Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The carriage moved slowly through the streets of Frost Town.

Wayne lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

Frost Town was larger and more dilapidated than he had expected.

The houses on both sides were mostly made of wood, some of them of stone, crammed together at varying heights. Various signs hung in front of the shops: taverns, blacksmith shops, general stores, pawnshops, and a few with strange symbols hanging outside, making it impossible to tell what they did.

There weren't many people on the street, but there were all sorts of people there.

Adventurers in leather armor and carrying weapons, vagrants wrapped in tattered robes, peddlers carrying baskets, and a few drunkards leaning against the wall. Seeing the carriage pass by, they looked up, their eyes falling on the carriage.

"New here?"

"Looks like it."

"Another one sent to his death."

Wayne looked away and sat back in the carriage.

Emma lay down next to him, her eyes shining.

"Master, it's so lively here!"

Wayne looked down at her.

"lively?"

“Yes,” Emma pointed out the window, “there are lots of people walking around, and lots of shops. It’s much more lively than Audrien.”

Ella whispered beside her:

"But those people all looked so fierce..."

Lillian leaned closer and glanced outside.

"Fierce?" She blinked.

"I think it's perfectly normal."

Mayfair sat in the corner, saying nothing.

Vera leaned close to her and whispered, "Sister Mayfair, have you been here before?"

Mayfair shook her head.

"no."

Vera said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

The Wien panel reappeared.

[Audrian News Flash - Follow-up Report]

[Old Bishop Charman: He has forgiven Elena.]

[Note: He was paralyzed for three years, watching Casa and his wife do it right before his eyes. Three years is enough time for a person to understand many things. Did he hate them? He did. But in the end, he came to terms with it; after all, he himself had done his share of foolish things when he was young. He still had to live his life.]

[Also: Charman is trying to buy you some time. The paladins want to wait for news in Aldrian, so he'll let them wait. Send a message to Frosthold? Yes. But the messenger will have to travel slowly, preferably half a month. By the time the message arrives, you'll have already settled in. The paladins want to chase after them? Yes. But the route will take them through Blackrock Village, Aspen Valley, and those forests infested with magical beasts; whether they can catch up is another matter.]

[Note: Although Charman was old and paralyzed for three years, his mind was still sharp. He knew who saved him and who harmed him.]

Wayne looked at the panel, his first reaction was to maintain a smiling posture, then his mouth twitched.

What a great Minotaur battle!

He had just been wondering what Charman would do to Elena after he woke up. Kill her? Divorce her? Leave her alone? He never expected it to end like this.

forgive.

The 67-year-old bishop, paralyzed for three years, watched his wife sleep with another man for three years, and finally chose to forgive her.

Wayne didn't know what to say, but he had to admit one thing—Charman was a character.

Furthermore, Wayne also praised him for his ability to repay kindness.

It seems I misunderstood him before.

The carriage continued onward, passing through several streets, and stopped in front of a dilapidated building.

Wayne lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

Frosttown Church.

It was smaller and more dilapidated than he had imagined.

The two-story stone building had mottled exterior walls, with several obviously newly repaired sections of varying shades of color. A corner of the stone steps in front of the door was missing, and a few broken stones were used to prop them up. Atop the steps stood a statue of a goddess, but the statue's nose was missing, and its face was blurred, looking as if it had been weathered for a long time.

A person was standing at the church entrance.

He was in his forties, wearing an old robe, his hair disheveled, and his face carrying an inexplicable weariness. Seeing the carriage stop, he took two steps forward, his gaze landing on Wayne.

"Are you the new bishop?"

Wayne got off the bus.

"Wien".

The man nodded.

"I'm the doorman here, my name is Thomason." He stepped aside. "Please come in."

Wayne nodded and stepped into the church.

The carriages behind them began unloading people. Emma was the first to jump down, followed by Ella, and then Lillian stretched and crawled out. Mayfair was the last to get off, standing at the doorway, looking up at the goddess statue with its nose missing.

Thomason's gaze swept over the group of people.

Two little girls with black hair, a girl with red hair, and a nun in black. Finally, his gaze fell on Wayne.

"Your Excellency," he began, "did these all come with you?"

Wayne looked at him.

"Is there a problem?"

Thomason paused.

"...No, no problem."

The panel popped up at this point.

Name: Thomason

[Position: Church doorman (Mayor's faction)]

[Actual age: 42 years old]

[Background: A local resident who worked as a miner in his youth, but later injured his leg and could no longer do heavy work. The town mayor assigned him this job, ostensibly as a gatekeeper, but in reality, to keep an eye on the church. The town distrusted the church, so having someone watch over it was a precaution to prevent any trouble.]

[Status: Exhausted. Spent the night in a brothel, ran out of money, and another day has passed.]

[Note: He had little faith. Or rather, he looked down on the church. Over the years, he had seen too many priests; one after another they came, and two after two died. Each one came claiming to spread the glory of the Lord, but in the end, they were all buried in the mass grave on the back hill. He thought the church was a bunch of fools, sending fools to their deaths.]

[Note 2: He's thinking: The new guy is good-looking, but he probably won't live much longer.]

[Note 3: He planned to observe first. If this bishop was the same as the previous ones, he would continue to coast along. If not... then he would decide.]

After reviewing the panel, Wayne's gaze returned to Thomason.

Thomason felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

They moved aside.

"Your Excellency, may I show you inside?"

He pushed open the church door.

The door hinges creaked, and dust cascaded down the doorframe. Wayne went inside, followed by several girls.

The church was more dilapidated inside than outside.

The long bench sat crookedly, several legs broken and propped up with stones. The icon on the platform was missing a hand, and the murals on the wall were peeling and faded, barely revealing a scene of a goddess descending to earth. Several panes of glass in the window were broken and nailed together with planks, letting in only slivers of light.

Thomason walked ahead, talking as he went:

"This is how the church is. After the last bishop died, no one took care of it. Nobody in town wants to come, so if you want to attend a service, you have to go and ask someone yourself."

Wayne didn't say anything.

Thomason continued, "There's a yard in the back, with a few rooms where you and your people can stay. There's firewood in the woodshed, water in the well, and a kitchen where you can start a fire. That's about it."

He paused, then glanced back at Wayne.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Wayne looked at the dilapidated church.

After a long pause, he spoke.

"How did the previous bishop die?"

Thomason was taken aback.

"Demonic Tide".

"Where is it buried?"

"The back hill," Thomason pointed out, "a mass grave, with the ones he left behind."

Wayne said.

"Alright then! Go ahead and get busy. May the goddess bless you."