After a series of psychological exchanges and initial shock, the old King surprisingly began to feel a bit relieved.
He had already resolved himself to give the kingdom to an unfamiliar warrior.
Now, seeing that it would be given to his own child instead of a stranger, wasnât that actually better?
Shifting his gaze away from the King, Rhine glanced at the witches, who were still frozen in disbelief.
What now?
The blessings of invulnerability to blades, fire, and waterâwerenât those your doing?
Why act so surprised?
Clearing his throat, Rhine continued,
âEveryone, the blessing I gave to Princess Aurora today must remain a secret.
âAfter leaving the kingdom, the Black Witch Maleficent could still monitor the development of the curse.
âIf she learns that we used a blessing to create a warrior destined to defeat her, she will certainly try to disrupt the blessingâs fulfillment.
âThe power of blessings is ultimately limited. We cannot sit idly by and wait for prophecy to fulfill itselfâwe must actively work to make it come trueâ¦â
âEarlier, during the discussion about what blessing to grant, Rhine had discreetly sent away all the soldiers and servants nearby, ensuring that only the King, Queen, and witches were aware of the blessingâs details.
Rhine had also considered granting an exaggerated blessing such as âomniscience and omnipotence.â However, blessings had their limits. If they couldnât even remove Maleficentâs curse outright, they certainly couldnât bestow power surpassing the Black Witch herself. Thus, Rhine devised a tailored blessing that emphasized innate talent and a fated path.
Turning to the old King, Rhine said,
âTo ensure the success of the blessing, there are three tasks I must trouble Your Majesty with.â
The old King, despite everything, was worthy of being called a king. By now, he had accepted the absurd reality before him:
âPlease, Lord Rhine, instruct me.â
Unconsciously, after everything that had happened, the King had begun to view the young magician before him as his only source of hope and support.
Thus, when Rhine presented his suggestions, the King naturally felt they should be followed.
Rhine spoke slowly,
âThe first task:
âYour Majesty must keep tonightâs events a secret. Do not let the kingdomâs people learn that this land has been cursed by the Black Witch and faces destruction in a few decades. á¹ÎÅðâ¿ÎÅ
âIf word gets out, the entire kingdom will be thrown into chaos!
âFrom the most powerful nobles to the wealthiest merchants, everyone will do everything they can to escape this cursed land.
âYour Majestyâs court will be devoid of wise ministers. Your army will have no brave soldiers willing to fight. The kingdomâs fields will no longer see diligent farmers.
âIf that happens, the kingdom will collapse from within long before the curse arrives.â
Hearing Rhineâs warning, the old King nodded lightly.
It was indeed a major risk!
But⦠could the curse truly be avoided just by fleeing the kingdom? If so, thenâ¦
Seemingly sensing what the King was pondering, Rhineâs youthful, water-like eyes dimmed slightly. He sighed softly and explained,
âI just performed a divination using Her Royal Highness as a medium to determine the nature of the curse: Maleficentâs curse cannot be avoided, even by fleeing the kingdom!
âBut even if Your Majesty says so, the people are unlikely to believe you. They will only see it as the schemes of those in power.
âOur goal is to lift the curse. The kingdom must not collapse under the weight of a different curse, one named âfear,â before the witchâs curse even takes effect!â
As Rhine spoke, a few of the witchesâ expressions subtly changed.
Sweeping his gaze over them, Rhine continued,
âThe second task:
âYour Majesty must pretend that I never showed you a glimpse of the future and never gave Princess Aurora this unique blessing.
âProceed with your original plansâsuch as confiscating spindles from the populace and creating the false impression that Princess Aurora is confined within the palaceâ¦
âMeanwhile, I, along with the twelve witches, will take Her Royal Highness away from the palace. Before the day of the curse arrives, we will train her to become both a queen fit to rule the throne and a warrior capable of slaying the dragon.â
Rhine then elaborated on the details of his plan.
The King accepted them without objection, though the Queenâs expression revealed a trace of sorrow.
Finally, the young magician continued,
âThe third task is as follows:...â
âNext, I will take Her Royal Highness, the Princess, away from the palace for a long time until I can raise her into a self-reliant warrior. During this time, I must ask Your Majesty to spread tales about meâfeel free to embellish and exaggerate them.
âBefore I became a Court Mage, I used potions and spells to cure thousands of patients, but the scale of my influence is still far from sufficient. Moreover, the stories about me now need to include even more critical details.
âThese tales should emphasize that the kingdom is home to a magician capable of granting wishes. If someone harbors a wish strong enough, and they recite the legendary title, their wish may come true.
âThe title is as follows:
âSage Beyond the World, Prophet Who Foresees the Future, Wizard of Miracles and Wishesâ¦ââ