Chapter 44: Two-Headed Demon Owl
Time passed quickly.
More than a week went by in the blink of an eye.
Levi's progress was astonishing.
At this point, his Spiritual Power had reached 38.3, and his Magic Power had risen to as high as 12,715.
As for his spells, after raising Wizard's Hand to the level of a Second-Ring Spell, he focused all his efforts on Polymorph: Greater Demon Owl Lv4 (50/800).
After more than a week of grinding experience, this Level 4 spell was successfully pushed to Level 5—meaning it had reached the level of a Second-Ring Spell.
After casting it, in addition to transforming into Nightingale, Night Raptor, Night Demon Owl, and Greater Demon Owl, Levi could now also transform into a Two-Headed Demon Owl.
According to the information from Detection, the Two-Headed Demon Owl had reached the Second-Order level among magical beasts, corresponding to a Second-Ring Wizard, possessing a terrifying physique and powerful innate spells.
Most importantly, the Two-Headed Demon Owl allowed Levi to split his focus—meaning its two heads could cast two different innate spells simultaneously, effectively attacking as two Second-Order magical beasts at once. Its destructive power was not to be underestimated.
With Wizard's Hand, Detection, and Polymorph: Two-Headed Demon Owl—these three Second-Ring Spells—even though Levi's Magic Power and Spiritual Power were still inferior to veteran Second-Ring Wizards, within that tier, he was undoubtedly among the top.
However, many of his other spells were still at low levels.
According to Levi's thinking, he naturally wanted to raise all of them.
But the Deepcurrent Echo Potion he had refined had already been completely used up.
The key material, Stardust, was still available in decent quantity—but Silver Arrowfish had run out.
'Looks like I'll have to make another trip to the underground river,' Levi thought.
He was just about to transform into a Nightingale and leave when he happened to see Yalina returning from training.
His thoughts stirred. A blue glow flickered in his eyes, and Yalina's condition was instantly laid bare before him.
At this moment, Levi understood her better than she understood herself.
Under the effects of the Silver-Scale Surge Potion, Yalina had also made rapid progress during this period. Her physical attributes were approaching the limits of a knight. Although she had not possessed this strength for long and her foundation was somewhat unstable, it wasn't a problem—once she broke through to the level of a Great Knight, she would have ample time to consolidate it.
Speaking of Great Knights, recently, the Duchy of Silverbrook had also spread news that a member of the Grand Duke's family had successfully broken through to that level.
Do not be misled by the fact that Levi had previously killed Great Knights as easily as slaughtering a dog.
In reality, a Great Knight, to a certain extent, could already determine the outcome of a small-scale battle.
On the surface, the Duchy of Silverbrook had only eight Great Knights.
Well—now, on the surface, there were nine.
As a result, his emergence had affected the Duchy's political situation. What had previously been undercurrents caused by pressure from the front lines had now stabilized considerably.
As for Levi, this mysterious "wild" Great Knight—since he never showed himself—there were no longer nobles or wealthy merchants rushing over to seek him out or invite him.
Things had become much quieter for him.
That said, the Grand Duke's family producing two Great Knights…
Yes—two, not one. One of them was deliberately concealed.
And that had a great deal to do with Levi.
The Silver-Scale Surge Potion he had provided at the wizard gathering, along with the one he had given to Roland—a Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice—as compensation, eventually ended up in the hands of the mentor Sindru, who had close ties to the Grand Duke's family.
After confirming the potion's effects, the Grand Duke was overjoyed. He selected two of the most promising members of his family and bestowed the Silver-Scale Surge Potion upon them.
They did not disappoint his expectations, successfully breaking through to the level of Great Knight.
However, for various reasons, the Grand Duke only publicly revealed one of them.
The other was kept hidden as a shadow knight—a trump card of the family.
Their emergence greatly relieved the Grand Duke's pressure.
But in secret, he ordered the mentor Sindru to do everything possible to obtain information about the mysterious figure who provided the Silver-Scale Surge Potion—
Levi.
Yes.
He wanted more of that potion.
Under the restriction that wizards could not freely interfere in wars—because the high and mighty Church was watching closely—a secret medicine capable of significantly increasing the chances of knights breaking through to Great Knight held enormous strategic value.
The Grand Duke of Silverbrook's order was to obtain the Silver-Scale Surge Potion at any cost. If possible, acquiring the formula itself would be even better.
...All of this was information Levi had obtained out of boredom using Detection.
But he did not pay it much attention.
That said, Yalina was actually living quite happily.
The Grand Duke of Silverbrook treated the Silver-Scale Surge Potion as a treasure and only dared to use it at the critical moment of breaking through to Great Knight level.
Yalina, on the other hand, had not even reached the physical limits of a knight yet. Using the Silver-Scale Surge Potion now was essentially a waste.
Up to this point, she had already consumed three vials of the potion. A considerable amount of the medicinal effect had gone to waste, yet her physical attributes still had not reached the knight limit. By Levi's estimate, she would probably need another one or two vials of the Silver-Scale Surge Potion.
