Blessing

After hearing Rhine's words, the king and queen froze.

All twelve witches froze.

Especially Violet Fairy, the leader of the twelve witches—she was utterly stunned.

This magician, who appeared so young, actually knew such a warrior?

Recalling how Rhine had previously displayed magic surpassing her own, Violet Fairy suspected that the boy before her was far older than he looked.

Could he be an old wizard who had lived for centuries, pretending to be young?

"Lord Rhine, is what you say true? You actually know such a formidable warrior! Why didn't you say so sooner!" The old king's eyes widened, trembling with shock and uncertainty.

This white-haired old man had lost all trace of kingly dignity.

Clutching at this final lifeline, he grabbed Rhine's robes and asked excitedly, "Please tell me, Lord Rhine, where is that warrior? Which kingdom is he in now? I want to hire him, even if it means emptying the entire royal treasury of gold!

"Oh, and I can also betroth my daughter to him, make him the new master of the kingdom!

"I am willing to offer the entire kingdom as a gift to him, as long as he can help me defeat the Black Witch and break the curse."

Rhine's expression remained calm. After a moment of silence, he said flatly:

"Your Majesty, I confirm with you: do you truly wish to see this warrior, and are you willing to pay any price, even letting him become the future master of the kingdom?"

The old king was stunned for half a second upon hearing the question.

Then, This increasingly weathered old man nodded firmly, his eyes hollow.

If the curse could not be broken, the kingdom would be destroyed anyway—what use was it?

Rhine smiled.

"Honorable Majesty, since you have made up your mind, allow me now to take you to meet that warrior..."

Under the gaze of the kingdom's monarch, queen, and the witches, Rhine strode forward.

One step, two steps—the young magician walked to the cradle of the little princess.

Following the blessings of the twelve witches, Rhine spread his arms and offered the thirteenth and final blessing to the swaddled "Sleeping Beauty":

"Princess Aurora, recipient of the twelvefold blessings.

"I bestow upon you three gifts: the talent for combat, unwavering courage, and the power to uphold justice.

"I bless you to become the great warrior I just described, to defeat the Black Witch Maleficent, and to personally end the curse upon you!"

Rhine turned gently.

"Thus, this is my blessing to Princess Aurora."

Behind him, from the cradle and swaddling clothes, a brilliance so dazzling it hurt the eyes bloomed forth, signifying that the blessing had been delivered.

Dead silence.

Whether it was the king and queen, the princess's parents, or the twelve witches, all stood dumbfounded, as if turned into stone statues.

It wasn't that they were foolish for not thinking of this.

It was that Rhine's approach completely overturned the thinking patterns these fairy-tale characters were used to.

Was this... a typical blessing for a princess? They had never heard of such an example! Rhine looked perfectly natural, as if he had just done something obvious.

The others' shock left him a little speechless.

Wasn't what he did just common sense?

The only resource they had to counter the Black Witch was this last chance to bless Aurora.

Blessings and curses alike had a causal, self-fulfilling nature.

Since the Black Witch could impose an inescapable curse, they could use the same principle to preset a good future through a blessing.

Compared to a passive defensive blessing like "the princess will not die, only fall asleep," wasn't it a hundred times better to set the blessing as "the princess will kill the Black Witch and break the curse"? The king recovered from his shock and asked in disbelief, "Lord Rhine, what is this?"

Rhine smiled and explained slowly, "Honorable Majesty, the future Princess Aurora is the perfect warrior I just described.

"The witches' blessings have bestowed upon Princess Aurora all the positive traits in the world.

"Her Highness has been granted a healthy body that never falls ill or tires, making her the most valiant warrior.

"Her Highness has been granted an eidetic memory and astonishing learning talent, allowing her to easily master supreme swordsmanship, even magic.

"Her Highness has been granted a captivating voice and enchanting charm, making her a commander whom soldiers would follow to life or death, a shining banner amidst ten thousand troops.

"If she is present, morale will surely be high; if she stands, the army will not rout.

"Her Highness also bears the blessing that 'blades, arrows, water, and fire cannot harm her,' so only she can withstand a dragon's blazing flames and drive a blade into its heart!

"With the blessing I just bestowed, Princess Aurora will undoubtedly become the kingdom's greatest warrior, slay the Black Witch Maleficent, and personally break the curse of 'being pricked by a spinning wheel at age fifteen'!"

The old king paused, carefully recalling every detail of the "warrior" Rhine had just described.

It matched perfectly with each blessing the witches had given the princess!

Though he found it surprisingly reasonable, the old king couldn't help roaring inwardly, "That actually works?"