Violet Fairy gently patted the king's shoulder and consoled him:
"No, Your Majesty, this is not your fault. A fated curse is like a prophecy—no matter how much effort is made, it is difficult to change the outcome..."
Seeing that the king no longer had the heart to watch the images in the mirror, Rhine lightly wiped the mirror with his small hand, erasing the scene within.
As for the more distant future, even he could not be certain of it.
If things followed the most popular version of "Sleeping Beauty" on the market, then exactly one hundred years after the princess fell asleep, a handsome prince would brave countless hardships, successfully kiss the princess, and break the curse.
But even Rhine was not entirely sure whether, in this world, the story would unfold perfectly according to that happy ending.
After all, there were far too many versions of fairy tales. For example, in the more primitive prototype of "Sleeping Beauty," "Sun, Moon, and Talia," the later developments involved rape and cannibalism, making it utterly unsuitable for children. The one who awakened the princess was not some prince, but the rapist king of a neighboring country.
The instant he withdrew the mirror, Rhine clearly felt Wish Power flow into his soul, and his magic power rose by quite a bit once more.
—Relying on a transmigrator's foresight, he had successfully fulfilled the king and queen's wish to "see the future"!
Even if that future was not beautiful.
After fulfilling this wish, Rhine also gained a trace of genuine Power of Prophecy. Using this new power, he could perceive distant or future scenes, though the information was extremely vague unless he obtained a suitable medium.
—Back when he had provided free medical treatment, Rhine had discovered that repeatedly fulfilling the same person's wishes came with greatly diminished returns. Usually, only the first one or two times produced notable results. Now that Rhine had fulfilled two wishes for the king and queen, he would need to seek out other "Fate Protagonists."
The queen looked at the little mage silently putting away the Silver Mirror, already sobbing uncontrollably:
"Rhine, is this truly the fate we are destined for? No matter what method we use, can we not break the curse or stop this calamity from arriving?"
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Rhine shook his head:
"No. According to the principles of magic, every curse has a way to be lifted. Otherwise, it could not have been established in the first place.
"When Black Witch Maleficent laid down the curse, she had already set the condition for breaking it.
"As long as we fulfill that condition, we can lift the curse without waiting for Princess's fifteenth birthday."
The 12 Witches, along with the king and queen, fell silent at the same time.
Of course, they knew how to completely lift the curse on the Little Princess.
Kill the Black Witch, and the curse would be broken! "But the Black Witch's magic is far too powerful. She is simply not someone we can fight!" the Old King wailed.
He immediately thought of another possibility and asked tentatively:
"Could it be, Rhine, that you mean you can defeat Black Witch Maleficent?"
Could it be that Rhine had still held back an unused trump card in the battle just now? Was he making this suggestion because he had confidence in himself? Rhine smiled faintly and answered with certainty, "No."
The boy continued:
"Tonight, we fought Maleficent just after she had unleashed a powerful curse.
"If we challenge Black Witch Maleficent again later, she will only be stronger and even more impossible to defeat than she was tonight!"
The Old King's mouth twitched, and his expression immediately turned ugly.
If the Black Witch was so powerful that she was nearly invincible, what use was there in saying that?
Who could possibly kill her?
He had known before that Black Witch Maleficent was stronger than the other 12 Witches, but he had never expected the gap between them to be as vast as a heavenly chasm.
The 12 Witches wore equally grim expressions.
During the earlier battle, the giant dragon the Black Witch had transformed into had left a deep impression on them.
Though they were all spellcasters capable of wielding magic, twisting nature, and reshaping reality, the gap between them was enough to drive one to despair.
Even if the entire kingdom's army gathered together, their morale would instantly collapse when facing such an inhuman beast!
Numbers alone could never defeat a giant dragon.
"Your Majesty..."
Sweeping his gaze over the gloomy crowd, the little mage lifted his platinum robe and gave the king a slight bow:
"Relying solely on my own strength and the kingdom's soldiers, we truly cannot defeat the giant dragon transformed from the Black Witch.
"But a blessed warrior can do it!"
After studying the Spellbook, Rhine had gained a deep understanding of this world's supernatural powers.
Mages were not the only ones who could wield miraculous magic. Powerful warriors could likewise train bodies far stronger than those of people from Earth! Rhine raised his voice:
"Your Majesty, I know of such a warrior, one braver and wiser than every knight under your command.
"This warrior was bathed in powerful magic from the moment of birth, possessed extraordinary physical strength, was Invulnerable to blades, mastered every swordsmanship in the world, and excelled with every weapon, armor, and shield. The warrior might even know a little magic.
"When this warrior drew a treasured sword, only gods could rival them in swordsmanship; when they pulled back a bowstring, their arrows could cross half the kingdom and pierce their targets.
"When this warrior rode a steed across the battlefield, even a scattered army would submit to their charisma and obey their commands! When this warrior sang a battle hymn before a routed army, even a poorly disciplined force would regroup and willingly die for them! I believe such a warrior could surely lead Your Majesty's army, kill the Black Witch, and lift the curse at its source!"
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