

Wayne stood in front of him, looking down at him.

"Mayor, the goddess doesn't need your thanks."

Wilford looked up.

"What does she need?"

"loyalty."

Wilford paused for a moment, then braced his hands on the ground, his forehead against the stone slab.

"By Goddess, I, Wilford Rothbinson, pledge my utmost loyalty to you from this day forward. You saved my life, you gave me everything. Whatever you command me to do, I will do. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. If you tell me to stand, I will never sit. If you tell me to run naked in the street, I will never wear pants."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"loyalty!"

Wayne was silent for a moment.

"The goddess won't let you run around naked in the street."

Wilford breathed a sigh of relief.

Wayne reached out and pulled him up from the ground.

"Get up, the ground is cold."

Wilford stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and noticed his coat had ridden up even further, revealing more of his thighs. He quickly tried to pull it down, but the coat was too short, and it was no use.

"Um, Bishop Wayne," Wilford's voice was a little lighter than before, "there's going to be a celebration in town later to mark the retreat of the demonic tide. Would you like to come along?"

Wayne looked at him.

"celebration?"

"Yes, it's held every year. The whole town eats and drinks together. This year it deserves it even more than usual; it was a fantastic year." He paused, "You have to come; you're the star."

Wayne thought for a moment.

"it is good."

Wilford's lips curled into a grin.

"Then I'll have someone prepare. You should go back to the church to change your clothes first, and I'll send someone to pick you up later."

"No need to pick me up, I'll go myself."

"How can that be? You're the main character; it has to be a grand affair."

Wayne glanced at him.

Wilford swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Okay, okay, you can do it yourself."

He turned around and shouted into the crowd, "Hey! Prepare for the celebration! Tonight, the whole town will drink until everyone is drunk!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

"good!"

"We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"Celebrating the retreat of the demonic tide!"

"Celebrating Bishop Wayne's breakthrough!"