Naming Sleeping Beauty

Ever since then, the Queen had gone for a walk by the river every evening.

Whenever she reached the riverbank, she would bend down and watch the fish in the water.

Or cup an ear, hoping to hear whether the fish were whispering in human speech.

Or directly ask the fish whether she could have a child of her own.

Night after night, it was always the same.

Every day, only the murmuring flow of water answered the Queen's calls.

The fish said nothing.

The King, who had long since given up hope, stood beside her every time, unable to understand what his wife was doing.

Or perhaps he vaguely understood, but chose neither to expose her nor stop her.

It was another dusky, wine-colored evening.

The sun was setting behind the western hills.

As usual, the Queen crouched by the river, watching the blood-red sunset dye the water crimson and the fish dart through its shimmering surface.

As she had every day, the Queen softly asked the fish in the water, "Can I have a child of my own?"

After so many fruitless attempts, the Queen had long since made "crouching down to ask the fish in the water" part of her daily routine.

She had not even realized that she had grown numb to this endlessly repeated, fruitless ritual, no longer expecting anything to come of it today.

As usual, only the clear, silvery sound of running water answered the Queen's question.

"Still the same as before..."

The Queen rose, about to leave.

Then suddenly, a golden fish swam over and stopped in the water before her.

The Queen's gaze sharpened.

In her widening eyes, an astonishing sight was reflected—

The fish opened its mouth and spoke in human language:

"Dear Queen, your wish will soon come true.

"You and the King will soon have a lovely daughter."

With that, the fish flicked its tail and vanished into the school beneath the Queen's stunned gaze.

The Queen's expression froze as she stood there, motionless as a statue.

Several seconds passed before she finally realized what had just happened.

The experience felt like a dream.

"The fish spoke!"

"The fish spoke in human language—and it blessed me!"

Overjoyed and astonished, the Queen danced with excitement and ran to tell the King, who stood nearby, what she had seen.

Seeing his wife run toward him so excitedly, the King was baffled. He thought that her desperate longing for a child had caused her to hallucinate.

But then, several loyal Soldiers nearby all said:

"Your Majesty, we saw it with our own eyes! A fish spoke, and it blessed Her Majesty the Queen!"

Not long afterward, the Queen truly became pregnant.

"Everything that magician said was true. He did not deceive me!"

Seeing his aged wife carry a child for the first time, the King was both shocked and overjoyed.

"Summon the magician Rhine. Bring him to the palace!"

In truth, Rhine did not need to wait for another message from the King's attendants. Far away at the edge of the kingdom, he already knew that the wish had been fulfilled.

Inside the Forest Cabin, Rhine's body trembled as vast Wish Power surged toward him.

The magic deep within his soul boiled like water, rising at an astonishing speed before finally calming down after quite some time.

Feeling the magic within him, now far more abundant than before, Rhine was both surprised and delighted.

Sure enough, Sleeping Beauty's parents were important characters in the fairy tale, among the "protagonists of fate." Fulfilling their wish to have a child naturally brought tremendous benefits.

Though this was a destined event that would have happened anyway, Rhine had cured their old ailments, prescribed useful medicine, and made the correct prophecy, accelerating the course of fate.

And the King and Queen did not know of fate's arrangements. From the bottom of their hearts, they believed this was Rhine's contribution.

Therefore, he still received the corresponding Wish Power! "It seems I've even learned a new spell!"

The boy stepped outside and waved his small hand. Emerald light blossomed forth.

The fallen leaves in the forest seemed to come alive, rising on their own despite the lack of wind and curling into vague humanoid forms.

The leaf figures bowed respectfully to the young magician.

This was the new magic Rhine had learned after fulfilling the King and Queen's wish to "have a child." It could Grant Life to inanimate objects.

Its simplest use was temporarily animating nearby objects and turning them into servants and Soldiers that obeyed him. It also had more complex uses yet to be developed.

"It's quite useful. At least I have a little ability to protect myself now. I'll call it 'Grant Life.'"

Rhine lightly waved his hand, dismissing the leaf figures and reducing them to scattered fragments across the ground.

He was certain that while his current magical power was likely still inferior to that of the kingdom's twelve highly skilled Witches, the gap should not be too great.

The larger difference lay in his experience as a spellcaster and the types of magic he had learned. Fulfilling one or two more similar wishes would make up for that.

Rhine could not help but wonder:

"Just helping Sleeping Beauty's parents fulfill their wish has brought such great benefits.

"Sleeping Beauty has not been born yet. Otherwise, if I helped Sleeping Beauty herself—the true protagonist of the story—would I gain even more?"

As he reined in his thoughts, even more doubts and curiosity rose in the boy's heart:

"Did I transmigrate into the story of 'Sleeping Beauty'?"

"But Sleeping Beauty's story only has one kingdom. It never mentions what the world beyond that kingdom is like."

