“I left the Land of Oz a long time ago. When I arrived, I was an ordinary person, and after leaving, I am still just an ordinary person.”
Oz locked the suitcase, holding it in his hand. “I thought it was just a dream. I wanted to learn those magical knowledge, but I failed—I am still just a magician, not a mage.”
“How did you get there back then?”
Princess Marlene asked curiously from the side. Among the people present, she knew the least about the Land of Oz.
“Hot air balloon.”
Oz gestured with his hand. “It’s that kind of balloon, as big as a house, with a small basket underneath—I learned how to make hot air balloons when I was learning magic.”
Oz smiled, as if recalling something, and shook his head:
“As for the route to the Land of Oz, I don’t know. It was a strange storm that brought my hot air balloon to the Land of Oz, and then left from there.”
“So you basically just—”
“I have nothing to do with the Land of Oz now. I don’t even know where the Land of Oz is.”
Oz shrugged with a wry smile.
“Then the Emerald City you mentioned, the Land of Oz's resistance to devils…”
“There is no Land of Oz, only me. This isn't really deceiving you, since I said earlier—the great warlock Oz will help you.”
“Then the delegation you brought…”
“My magic apprentices, they are all good people, right?”
Princess Marlene took a deep breath after hearing this. “So, you didn’t bring any other help. We still have to use our current forces to face the devil's servants of the Srui Kingdom?”
“If it weren’t for this Western Witch, would we have gone all the way to Starfall City, all the way to the alliance, without knowing your identity? Without knowing that the powerful reinforcements from the Land of Oz—are actually fake?”
Beneath Princess Marlene's feet, the shadows began to tremble inexplicably. They rose and fell, like a black swamp.
Her voice was calm, and she seemed emotionally stable.
But Lake and Polo both felt inexplicably that this princess seemed a little angry.
“Uh, but we always have to face those devils, like I said, I hid my identity, those… just to make you determined, united, right?”
Oz was stunned for a moment and waved his hand.
“But if your identity is fake, what about the other things you said? Like—you want to fight against those devils?”
Princess Marlene raised her hand, pointing at Oz. “If you have already defected to the devils and want to sell us out? Let our already battered army go to its doom?”
“I, how could I possibly—”
“You have already told such a big lie. If you are really the strongest magician Oz in that world, then right now, you are the biggest liar in the world. What else can I believe in you?”
Princess Marlene took another step forward, a hint of shadow flashing in her eyes, and an inexplicable pressure emanated from her.
“I let the warriors go to the battlefield so that the people of Shadi could stay away from the war. They all believed that there was a magical kingdom, the strongest magician in the world as reinforcements, so they had hope of winning—but now, it's all fake?”
“What if the Son of God in Starfall City that you mentioned is also fake?”
“Sorry, I just…”
“Why can't you tell the real situation? If an alliance is built on deception—then what is 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 backing away and met Princess Marlene's eyes directly.
Who would have thought that this ordinary person would actually have a formidable aura surging around him at this moment, confronting Princess Marlene without losing ground.
Oz widened his eyes, flames of anger burning in his eyes:
“I am not a mage, just a magician—an ordinary person. Besides doing some tricks, what else can I do?! Who would listen to a magician's command, rush to the battlefield, and bravely charge forward?”
He shouted, his voice trembling with excitement.
“When I was in the Land of Oz, I wanted to become a real king, a genuine mage, and sincerely help those who asked me for help to realize their wishes.
But I was powerless. I couldn't learn even a bit of those strange magics!”
After the words fell, he took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red, tears swirling in his eyes, trying 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, returned to my hometown, and continued to be my magician. The audience liked my performances very much. I earned a lot of money and also took in apprentices…”
Oz spoke slowly, then suddenly stopped, staring intently at Princess Marlene, saying each word distinctly:
“I am different from you. You are born with extraordinary talents, and a single word can make millions of people work for you.
