Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

"It's been a long time since I left Oz. When I arrived there, I was an ordinary person. And when I left, I was still an ordinary person."

Oz locked the suitcase and held it in his hand. "I thought it was just a dream. I wanted to learn all that magical knowledge, but I failed. I am still just a magician, not a wizard."

"How did you get there?"

On the side, Princess Marlene asked curiously. Among the people present, she had the least understanding of the Land of Oz.

“Hot air balloon.”

Oz gestured with his hands. "It's one of those balloons, as big as a house, with a little basket underneath. I learned how to make hot air balloons when I was studying magic."

Oz smiled, as if recalling something, and shook his head:

"As for the route to Oz, I have no idea. It was an inexplicable storm that caused my hot air balloon to reach Oz and then leave from there."

"So you simply—"

"I have nothing to do with Oz right now. I don't even know where Oz is."

Oz shrugged with a wry smile.

"The Emerald City you mentioned, the resistance of Oz against the devil..."

"There is no Land of Oz, only me. This is not a lie. After all, I told you before that the Great Wizard Oz will help you."

"Then the delegation you brought..."

"My magic apprentices are all good people, right?"

Princess Marlene took a deep breath after hearing this. "So, if you don't bring any other help, we still have to use our current forces to face the devil's minions of the Sri Kingdom?"

"If it weren't for the Witch of the West, would we have known your identity all the way to Starfall City and formed an alliance? Would we have known that the powerful reinforcements from the Land of Oz were actually fake?"

Under Princess Marlin's feet, shadows began to tremble inexplicably, rising and falling like a black quagmire.

Her voice was calm and she seemed emotionally stable.

But both Lake and Poro inexplicably felt that the princess seemed a little angry.

"Well, but we always have to face those demons. Like I said, I hide my identity. Those... just make you make up your minds and unite, don't they?"

Oz was stunned for a moment and waved his hand.

"But if your identity was all fake, what about the other things you said? Like—you wanted to fight those demons?"

Princess Marlene raised her hand and pointed at Oz. "What if you've already surrendered to the devil and want to sell us out? Let our already battered army fall into his trap?"

"How could I possibly—"

"You've already told such a big lie. If you really are the world's most powerful wizard, Oz, then you are now the world's biggest liar. What else can I believe in you?"

Princess Marlene took another step forward, a shadow flashed in her eyes, and an inexplicable pressure emanated from her.

"I sent soldiers onto the battlefield to keep the people of Shadi away from war. They all believed that a magical kingdom with the world's strongest magicians as reinforcements gave them hope of victory—but now, this is all fake?"

"What if the Starfall City and the Son of God you mentioned are also fake?"

"I'm sorry, I just..."

"Why can't you tell us the truth? If an alliance is built on deception, what's the difference between such an alliance and a castle in the air?!"

"I...but I'm not a real king!"

Oz's voice trembled slightly. He stopped retreating and looked directly into Princess Marlene's eyes.

Who would have thought that this ordinary person, at this moment, actually had such an aura that could not be underestimated, and was not at all inferior to Princess Marlene when he confronted her.

Oz's eyes widened, burning with anger.

"I'm not a magician, just a magician—an ordinary person.

Besides performing some tricks, what else can I do?! Who would listen to a magician's command and rush to the battlefield and charge bravely?

He raised his voice, almost roaring, and his voice trembled with excitement.

“When I was in Oz, I wanted to be a real king, a real wizard, and to help those who asked me for help to realize their wishes.

But I can't do anything. I can't even learn a single bit of those weird magics!"

After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red, tears welling up in his eyes, and he tried hard to restrain them from falling.

Finally, he suppressed his voice.

"I don't want to be a liar anymore. If I am destined to be just an ordinary person, I should return to where ordinary people belong."

"So, I left the Land of Oz in a hot air balloon and returned to my hometown to continue my magician career. The audience loved my performances, I made a lot of money, and even took in an apprentice..."

Oz spoke slowly, then suddenly paused, his eyes fixed on Princess Marlene, and he spoke word by word:

"I'm different from you. You were born with extraordinary talents, and you can make millions of people work for you with just one sentence.

