After a series of psychological clashes, the King, still in shock, felt a hint of relief.
He had already made up his mind to bestow the kingdom upon a brave warrior he had never met.
Now, it seemed, since it was for his own child, wouldn't it be better than giving it to an unknown outsider?
Withdrawing his gaze from the King, Rhine rolled his eyes at the Witches who were still in a state of astonishment.
What?
The blessings of invulnerability to blades and immunity to fire and water, weren't those given by you?
What's there to be surprised about?
Rhine cleared his throat twice, then continued:
"Today, the blessing I bestowed upon Princess Aurora must be kept absolutely secret by everyone.
"After Black Witch Maleficent leaves the kingdom, it's not impossible for her to continue monitoring the curse's development.
"If Black Witch knew that we created a warrior who would kill her with a blessing, she would definitely try to hinder the blessing's fulfillment.
"The power of blessings is ultimately limited; we cannot simply do nothing and wait for the prophecy to automatically come true. We must actively work to bring it about..."
—As early as when everyone was discussing what blessing to bestow, Rhine had dismissed the nearby Soldiers and attendants, ensuring that only the King, Queen, and Witches knew the content of the blessing.
Rhine had also considered bestowing an exaggerated blessing like "omniscience and omnipotence." However, the power of blessings has its limits; it couldn't even remove one of Black Witch's curses, so it was naturally impossible to directly grant power exceeding Black Witch's. Thus, he tailored this blessing to emphasize talent and the direction of destiny.
Rhine then turned to the King:
"To ensure the blessing is successfully realized, there are three more matters that require His Majesty's trouble."
The King was indeed a King; he had by now accepted the somewhat absurd reality:
"Please instruct me, Sir Rhine."
This monarch of the kingdom might not have realized it himself, but after a series of events, he had subtly come to view this Little Magician before him as his sole reliance and hope at this moment.
Therefore, when Rhine offered advice, he naturally felt it should be followed.
Rhine slowly said:
"First is the first matter.
"Please, King, seal off the news of tonight. The people of the kingdom must not know that this land has been cursed by Black Witch and will face destruction in more than ten years.
"Once the news leaks, the entire kingdom will surely fall into panic!
"Whether they are powerful nobles or wealthy merchants, as long as they have the opportunity, everyone will desperately flee this cursed land.
"His Majesty's court will forever lack wise ministers, His Majesty's army will no longer have brave fighting Soldiers, and the kingdom's land will see no diligent farming peasants.
"In this way, the kingdom will be a kingdom in name only before the curse even descends."
Hearing Rhine's reminder, the King nodded slightly.
This was indeed a huge hidden danger!
But, could this curse be avoided by escaping the kingdom? If so...
Seeming to understand what the King was thinking again, the young man's watery eyes dimmed slightly, and he sighed softly:
"I have just performed a divination using the Princess as a medium, confirming the nature of the curse: Black Witch Maleficent's curse cannot be avoided even by escaping the kingdom!
"But even if His Majesty says so, people may not believe it, only thinking it's a trick by those in power.
"Our goal is to lift the curse. The kingdom cannot collapse under the curse named 'fear' before the Witch's curse even descends!"
When Rhine said this, several Witches' expressions clearly changed slightly.
His gaze swept over the Witches, and Rhine continued the previous topic:
"Next is the second matter.
"Please, Your Majesty, pretend that I have never shown you the future, nor have I bestowed this special blessing upon Princess Aurora.
"Do everything according to His Majesty's original plan—including confiscating spinning wheels from the common folk, and creating the false impression that Princess Aurora is confined to the palace..."
"And I and the 12 Witches will take Princess Aurora, leave the palace, and before the day of the curse arrives, train her to become a King capable of sitting on the throne and a warrior capable of defeating a dragon..."
So, Rhine finished explaining his plan in detail.
The King accepted without objection, though the Queen was somewhat sorrowful.
The young man then continued:
"Next is the third matter.
"From now on, I will take Princess and leave the palace for a long time, until I raise her into a brave warrior who can stand on her own. During this time, please trouble His Majesty to spread my legend, which can be embellished and exaggerated.
"Before I became a court magician, I had already used magic potions and spells to heal over a thousand patients, but the scale of influence was still far from enough. Moreover, the legend I need now must include more important details.
"These legendary stories should emphasize that there is a magician in the kingdom who can grant wishes. If one holds a sufficiently fervent wish in their heart and recites the name from the legend, it is possible for their wishes to come true and their desires to be realized.
"This name is:
"Sage Beyond the World, Prophet Who Knows the Future, Wizard of Miracles and Wishes..."