The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 82: Rhine’s Promise

"Our enemies already know that Ariel is a mermaid. The reason for this hastily arranged wedding is to ensure she turns into sea foam by dawn."

"They are doing everything they can to stop us—especially Ariel—from meeting Prince Eric. Clearly, as long as we reunite, fate will shift in our favor, unraveling their schemes and Enderland’s entire conspiracy."

Despite the dire situation, Rhine remained calm.

"Teacher, please help us find where Prince Eric is!" Aurora said.

Rhine nodded slightly and pulled out a crystal ball. He placed one of Eric’s buttons on it.

A brilliant blue light radiated from the orb.

After examining the scene within, Rhine summarized:

"Prince Eric isn’t near us, but he’s not far away either—it's as if he no longer exists in this world.

"This means that he and the Enderland princess have been transported into a different realm—a hidden space beyond reality—by either the old witch or another Enderland court mage.

"As long as we find the gateway to that space, I can break through and rescue Prince Eric!"

Aurora clenched her fists, furious.

"That damn old witch! Of course, it’s her doing again!"

Without hesitation, she pulled a tinderbox from her pocket and struck it swiftly.

Whoosh!

A massive dog appeared before her, its eyes as large as teacups.

"Find Prince Eric!" Aurora commanded.

The dog sniffed the air, moving left and right before shaking its head and sticking out its tongue in apology.

"Because Eric isn’t in the real world?" Aurora realized the issue and gave a new order:

"Find the entrance to the other world!"

No one within the mirror world had realized they were in another realm.

They remained blissfully unaware that the peaceful scenery outside was a fabricated illusion, that the temple’s doors could no longer be opened.

Through the windows, the world looked unchanged:

Stars twinkled in the night sky.

A soft breeze swayed the silver moon, revealing it from behind the clouds.

Ships moved in and out of the harbor.

Red lanterns lit the streets, celebrating the wedding of the prince and princess.

There was no chaos, no noise.

A perfect illusion of peace.

Inside the temple, the musicians continued to play joyful wedding melodies.

No one knew of the pandemonium raging outside in the port of Enderland’s royal capital.

Prince Eric, though resting, still felt dazed.

The combined effects of alcohol, memory-erasing drugs, and the princess's enchanted fragrance had left him mentally clouded, his thoughts a tangled mess. ȑÁΝοВƐṨ

"Quick, Princess, continue with the sacred ceremony. Today is a joyous occasion! Isn’t the prince before you your heart’s desire?"

The old witch urged from the sidelines.

The Enderland princess nodded softly.

From the very start, she had been deliberately stalling, coming up with excuses like,

"Eric still doesn’t seem well. Let’s wait a little longer."

But every few minutes, the old witch pushed her again. She couldn’t delay much longer.

"This is strange... I should be overjoyed at my wedding, yet I keep hesitating," the princess thought.

Still, she took Eric’s hand and led him back up the flower-adorned altar.

The red flowers around them bloomed in full splendor, their scent intoxicating.

A thousand golden oil lamps cast a warm glow, illuminating the prince and princess’s flawless faces. The joyful music swirled around them.

Since Prince Eric couldn’t even recite his vows, he merely followed gestures, symbolically completing the ceremony as the priest declared the wedding concluded.

The old witch let out a slow breath.

"The wedding is nearly done. Once the first light of dawn touches the Enderland royal banner, everything will be set in stone."

"I’ve hidden the mirror in an impossible-to-find location. No one will ever locate it, and no one will ever free Eric and the princess."

As she thought this, she discreetly tapped on the locked temple doors.

A ghostly blue vortex appeared—visible only to her.

This was her exit, leading back to reality.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the bride and groom.

No one noticed her vanish into the vortex.

"Time to deal with whatever disturbances have erupted outside… It sounds like chaos out there."

The city was bedlam.

Cries filled the air.

The thunder of cavalry hooves and the clatter of boots echoed across the streets.

Amidst the chaos, a dog with teacup-sized eyes darted through the city under the cover of darkness.

Some bystanders gasped at the strange sight, but no one paid much attention.

"Wait, I just saw a huge dog run past!"

"Ignore it. Probably some court magician’s familiar."

"...Wait, I know that dog! Six months ago, on the battlefield against the Rose Kingdom, I saw it toss my commander into the air, shattering him to pieces! I still have nightmares about it! Why is that beast here?"

"Who cares? It’s just a big dog. Focus! We need to get to the port—a giant sea monster is attacking the ships!"

Rhine, Aurora, and Ariel followed the dog as it zigzagged through the streets of the capital.

For the first time, Ariel felt grateful for the potion Rhine had given her—the one that removed the pain of walking on human legs.

Without it, she would have never been able to keep up.

"Something’s wrong!" Aurora exclaimed, panicked.

"It keeps stopping at random mirrors all over the city—storefront windows, household mirrors, even decorative ones! Every time we reach one, Rhine checks with his crystal ball, but Eric is never inside!"

Rhine calmly explained,

"That old witch must have enchanted hundreds of mirrors across the city. Each one could theoretically be a portal to another world."

"Of course, she can only activate one at a time—the one holding Eric and the princess!"

"Then how do we find the right one?!" Aurora cried.

"Ariel doesn’t have time! If we don’t fix this before dawn, she’ll turn into sea foam!"

Ariel clenched her fists, lowering her head.

"I’m useless... I can’t help at all... I can’t do anything to find Eric!"

The mermaid silently wept in her heart.

"Wait—" Aurora’s eyes lit up.

"If the potion to regrow Ariel’s tail can make her a mermaid again, can’t it break the curse?"

Rhine shook his head firmly.

"The curse was set in stone the moment she drank the first potion. Simply turning back into a mermaid won’t erase it."

"There is a way to break it, but it’s far more cruel—Ariel must personally stab Eric through the heart, letting his blood spill onto her feet. Only then will the world ‘forgive’ her existence as a human and return her to a mermaid."

Ariel’s voice trembled.

"Even if Eric stood before me—I would never do that."

Rhine believed her—because in the original story, that was exactly what she had chosen.

"Wait!" Aurora brightened again.

"Eric loves Ariel! Even if they aren’t married, their love is stronger than most! Doesn’t that mean Ariel might have already gained an Immortal Soul?"

Rhine smiled,

"You’re thinking in the right direction. Love isn’t limited to a wedding vow or ceremony.

"In theory, if they spent enough time together, Ariel could gradually obtain an Immortal Soul.

"But..."

Rhine’s smile faded.

"They simply haven’t had enough time."

"Without the wedding ritual to accelerate the process, Eric’s love alone isn’t strong enough yet."

Aurora’s excitement vanished.

Ariel’s face darkened.

Then Rhine leaned in, his voice soft but firm.

"Ariel—don’t worry.

I promise you… even when dawn arrives, you will be safe."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!