The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 94: Epilogue—The Sea Hag’s Fate

After the wedding of the mermaid princess and the human prince, the Sea King once again summoned Rhine and Aurora to his palace.

The two human children were still inside the giant fish with its transparent belly.

"Honorable Magician, the Sea Kingdom and the human kingdom have now formed an alliance.

"Trade will flourish between our nations, benefiting both sides, and that human king is working hard to help the people of the land understand and overcome their past prejudices against merfolk.

"I thank you both for helping my daughter and for helping all of us merfolk.

"From now on, if either of you ever needs anything, the citizens of the Sea Kingdom will do everything in their power to assist you. In addition, I am willing to offer a reward."

"A reward?" Rhine thought for a moment before asking, "My companion, Aurora, is a formidable warrior. Ordinary weapons cannot withstand the intensity of her battles. Is there a suitable weapon for her in the Sea Kingdom?"

At that moment, Rhine suddenly recalled an odd story—about a monkey searching for a weapon in the sea.

The Sea King summoned his ministers, and after some discussion, they admitted they were powerless in this regard.

Even the Sea King’s trident was more of a symbol of authority than a true weapon of great power.

"Great Magician, I truly apologize, but please choose another reward."

Rhine nodded slightly, a hint of disappointment in his expression.

"In that case, I’ll take some treasures from the sea."

After receiving the Sea King’s permission, Rhine casually gathered a thousand large pearls from the Sea Kingdom. Then, he collected numerous beautiful coral ornaments, crafts made from mother-of-pearl and seashells, and other rare and exquisite items that could only be found in the ocean.

"As a magician, I have already left my mark on these items," Rhine explained. "Whenever I need them, I can summon them at will."

Because Rhine's request seemed too simple and inexpensive, the Sea King insisted that he take more, but Rhine felt it was unnecessary.

He thought, These treasures may be common in the Sea Kingdom, but on land, their value increases a hundredfold. Any one of these large pearls alone is worth a fortune.

From now on, I’ll be traveling with wealth equivalent to that of an entire kingdom!

In the western continent, most kingdoms were small, and Rhine was certain that with his newfound oceanic fortune, he could buy out a significant portion of the continent.

Back in the palace, the Sea King let out a sigh.

"Now, there is only one issue left to address.

"The magic potions you crafted can turn humans into merfolk and merfolk into humans. This will be essential for long-term communication between land and sea.

"Relatively speaking, it is safer for humans to grow a fishtail and enter the sea than for merfolk to gain legs and walk on land, as they don’t have to bear that terrible curse.

"However, you are the only one who can create these miraculous potions. While I am willing to offer additional compensation for them, I’ve heard that you plan to travel far away. You won’t be able to stay here permanently.

"So, what should we do once you leave?"

Rhine smiled. "That won’t be a problem. I can recommend another master of potions to Your Majesty. I will provide her with both potion recipes.

"When I leave, if someone wishes to visit the sea or if a human wants to live in the ocean, they can rely on her."

The Sea King was momentarily stunned.

"You mean…?"

Rhine grinned.

"Of course, I’m referring to the Sea Hag who lives in the Coral Forest."

……

Through raging whirlpools and steaming, desolate seabeds, Rhine, the Sea King, and a group of merfolk soldiers arrived at the Bone Shack, where the Sea Hag resided.

"Who is it? Who’s come looking for me now?"

Thinking she had a new customer, the Sea Hag pushed open the door—only to see the Sea King, holding his trident, and an entire battalion of fully armed merfolk soldiers. She was instantly terrified.

"Y-Your Majesty?" The Sea Hag trembled.

She knew her reputation wasn’t great, but she never expected the Sea King to come for her with such a grand display of force!

"Could it be… that the Sea King found out I wanted to cut out Ariel’s tongue and came here to punish me?" The Sea Hag panicked.

Her magic was nowhere near strong enough to take on the entire Sea Kingdom!

"Hello there, Sea Witch. I’m back—to fulfill your wish," Rhine’s voice rang out.

Only then did the Sea Hag notice the giant fish with the transparent belly—and the familiar young magician inside.

"My wish…?" The Sea Hag was dumbfounded.

"Didn’t you once say you wanted the recognition of the Sea King and the entire Sea Kingdom?" Rhine said. "Now, the opportunity is right in front of you."

As the Sea Hag stared in shock, the merfolk all bowed to her in unison.

The Sea King, displaying the benevolence of a ruler, extended his hand toward the hideous witch who had once haunted the nightmares of merfolk children.

"Please, become my court alchemist, honorable Sea Witch. We need you.

"As the ruler of the Sea Kingdom, I am formally hiring you, granting you the status of a guest of the Deep Sea Palace. From this day forth, your name will be honored throughout these waters."

The Sea Hag felt as if she were dreaming.