"Yet here, I often hear tales of other kingdoms and stories of magicians and Warriors from other lands."

"What is this vast fantasy continent beyond Sleeping Beauty's kingdom really like?"

Rhine received another summons from the King.

Dressed as a magician, the handsome boy was wrapped in a long robe and hood as Soldiers escorted him toward the resplendent royal palace.

The robe was slightly too long for Rhine's small frame, dragging across the ground.

The sun shone brightly today, white clouds set against an azure sky.

Inside the palace, the Old King beamed. "Praise be to you, Forest Sage. Your prophecy has come true. A fish bestowed its blessing upon my wife, and we shall soon have a child of our own."

Rhine returned the King's greeting. "There is no need to thank me, Your Majesty. Everything was arranged by fate. I merely did a little insignificant work."

He then asked:

"Did Your Majesty summon me this time because you have another request?"

The Old King's eyes immediately lit up, and he spoke the words he had long wanted to say:

"Forest Sage, I hear that you live in a wooden cabin in the forest. Such a dilapidated dwelling cannot shield you from wind and rain.

"My palace has Warriors of astonishing strength, but no sage or great magician as outstanding as you.

"Rhine, I sincerely invite you to live in the palace and become the Court Advisor for the next ten years!

"You will be revered as the sage of our Rose Kingdom.

"You will possess endless gold and silver. The people of the kingdom will admire you, and fully armed Soldiers will protect you day and night.

"You will hold authority second only to mine. Whatever you request, so long as it is reasonable, the entire kingdom will do its utmost to fulfill it! And there is also an Ancient Spellbook in my court's collection, passed down from ancient times. It records abundant magical knowledge and many powerful spells. If you are willing to become the court's sage, that Spellbook will belong to you as well!

"Rhine, what do you say? Will you consider my proposal?"

As though afraid Rhine would refuse, the King did everything he could to offer the most generous terms.

As far as he knew, most magicians had eccentric temperaments. They preferred living in secluded Forest Cabins or dark, ancient castles, brewing potions or studying old magic alone.

They might answer a King's temporary summons, but they would not be willing to serve royal authority for long.

The kingdom's thirteen Witches were all like this.

They might occasionally obey the King's orders, but they would never consider becoming Court Advisors.

And now, a newly risen magician had suddenly appeared in the kingdom, one who seemed no less talented than—and perhaps even more gifted than—the Witches already in the kingdom!

Naturally, the King did everything in his power to recruit him.

"..."

Rhine fell silent for a moment, seeming to consider the King's proposal.

The Old King swallowed.

Though he had offered generous conditions, he had long prepared himself for Rhine's refusal.

This continent was vast.

There were countless kingdoms, large and small.

Above the clouds lay the Giant Kingdom. Merfolk swam through the sea. The Mysterious Forest Door led to unknown Secret Realms, and far to the east stood the prosperous and powerful Far Eastern Empire.

There were many Kings like him in this world.

Most Kings did not deserve the lasting loyalty of a magician.

The next moment—

Below the steps of the throne, the handsome silver-haired boy, as though he had stepped out of a painting, bowed lightly.

"I accept your request, Your Majesty. It is my honor."

Rhine placed one hand over his chest.

"From this day forward, I am the Court Advisor!"

The Old King heaved a long sigh of relief.

He agreed!

Rhine could not even think of a reason to refuse.

Ten years might be a long time to others, but to him, who would no longer age, it was merely fleeting smoke—a tiny fragment of the centuries and millennia ahead.

Perhaps most other magicians were strange and solitary by nature, but for him, what was wrong with enjoying the comforts of courtly life?

Besides, compared to the rewards of status and material wealth, what interested him more was that Ancient Spellbook!

The types of magic he currently commanded were far too limited. Perhaps that Spellbook could teach him more practical spells and help him better understand this world's supernatural powers.

Furthermore, after discovering that he had not transmigrated into an ordinary fantasy medieval world but had arrived in Sleeping Beauty's kingdom, Rhine had become deeply curious about this world.

What lay beyond the kingdom? What kind of continent had he truly come to?

Ordinary people of this era found it difficult to learn anything beyond their own little patch of land. The legends he heard from nearby commoners were surely more false than true.

But Kings and nobles were different.

They inevitably had dealings with foreign nations.

Perhaps through the court, I will have a chance to learn the full picture of this broader fantasy continent beyond the kingdom! While the King was still immersed in the joy and astonishment that "Magician Rhine had accepted his request," the Queen beside him could no longer wait to ask:

"Rhine, you said before that the child I will bear is a clever and lovely Little Princess, correct?"

"That is correct."

Rhine replied.

The unborn princess was none other than the future Sleeping Beauty!

The Queen smiled happily.

"In that case, sage of the Rose Kingdom and magician of the court, I would like to ask you to name our lovely daughter."

Oh dear, I haven't written for several months. I'll need some time to gradually return to my normal writing condition and pace.