Rhine nodded.
"Of course. Finding that girl would not be difficult for me. Divination is not omnipotent; it requires a medium and prior information.
"But the information Your Highness provided is already sufficient, and Your Highness standing here is the best possible medium.
"Besides, not much time has passed."
What he did not say was that the prior information he needed for divination had come not only from the prince's account, but even more from his advantage of having learned the full story beforehand. The medium he used was not merely the prince standing here, but also a fish scale in his roomy pocket.
—This beautiful fish scale came from another witness to the prince's story.
"Let us begin."
Rhine took out a Crystal Ball and recited a strange incantation.
This Crystal Ball was also a gift from the Deep Sea Kingdom. It had been given to him by the Sea King and Ariel's sisters, and it could strengthen his magic of prophecy and divination.
Ordinary crystals came from deep within the earth, yet absurdly, those who studied mysticism and prophets who loved crystals classified them as having the attribute of water. But the Crystal Ball in Rhine's hand came from the deep sea—a gemstone formed after seawater had been compressed for thousands of years, possessing magic unavailable on land.
It was precisely thanks to this magical Crystal Ball that he had been able to see the painting before the court artist finished it. "Let me unravel Prince Eric's doubts," Rhine said as he cast his spell.
Specks of starlight emerged within the Crystal Ball, as though the boy were holding the vast universe in his hands.
"Wait a moment!" the prince stopped him. "We should deal with my father's task first. The origins of that Amnesiac Girl are more