You’re standing there in Ding Dong Dell, staring at a small ghost boy in a toga, and he’s asking you a question that feels like a trick. It is a trick. Well, sort of. If you’ve been playing Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, you already know that Horace is the literal gatekeeper to some of the best spells in the game. But the Ni No Kuni Horace riddle isn't just one puzzle; it's a long, continent-spanning scavenger hunt that requires you to actually read the Wizard’s Companion.
Most people just want the rewards. I get it. You want "Thunderstorm" or "Astral Knight" so you can stop getting bodied by boss fights. But Horace is a test of your attention to detail. He’s the developers' way of making sure you aren't just mashing the X button through every dialogue tree. Honestly, the first time I ran into him, I didn't even realize he was a recurring side quest. I thought he was just flavor text. I was wrong.
Who Exactly Is This Ghost Boy?
Horace isn't just some random NPC. He’s the former Sage of Wisdom, which explains why he’s so obsessed with testing your brain. You first meet him in Ding Dong Dell, right by the castle gates. He’s translucent, wearing a wreath, and looks like he’s waiting for someone who never showed up.
The catch? You need the "Spirit Medium" spell to even talk to him. If you haven't progressed far enough in the main story to get that spell from Father Oak, Horace is just a silent specter. Once you can hear him, the real game begins. He moves from city to city, always hiding in plain sight, and always demanding an answer to a riddle found within the pages of your digital (or physical, if you have the collector's edition) book.
The First Hurdle: Ding Dong Dell and Al Mamoon
The first time he asks you something, it's almost too easy. He wants to know what's written on the stone tablet behind him. You look at the tablet, you look at the Nazcaäan script in your book, and you realize it says "Dragon of the West." Easy.
But then he moves to Al Mamoon. This is where people start getting stuck. He’s standing near the fountain, looking all smug, and he asks about the tallest mountain. You’d think the answer is simple, but the Ni No Kuni Horace riddle at this stage requires you to navigate the "Regions of the World" section of the Wizard’s Companion. You have to find the map of the Summerlands. The answer is "Mt. Mush." It’s a short answer, but if you misspell it or add extra words, the game rejects it. Capitalization doesn't usually matter, but spelling is everything.
Why the Wizard's Companion is Your Only Real Friend
Let's talk about the book. Level-5 put an incredible amount of work into the Wizard’s Companion. It’s a 300-plus page tome filled with lore, alchemy recipes, and short stories. Most modern games would just give you a quest marker. Ni no Kuni makes you do homework.
In Castaway Cove, Horace asks about a specific dessert. You have to find the "Provisions" section. If you’re looking at the English version of the game, the answer is "Crispy Lettuce." It sounds ridiculous. Why would a ghost be obsessed with lettuce? But in the context of the world, it’s a delicacy.
The difficulty spikes when you get to the Fairyground. This is the "Humour" riddle. He wants to know about the third-best joke-teller or something equally obscure. You have to read the "The Tales of the Sages" section. The answer here is "finest fiber." Again, it feels disconnected until you realize Horace is testing your ability to cross-reference different chapters of the book.
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The Mid-Game Slump: Hamelin and Beyond
Hamelin is where the Ni No Kuni Horace riddle starts to feel like a real chore if you aren't invested in the lore. He’s on the balcony overlooking the main street. This time, he’s looking for a specific type of familiar. Specifically, he wants to know which creature is featured on a certain page of the Bestiary.
The answer is "Piggyback."
This is also around the time players realize that Horace's rewards are cumulative. You can't just skip to the end. You have to find him in order. If you miss him in Castaway Cove, he won't show up in Hamelin. This leads to a lot of backtracking. If you’re playing the Remastered version on PC or PS4, the fast travel makes this easier, but back on the PS3? It was a nightmare of loading screens and Tengri flights.
The Nazcaäan Script Problem
Later riddles, specifically the one in Yule and the final encounter in Ara Memoriae, require you to actually translate Nazcaäan. The game provides a cypher in the back of the book.
In Yule, he asks about the flowers. You have to look at the "Flowers of the World" page and translate the runes. The answer is "Blizzard Bloom."
Then comes the big one in Perdida. Horace is hiding inside the Swift Solutions building (sneaky, right?). He asks about the "Jellybeane" line of familiars. To get the answer, you have to find the specific page that details their evolution. The answer is "Jabber."
