The Legend of the Magician Begins to Spread

Hearing Rhine's request, not only the king was perplexed, but even the 12 Witches, well-versed in magic, were equally baffled.

Defining a multi-segment title for others to recite—was this some kind of ritual?

Yet, this tale of having one's wishes granted by chanting a name did carry a certain mysterious charm. "Of course, no problem at all. Lord Rhine, everything as you wish."

His Majesty the King did not refuse this request.

To him, it was the simplest thing in the world!

Rhine smiled and thanked the king.

This was another use of the Power of Prophecy he had invented. The inspiration naturally came from novels.

"Unlike other magicians in this world, I have many novel ideas from another world, another era. As I fulfill wishes and gain more supernatural rewards, the elements from Earth's literary and entertainment works can all be replicated one by one."

Thinking this, Rhine couldn't help but feel a hint of anticipation.

After the battle with the Black Witch, Rhine deeply realized that compared to the truly powerful magicians of this world, he still had a long way to go.

That very night, the king's soldiers stormed into the Old Craftsman's dwelling. They came on orders to arrest this fraudulent artisan and sentence him to death by hanging!

However, when they burst through the door, they found the Old Craftsman had already hanged himself from the roof beam.

Learning of the tragedy at the banquet, the Old Craftsman had taken his own life out of guilt! He left behind a suicide note, begging His Majesty the King and the wise Lord Rhine for mercy, asking them to spare his family, including his wife and his brother Oz, who worked at the circus.

In the blink of an eye, several weeks had passed since the great battle within the palace.

The version of this event circulating among the people had become the following:

The infamous Black Witch—Maleficent—was invited to the Princess's Baptism Ceremony, but suddenly flew into a rage at the banquet, attacking the king's guard and causing numerous soldier casualties.

Fortunately, the Court Magician, the kingdom's sage, the Great Magician Lord Rhine, was immensely powerful and shielded the king and queen unharmed. This Court Magician also led the 12 Witches to turn the tide and repel Maleficent.

Now, the Black Witch Maleficent was suspected to have fled to another country.

As for the key fact—that "the witch cursed the Little Princess and even the entire kingdom"—it was deliberately omitted.

The sun rose as usual.

No one knew that the shadow of death had already loomed over the entire kingdom's sky.

During this time, another magical legend began to spread between taverns and campfires.

"Have you heard? That story about the Wish Magician? Could it be true?"

"Come on, Jerry, you're not a three-year-old. How could a fairy tale like that be real?"

"But I heard someone say that the magician in the story who grants wishes is none other than the Great Magician Lord Rhine, who once treated over a thousand patients in the southern region and later became the kingdom's sage!"

"It's normal for a story to have a real-life prototype. Besides, Lord Rhine is now a noble Court Magician—how could he possibly listen to the wishes of commoners like us?"

The versions of the legend varied widely, but all revolved around a mysterious young magician boy who could grant people's wishes.

And almost every version mentioned a strange title.

It was said that a starving, freezing child, on the verge of despair, once recited that title and made a wish. Soon after, a colorful bird brought her bread and water.

After a few instances of such fulfillment, the legend spread like wildfire, becoming a bedtime story for many children, even threatening to spread beyond the kingdom.

But most who made wishes with a "just try it" attitude saw no miracle at all.

Some doubted the legend's truth, while others believed that only particularly sincere wishes had a small chance of being answered.

During this time, Oz was not in a good state.

This circus balloon pilot and signature magician was in constant fear, distracted and absent-minded.

"Oz, have you run into some big trouble? I have a suggestion—want to hear it?"

A colleague from the circus tried to comfort Oz, whose face was pale.

"No, no. Just let me be alone for a while."

Oz waved his hand, dismissing the colleague.

Only Oz knew that his fear was something he couldn't share with outsiders!

A few days ago, his elder brother—the Old Craftsman who had served the court for years—had committed suicide out of guilt for adulterating the golden plates.

Even worse, according to the rumors Oz had gathered, the "adulterated golden plates" seemed to be the reason the Black Witch Maleficent had suddenly attacked at the Princess's Baptism Ceremony! "It's over, it's over. My brother provoked the Black Witch, and that caused this disaster."

"And the terrifying part is, it seems my brother got the idea to cheat because of my careless joke!"

"If His Majesty the King finds out I'm involved, I'm definitely dead!"

"No, even if His Majesty doesn't find out, he might take his anger out on me."

The more Oz thought about it, the more terrified he became, trembling and on the verge of tears.

"Mr. Oz, I don't know what big trouble you're in, but I have a suggestion—you could try making a wish to the magician from the recent legend. They say only the most intense wishes have a chance of being granted. In your current state, maybe making a wish might actually work."

The colleague who had just been dismissed had somehow run back, poking his head in from the doorframe, and offered this advice.

"Make a wish to the legendary magician?"

Oz froze, a faint glimmer in his eyes.

He'd heard the legend of the "Wish-Granting Magician" recently too.

It cost nothing, so why not give it a try? But the next second, Oz dismissed the thought.

Are you kidding? The prototype of this legend was said to be the Kingdom's Only Sage, the king's advisor, the Court Grand Magician—Rhine.

He'd offended the king, and now he was praying to the king's advisor, Court Magician Lord Rhine—how desperate for trouble could he be? If this Great Magician could truly hear his plea from afar, not striking him dead with a bolt of lightning would already be mercy!

Oz's heart turned to ash, his expression bleak, his face clouded with gloom.

As the saying goes, what you think by day, you dream by night.

That evening, Oz couldn't sleep soundly at all.

He dreamed of the king's soldiers coming to arrest him, and he was sentenced to death by hanging, strangled alive.

In the terrifying nightmare, a tearful Oz, clinging to the attitude of "try anything when all hope is lost," recited the title from the legend:

"Sage from beyond the world, Prophet of the Future, Wizard of Miracles and Wishes..."

"Please, I want to live, to escape this kingdom safely!"

When Oz spoke these words in the dream, the real-world Oz murmured the same in his sleep.

On a distant road.

Having packed up and left the palace with Little Princess Aurora, halfway along the journey, Rhine heard a distant plea from the bumpy carriage.