The Soldier and the Tinderbox

The Tinderbox!

The familiar term instantly awakened Rhine's memories.

"Call her back, now!"

Rhine recalled the classic Andersen fairy tale, "The Tinderbox," sometimes also called "The Soldier and the Tinderbox."

In the story, an ordinary soldier, with the help of a Witch, retrieved gold and a magical tinderbox from a hollow tree.

But instead of handing The Tinderbox over to the Witch as promised, the soldier killed the Witch who had revealed the secret to him and kept The Tinderbox for himself.

Afterward, he used the power of The Tinderbox to gain wealth, kill the Old King, become the new king, and marry the Old King's daughter—a beautiful princess imprisoned deep within the palace.

The plot was practically the standard "loser finds a cheat code and rises to the top" story, with an entirely predictable ending.

And now, the Witch seeking The Tinderbox was actually Grandma Rosa!

"I saw it. I saw a dangerous future. Grandma Rosa may be in danger!" Rhine said gravely.

"But she left quite a while ago... We may not make it in time..." Violet Fairy's face clouded over.

More than half a day earlier.

On a highway at the edge of the kingdom.

A hunched, white-haired old Witch looked toward the hollow of a roadside tree and shouted, "Did you get The Tinderbox?"

This elderly Witch was none other than Grandma Rosa.

This 173-year-old Witch had lived deep in the forest for a long time and rarely showed herself before the kingdom's public. Only other Witches and the royal nobles knew her.

Among the thirteen kind Witches in the kingdom, Rosa's magic was the least suited for combat.

But she had her own strengths—every so often, she could hear strange whispers containing useful knowledge.

Not long ago, the whispers had told Grandma Rosa a secret involving a hidden chamber left behind by a legendary ancient mage, as well as a powerful magical item within it—The Tinderbox.

The chamber was guarded by three magical and terrifying creatures, and The Tinderbox was the tool used to command them. Its value far exceeded all the Gold and Silver in the chamber; it was truly priceless! "Princess Aurora is destined to become a valiant rider. Ordinary warhorses cannot withstand her battles, but the magical creatures summoned by The Tinderbox would make perfect mounts for Her Highness! Hahaha, I never thought an old thing like me, who has lived for centuries without much to offer, would also contribute to defeating Black Witch Maleficent."

"Once I get The Tinderbox, I'll give it to Aurora as a gift for her tenth birthday. Oh, I wonder how happy she'll be when she receives it."

Grandma Rosa imagined herself giving The Tinderbox to Aurora and suddenly smiled. Her wrinkles squeezed together beneath that smile, growing deeper like marks carved by the weathering of time.

Aurora's lovely face appeared in her mind, along with the girl's exquisite singing voice, as beautiful as heavenly music.

—Aurora's entrancing voice, impossible to resist, was the gift she had personally bestowed upon the Little Princess during the Baptism Ceremony ten years ago.

The voice in her ears had also told Grandma Rosa how to "clear" the chamber. It involved a peculiar magical ritual—on a day with the right astrological alignment, she only needed to find the first person she saw on this road dressed as a soldier and give him the enchanted Blue Checkered Apron. Then the magical creatures guarding the chamber would behave themselves, allowing her to take the money and The Tinderbox without obstruction.

Of course, Grandma Rosa would not ask someone to help her for nothing.

As long as she could obtain The Tinderbox, she did not mind giving all the wealth in the tree hollow to the soldier.

"The gold in the tree hollow would absolutely be a windfall beyond imagination for an ordinary soldier!

"He could live well, eat good food, live in a fine house, then use the remaining money to marry a wife he truly loved and have a family and children of his own, living out the rest of his life in comfort."

Rustling sounds came from beneath the tree hollow, punctuated by the soldier's cries of surprise and laughter.

Everything seemed to be proceeding in an orderly fashion... Grandma Rosa thought.

Just then, the soldier's voice rose from the bottom of the hollow. "I got The Tinderbox! Pull me up!"

Grandma Rosa pulled the soldier out.

His pockets, boots, knapsack, and hat were all stuffed full of gold and silver coins.

"All right, thank you, handsome and strong soldier. All this gold is yours now. Hand The Tinderbox over to me." Grandma Rosa beamed.

The next second, Grandma Rosa's eyes widened.

The soldier's sword pierced her chest.

As a 173-year-old woman, Rosa was too slow to react in time.

The soldier violently pulled out his sword.

Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, scorching hot.

"This old Witch cares so much about this Tinderbox—it must be something valuable! It's mine now!"

The soldier burst into laughter.

Then, carrying The Tinderbox and the money, he hummed a cheerful tune as he headed straight for the city.

In the pool of blood, the 173-year-old woman's mouth hung open, still unable to recover from the shock of the sudden attack.

Her eyes bulged, wider than they had ever been on any day before.

The soldier's retreating figure was reflected in her pupils as she watched helplessly while he carried The Tinderbox farther and farther away.

She had never expected the soldier to be greedy to such an extent.

The soldier walked farther and farther away, muttering under his breath as he went:

"If what that Engeland prisoner said is true, and the kingdom really is cursed, with disaster arriving in a few years, then I can only enjoy myself for a year or two before I have to start planning my escape from this doomed country..."

More than ten minutes later.

After confirming that the soldier had completely gone, the old Witch lying in the pool of blood, who should have been dead, suddenly opened her eyes again.

This chapter was rewritten, with the perspective completely changed.