The Final Test in Ara Memoriae
Once you’ve chased this ghost across the entire map, you meet him one last time in the ruins of Ara Memoriae. This is the endgame. By now, you’ve likely unlocked the "Seek Fortune" and "Chart Chests" spells, which are incredibly useful for completionists. But Horace has one more trick up his sleeve.
He asks for the name of the wizard who created the world. This isn't just in a sidebar somewhere; it’s the core mythos of the game. If you’ve been paying attention to the cutscenes involving the White Witch and Shadar, you might have a lead. But the answer is in the very first pages of the Companion, in the "History of the World" section.
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The answer is "Mornstar."
Wait, no. That's the sword. See? Even experts trip up. The answer to the final riddle is actually "Apep." Or, depending on the specific phrasing of his final question regarding the robes of the wizard, it might be "White Witch." Actually, the most famous "stumper" at the very end of his quest line—the one that grants you the "Astra" spell—requires the name of the robes.
The answer is "Unleash."
Actually, let's be precise. For the "Astra" spell, he asks about the magic words. You have to look at the "Wizard's Robes" illustration. The runes on the hem of the robe translate to "Mornstar." This is the ultimate payoff. Astra is arguably the most powerful light-based spell in Oliver’s arsenal, and you can’t get it any other way.
Common Mistakes and Misspellings
I’ve seen people complain on forums for years that "the game is glitched" or "Horace won't accept my answer." 99% of the time, it’s a typo.
- Extra Spaces: Don't put a space after the word.
- Regional Differences: If you are playing a fan-translated version or a non-English localization, the names change. For example, "Mt. Mush" might be different in the Japanese "Hotroit" version.
- The "Double Answer": Sometimes he asks a two-part question. You have to provide the specific noun he’s looking for, not a description of it.
The Reward Hierarchy
Is it actually worth doing? Let’s look at what you get.
- Spirit Medium: To even start.
- Vaccinate: Great for status effects.
- Thunderstorm: High-tier AOE damage.
- Chart Chests: Essential for finding hidden items on the world map.
- Astra: The nuke.
If you’re trying to platinum the game or beat the post-game Guardian of Worlds, you need these. You can survive without "Vaccinate," but playing without "Astra" is like trying to win a knife fight with a spoon. It's possible, but why would you do that to yourself?
The Philosophical Side of Horace
There is a bit of a debate in the Ni no Kuni community about who Horace actually is in relation to the "real world" (Motorville). Since almost everyone in the Other World has a soulmate in Motorville, who is Horace’s?
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Some theorists suggest he doesn't have one because he's a ghost from an era long before Motorville existed in its current form. Others think he’s a representation of the player's own curiosity. Personally, I think he’s a remnant of the old Nazcaäan empire, a literal "ghost in the machine" of the world’s magic. He represents the lost knowledge that Oliver is slowly reclaiming.
His dialogue is often melancholy. He talks about "waiting a long time" and "the passing of ages." When you finally complete his quest, there's a sense of closure not just for you, but for him. He’s finally found someone worthy of the secrets he was tasked to keep.
Practical Steps for Your Playthrough
If you are currently sitting in front of your console and Horace is staring at you, here is exactly how to handle it.
First, check your inventory. Open the Wizard’s Companion. Don't look for a "Quest" tab; look for the actual book icon.
Second, pay attention to the category Horace mentions. If he says "look to the creatures," go to the Bestiary. If he mentions "the beginning of all things," go to the History section.
Third, if you’re stuck on the Nazcaäan script, don't try to memorize it. Take a screenshot of the cypher page on your phone. It makes flipping back and forth between the riddle and the translation much less of a headache.
Fourth, remember that Horace follows the story. If you can't find him in the next city, you probably haven't finished the local story arc. Beat the boss, save the King/Queen/Sage, and then look for the ghost boy. He usually hangs out near landmarks—fountains, palaces, or bridges.
Finally, keep a save file before you talk to him if you’re worried about "failing." You can't actually fail, but it saves time if you want to test different spellings of an answer without the dialogue looping.
Once you’ve cleared the Ara Memoriae riddle and claimed "Astra," you’ve effectively mastered the lore of the game. You aren't just a kid with a wand anymore; you're a Sage in training. Go hit some monsters with that new light magic and see the difference for yourself. It’s a literal game-changer.