Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

After hearing the praise, Wayne bowed humbly.

"Your Majesty flatters me. St. George's foundation remains intact. I merely borrowed the power of the royal family to create a crack in their wall. To truly dismantle that wall, we will need more time and a more elaborate plan."

Just then, Evelyn said, "Little Wayne, are you mistaken? Didn't your teacher tell you all this? I had your teacher call you back, and you really think it's to deal with those old-fashioned remnants of the Church? Do you believe that if I wanted, I could make them all disappear tonight?"

Wayne was utterly shocked by what Evelyn said.

He suddenly realized that all his previous judgments, from the conflict between the old and the new to the factional struggles, were based on a deliberately misleading premise.

Evelyn allowed the Old Guard to assassinate him time and again, not because she couldn't control Caruso, but because she simply didn't care. The Old Guard's existence was, from beginning to end, merely a touchstone.

If the royal family truly possessed such immense power, his previous thoughts on the conflict between the old and new dynasties and the transformation of the kingdom would instantly become child's play.

If that's really the case...

What role does he actually play?

Wayne cautiously voiced his thoughts.

"So, from the very beginning, all the things that led to my return to the capital, the arrangement for me to join the Black Order, and all the support I received related to the royal family... had nothing to do with the factional infighting within the Papacy?"

Evelyn smoothed her hair and corrected her calmly, "Not entirely. The factional infighting within the Papacy is just a side issue. Now that you're back, and now that you're in that position, it's not like you're neglecting your duties by giving Saint George a good talking-to. But if you think that's your only mission back in the capital, then you're definitely oversimplifying things."

Wayne now looked both curious and serious: "Your Majesty... what exactly is my job?"

Evelyn was pleased with Wayne's reaction. She didn't keep him in suspense any longer and said directly, "It's forbidden material. Your job is to retrieve lost forbidden material."

Wayne's pupils contracted slightly.

He was no stranger to the term "forbidden objects." There were scattered records of them in the Vatican's secret archives. The origins of those objects were unknown, and no one knew how they came to be. All that was known was that they were extremely dangerous and extremely evil.

Mayfair was transformed from a potential saintess into a necromancer chosen by the gods after coming into contact with "Lilith's Doll." A single forbidden item can completely alter the course of a person's destiny.

But how could those things have gone wrong? He remembered that those things were sealed away in what was supposedly Wiggins' safest place. Could it be that there's something he doesn't know?

Soon, Wayne voiced his doubts.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't the forbidden physics be sealed within the Jedi Temple in Antwerp? How could it have been lost?"

Evelyn's answer was more direct than he had expected: "Five years ago. The seal malfunctioned, and the seventh-tier Great Sage responsible for guarding that sanctuary went mad. The forbidden objects took advantage of the chaos and rioted, with most escaping the seal. Once those things fell into the world, they were either used by ambitious individuals or sought hosts on their own; each one was a potential source of calamity."

She lowered her crossed legs, leaned forward slightly, and began to talk about Cecil.

"And what your teacher Cecil has been doing all these years is retrieving those escaped forbidden items. The old wounds and curses that almost killed him are all from the process of retrieving forbidden items."

Wayne was silent for a moment, then asked the most crucial question: "Your Majesty, since the retrieval of forbidden items is so dangerous, why was I chosen to take on this task? There are so many sixth-tier experts in the capital, why was I, a weak fourth-tier priest, specifically chosen?"

Evelyn continued, "This is also related to that foolish pope."

Wayne was even more confused: "How does this have to do with the Pope?"

Evelyn explained, "That fool once tried to do bad things, but under the influence of the King's power, he completely became one of us. He received divine revelation, and you are the only one who is the best choice to retrieve those forbidden items."

Wayne frowned.

"Is it possible that he made it up?"

Evelyn shook her head: "Impossible. His words passed the goddess's test of oath; they can't be faked."

She paused, then continued, "The curses on forbidden objects are incredibly varied, many related to the rules themselves. With the Millennium Purple Sun approaching, sending a sixth-tier fighter to handle it would be a huge loss if they died. Besides, the deposed saintess candidate from the same church as you explains everything. Logically, she should have died from the curse of the forbidden object long ago, but she didn't; I heard she received your healing. Considering your water magic's ability to dispel witch curses, this forbidden object retrieval mission is absolutely indispensable to you."

Hearing what Evelyn said, Wayne shuddered.

I never imagined that Her Majesty the Queen knew him so well; she even knew something as trivial as Mayfair receiving water magic healing from him.

However, Wayne still found it absurd and unbelievable that this ridiculous pope could receive divine revelation. He mustered his courage and continued, "Your Majesty, I would like to confirm one last thing. Under what circumstances did the pope receive this divine revelation? Did he actively request it, or was he passively received it?"

Evelyn was not impatient at all; on the contrary, she explained the whole story in detail.

"It happened suddenly when he was locked in the quiet room to reflect on his actions. During that time, he caused a huge scandal because of his affair with your father, and the king locked him in the deepest room of the palace, forbidding anyone to visit him. He was locked in that room for seven days. On the night of the seventh day, he suddenly started shouting and screaming, saying that he heard the voice of a goddess."

"At first, no one took him seriously. An old pope who had been imprisoned for seven days and was on the verge of a mental breakdown claimed to have heard divine revelation—this had happened far too many times in the history of the palace. But this time was different."

"Afterwards, the king personally tested him on the goddess's oath. He stood in the holy light and recited the contents of the divine revelation word for word. The holy light did not dim, and the oath stood firm as iron."

After listening, Wayne nodded thoughtfully: "In other words, the goddess did indeed use him to utter a prophecy. And the core of that prophecy points to me."

Evelyn neither confirmed nor denied: "Whether it's a prophecy or not, I won't say for sure. But judging from the results, you are the most suitable person to retrieve the forbidden items. What? Asking so many questions, are you planning to quit?"