Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The corridor fell silent as Wayne stood there watching Mayfair's figure disappear around the corner.

He stood there for a while, then turned and walked back.

The panel popped up.

Mayfair: The Lives of Others

[Location: The storage room next to the treatment room. She was already there before you chased after her; she didn't overhear on purpose, she went to get spare candles. Wendy's breathing came through the wall, she heard it, and then she didn't leave.]

[Eavesdropping duration: From the moment you start talking until you chase after them. Approximately 15 minutes in total.]

[Eavesdropping status: She wasn't standing straight, and there was a reason for that. She was still clutching the candle in her hand, having held it for fifteen minutes; the candle's outer shell had softened from her body heat, and her knuckles had left several dents.]

[Her thought process: First confusion. What was Wendy panting for? Then she understood. Oh, that kind of feeling. Then curiosity. What exactly did it feel like? Then fantasy. If she were lying on that bed, how would she react? Would she react like Wendy? Or would she be even more intense than Wendy?]

[Note: She thought she could control herself. Her reasoning was that she was a few years older than Wendy, more worldly-wise, and better able to control herself. What she didn't know was that self-control is as thin as paper in the face of magic.]

[Also: She was thinking about something. Wendy had a chest discomfort. If it were somewhere else, like… what if yours was also affected? She suppressed the thought, it kept resurfacing, and then she suppressed it again. Finally, she told herself: I'm a nun, I shouldn't be thinking about these things.]

[Note 2: She knows about Audrian. She didn't inquire intentionally; it's just something people in town are saying. Apparently, the beautiful bakery owner's postpartum recovery was done by you. Now she seems to understand what's going on.]

[Note 3: Her conclusion was that Wendy was bolder than her. Not the kind of reckless boldness, but the kind of "I want to do it" boldness. She thought that if she had that kind of boldness, perhaps she wouldn't have to go to the cemetery every night to talk to the dead. Of course, she suppressed this thought. A nun shouldn't think about these things.]

Wayne smiled helplessly.

He turned off the panel and walked towards the front yard.

Indeed, fantasy is a part of reality.

He walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, and scooped a ladleful down his throat. The water was cold, cooling him from his throat all the way to his stomach, which made him feel a little more awake.

He threw the ladle back into the bucket and sat down on the stone bench.

The problem now is, what to do when Wendy wakes up. If she asks about the robe, he'll say he saw she was asleep and was worried she'd catch a cold. If she asks about the buttons, he'll say… what? Say he didn't button them because he didn't know whether he should or shouldn't? What does that sound like?

Forget it. If you don't ask, I won't say. If you do ask, I'll just say I'm afraid of waking her up.

Anyway, she might not remember.

She was in a dazed state just now, and even the goddess saw it. She probably couldn't distinguish between what was real and what was an illusion caused by the water element.

He leaned against the stone bench and looked up at the sky.

The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the wind was gentle.

Then he heard a cough.

It wasn't coming from inside the courtyard, but from outside the courtyard wall.

Wayne turned to look in the direction of the courtyard wall.

【Geru】

[Identity: Vincent's half-brother]

[Actual age: 31]

[Past: Honest and law-abiding, he and Vincent are half-brothers, and his older brother treats him very well. Vincent has done many disgraceful things, but he has nothing to say about his younger brother. Vincent paid for Gru's wedding and provided the start-up capital for the grocery store. Gru knows his brother's money isn't clean, but he can't refuse.]

[Note: He came to apologize. Not to excuse his brother, but because he felt ashamed. He knew his brother's actions were wrong, but he was his brother, and he couldn't ignore it. He didn't know how to handle it, so he came to the church to kowtow and beg the bishop not to pursue the matter.]

[Note 2: He has a habit of climbing over walls. Before he got married, he would climb over the wall at night to go to the widow's house, and he did it in the same way. After he got married, he stopped going to the widow's house, but he didn't change his habit of climbing over walls. He climbed over the wall just now; it wasn't intentional, it was just a habit.]

[Note 3: What he didn't know was that his wife had given him sleeping pills several times. His good brother Vincent had climbed over his wall several times at night. Gru didn't know this, but his wife did, though she didn't tell him.]

Wayne looked at the panel and fell silent.

My head is a little itchy, like it's about to grow a brain.

Wayne looked at him.

"Get down."

Gru hesitated for a moment, then rolled his other leg over the wall, landing in the yard. He dusted off his knees, stood at the base of the wall, unsure what to do with his hands. He rubbed his clothes a couple of times, then felt it wasn't appropriate.

"My name is Gru," he said, his voice muffled, as if it came from a jar. "Vincent is my brother."

Wayne didn't respond.

Gru swallowed hard.

"I heard about what happened this morning. My brother... he's not a bad person, he's just... he's just..."

He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable word.

What else could it be but bad? Gambling, extorting money, causing trouble at a church with weapons—isn't that bad? He opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Anyway, I'll apologize on his behalf.

As he spoke, he bent his knees, making him appear half a head shorter.

Wayne reached out and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Gru didn't kneel down; he looked up at Wayne.

"Don't kneel," Wayne said.

"Your brother is your brother, and you are you."

He stood up and rubbed his hands on the hem of his clothes a couple of times.

"Sir, my brother... he wasn't targeting you. He lost money gambling, he's drowning in debt, and the creditors are pressuring him, so he had no choice but to..."

He paused.

"He wasn't like this before. He was so good to me when we were little. If someone in the village bullied me, he would fight three of them by himself, and they would come back with black eyes and swollen faces. My dad would chase him all over the yard with a broom and beat him. He would run away shouting, 'Don't be afraid, little brother, I'm okay.'"

Gru's voice lowered.

"Later he joined a mercenary group, and slowly he changed. I don't know when he changed, it's just... by the time I realized it, he had already become like this."

Wayne looked at him.

Does he know you're here?

Gru shook his head.

"I don't know. I didn't tell him. If he knew, he would say I was spineless for kneeling down and disgracing him."

Wayne sat down on the stone bench.

"sit."

Gru paused for a moment, then sat down on another stone bench. The bench was a bit low, and when he sat down, his knees were higher than his waist. He rested his hands on his knees, like a crouching bear.

"My lord," he spoke, his voice slightly lower than before, "could you... possibly drop the matter concerning my brother?"

Wayne looked at the panel and couldn't help but complain inwardly.

No, brother, haven't you noticed you're being cuckolded? You know nothing about your wife's affair with your brother. You're here speaking well of him, while he's behind your back, diligently taking care of your wife.

Wayne opened his mouth, then closed it again.

How do you explain this? You can't exactly say, "Your brother is having an affair with your wife." Even if Gru believes it, what can he do? Divorce his wife? Cut ties with his brother? What kind of outsider would he be, getting involved in the brothers' mess?

"I won't go looking for trouble with your brother."

Gru's eyes lit up.

“But,” Wayne looked at him, “if he comes to the church to cause trouble again, then it’s not up to me to decide.”

"No, no, no," Gru quickly waved his hand. "I'll go back and tell him not to come again."

Wayne nodded.

Gru stood up from the stone bench, his bottom barely touching half of it, rising faster than when he was sitting. He took a half-step back and bowed to Wayne.

"Sir, thank you."

I will remember your great kindness.

Watching Gru climb over the wall and leave.

Wayne couldn't help but complain.

No, can't you just use the main gate?

Alas, poor honest man...