The devil came, and I could have pretended to know nothing and stayed out of it, or simply escaped and hid, waiting to be destroyed along with the world!"

As Oz spoke, his gaze slowly swept over the stunned Princess Marlene, and his tone gradually softened. He lowered his head, raised the suitcase in his hand horizontally in the air, and opened it with a "click". Inside, the golden crown came into view.

"I know what you want to ask. How can an ordinary person have this thing, right?"

Oz said softly, as he took the crown out of the box and showed it in the direction of Lake, Poro, and Princess Marlene.

The perception of the people present was far beyond that of ordinary people. They immediately sensed the magic power surging within the crown. Obviously, this was a magic prop.

Poro and Lake were familiar with the fairy tale of "The Wizard of Oz". The moment they saw the crown, they had a vague guess in their hearts.

"This golden crown possesses powerful magic, but it doesn't belong to me. Its original owner was the Witch of the West. Even though she's dead, it's not my turn as an ordinary person to own it."

Oz sighed softly. What he said just now was exactly the same as what Lake and Poro had read in the fairy tale.

Obviously, from here on, the story deviates from the original fairy tale direction and enters the "distorted" part.

“But somehow it ended up in my hands.

Originally, I had planned to be an ordinary person and live the rest of my life peacefully, but then a witch found me. I knew her.

"Witch? Which one..."

Princess Marlene couldn't help but interrupt and ask.

"Glinda, the Witch of the South, who gave me the Golden Crown."

Oz stared at the golden crown in his hand and continued thoughtfully, "The Witch of the South, I remember her as a kind witch. She always seemed to know some secrets that others could not know - witches seem to have this ability.

But when we saw her, she was already seriously injured.”

"The Witch of the South? Who hurt her?"

Lake asked eagerly.

"Devil. She told me the secrets of the Sri Kingdom and the stories of the devils.

Can you imagine? A witch would actually confide the huge crisis she knew about to an ordinary person and even ask for his help.

Oz smiled bitterly and shook his head, but there was no smile in his eyes. "If you were in my position, what could an ordinary person do?"

"I……"

The anger on Princess Marlene's face had long since disappeared, replaced by a hint of guilt.

"I'm just a magician, a completely ordinary person. Therefore, I can only do my best and do what I can think of - for example, exposing the true face of the Sri Kingdom to the public so that more people will know; for example, calling on more people to stand up and resist the Sri Kingdom instead of standing idly by."

Oz paused, his eyes falling on the silver shoe in the suitcase.
"For example, trying every possible way to return to the Land of Oz, whether it's to find out what happened in my country, or to find those old friends who truly master magic..."

Hearing this, Princess Marlene lowered her head and whispered:
"I'm sorry, I...I just kind of hate deception."

"cheat?"

Oz was stunned for a moment after hearing this. "It's the prince from your new Shadi, right?"

"you know?"

Princess Marlene listened and opened her eyes slightly.

“I know. I have been in your kingdom for a long time. In an ancient book, there is a record of your kingdom’s shadow magic.

I even know the tower you are in."

As Oz spoke, he looked meaningfully at Lake and Poro.

Poro and Lake discovered Oz's peculiarity when they met him for the second time - although Oz used superb makeup skills to make his face different from before.

But after doubts arose, Lake and Poro discovered the flaw through long-term observation.

When in the Kingdom of Shadi, Oz once disguised himself as an ordinary passerby and hinted to Lake and Poro to find Princess Marlin instead of Prince Peter.

"I also sent people to test Prince Peter, but he killed my people and even deliberately concealed the information I revealed about the 'devil'.

At that time, I suspected that the prince himself might have been corrupted by the devil."

"Thank you."

Princess Marlene took a half step back, lowered her head, and her cheeks turned a little red. "What you did did save a lot of people."

"It's okay. I'm a magician. Sometimes, I have to use the means at my disposal to accomplish my goals—but our goals are the same."

Is this what a person’s shadow means?

Princess Marlene pursed her lips and fell into a long silence, her gaze fixed on the deep shadow beneath her feet. The words of her ancestors flashed vaguely through her mind.

