The Tinderbox's Ending

Outside the city, amid the crowd of onlookers, a silver-haired boy in a hood watched the soldier being hanged from afar.

"Looks like your tinderbox got damp and can't be used."

The boy was naturally Rhine.

After using animated ropes to restrain the soldier, he had taken the soldier's tinderbox.

Later, when the soldier came to ask him for help retrieving the tinderbox, he had merely pretended to leave for a while before returning and giving it back.

As the Wish-Granting Magician, Rhine had indeed fulfilled the soldier's wish in the literal sense, though he had twisted one small part of it.

What he had returned was a tinderbox soaked in water and rendered damp! As soon as he had acquired the tinderbox, Rhine had divined this famous magical item and confirmed that it would temporarily lose its power after getting damp.

"Ah, why do I sound like the devil in a story? Exploiting loopholes in people's hearts, fulfilling wishes literally, yet twisting those wishes."

The boy quietly mocked himself.

"The tinderbox that summons Three Dogs—I've retrieved it!"

Rhine flipped his right hand over.

With a thump, a cloud of mist surged forth, and the tinderbox that had just been in the soldier's pocket appeared out of thin air in his palm.

"Retrieve objects I have touched before."

This was the new magic Rhine had learned after fulfilling the soldier's wish to Retrieve the Tinderbox.

This even included objects Rhine had touched before learning this magic.

Quite a powerful conceptual ability!

The boy thought. All at once, many interesting applications sprang to mind.

"I wonder what I should call it. I'm absolutely terrible at naming things! I can't call it Jomji Instant Summoning, can I? 'Return to Original Owner'? That doesn't seem right either. Forget it..."

Rhine shrugged and put the matter of naming it out of his mind.

After a while, once the damp tinderbox had dried again and regained its original magic, Rhine used Teleportation to travel to an uninhabited wilderness.

Rub, rub, rub... one! Two! Three!

Rhine rubbed the tinderbox several times. With several whooshes, all Three Dogs appeared, each with eyes larger than the last.

The dogs' wounds had indeed all healed. Their fur glimmered beneath the sunlight, making them look as though they had never been injured at all.

"They truly are magical creatures. Their self-healing speed is astonishing."

Unlike before, the dogs lay prostrate beside Rhine, obedient and docile. They seemed to have long forgotten their former owner and were ready to follow the commands of the tinderbox's new master at any time.

"These dogs could actually tell that the princess wasn't in the palace, but in a town outside the Royal City. What a marvelous power!"

"Can the dogs always smell the direction of whatever target their master designates for them? Whether they're ordered to find money or something else?"

"That does emphasize their dog-like traits somewhat. When I have time, I can test just how far away a target they can detect..."

"This tinderbox will definitely come in handy in the future!"

"Aurora's tenth birthday is coming up soon. As Grandma Rosa intended, I'll give her the tinderbox as her gift!"

The space around Rhine suddenly warped. His slightly slender figure blurred once more and vanished from the wilderness.

Two days later, Rhine held a grand birthday celebration for Aurora.

All 12 Witches had come. Just as when the girl had been born ten years earlier, they gathered together once again.

They had gathered not only to celebrate her birthday, but also to quietly discuss when they should tell Aurora about her identity as a princess and the mission she bore. That mission was far too heavy for a ten-year-old girl, but it was something she would have to face sooner or later.

Grandma Rosa kissed Aurora's cheek and personally handed the tinderbox to her, just as she had originally envisioned.

The elderly old witch also thanked Aurora for defeating the soldier who had nearly killed her.

"I heard that on the day the soldier was executed, almost everyone in the Royal City ran outside the city to watch. You made the criminal receive the judgment he deserved!"

All the witches learned how Aurora had defeated the Three Dogs and praised her as an outstanding hero, just like those heroes in bardic legends and myths. Aurora was as brave as them, as skilled in combat as them, and most importantly, possessed a heart of gold like theirs.

"Aurora, my dear child, you are already a hero capable of standing on your own."

"Just like in stories, every hero has her own mount. You can rub the tinderbox now and summon magical dogs to become your mounts!"

Grandma Rosa gave Aurora a big hug.

Violet Fairy, the leader of the 12 Witches, also smiled brightly. "That's right, you should give it a try. It'll surely be a beautiful sight!"

Aurora nodded gently.

She went with everyone to an open field and began rubbing the tinderbox there.

Rub, rub, rub, rub...

