"We've run far enough. Can I ride the flying broomstick now?"
The Queen once again mounted her broom and flew towards the royal city at the foot of the mountain.
Seeing the royal city, which she had been separated from for many days, so close at hand, the Queen was overcome with excitement.
"King, magic mirror, ministers, people of White Kingdom, your Queen is finally coming back!"
"I wonder how excited the King and the magic mirror will be to see me again after I've been gone for so long."
Thinking of this, the Queen felt a little resentful:
"It seems both the forest and the royal city are very peaceful. That King actually didn't send the entire army to search for me everywhere!"
Perhaps it was due to her eagerness, but the Queen flew so fast on her broom that she arrived at the royal city much sooner than expected.
Before long, the Queen arrived on the streets of the royal city.
However, just as she arrived, the Queen's eyes widened.
The mud on the streets had been completely cleared, the roads were neat and tidy, some old dilapidated areas had been renovated, and the patrolling guards were orderly.
"Where am I? Is this still the royal city of White Kingdom?"
The Queen was utterly surprised.
With a bewildered heart, she continued to walk forward.
Just then, she heard shouts from behind her:
"Oh my, is that Her Majesty Queen?"
"I actually saw Her Majesty Queen with my own eyes. She's strolling on the street."
"As expected of Her Majesty Queen, she's truly approachable, without even a single attendant or guard by her side."
"Her Majesty Queen is a powerful Witch, skilled in magic, so she doesn't need a few guards."
"I'm so touched. The clothes Her Majesty Queen is wearing are actually so simple, completely indistinguishable from ours, the common people. I almost didn't recognize her."
"Yes, I thought Her Majesty Queen would definitely be wearing luxurious clothes woven from light gauze and silk, with a golden crown inlaid with pearls on her head. I didn't expect her daily wear to be so simple and plain."
"Is this Her Majesty Queen who dedicates herself wholeheartedly to the Kingdom? She is truly great."
"…"
Various whispers came from behind.
The Queen was startled.
"What's going on? Am I dressed very simply?"
The Queen instinctively lowered her head to check the clothes she was wearing.
Only then did she realize that, in order to disguise herself as an old peddler, she was indeed wearing commoner's clothes.
"Damn it, how embarrassing. I, the Queen of White Kingdom, was actually seen by these commoners wearing such commoner's clothes."
"Wait, why do the commoners' comments about me sound so strange?"
"Why do they seem… to respect and admire me?"
The Queen felt a bit bewildered.
She knew very well that her image in the Kingdom in the past should not have been like this!
Wasn't she a terrifying and majestic Queen?
The common people would never dare to openly discuss her; in front of her, they were always trembling, afraid of saying one wrong word and being thrown into prison or having their heads chopped off.
The Queen couldn't understand this change.
But as long as someone respected her, she was satisfied.
The Queen continued walking towards the palace.
A Team of royal city guards came towards her. They saw the Queen and joyfully greeted Her Majesty Queen:
"Great and wise Her Majesty Queen, you've finally returned. Everyone has been waiting for you!"
Is this because they saw I had been missing for a long time, so they're happy to see me back? No, from their expressions, it seems I only left for a day or two, not that I was missing for a long time. Could it be that I didn't actually sleep for a long time?
The Queen was still wondering when she was already swept along by the crowd.
"Her Majesty Queen, I've finally seen you with my own eyes, and I can express my endless respect for you!"
"Now, other countries envy our White Kingdom, having a Queen like you who strives for good governance, and a magic mirror that knows everything about the Kingdom's affairs, big and small, which can be used to select talent and govern state affairs."
"Under Her Majesty Queen's diligent governance, all spies from the Dorma Kingdom have been captured, and the underground crime syndicate has been completely wiped out. How do you plan to deal with them?"
"Her Majesty Queen, praise be to you. Ever since you governed the country with the magic mirror, the entire Kingdom has become incorruptible; no one dares to embezzle…"
"Her Majesty Queen, the Witch Society's murder case is still awaiting your handling plan."
