Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Dinner was prepared in the church kitchen.

It was called a kitchen, but it was really just a dilapidated hut. The stove had a corner collapsed and had been rebuilt with stones. The pots and pans were complete, although they were all chipped and broken, but they were still usable.

Vera is in charge of cooking.

The girl didn't talk much, but she was efficient. She picked and chose from the dried meat, dry rations, and vegetables that were taken out of the carriage, and quickly put them together to make a pot of steaming stew.

Ella helped tend the fire.

Emma and Lillian were in charge of setting the table.

Mayfair stood in the kitchen doorway, watching them busy themselves.

Wayne sat in the courtyard with a broken table that had been moved from the church in front of him.

It gets dark very quickly.

The nights in Frosttown were much colder than in Aldrian, with a wind blowing in from the north, carrying the chill of the mountains and forests. An oil lamp was lit in the courtyard, its flame flickering in the wind.

Several girls sat around the table, each holding a chipped bowl, eating with their heads down.

Vera's stew was quite good.

The dried meat was cooked until tender, the vegetables were stewed until soft, and the soup was mixed with dried spices that I don't know where they came from, making it a warm and comforting soup.

Emma finished the last bite, put down the bowl, and wiped her mouth.

"tasty!"

Vera smiled, pursing her lips.

"As long as you like it."

Lillian put down her bowl, leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her stomach.

"I'm full and sleepy."

Emma looked at her.

"Sister Lillian, you're always sleepy."

Lillian blinked.

"That's because you need to sleep after you've eaten your fill. You need to sleep well to have the strength to protect you."

Emma thought about it.

That makes sense.

Wayne put down his bowl.

"Go to bed early tonight," he said. "Tomorrow we'll tidy up the church."

Ella nodded.

"Yes, Master."

Wayne put down his bowl.

At the same time, a panel appeared.

[Frost Town Public Opinion Monitoring - First Night]

[Town's reaction: News of the new bishop's arrival has spread. Most people don't react much; they continue drinking and gambling as usual. A few people remarked, "Another one sent to his death," and then went back to their own business.]

[High-level attitude: The mayor and several influential figures were aware of this matter. Their view was unanimous: free labor sent by the church should be used while it's still useful. They wouldn't live more than a few months anyway; once they died, they could simply be replaced.]

[Note: Nobody intends to visit. Nobody cares. In Frosttown, only the survivors deserve to be remembered.]

[P.S.: The girls in the brothel chatted a bit more. They heard the new bishop was very handsome, and some had already started betting on how long it would take for him to come and patronize their business.]

Wayne looked at the panel and then looked away.

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, causing the flame of the oil lamp to flicker.

Mayfair looked at him and suddenly spoke.

"Your Excellency, Bishop."

Wayne looked at her.

Mayfair's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

What are your plans for the future?

Wayne didn't say anything.

Mayfair continued, "This church we're in now doesn't even have a deacon or a novice monk doing odd jobs. If we're going to have a service tomorrow, there won't even be anyone to ring the bell."

Wayne nodded.

"I know."

Mayfair paused.

"There's also the inauguration ceremony. According to church regulations, a new bishop needs to have his inauguration ceremony held in a church, witnessed by at least three clergy members, and attended by laypeople. We are now..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Wayne finished speaking for her.

There's nothing here now.

Mayfair nodded.

Wayne leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

"These are special circumstances," he said. "Keep it simple."

Mayfair looked at him.

"How can we simplify things?"

Wayne said, "Tomorrow we'll do a thorough cleaning and get the church spotless. After that, we'll just have a simple oath-taking ceremony."

Mayfair remained silent for a moment.

"No witnesses needed?"

"need."

"Then who will be the witness?"

Wayne pointed to himself, then to her.

"You and me".

Mayfair paused for a moment.

Wayne continued, "You're a nun, and I'm a bishop. Two clergymen are enough."

Mayfair thought about it and realized that Wayne made a good point.

Lillian raised her hand beside her.

"What about me? Can I be a witness?"

Wayne looked at her.

Are you a believer?

Lillian blinked.

"I guess so... My aunt believes it, so I believe it too. Although I don't really know what I believe it to be."

Wayne nodded.

"Then you count too."

Lillian grinned.

Emma raised her hand as well.

"Master! Where are my sister and me?"

Wayne glanced at her.

"you?"

Emma nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, we want to witness it too!"

Ella whispered beside her:

"We...we are slaves, can we also bear witness?"

Wayne looked at her.

"From the moment I bought you, you were no longer slaves. Now you are my people, my maids."

Ella was stunned.

Her eyes began to redden again, but this time she held back the tears. She lowered her head and spoke very softly.

"Thank you, Master..."

Emma hugged her sister from the side.

"Don't cry, sister. Our master is good to us. We should be happy."

Ella nodded.

"Yes, I'm happy."

Vera finished clearing away the dishes and came out of the kitchen carrying a stack of bowls. She glanced at the people in the yard and asked softly:

"Um...do I also need to be a witness?"

Wayne looked at her.

"Would you like to witness this?"

Vera thought for a moment.

"You saved my life," she said. "I'll do whatever you ask me to do."

Wayne nodded.

"Then let's do it together."

Vera smiled, pursing her lips.

Mayfair sat there, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the girls before finally settling on Wayne.

"Your Excellency the Bishop," she began.

Wayne looked at her.

"We're doing a big cleaning tomorrow," Mayfair said. "What are we going to do with those broken chairs in the church, and those icons with missing limbs?"

Wayne thought for a moment.

"I'll fix what I can, and pile up what I can't in the backyard. Once things calm down, I'll find someone to do the renovations."

The night was deeper.

A wind blew from the north, making the oil lamp flame flicker. Several girls went back inside to sleep, leaving only Wayne and Mayfair in the courtyard, where they offered a simple prayer.

She looked at Wayne across from her; his black robes fluttered gently in the night breeze, and his face was half-lit and half-shadowed by the oil lamp.

"Sister Mayfair," Wayne suddenly spoke, "do you have something to say?"

Mayfair paused.

"no."

Wayne looked at her.

"real?"

Mayfair remained silent for a moment.

"...There's one sentence."

Wayne waits.

Mayfair looked up and her gaze fell on his face.

Why did you come to Frosttown?

Wayne did not answer.

Mayfair continued, "I spent five years in Adrian and heard a lot about you. Some said you were a saint, some said you were a fraud. Some said your medicine could bring the dead back to life, some said your hands had magic."

Wayne looked at her.

"so what?"

Mayfair said, "That's why I don't understand. With such a good teaching record and so many believers, why would you willingly come to a place like this?"

Wayne remained silent for a moment.

He couldn't bring himself to say the specific reason.

You can't exactly say, "Because the Pope has his eye on my butt."

He couldn't bring himself to say such things, let alone to a nun, or even to any stranger.

He thought about it for a moment, and then answered in a different way.

"The goddess gave me guidance," he said.

Mayfair looked at him.

Wayne continued, "She told me to follow my heart. And my heart felt that the people here needed to be saved."

Mayfair was stunned. The figure sitting opposite her seemed to have grown taller. She had never imagined that Wayne could have such a broad mind. Compared to Wayne, she seemed very small.