Aurora found the Sea Hag's question utterly baffling.
"If it is eternal, how can it have a concept of length? This is completely self-contradictory."
Why did this Sea Witch keep asking such strange questions?
With the mindset that there was no harm in trying, Aurora answered:
"Eternity is infinitely long time."
The Sea Hag smiled. "Yes, so eternity—infinite length—just how long is it?"
The Sea Hag's mocking smile made the young girl somewhat angry.
Seeing Aurora's furious yet helpless expression, Rhine smiled.
"Did you notice? When the Sea Hag described the special nature of an Immortal Soul just now, she used language like poetry. Just like the previous riddle, it was also like a poem.
"I think this indicates the kind of answer she wants.
"Future ruler of the Rose Kingdom, most things in this world cannot be fully encompassed by logic and dialectics. Try answering the second question using the way of thinking found in fairy tales."
The way of thinking found in fairy tales... Aurora pondered her teacher's words.
While Aurora was still deep in thought, the Silver-haired Boy stepped forward. Like a bard telling tales around a campfire, he began in a gentle, unhurried voice:
"Beyond the sea, deep within the human lands, in a place very, very far away, there stood a Diamond Mountain.
"This Diamond Mountain was enormous. To climb to its summit took an entire year; to circle around it took an entire year as well; and if one walked straight through its depths to reach the far side of the mountain, that too took a year.
"Every hundred years, a bird flew in from afar, gently pecked the Diamond Mountain once with its beak, then flapped its wings and flew away.
"Many of the humans living at the foot of the mountain spent their whole lives without ever seeing the bird make even one visit.
"Only the longest-lived centenarians might witness the miracle of the bird's arrival twice in their entire lives, taking that experience as something to be proud of."
The Sea Hag sighed softly.
"Yes, compared to us, human lives are indeed so fleeting. This truly is a beautiful story about life and time.
"But what does this story have to do with my question?"
Rhine smiled and gave the end of the tale. "Once the bird has pecked away the entire Diamond Mountain, the first second of eternity will have ended."
The coral reef forest fell silent.
All was quiet. Only the bubbling sounds rising from the cracks and the distant rush of fish swimming through the water could be heard.
Aurora suddenly came to a realization.
"I see. The second riddle was not a question to be interpreted literally. It was asking us to use some way to portray the weight of 'eternal and immortal' in an 'eternal Immortal Soul.'"
How sly.
The Sea Hag burst into laughter. "Ha ha, what an interesting answer.
"As expected of a human with an eternal soul, you have personally told me the weight of eternity. How did you come up with such an interesting answer, human?"
Rhine answered honestly, "I did not come up with this answer. It was a story described in a book I read before. At most, I merely added a few details to it."
This was the beautiful story told by the little shepherd when answering the king's question in Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Of course, what had left such a deep impression on Rhine in his previous life was that an episode of Doctor Who had mentioned it.
Who would have thought that here, in another completely different story, the same answer could actually be used?
Just then, Rhine heard Aurora lower her voice behind him.
"Teacher, I have been thinking about something.
"Only today, after learning such a huge secret from your conversation, have I finally understood.
"Teacher, like you, I am eternal."
The Sea Hag suddenly remembered something and said coldly, "I am adding a rule to the final question.
"According to the rules, the two of you are supposed to answer the questions. But the silver-haired boy answered both previous questions.
"Therefore, I believe the golden-haired girl should give the answer to the final question first. Only then will both of you be answering, rather than just one person!"
Ignoring Aurora's cry of "That isn't fair," the Sea Hag asked, enunciating every word:
"Now, for the third and final question!"
As the Sea Witch was about to ask her question, Rhine suddenly felt a blazing energy surge from the distant seawater, pierce through the belly of the giant fish, and spread across his skin.
The Power of Wishes of a Child of Destiny! Rhine understood at once.
"Obtaining the answer to this question" was the Sea Hag's wish!
If the first two questions had merely tested the one being questioned,
then the answer to the final question was what the Sea Hag truly yearned for.
Only someone who knew the secret of the Immortal Soul and clearly understood the weight of eternity was qualified to answer this question!
"Now, tell me. How can we nonhuman creatures obtain an eternal Immortal Soul like yours?" the Sea Hag asked.
"This is actually the question?"
Rhine could hardly believe his ears.
You didn't know? Of course Rhine knew the answer.
The answer was "love."
If a human sincerely loved a mermaid, she could grant the latter an Immortal Soul. And the human's own Immortal Soul would not disappear because of it.
There was too little description of the Sea Hag in the original work, but judging from how she had instantly guessed the little mermaid's intentions there, she should have known about this.
"Could it be that, in this world, the Sea Hag came into contact with Black Witch Maleficent and the Witch Coven behind her, studied terrifying Black Magic, and was consequently completely rejected by the Sea Kingdom, leaving her unable to learn this secret yet beautiful knowledge?"
Rhine made a guess, glancing at Aurora, who was trying hard to think.
Aurora naturally did not know the answer.
—She had only learned today that humans possessed an Immortal Soul. How could she possibly know how nonhuman creatures obtained one?
The young mage had a sudden idea. He pointed at Aurora and said to the Sea Hag with a smile, "My friend has already given the answer.
"According to the rules you established, all three questions have been answered. You should tell us everything about Maleficent now."
What? When had she said anything? The Sea Hag looked utterly bewildered.
From the moment she finished asking the question, Aurora had not said a single word! Rhine glanced at the thoroughly confused Sea Hag and Mermaid Princess, then reiterated the Sea Hag's rule. "The final question should be answered first by the golden-haired girl.
"According to this rule, she only needs to give the answer before I do. Even if she answered before the question was asked."
The answer was given before the question? Ariel completely failed to understand the boy's words.
What did that mean? The question had not even been asked yet, so how could anyone possibly have given an answer?
Before you continue