When the devils come, I could pretend to know nothing, stay out of it, or simply run away and hide everywhere, at worst, wait for the world to be destroyed with me!”
Oz said to this point, his gaze slowly swept across Princess Marlene's astonished face, and his tone gradually softened. He lowered his head and held the suitcase in the air, opening it with a 'click'. In the box, the golden crown reflected into everyone's eyes.
“I know what you want to ask, how can an ordinary person have this thing, right?”
Oz said softly, while taking the crown out of the box and showing it to Lake, Polo, and Princess Marlene.
The perception of everyone present far exceeded ordinary people, and in an instant, they noticed the magic power surging within the crown. Obviously, this was a magical item.
Polo and Lake were familiar with the fairy tale of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. The moment they saw the crown, they vaguely had a guess in their hearts.
“This golden crown has powerful magic, but it doesn't belong to me. Its original owner was the Western Witch, even if the Western Witch is dead, it shouldn't be my turn, an ordinary person, to own it according to common sense.”
Oz sighed softly. The words he said earlier were exactly the same as what Lake and Polo had read in the fairy tale.
Obviously, from here on, the story deviated from the original fairy tale and entered the 'distorted' part.
“But for some reason, it ended up in my hands.
Originally, I had already planned to be an ordinary person and spend 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.
“The Southern Witch of the Land of Oz, Glinda, she was the one who gave me the golden crown.”
Oz stared at the golden crown in his hand, thoughtfully continuing, “Southern Witch, I remember she was a kind witch. She always seemed to know some secrets that others couldn't know—witches seem to have this ability.
But when I saw her, she was already seriously injured.”
“Southern Witch? Who hurt her?”
Lake asked eagerly.
“Devils. She told me the secrets of the Srui Kingdom, and the things about those devils.
Can you imagine? A witch would actually confide the huge crisis she knew to an ordinary person, and also beg this ordinary person for help.”
Oz shook his head with a wry smile, 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 disappeared, replaced by a touch of guilt.
“I'm just a magician, an ordinary person through and through.
So, I can only do what I can, do what I can think of—for example, make the true face of the Srui Kingdom public, let more people know; for example, call on more people to stand up and resist the Srui Kingdom, instead of standing by.”
Oz paused, his gaze falling on the silver shoe in the suitcase again.
“For example, try every means to return to the Land of Oz, whether it is to find out what exactly happened to my country, or to find those old friends who truly master magic…”
Hearing this, Princess Marlene lowered her head and said softly:
“Sorry, I… I just, hate deception.”
“Deception?”
Oz was stunned when he heard this. “Is it the former prince of your New Shadi, right?”
“You know?”
Princess Marlene asked, her bright eyes widening slightly.
“I know, I stayed in your kingdom for a long time. In an ancient book, it is recorded that your kingdom’s shadow magic.
Even, I know the tower you are in.”
Oz said, looking meaningfully at Lake and Polo.
Polo and Lake discovered the strangeness of Oz the second time they met him—although Oz used superb makeup techniques to make his face different from before.
The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ said ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥⊥ book ⊥⊥ bar ⊥⊥ first ⊥ hair!
But after doubts arose, through long-term observation, Lake and Polo still discovered the flaws.
When in the Shadi Kingdom, Oz once disguised himself as an ordinary passerby, hinting to Lake and Polo to find Princess Marlene instead of Prince Peter.
“I also had people test Prince Peter, but he killed my people, and even deliberately hid the information I revealed about 'devils'.
At that time, I guessed—that the prince himself may have been corrupted by devils.”
“Thank you.”
Princess Marlene took half a step back, lowered her head, and her cheeks became a little red. “What you did did save many people.”
“It's okay, I am a magician. Sometimes, I have to use the means I have to achieve my goals—but our goals are the same.”
Is this what the shadow of a person means?
Princess Marlene pursed her lips, falling into a long silence, her gaze fixed on the deep shadow beneath her feet, and the words of her ancestors flashed vaguely in her mind.