No—this was a scene so impossible that she wouldn’t have dared to dream it, yet it was happening right before her eyes!

"Thank you… thank you," she murmured.

Though she didn’t fully understand the situation, she knew it was all thanks to Rhine. The old witch nodded fervently at the young human magician, her eyes brimming with gratitude.

"I have already received my reward. As per our agreement, you should now provide me with information on the Coven of Witches," Rhine said with a smile.

"Oh, and one more thing—a little reminder: It seems the coven is considering expelling you. After all, you know too many of their secrets.

"Of course, if they decide to eliminate you quietly, it might be easy for them. But once you enter the Sea King’s palace and prepare yourself in advance, taking your life won’t be so simple anymore."

The sheer weight of this information left the Sea Hag momentarily speechless.

She turned to Rhine, her movements stiff, and nodded.

"Thank you for your warning, great human magician. I will be sure to take precautions!"

……

After handing over the potion recipes to the Sea Witch and obtaining a memory bubble containing intelligence on the Coven of Witches, Rhine also asked the Sea King to help locate magical creatures with regenerative abilities.

Among the many ingredients needed to brew the potions, magical blood was the most crucial. However, the Sea Hag’s own blood was insufficient.

Thanks to the merfolk’s deep knowledge of the ocean and their skill in divination, it didn’t take long before they discovered a magical whale.

This whale, blessed with an extraordinary ability, could heal all its wounds every morning—making it the perfect source of magical blood.

After joining the Sea King’s court, the Sea Hag became deeply passionate about her new role.

It likely wouldn’t take long—perhaps just six months—before she was no longer the terrifying figure parents used to frighten their children with.

Inside the Sea King’s palace, in a laboratory specially designated for the Sea Hag, she turned to Rhine and said,

"Thank you, Rhine."

The Sea Witch carefully crushed the medicine in her jar, then lifted her head to gaze through the amber-colored window. Outside, a group of merfolk children were playing.

They passed around a ball woven from seaweed, chatting as they told all sorts of wild stories.

"Have you heard? There's an old and ugly witch living in a little house made of bones deep in the Coral Forest. She loves to eat little mermaid children like us!" one child exclaimed.

To his surprise, the other merfolk children immediately refuted him.

"What are you talking about? That's just a made-up story! That witch is the royal alchemist of His Majesty the Sea King. How could she be a bad person?"

……

Inside the palace of the Western Asia Kingdom.

Rhine compiled the intelligence he had gathered, listing all the known information about the Coven of Witches.

"Teacher! Teacher!" Aurora ran excitedly into the room.

"The Sea Witch said that simply providing you with some information isn’t nearly enough to express her gratitude. Not only did you fulfill her wish, but you also warned her of the dangers ahead. So, she asked Ariel to send us another gift!"

Aurora placed two shimmering, gem-like plant roots onto the table.

"The Sea Witch said these come from a rare and precious plant found only in the sea. She’s been holding onto them for years, reluctant to use them herself. Anyone who eats them will become immune to all poisons, and many dark curses and hexes will also have reduced effects on them."

"Immunity to poison and resistance to curses? That does sound useful," Rhine remarked. "Your blessing lacks that kind of protection."

Previously, when fighting the Old Witch in her transformed viper form, Aurora had been wounded on her right hand by its venom, despite her otherwise impenetrable defenses.

After a quick check to ensure the roots weren’t harmful, Rhine and Aurora each ate one.

The moment Rhine swallowed it, a warm current surged through his body. Aside from that, there were no obvious external changes.

"By the way, people have been saying that after getting married, Prince Eric isn’t the same as before," Aurora added.

"In what way?" Rhine asked.

"Both the king and others have noticed that Prince Eric seems to have matured. He’s making an effort to learn things he never cared about before, striving to become a worthy king in the future," Aurora reported.

"As expected…"

Rhine gazed at the vast blue sky outside the window.

"Prince Eric—the future ruler of the Western Asia Kingdom—is now the symbol of friendship between humans and merfolk.

"I imagine he wants to become a great and respected king, spending his life reshaping humanity’s understanding of merfolk and erasing old prejudices.

"He might not like the idea of being a king, but there are some things that neither mighty warriors nor brilliant magicians can accomplish—only a king can."

Although he was talking about Prince Eric, Aurora nodded thoughtfully.

"Prince Eric once said he hated politics the most. Who would’ve thought that after setting a new goal for himself, he’d end up becoming exactly the kind of person he used to despise?" Aurora teased with a smile.

"You’ve developed more of a sense of humor," Rhine shrugged, then added, his words carrying a double meaning, "It goes to show—after certain experiences, people do change."

At that moment, Rhine suddenly froze.

He felt it—an unprecedented, overwhelming surge of wish energy, finally converging and rushing toward him like a tidal wave!

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