Amid several whooshes, the Three Dogs appeared one after another. Even the smallest among them had eyes as large as teacups.

Aurora rode the dog with teacup-sized eyes, guiding it as it ran across the open field. The other two Big Dogs followed behind the girl.

At first, Aurora's movements were somewhat unpracticed, but the blessings had granted her an exceptional physique and astonishing learning ability. Before long, she was as skilled as an experienced rider.

What a dashing sight she made!

The dogs ran with great joy, their eyes bulging larger than they ever had before.

The birthday celebration was about to end.

Aurora carefully put away her beloved tinderbox.

She seemed to love this birthday present, but she clearly had other worries and concerns. Even during her birthday celebration, she could not hide the anxious look on her face.

"What are you worried about, my little Aurora?" Grandma Rosa asked with concern.

Aurora recounted everything the soldier had said after she met him.

"If what that Engeland prisoner mentioned by the soldier said is true, Engeland may soon reveal the truth about the curse. Once everyone learns that our Rose Kingdom is cursed, the country will fall into chaos. It will be a disaster! And even if the king and royal family successfully conceal the truth, everything will only become worse!"

"If such a curse truly exists—I already asked my teacher, and he said the curse unquestionably exists—then once disaster strikes, there will be no way to make up for it."

At that moment, Aurora did not resemble a little girl celebrating her tenth birthday, who should have been at the age of chasing butterflies and flowers. Though her voice was still childish, she looked every bit like someone deeply concerned for her country and its people.

Rhine exchanged glances with the witches, his brow slightly furrowed.

Although the king had sealed off the news, and the people within the country knew neither the full events of the princess's birth ceremony nor the existence of the curse.

There had also been many foreign guests at that grand banquet ten years ago.

Clearly, it was impossible to expect them to keep the secret.

As she spoke, Aurora's voice trembled slightly. Her eyes shone as she stared fixedly at Rhine. Only at this moment did the blonde girl realize that the teacher she had respected for years, who had taught her precious knowledge, was no longer much taller than her.

"Teacher, why do the king and Queen conceal the truth about the curse?"

"A disaster will descend upon the Rose Kingdom in a few years, right on schedule. Since that is so, shouldn't everyone be told?"

"Everyone who has the means to leave the kingdom, regardless of profession, class, or gender, should get as far away from this cursed land as possible!"

The more the girl spoke, the more agitated she became, clenching her small fists. "Teacher, you once taught me the principles of being a person. Since such a curse truly exists, should we... should we tell everyone the truth before the enemy nation exposes it?"

"The people of the Rose Kingdom have the right to know the truth and leave this cursed land in advance!"

By the final sentence, Aurora was practically roaring, with an unexpected air of unquestionable authority.

The girl's voice, strengthened by the blessings, was already gripping. Now it seemed to carry magic, making even Rhine's emotions surge and tumble.

With the blessings enhancing her, Aurora truly is a born speaker. Even I, who know the full truth, almost agreed with her in that instant... Rhine marveled inwardly.

Seeing Aurora so agitated, Violet Fairy hurriedly prepared to step forward and soothe her, to explain the fact that "even if they fled the kingdom, the curse would pursue them relentlessly, and at most they could only live a few extra years."

Unexpectedly, Rhine made a gesture to stop Violet Fairy, who was about to explain.

The silver-haired young magician stood up and gently placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Aurora, I want to ask you this. If one day you were made the ruler of this country—replacing the current king—would you do better than him?"

Without even thinking, Aurora nodded vigorously.

"Tell me, what would you do?" Rhine asked.

"I can use a sword, and I know a tiny bit of magic. I would find Black Witch Maleficent's whereabouts, gather as many warriors as possible, win the help of you teachers, unite the strength of the entire nation, and challenge the true culprit. I would defeat her and force her to reveal how to lift the curse—or, if killing the one who cast the curse can lift it, that would be even better."

The corners of Rhine's lips rose slightly, revealing a gratified smile.

"But there are no ifs in this world." Aurora lowered her head. "Only the king's child can become ruler."

Then, a quiet mutter from the Little Princess nearly made the witches lose control of their expressions. "At this point, even overthrowing the royal family would be useless, wouldn't it? It would only make things worse."

Rhine raised his hand and patted the little head covered in Aurora's smooth golden hair. "None of what you said requires you to become ruler. I can take you with me right now, travel abroad, search everywhere for Black Witch Maleficent's whereabouts, capture her, and defeat her!"