Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Rachel's gaze remained fixed on Wayne.

She has met many people from the Vatican.

Especially in the capital, most of the clergy in white robes were there to win over believers or spread their doctrines. She rarely saw anyone like the one before her who was truly doing practical work.

Her senses toward Wayne had improved considerably.

Unlike Rachel, Ashley was more concerned about Wayne's appearance; at that moment, she thought Wayne was very handsome.

At the same time, they are affected by their own repression.

An image flashed through her mind—Wayne was wearing a well-tailored dark robe, holding a candle instead of a staff, while she was suspended from the rafters...

However, she quickly interrupted her thoughts.

Ashley! Ashley!

What a shameless woman.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze unconsciously drifted to the window, pretending to look at the scenery along the roadside.

Colin, sitting in the back of the carriage, naturally saw Wayne doing his daily good deed. He felt mostly displeasure at Wayne's actions.

"Giving out rations and offering all that 'warmth'—who are they trying to impress? We're going to the City of Eternal Rest on business, not for a charity parade. With them doing this, will we even get there before dark?"

Rouo didn't reply; he didn't even open his eyes.

After distributing the grain, the convoy quickly continued its journey.

By the time they arrived at the City of Eternal Sleep, it was nearly nightfall. The convoy stopped in front of a cluster of abandoned towers, the campsite that Falcon had scouted out beforehand. The view from the outer perimeter of the towers covered the main entrance to the City of Eternal Sleep, less than 500 meters from the city walls.

The group began unloading supplies, setting up tents, and starting a fire.

Ruo carried two tents by himself, while Colin stood on the second floor of the tower, holding a monocular telescope, and scanned the area in the direction of the City of Eternal Sleep.

There were no guards at the city gate, and not a soul could be seen on the city walls. The entire city seemed dead.

Rachel turned her gaze toward Wayne.

"Manager, what are our plans for tonight?"

While stuffing bread into his mouth, Wayne said, "We won't enter the city tonight. Everyone stay put and rest. We'll move out after dawn tomorrow."

Rachel nodded, offering no objection.

After Falcon arranged the outer sentry posts.

She sat down by the campfire next to Wayne.

"My lord, magical beasts frequently appear in this area at night, especially around the outskirts of the City of Eternal Sleep. Affected by the abnormal magical energy emanating from the city, the wild beasts and low-level magical beasts in the vicinity are more aggressive than in other areas. I will arrange for my men to take turns keeping watch at night to ensure the safety of the camp. You should get some rest tonight; the real battle will begin tomorrow after we enter the city."

Wayne didn't refuse: "Then I'll trouble you."

"It's my duty." Falcon nodded slightly.

Wayne turned to look at Rachel.

"You all should get some rest too. We'll be getting closer to that city after dawn tomorrow. Make sure you're well-rested tonight and in top condition."

Rachel nodded. "Yes, sir."

The next day arrived.

As Falcon said, monsters did indeed surround the camp last night, but Falcon's men dealt with them all. The people in the camp were basically unaffected; those who wanted to sleep slept, and those who wanted to stand guard stood guard.

Wayne had rested well, and when he opened his eyes, it was already bright outside.

He quickly washed up, ate some dry rations, then stood up and glanced in the direction of the City of Eternal Sleep.

The city of eternal slumber remained as quiet as ever in the morning light.

Falcon came over to report: "Last night we cleared out a group of low-level magical beasts without alerting anything inside the city. The reconnaissance of the outer perimeter has confirmed that there are no obvious traps or warning arrays at the city gate or on the city walls."

Wayne nodded and turned to the students in the mage tower: "Check your equipment and potions. If everything is in order, then set off."

No one messed up.

Wayne led the way, and the group moved steadily toward the City of Eternal Sleep in the morning light.

However, before they even reached the city gate, a sudden change occurred.

As if sensing someone approaching, a layer of grayish-white fog rose from the ground. The fog arrived suddenly and violently, completely engulfing the view ahead in the blink of an eye. City gates, city walls, and official roads were all covered by the thick fog.

Rouault stopped, raising his shield slightly by an inch, and scanned his surroundings warily.

"What... what's going on?"

The fog churned, and visibility was completely lost within moments. Wayne's voice rang out from the front of the group: "Drink the sedative potion I gave you earlier."

Several sounds of bottle corks being pulled out came from the queue, followed by the sound of swallowing.

However, several breaths passed, and nothing changed.

Instead, a deeper drowsiness swept over me.

Emily was the first to notice something was wrong; her voice was already visibly tired: "Sir... this potion... seems to be ineffective..." Before she could finish speaking, a muffled thud came from behind her, and Colin collapsed to the ground.

Others also began to fall to the ground.

Wayne's vision also began to blur.

Wayne reacted extremely quickly.

The instant his vision began to blur, he suddenly activated the magical circulation within his body, and holy light and pale blue water magic simultaneously shone from his palms. The holy light spread through the air, transforming into a soft halo that swept outwards; the water magic condensed into a thin film of water, adhering to the surface of his skin, attempting to prevent the mist from directly contacting his body.

But it didn't work.

The holy light illuminated an area of ​​several meters around it, but it could not dispel the grayish-white mist.

Water magic also failed.

When that water film adhered to the skin's surface, it did briefly isolate the skin from the fog's erosion, but after only a few breaths, drowsiness returned even more fiercely.

From the moment the first student collapsed to when Wayne's vision blurred and his consciousness became slurred, the entire process took no more than ten breaths.

"...No...this is...the rule..."

Wayne murmured his last words, then leaned forward and lost consciousness completely.

As he fell, the grayish-white mist seemed to complete some kind of predetermined ritual, rapidly contracting inward and enveloping him and everyone else who had fallen.

The fog churned for a moment, then receded slowly like the tide, disappearing in the direction of the city gates of the City of Eternal Sleep.

The thick fog dissipated.

The city gates of the eternal slumber city were deserted.

In the distance, from Falcon's perspective, Wayne and his group disappeared into the mist.

One of Falcon's subordinates hurried to her side, his gaze still fixed on the empty city gate, his voice trembling with barely suppressed worry: "Captain, are they really alright?"

"I don't know." Falcon paused. "But there's nothing we can do right now, we can only wait."

Falcon turned around and gave instructions to the team members behind him.

"Two of you will stay with me outside the city. The rest of you will retreat to the tower outpost, maintain communication, and rotate every two hours. If there is no movement from inside the city after ten days, we will withdraw."