There are many things hidden in the shadows, but they are not necessarily monsters and malice, they may also be kindness.
Don't be deceived by appearances, see the shadows clearly, and see more of the truth.
“Then where is Dorothy? If she wasn't detained by the Western Witch, where is she?”
Lake asked at this time.
“I don't know. At first, the first thing I thought of was that girl—she has the ability to take me back to the Land of Oz.”
Oz closed the suitcase again. “But I didn't find her. Her house was destroyed, or rather… when I arrived there, it had already become an empty city due to the war.”
During the conversation, the group had already left the dilapidated town behind them.
Oz's gaze watched a wisp of breeze outside the town blowing up yellow sand, rolling on the deserted street:
“But it doesn't matter, I am about to find the way back to the Land of Oz.”
“You found it?”
“I flew to that country because of a storm, and left because of a storm. As long as there is wind, a hot air balloon, and I find the pattern—I will definitely be able to go back.”
Oz took a breath. “But the premise is, I still have time.”
“Time?”
“Before Starfall City is destroyed by devils, stop the Srui Kingdom and win that battle.”
“But Starfall City has been holding on for a long time, right? The war between them started several months ago, and it hasn't ended yet, and the losses of the Srui Kingdom are even greater?”
“It's different. I got some news. Soon, it will be the last battle of Starfall City. The Srui Kingdom destroyed the Blue Kingdom, and next, it will be their final battle with Starfall City.”
“They sent out all their soldiers?”
“They used some method to make the elderly, children, and women fight for them, to replenish their troops, but that's not the most important thing—their prince has already gone to Starfall City.”
Oz looked at everyone and said in a deep voice:
“Like I said before, that devil prince who destroyed an entire army with his own power.”
……
The convoy started moving again. Oz knew the terrain near Starfall City very well.
According to Oz's request, Polo and the others 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, regarding the situation near Starfall City.
Combined with Princess Marlene's shadow magic perception ability, the convoy moved forward silently—
With the help of the forest, hills, and the cover of night, the group actually passed through the blockade set up by the Srui Kingdom without being discovered once.
“Polo, Mr. Oz, he… can do such a thing without any magic, it's really amazing.”
“Yes, if what he told us is really all true.”
Polo said, with pages appearing in his palm.
[Circular Return: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz·Face Fear]
[Authority Sequence Label: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz·One]
[Complete the unsealing ceremony to obtain fairy tale authority]
[A child, only after overcoming countless fears, can he hone a strong mind. Overcome fear, and your soul will grow as a result!]
[Fairy Tale Authority: As long as you have not given up thinking, you will never be affected by fear and deterrence, and at the same time, you will have a more thorough understanding of inner fears, and accurately lock on to things that are truly worth fearing]
[Unsealing Ceremony: Kill the Western Witch]
【Description: Stinging, vicious, darkness... In the Land of Oz, she symbolizes fear itself. Only by possessing the courage to face fear can one truly kill the evil that embodies terror.】
“A passive skill?”
Poro and Leake were both a little disappointed when they saw the line of text above.
After all, even after encountering so many enemies, neither of them had been frightened into inaction by any kind of fear.
...
Inside another carriage, Oz placed the suitcase in front of him.
He leaned against the corner alone, lifting the corner of his clothes.
“Tsk, still got hurt.”
Having experienced the chase by wolves and crows in the town, the limitations of an ordinary person's body meant he was not as carefree as he appeared.
Beneath the clothes he lifted, a wound was revealed—a claw mark left by a magical black wolf.
He gently wiped away the red traces on his skin, which was not blood flowing from the wound.
But within this wound torn by wolf claws, there wasn't the layering expected of normal skin; instead, it presented a rubber-like texture, seamless, without any gaps or lines, exuding an indescribable strangeness.
“But I think they shouldn’t have noticed?”
Oz forced a smile with a hint of luck, picked up a blood-stained gauze, and covered the strange wound again. (End of this chapter)
