Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The official road leading to the Kingdom of Kant forks to the north, one going west and the other north.

The traffickers' convoy didn't choose any of the roads. Instead, they turned onto an inconspicuous dirt road at the fork in the road, bumped along for half an hour, and stopped in a valley.

The valley is not large, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an opening on one side.

A wooden fence was built at the opening, behind which were several rows of wooden houses. In front of the houses was an open space with several trucks parked there, their cargo piled up on top.

Xiulasa jumped out of the car, stretched her shoulders, and glanced at the seven people on the car floor.

"arrive."

Lance opened his eyes.

He looked around. There were wooden houses, fences, and trucks. A few women were hanging clothes to dry in the open space. When they saw the convoy coming in, they waved in his direction.

"Get down," said Shurasha.

The assistant jumped onto the platform and untied the rope.

Seven people were forced off the bus and stood in the open ground, their feet sinking into the mud, unsteady and swaying. Their legs were weak, not from motion sickness, but from a different kind of weakness.

They have been "tested" many times in the past few days.

From dusk till midnight, from midnight till dawn, people changed, methods changed, without stopping for a moment. Xiu Lasha said this was the rule; every item had to be inspected before it could be sold. She didn't say how many times to inspect it, nor how long the inspection would last, only that "until satisfied."

They were very satisfied.

Lance stood in the open space, the wind blowing his hair across his face, turning it into a side-swept fringe. He didn't raise his hand to brush it aside; his hands were still tied, so he couldn't.

The same applies to the other six.

At this moment, they had a complete understanding.

It seems that faith is not so important anymore.

Over the course of these days, they tried countless ways to escape, but without exception, all of them failed. No matter how far they ran, they would be caught again and subjected to even more severe "torture".

Xiulasa looked him up and down.

"Go take a shower and sleep with me tonight."

Lance's lips moved slightly.

Why?

"Because you're the team leader," Shurasha said.

"Team leaders receive the benefits they are entitled to."

She turned and left.

The second-in-command came over, shoved Lance, and pushed him into one of the cabins. The cabin was small, containing a bed, a table, a basin of water, and a bar of soap and a clean cloth on the table.

"Wash it clean, my older sister doesn't like it dirty."

She closed the door, and the sound of her footsteps faded into the distance.

Lance stood in the room, looking at the basin of water.

Sigh, I'll just have to wash it!

He squatted down and put his hands into the basin. The water was cold, from his palms to his wrists.

He started taking off his clothes.

His leather armor, undershirt, and trousers were all lying on the ground. He stood barefoot in the mud, scrubbing his body vigorously with soap.

He rubbed it once, and then rubbed it again.

Halfway through the kneading, he squatted down, hugged his knees with both hands, and buried his face in his arms.

He didn't cry.

Paladin, don't cry.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and it was pushed open. Xiulasa stood in the doorway. She had already showered; her hair was still wet and draped over her shoulders. She had changed into clean clothes with a low neckline.

"Not finished washing yet?" She walked in, glanced at the clothes on the floor, and said, "You don't need to wear these anymore. Change into new ones tomorrow."

Lance stood up.

He looked at Xiulasa, and Xiulasa looked at him.

"Go to bed," said Shurasha.

An hour later.

The panel popped up.

[Kant Border Valley Camp Battle Briefing (Continued)]

Lance finished his work. Shurasha was satisfied with his performance. Lying on the pillow, she traced circles on his chest with her finger and said, "Are all the people in your church this physically strong?" Lance didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer. Saying "yes" was wrong, saying "no" was wrong too. He chose silence.

[Note: Xiulasa just made a decision. She's not selling anymore.]

[Note 2: This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. She'd thought about this for two whole days. This batch of goods was the best she'd received in her six years in this business—good quality, good physique, good stamina, and most importantly, obedient. What price could those guys at the mine offer? At most, fifty Vitek Shields per person. She, Xiu Lasha, didn't lack that amount of money. What she lacked were people, people who could do the work, people who could… make her happy.]

[Summary of an internal gang meeting: Shurasha gathered her twelve men and asked, "Do you want to keep this shipment?" Eight raised their hands and said yes, while four said it didn't matter.]

[Note: Women and men are not much different in this matter. What men do, women do too. What men think, women think too. The only difference is that men feel empty afterward, while women feel grounded. At that moment, they feel truly at peace.]

Late at night, seven people were locked in the same wooden cabin.

Lance sat in the corner.

The other six people sat silently in the room.

"Boss."

The one who spoke was the youngest apprentice knight.

"Can we...go back?"

Lance did not answer.

"I want to go back." The novice knight's voice began to tremble. "I don't want to stay here. I want to go back to the Holy City, I want to go back to the church, I want..."

He didn't go on.

Lance remained silent.

Another paladin spoke up. He was older, in his early thirties, with more defined features than the others. His name was Gregory, and he was the most authoritative person in the squad besides Lance.

"Go back?" Gregory's voice was low. "Back to where? Audrien? Or the capital?"

No one responded.

"We've been kidnapped," Gregory said flatly. "Slept with by women. From beginning to end, every single one. If word gets out, where will the Holy Knights put their faces? Where will the Pope put his face?"

He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes for a while.

"Even if you go back, you'll just be locked up in a different place. The courtroom, solitary confinement, and then what? Dismissal? Exile? Or execution?"

The room fell silent again.

Gregory opened his eyes and looked at Lance.

"Boss, say something."

Lance opened his eyes and said.

"My abilities have been sealed."

Gregory frowned.

"What?"

"The drink they've been giving me these past few days," Lance said calmly, "wasn't just a sleeping potion. It was mixed with something—a magic-sealing potion. My power can only be used up to the second tier right now; I can't go any higher."

Gregory was silent for a moment. He looked down at his hand, where a pale golden light, no bigger than a fingernail, gathered in his palm, like a candle flame about to go out.

"...I've been banned too."

The others also tried. Some couldn't even condense light, while others managed to condense it but couldn't last more than three breaths.

"Then... what do we do?" someone asked.

No one answered.

Gregory extinguished the light in his palm, let his hand fall, and rested it on his knee.

"The Sanctuary gave us a month. It's been almost half a month since Audrian set off." He paused. "In our current state, we can't even leave this valley, let alone reach Frost Town."

"Even if you get out," he added, "you'll still end up in the court of judgment when you return to the capital."

Lance didn't reply.

The moonlight filtering through the crack in the door slowly moved upwards, climbing from the ground to the wall, and then from the wall to the roof.

"I have an idea," Lance said.

Everyone turned to look at Lance.

"What are your thoughts?"

Lance remained silent for two breaths.

"negotiation."

Gregory frowned.

"Who should we negotiate with?"

"Shulasa".

He looked up and scanned everyone's faces.

"It's better to be a person than a commodity."

"How do I become one?" Gregory asked.

Lance looked at Gregory.

"Tell her we're not running away. We'll stay, work for her, and give our lives for her. But she has to treat us like human beings, not like merchandise. We need better accommodations, better food, and at night..."

He paused for a moment.

"We're in charge of what happens tonight."