There are many things hidden in the shadows, but they are not necessarily all monsters and malicious, they may also be kind.

Don't be deceived by appearances, look beyond the shadows and see more of the truth.

"And what about Dorothy? If she's not being held captive by the Witch of the West, where is she?"

Lake asked at this time.

"I don't know. At first, the first thing that came to my mind was that girl—she had the ability to take me back to the Land of Oz."

Oz closed the suitcase again. "But I didn't find her. Her home was destroyed, or rather... by the time I arrived there, it had become a deserted city due to the war."

During the conversation, several people had already left the dilapidated town behind them.

Oz watched as a breeze outside the town blew up yellow sand, swirling it across the deserted streets.
"But it doesn't matter. I'm almost finding my way back to the Kingdom of Oz."

"Did you find it?"

"I flew to that country because of a storm, and I left because of a storm. As long as there's wind, there's a hot air balloon, and I can find the pattern—I'll definitely be able to go back."

Oz took a breath, "But only if I still have time."

"time?"

"Before Falling Star City is destroyed by the devil, stop the Sri Kingdom and win the battle."

"But Falling Star City has been holding out for a long time, right? The war between them started several months ago, and it's not over yet. In fact, the losses to the Sri Kingdom are even greater?"

"It's different. I got some news. Soon, it will be the final battle of Xingluo City. The Kingdom of Sri will destroy the Kingdom of Bulu. Next, it will be their decisive battle with Xingluo City."

"They sent all their soldiers?"

"They used some method to make the elderly, children, and women fight for them to replenish their troops, but this is not the most important thing - their prince has already gone to Falling Star City."

Oz glanced at them and said in a deep voice:

"Like I said before, the devil prince who single-handedly destroyed an entire army."

……

The convoy started moving forward again, and Oz had a very clear understanding of the terrain near Starfall City.

According to Oz's request, the three Poros still did not reveal the truth about the Land of Oz.

This magician who called himself an ordinary person had obviously made a lot of preparations in advance, at least for the situation near Falling Star City.

Combined with Princess Marlene's shadow magic perception ability, the convoy advanced silently.

With the help of woods, hills and the cover of darkness, the group actually passed through the blockade set up by the Sri Kingdom without being discovered once.

"Puro, Mr. Oz... he doesn't know any magic, but he can achieve this. He is really amazing."

"Yes, if what he told us is indeed true."

As the Poro spoke, pages of a book appeared in his claws.

Return of the Loop: The Wizard of Oz: Facing Your Fears

[Power Sequence: The Wizard of Oz 1]

[Complete the unsealing ceremony and obtain the fairy tale power]

A child develops a strong mind only after overcoming countless fears. Overcoming fear will help your soul grow!

[Fairy Tale Power: As long as you haven't given up on thinking, you will never let fear or intimidation affect your actions. At the same time, you will have a more thorough understanding of your inner fears and accurately identify the things that are truly worth fearing.]

[Unsealing Ceremony: Killing the Witch of the West]

[Description: Painful, sinister, dark... In the Kingdom of Oz, she symbolizes fear itself. Only by possessing the courage to face fear can one truly slay the evil that symbolizes terror.]

"A passive skill?"

Poro and Lake were both disappointed when they saw the words above.

After all, even though they encountered so many enemies, the two of them were never frightened to the point of being unable to move.

……

In another compartment, Oz placed the suitcase in front of him.

He was alone in the corner, lifting a corner of his clothes.

"Tsk, it's still hurt."

Experiencing the pursuit of wolves and crows in the small town, and the physical limitations of ordinary people, made him not as comfortable as he appeared.

Under his lifted clothes, there was a wound, which was the claw mark left by the magical black wolf.

He gently touched away the red marks on his skin, but they were not blood flowing from the wound.

However, the wound torn by the wolf's claws did not have the layers that normal skin should have. Instead, it had a rubber-like texture, which was seamless and had no gaps or textures at all, exuding an indescribable weirdness.

"But I think they didn't notice it?"

Oz gave a faintly lucky smile, picked up a bloody gauze, and covered the strange wound again. (End of this chapter)