The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 123: The True Queen Returns to the Palace

At that very moment, Aurora shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, charging straight at the dragon.

“Again?!”@@novelbin@@

The dragon trembled.

Now that she had lost the mobility granted by flight, the Eastern Witch had no desire to continue fighting this girl.

Even though Aurora couldn’t deal any serious damage, she was growing stronger with every second—treating the fight like a sparring match, using the dragon as her practice dummy.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more Aurora gained the advantage, while the more the dragon suffered losses.

For the first time in her life, the Eastern Witch felt utterly humiliated.

Not because she was losing in skill or power—but because she had been played like a fool from start to finish!

With a single thought, she shrank back to her human form and clicked her heels together—though now, only one of her feet had a shoe.

Then, she stepped forward with her remaining Silver Shoe.

Even with just one, the magical Silver Shoe still worked—but with severe side effects.

A violent gust of wind erupted. The next second, the Eastern Witch vanished into thin air.

Before disappearing completely, she spat out her final threat:

“You just wait, Magician Rhine! I will return!

“I will kill you and take back the Silver Shoe you stole from me!”

Splash!

The Eastern Witch plummeted straight into the sea.

Now, completely drenched, she looked like a pathetic, half-drowned dog.

“Damn it! I actually ended up in the ocean!” she cursed—only to immediately choke on a mouthful of seawater.

This was the side effect of using only one Silver Shoe—

The teleportation destination was completely random!

Sputter!

After swallowing far too much salty, bitter seawater, the Eastern Witch finally managed to poke her head out of the waves.

Glaring in the direction of land, her fury boiled over.

She let out a string of curses, screaming into the empty sea breeze:

“Magician Rhine! That absurdly strong, crazy girl!

And you! You wretched Queen!

“All three of you—wash your necks and wait for me!

“It won’t be long before I hunt you down, one by one! I’ll kill you all, imprison your souls, reclaim my Silver Shoes, and burn the entire White Kingdom to the ground!” Ŗ𝐚Ν𝔬ᛒËＳ

With her threats complete, the sea wind howled around her.

Whoosh!

A chill ran down her spine.

“…I need to return to Oz and bring out my strongest weapons.”

That was her plan—until she suddenly realized something.

She couldn’t return to Oz.

Watching the Eastern Witch disappear with just one Silver Shoe, Rhine calmly examined the one he had stolen.

In his other hand, he pulled out a crystal ball, beginning a divination:

“What are the differences in power when using only one Silver Shoe instead of a full pair?”

A deep, sapphire glow radiated from the crystal ball.

A moment later, Rhine got his answer and shared it with Aurora:

“With just one shoe, the Eastern Witch can still teleport—but with two major limitations.

First, the range is severely reduced. She can only teleport a few kilometers at most, instead of traveling anywhere she wants across the continent.

Second, the destination is completely random. She has no control over where she ends up.

“…Actually, given the first limitation, the second one might be a blessing in disguise.”

Aurora beamed with delight.

“This is amazing, Teacher!

“That means we’ve achieved our goal perfectly!

“With only one shoe left, that wicked witch can’t teleport all over the world anymore. The Witches’ Council just lost their most mobile member.”

However, her excitement quickly shifted into concern.

“But if she can’t teleport far, that means she’s still somewhere near the White Kingdom…

“…And if she can’t get back to Oz, she’s definitely going to come after us.”

Rhine nodded, his expression calm.

“Yes, we’ll have to prepare for that.

“Now that you’ve fought her, you understand just how powerful she really is.”

After absorbing the power of the Sea Kingdom and the Western Kingdom’s Wishes, Rhine could tell his own magic had grown significantly stronger since the time he had fought the Old Witch of Enderland.

Even so, fighting the Eastern Witch had been a challenge.

They had only managed to drive her away through strategy, teamwork, and a two-on-one advantage.

Aurora gripped her battered sword, thinking back on the fight.

“My attacks weren’t strong enough. Even after transforming, I couldn’t deal any real damage to her dragon form.”

Her emerald eyes darkened as she muttered:

“…The future Black Witch Maleficent is bound to be even stronger. I’m still not strong enough.”

She clenched her fist, then raised her hand, flexing her sore muscles.

“But at least… I learned how to fight a dragon.

“I figured out their movements, and now I can incorporate dragon techniques into my swordsmanship.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated what she had learned.

Her blade slashed through the air, fluid yet powerful—each strike mimicking a dragon’s ferocity and unstoppable force.

Each swing stirred up a fierce wind, like the wake of a dragon’s wingbeat.

Crack!

But after only a few swings—

Her already battered sword snapped in half.

“The quality of my weapon is still too poor.”

She frowned, staring at the broken blade in frustration.

“…Where am I supposed to find a decent sword?”

Rhine chuckled.

“That’s easy. We can just ask the Magic Mirror.

“It should be able to tell us where to find a powerful weapon that suits you.”

“Oh! You’re right!” Aurora slapped her thigh in realization—then paused, her face falling.

“…Wait. The perfume’s effect has already worn off.”

If she wanted to question the Magic Mirror again, she would need to use another drop—to disguise herself as the Queen.

“…And the real Queen has already awakened.

“…Which means—according to our plan…”

Rhine gazed toward the royal city, watching the clear blue sky above.

“…Yes. It’s time for us to check on the real Queen.”

The Queen had finally returned.

The nobles and ministers of the White Kingdom erupted into celebration the moment they saw her.

“Finally! We can see you in person again, Your Majesty!”

“For the past two months, you’ve been locked away in your chambers, tirelessly using the Magic Mirror to govern the kingdom. You’ve worked yourself to exhaustion for the sake of the nation!

“…But now, have you finally come out for a breath of fresh air?”

“If not for you and the Magic Mirror recognizing my talent, I never would have gained this position.

“There are so many things I’ve wanted to say to you—so many thanks and praises I’ve been waiting to give you, Your Majesty!”

Seeing the Queen in person again, the ministers were moved to tears.