Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

News of what happened at the church entrance spread very quickly.

After lunch, the news spread like wildfire throughout Frosttown. It was being talked about everywhere – in the blacksmith's shop, the general store, the mill, the tavern.

The versions differ. Some say the bishop punched the mercenary group member thirty feet away, some say the bishop chanted a spell and the man collapsed, and others say the bishop didn't even lift a finger, but rather a bolt of lightning struck Vincent right in front of his feet.

Regardless of the version, the conclusion is the same:

The new bishop is not to be trifled with.

Wendy arrived in the afternoon.

She wore a new dress, light gray, not made of any particularly good material, but it was washed clean, ironed neatly, with no frayed edges or loose threads on the neckline.

Her hair had been combed, not just casually gathered, but carefully braided, with a small piece of blue ribbon tied at the end in a bow.

She stood at the church door, pinched her skirt twice with her fingers, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to go inside.

There was no one in the yard. There was movement in the kitchen—the sound of a spatula hitting a wok—as Vera was clearing away the lunch dishes. Wendy didn't go to the kitchen; she went straight to the backyard. She knew Wayne was in the backyard at this time, either tending to herbs, drinking tea, or sunbathing with his eyes closed.

He's drinking tea today.

On the stone table sat a rough earthenware cup. The tea, brewed by Vera that morning, was already cold. Wayne didn't mind and picked it up to take a sip.

"Your Majesty Bishop."

Wayne looked up.

"They're here."

He reached out his hand.

"sit."

The Wendy panel popped up.

Name: Wendy

First-Tier Witch - Eye of the Peeping

Current status: Tense.

[Current Status: The atmosphere within the cult is more relaxed than she expected. Christina says she's the first person in the cult to develop precognition in nearly ten years and deserves special attention. These past two days at the Witch Cult, Dora has helped her systematically review her abilities. Her Eye of Insight is now functioning stably, although many of the images she sees are far-fetched illusions.]

[Hallucination: She saw you. In the middle of the night. Under the covers. (Manual sarcasm)]

[Note: She knew what was going on, and she knew she shouldn't watch, but she always watched the whole thing. After each viewing, she would clutch the blanket tightly, her heart pounding for a long time before it calmed down. That was the busiest time of her day. Dora thought she was training hard, but she was actually working hard on something else.]

[Note 2: She thought the scene was quite nice. It's just looking, it's not illegal. Besides, the bishop in that scene... was much more skilled than she had imagined.]

[Note 3: In her eyes, you have become a mature and qualified captain.]

Wayne looked away from the panel.

A mature and qualified captain.

These words circled in his mind.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. These things get more complicated the more you explain. Not explaining seems like admitting something. But then again, it seems like there's nothing to explain.

That image grew in her own mind; what did it have to do with him, Wayne? When the goddess created humans, she gave each person two eyes, a mouth, and a heart. What the eyes see is their own business, and what the heart thinks is also their own business. If she wanted to see, what could he do? He couldn't exactly blindfold her.

He picked up his teacup and poured the last of the tea down.

"How are things going with the cult?"

Wendy moved her hand on her knee.

"It's great. Dora taught me a lot."

"Um."

She also said my ability was very useful and told me to practice every day and write down what I saw.

Wayne nodded.

"Then practice hard."

"Hmm," Wendy responded, lowering her head and fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "Mr. Wayne."

"Um?"

"When I was practicing... I saw some images."

Wayne paused, his hand holding the teacup still.

Several thoughts raced through his mind.

Miss, is this something that can be said openly? What did you see? The scene you're talking about, it's not me, is it? What did you see me doing in that scene? Was it during the day or at night? Was it done alone or with someone? You didn't even see the details, did you?

You dare to say it, but I dare not listen.

After hearing that, how should I respond?

Pretending not to hear? That's not appropriate. Giving her a stern lecture? She didn't say anything offensive. Pressing the issue? What if she actually tells you? How will that end?

He put down his teacup and decided to deal with whatever came his way.

"What scene?"

Wendy crossed her fingers on her knee again.

"A demonic tide. I saw a lot of demonic beasts coming from outside the town. A lot, coming from the north, covering the sky like a gray fog. There are also fires, the north side of the town is burning, many houses have collapsed, and people are running and shouting in the streets."

She paused, as if recalling details of the scene.

"I stood at the church entrance and saw you in front of me. You were holding a sword, and there was blood on the sword, on your clothes, and on your face. You were killing monsters, killing a lot of them, and you kept killing until your hands were trembling."

Wayne didn't say anything.

Wendy's fingers tightened.

"I don't know when that happened. Maybe next month, maybe next year. The footage was very short, it was gone in an instant."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Wayne.

"Mr. Wayne, please be careful."

Upon hearing what Wendy said, Wayne immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

It seems he was overthinking it; it was a genuine premonition.

If Wendy had mentioned the "captain" thing, he really wouldn't have known how to respond.

Wayne nodded.

"I understand, thank you for letting me know."

Wendy moved her hand on her knee again.

"There's one more thing, Mr. Wayne."

"What?"

"I'm here today for a follow-up medical check-up."

Wendy blushed, and her expression became somewhat unnatural.

Wayne glanced at her and asked.

"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Wendy stammered.

"My chest... my chest," she said softly. "Sometimes it feels stuffy, I can't breathe. Dora said it might be a lingering curse, and she asked me to have you take a look."

Wayne didn't say anything.

Wendy lowered her head, and the tips of her ears began to turn red.

She knew, of course, that it wasn't some lingering curse. The Witch Cult had been spreading rumors these past few days that Wayne's water magic could reveal the deepest desires in people's hearts. Tilulu had tried it, Emily had tried it, Dora had tried it, even Christina had tried it.

Under Wayne's treatment, everyone received the goddess's wave, though no one said it aloud, Wendy knew it.

Today, Wendy mustered up her courage.

She planned to try something different, and she wanted to know if the effects would be different in different places.

Wendy lowered her head, her ears turning red.

"Well... could I trouble you?"

Wayne stood up.

"Come in."

Wendy followed behind him, her steps light and quick. The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps; her footsteps on the stone floor were as light as a cat's.

Wayne pushed open the door to the treatment room. The room was small, with a bed, a table with several medicine bottles on it, and a pot of dried herbs on the windowsill.

"Lie down."

Wendy took off her shoes and lay down on the bed. The pillow had a faint herbal scent, the kind Wayne usually used. She buried her face in the pillow and took a deep breath.

Wayne sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Where do you feel stuffy?"

"here."

As they were talking, Wendy's fingers had already touched the buttons on her collar.

One, two, three, four

She moved very quickly.

Wayne didn't even have time to react.

Soon everything turned...snow-white.