The Knight from the Fairytales

Chapter 74: The Cruel Prince

This lousy magic lamp, I can't even find anyone to help,

Beihai truly could not remember what that old lady looked like back then, mainly because she was too weak, so there was no strong impression, and besides, so much time had passed,

Beihai stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Since he couldn't find her, he would try another approach,

"If I can't find her, can you lift the curse?"

The Genie's expression turned awkward again. Clearly this was something he couldn't do either. Right now it even felt like Beihai was making unreasonable demands just to make things difficult for him,

"Are you trying to give me a hard time, Fat Tiger? When each old witch casts a curse, it is irreversible.

If curses were really that easy to lift, would I still be sealed inside this broken bottle? Once upon a time I was a king of Aladdin."

"You with those thick brows and big eyes, I honestly never would've guessed."

Beihai circled the chubby blue Genie twice. Besides the thick beard, there was a jewel set on the white hat, and he looked like he was one step away from holding a ring-shaped cleaver,

"I think if you held a ring-shaped cleaver, you'd look more like a bandit.""I just don't wear white ceremonial robes anymore. It's been so long, my country has long since perished. I once craved freedom so much, and now I have it. To be honest, I still haven't gotten used to it."

As the Genie spoke, his form shifted into a small, plump blue bird that flew ahead to guide the way,

As they moved on, this journey with an Aladdin's Lamp seemed to bring no special changes,

If they passed through some desolate forests and the road was long, they'd drink dew when thirsty and gather wild fruits or greens when hungry,

When they reached a market, they'd immediately buy supplies and ask around about the witch's whereabouts,

Of course, he didn't know how news traveled in this world, but clearly, whenever you sincerely pursued something, even a passing frog would point you in the right direction,

That was also why Beihai had felt safe letting that old witch live for so long. He simply did not expect an unexpected surprise on this trip,

It was a cruel prince. That man put all his mind into conquering every kingdom, so that when people heard his name they shivered;

even children stopped crying,

He rode roughshod with fire and sword. His soldiers wantonly trampled the crops, destroyed farmers' houses, and burned dwellings with torches,

Trees were felled to build castles, fruit on the trees withered, and many pitiful mothers, naked and clutching nursing infants, hid behind broken walls,

The prince's soldiers searched everywhere, and once they found people they indulged like demons. Even wicked monsters would not stoop to their deeds,

But the prince felt it was perfectly justified, thinking he was simply enforcing order. His power grew day by day, frightening many, and his luck was uncanny—everything he attempted succeeded,

He hauled the spoils back to his realm, building splendid palaces and churches,

Anyone who saw those dazzling buildings gushed, "What a great prince!"

They never considered the suffering he brought to other countries,

They never heard the groans and sighs rising from the ruined cities.

When the prince himself gazed at those magnificent palaces, he too praised them sincerely. What a great prince. But he wanted more. In this world, no one's authority could surpass his;

all kings must bow and submit to me!

The prince put his words into action, binding defeated kings in iron chains, treating them like dogs,

In his leisure he would throw bread crumbs down to them and watch them scramble while he mocked them and drank his fill,

When Beihai learned of the prince's deeds he was deeply shocked, because this had broken the moral bottom line of the whole world,

Moreover, his conduct—it was just so familiar!

If you compared him to Qin Shi Huang of Europe, that would be absurd. War can be about the strong ruling the weak, but most often there is a pretext. No matter what the excuse,

When Qin Shi Huang once united the six states, even though Qin grew powerful, there was always a trigger;

otherwise it would just be blatant aggression, unjustified and easily backfiring,

An excuse lets the other forces mind their own business, thinking the enemy’s fall means they won't be attacked,

One classic example is "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold." I knew that after using an excuse to eliminate the states behind me, the next target would be me,

But what if—what if he doesn't attack me? He has a righteous-sounding pretext;

he won't touch those who aren't involved,

Yet his behavior had already crossed all limits. If people don't unite against him, then who will they fight?

Besides, he practiced a policy of burn, kill, plunder—the notorious "three lights" policy.

This story's title is simple: The Cruel Prince,

At the end of that tale, a mosquito bites the prince. He swings his sword but cannot hit it, and the bite drives him crazy with pain;

he strips his clothes and jumps around before his soldiers, causing a burst of ridicule,

Because the prince sought to rule the world, yet was defeated by a mosquito.

Now Beihai's killing intent burned especially strong!

In this world, if someone today is more ruthless than me, such a person cannot be allowed to live. Besides, the story never clearly said whether the prince died,

Beihai had no extra thoughts. He focused entirely on hurrying along, determined to go meet that prince and see who was tougher!

It just so happened the old witch was still aiding that beast;

the two could be destroyed together!

(When I checked the fairy tale, I was honestly a bit shocked. Damn, this thing actually made it into a fairy tale?)