"We have already received the list of the new batch of selected talents whose leadership and loyalty both exceed 50. What do you think, Your Majesty…?"
The Queen was lost in confusion.
What is governing with a magic mirror? Is that how a magic mirror is used?
What the hell is leadership and loyalty exceeding 50? Can that be quantified?
Enemy spies and underground organizations have all been wiped out? Weren't they particularly rampant before? How were they caught?
Wait, was it by that magic mirror? Can anyone else use the magic mirror besides me?
No. From their words, it seems like I did all of this? How do I have no recollection at all?
The Queen was utterly bewildered.
"Where the hell did they take me?"
"Am I still dreaming?"
…
In the forest clearing, Rhine and the Eastern Witch were still in a standoff.
"Can a silver shoe with only one shoe left still be used?"
Rhine seemed to completely ignore the Eastern Witch hovering in the air, glaring at him, wishing she could devour him, and instead, he began to examine the silver shoe in his hand.
He even squatted down, about to take off his left boot and put on the single silver shoe to see if it would work.
The Eastern Witch saw a tiny (literally) magician completely disregard her, and even try on her magic shoe right in front of her.
This provocative action made her furious, filled with rage!
"I will… kill… you!" The words practically burst from her teeth.
The Eastern Witch in mid-air shot out towards Rhine like a meteor.
A violent gust of wind rushed towards her, making her Witch robe sway. A vicious and terrifying spell was about to strike the boy who was squatting down to change his shoe.
As the Eastern Witch erupted, the birds circling her also swooped towards her from all directions.
As before, the Eastern Witch knew these birds couldn't harm her and didn't bother to pay them any mind.
All her attention was focused on the silver-haired boy in front of her.
The Witch's premonition told her that he was absolutely the true body of the magician Rhine!
However, the next moment, the Eastern Witch's sense of impending danger was triggered again.
The danger came from…
Those birds!
Suddenly, a bird above the Witch's head abruptly expanded, growing larger and larger, transforming into a giant dog like a monstrous beast.
The dog's eyes were as large as the top of a round tower, and it opened its bloodthirsty maw, pouncing down from the sky towards the Eastern Witch, intending to tear her to pieces!
—The largest of the three dogs summoned by the the tinderbox!
"Not good, there's a problem with a second bird."
The Eastern Witch understood now.
"Not only did his true body disguise itself as an ordinary bird, hiding among the flock, but a giant beast dog was also transformed into a bird by him in advance, similarly lurking."
"This time, the magician himself is attracting my attention, subtly dispelling the transformation magic on the giant beast dog, and ambushing me!"
What a nested scheme.
The magician opposite, though clearly inferior to her in magical attainment, was truly too cunning, causing her, a core member of the Witch Society, to constantly be on the defensive!
The Eastern Witch once again sensed the danger half a second in advance, suddenly turning in mid-air and dodging the giant dog pouncing from the sky, her movements extremely agile.
The giant dog crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and shaking the earth.
The Eastern Witch landed on the ground, looking at the rather disheveled dog, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"That bird, which was a source of danger, has also been eliminated."
"Now, you have no other tricks, do you?"
The next instant, the Eastern Witch's eyes widened, her eyeballs bulging.
A sharp, incomparable longsword was plunged into her back.
Behind the Eastern Witch stood Aurora, a golden-haired, blue-eyed, valiant and spirited young woman.
She was thrusting the longsword in her hand into the Witch's back, pushing hard, about to pierce the evil Witch's heart.
Feeling the pain from her back, the Eastern Witch suddenly understood:
The dangerous birds she had a premonition about earlier were not just one.
The longsword in Aurora's hand pierced into the Witch's body, and Aurora shouted excitedly:
"Success!"
She was the third bird.
The sharp sword in Aurora's hand thrust straight forward, already piercing through the Eastern Witch's clothes and skin. If nothing went wrong, in the next moment, it would penetrate the Witch and pierce her heart.