The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Kill the queen directly? Hearing Aurora's suggestion, Rhine couldn't help but mutter in his heart:

"That's exactly the kind of idea you'd come up with, Aurora."

This child always tended to be overly aggressive in certain aspects.

"The queen wants to kill us, and she's also a member of the coven. She's certainly no good person—her death wouldn't be a loss." Rhine stared at the unconscious but still-breathing queen on the ground.

"But if the queen suddenly disappears or dies, there's no guarantee that the king won't act rashly. It could throw the entire White Kingdom into chaos!"

As Rhine spoke, he crouched down to observe the unconscious queen.

"I heard back in the Western Asia Kingdom that the neighboring White Kingdom's king has been utterly obsessed with his queen ever since he married her, to the point of neglecting state affairs.

"Now I finally understand why. The queen cast an enchantment on herself that amplifies the king's love for her twofold."

Rhine believed that this was precisely why the queen feared women more beautiful than herself—it might lessen the king's love for her.

Aurora frowned. "Since we can't kill her, then what should we do? Are we supposed to persuade her to be a good person from now on?"

"Not necessarily impossible," Rhine said meaningfully. "Her motivation itself isn't entirely irrational, but her methods are both vile and foolish. A clownish villain like her might have a chance to turn over a new leaf."

Everyone knew that in countless novels and anime, villains who were too dumb often ended up turning into comic relief! Rhine mused.

"How do we persuade her to change her ways? She's still unconscious." Aurora asked.

She noticed Rhine smiling silently, as if he already had an idea.

"Teacher, have you thought of something new again?" Aurora pondered.

She knew very well that from giving her the Blessing of the Warrior to orchestrating an alliance between the mermaids of the Sea Kingdom and humans, this Sage of the Rose Kingdom always had innovative ideas ahead of his time.

Just then, the dwarves who had gone up the mountain to mine returned in a group.

The moment they saw the unconscious queen, they were all stunned:

"Whoa, isn't this the Queen of White Kingdom? We've seen her portrait before. She tried to kill you, but you turned the tables on her?"

"Well, she tried to harm us, but it backfired, and she ended up falling for her own trick." Rhine explained simply.

"The queen is unconscious now. What do you think we should do with her? Kill her directly?" Seeing the dwarves return, Aurora took the opportunity to ask.

The dwarves exchanged glances and concluded:

"We've heard that when it comes to deciding the fate of a ruler, it should be up to the people of that kingdom. We think the same logic should apply to the queen."

"What a naive but somewhat reasonable idea." Aurora pondered over the dwarves' seemingly innocent words.

"That makes sense. I was planning to meet Hunter Angus's carpenter foster father anyway," Rhine said.

So, they dragged the unconscious queen into the house, and the dwarves placed her in a crystal coffin for safekeeping, while Rhine and Aurora teleported out of the forest and into the capital city of White Kingdom.

Like most small kingdoms on the Western Continent, White Kingdom had only one major city—its royal capital.

The moment they entered, Rhine and Aurora could feel the poverty and chaos.

Oh, this city was in a terrible state!

Everywhere was filthy; the roads hadn't been maintained for years, covered in mud and foul water.

Muggers and thieves lurked around every corner, beggars lined the streets, holding out bowls and pleading for alms, while soldiers swaggered about, beating pedestrians with clubs if they didn't make way.

"The state of White Kingdom doesn't seem good either," Aurora mused.

They arrived at a large, dark, and eerie building with barred windows.

Everyone said this was the royal prison, packed with inmates.

"If all the criminals are locked up in prison, why are the streets still so chaotic? And if most criminals aren't in prison, then who's inside?" Aurora wondered.

Just then, outside the prison gates, Aurora and Rhine heard a mournful cry:

"My adopted son—why has he been imprisoned? He hasn't committed any crime! He's a good and innocent child!"

"Let me see my son, I beg you! At least let me know why he's been thrown into death row!"

"Everyone says he'll be executed next week. Why? Why?"

An elderly man knelt before the prison guards, pleading desperately to be allowed inside to see his son.

"Why ask so many questions? This is the decree of His Majesty the King or Her Majesty the Queen!"

A burly soldier roughly shoved the old man to the ground—it looked painful!

"Your adopted son is about to be executed. He's as good as dead—forget about him!" another smaller soldier barked harshly.

"Please, I beg you, take this treasure and just let me see my son, even once!"

The old man endured the pain, stood up with a flattering smile, carefully unwrapped a handkerchief, and revealed a large, luminous pearl inside.

It was unmistakably valuable—a pearl from the Sea Kingdom, the very one Rhine had given to Hunter Angus's family!

The burly soldier snatched the pearl, examining it.

"It does look real, boss," the small soldier said.

"A mere carpenter like you—how could you possibly have such a pearl? It must be fake." The burly soldier scoffed. "Get lost! Don't come back, unless you want to be thrown in prison yourself!"

Despite his words, he slipped the pearl into his pocket, a greedy smirk flashing across his face.

The guards all moved to drive away the old carpenter, raising their clubs to beat him, forcing him to stumble and fall again.

Watching this, Rhine sighed lightly.

"So, that's Hunter Angus's carpenter foster father. The hunter was thrown into prison because he failed to complete the queen's mission?"

The young magician flicked his index finger, and suddenly—

The clubs in the soldiers' hands came to life, jumping up and smacking them on their heads, leaving them bruised and dazed.

Then the clubs turned on the burly soldier, hitting him so hard that he shrieked, "Ghosts!" and collapsed to the ground—his pants turning yellow in fear.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Rhine grabbed the bewildered old carpenter and led him away from the prison gates.

With just a snap of his fingers, all of the bruises and injuries on the old man's body vanished instantly.

"Oh my! Was that you? Was that magic? I witnessed real magic!"

The old carpenter looked as if he had just stepped into a fairy tale, utterly stunned.

"Thank you! I don't even know how to repay you! My house is nearby—please, come and sit for a while," he said excitedly, tears streaming down his face.

"You must be an incredible magician! Can you save my son? His name is Angus. He's a hunter. I don't know why, but he was arrested recently, and now he's set to be executed next week!"

Rhine nodded, answering without hesitation:

"Don't worry. I'll rescue your son and make sure he's safe."

As they walked toward the old carpenter's home, Rhine asked:

"Elder, what is your name?"

"We're outsiders—can you tell us about the recent state of White Kingdom?"

The old carpenter nodded gently.

"My name is Geppetto. I'm an experienced carpenter here in the capital, fairly well-known."

Geppetto? Rhine's eyebrows lifted.

So, you're the future father of Pinocchio?