If the Grand Duke of Silverbrook found out, who knew how heartbroken he would be!
Of course, Levi did not care in the slightest.
After all, she was his carriage driver. If some potion got wasted, then so be it—as long as her strength improved.
Otherwise, this carriage driver of his was simply too useless.
Levi looked at Yalina while thinking this.
Yalina noticed his gaze and felt something strange about it. Unable to help herself, she asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing." Levi shook his head, transformed into a Nightingale once again, and flew away.
"Ah! What an annoying guy!" Yalina said unhappily, annoyed that Levi always left immediately without talking to her more.
"Exactly!" Miss Nightingale Odelle said as well. She hated how Levi kept transforming into a nightingale. The problem was that after Levi transformed into a nightingale, he could still turn back into a human.
She could not.
She had asked Levi whether there was any way to lift her nightingale curse, but Levi always said no and told her to wait a little longer.
But waiting day after day was agonizing!
Miss Nightingale Odelle had once been able to endure the darkness.
But Levi had shown her hope.
And because of that, her days had become torment.
All she could do was wait!
...
Inside the Emerald Forest.
Beside that old well.
A small squad of the Grand Duke's guards stood watch around the area.
The youngest daughter of the Grand Duke of Silverbrook—Princess Milissa—was happily playing with her little golden ball.
Recently, the Grand Duke of Silverbrook had been under far less pressure, and the smiles on his face had grown more frequent.
As a result, Princess Milissa's mood had also improved.
The Grand Duke of Silverbrook had several beautiful princesses, but among them, Princess Milissa was the most beautiful of all. She possessed beauty worthy of a celestial maiden. Nobles who had seen her all said that even the well-traveled sun itself would sigh in admiration every time it gazed upon Her Highness.
Countless young noblemen admired and pursued Princess Milissa.
But all of that only annoyed her.
So she became fond of playing with her golden ball alone.
Within the Emerald Forest stood an ancient linden tree.
The linden tree, also known as the "love tree," symbolized love, luck, peace, and justice. It was regarded as the "female tree," opposite the oak, which was considered the "male tree."
In many villages, a massive ancient linden tree would often stand at the center, known as the "Judgment Linden" or the "Assembly Tree."
Villagers held meetings beneath it, judged disputes, celebrated festivals, and even danced and courted one another there. Its canopy was broad, its leaves gentle, and it was believed to ward off evil and disaster.
Princess Milissa also loved staying beneath the linden tree.
Beside it stood a very deep well.
During the summer, sitting beside the well felt wonderfully cool.
At this moment, Princess Milissa was alone, playing her game of tossing the golden ball.
By accident, the golden ball slipped from her hands and fell to the ground, rolling continuously.
The little princess kept her eyes fixed tightly on the ball as it rolled straight into the deep well and vanished from sight.
She loved that golden ball dearly.
Leaning over the edge of the well, she burst into tears, crying with heartbreaking sorrow.
When Levi returned from the underground river, this was the scene he saw.
His reaction was quick. He immediately realized that he had stumbled into the plot of The Frog Prince.
The only difference was that the Frog Prince himself had already been captured by Levi, while the princess's golden ball still fell into the well, manipulated by fate as before.
The princess's crying continued without pause, enough to make anyone's heart ache.
At this moment, Levi was still in the form of a frog.
He froze slightly, and suddenly a mischievous thought surfaced in his mind.
Perhaps it was because his strength had improved greatly recently, leaving him without much sense of crisis and making his mood far more relaxed.
So, on a whim, he decided to play the role of the Frog Prince from the fairy tale.
From the surface of the water, he spoke: "What's wrong, Princess?"
"You're crying so sadly that even the hardest-hearted person would feel sorry for you."
Princess Milissa followed the voice and discovered a large frog inside the well.
It was Levi.
He poked his head out of the water. In Princess Milissa's eyes, all she saw was an incomparably ugly, pudgy, oversized frog head.
A talking frog?
Princess Milissa was startled inwardly.
But she had heard quite a few strange tales before, so she quickly calmed down. After all, it was only a frog.
On the contrary, her curiosity was piqued.
She said to Levi, "Ah! So it's you, Mr. Swimming Expert."
After a brief pause, the little princess suddenly had an idea and continued, "My golden ball fell into the well, which is why I'm crying here."
"Alright, stop crying now," Levi said to Princess Milissa. "I can help you. But if I retrieve the golden ball for you, how will you repay me?"
"Dear frog, as long as you can bring my golden ball back, you can have anything you want," Princess Milissa said. "My clothes, pearls and gemstones—even this golden crown on my head—I can give them all to you."
Giving a frog nothing but things a frog would never want.
Levi sneered inwardly.
He said, "Your clothes, your pearls, your gemstones, and your golden crown—I do not care about any of them."
"But if you like me, and are willing to be my friend, play with me, eat with me, let me eat from your little golden plate and drink from your little goblet, and even let me sleep in your little bed at night, then I'll go into the water and retrieve your golden ball for you."
"Of course! That would be wonderful." Princess Milissa agreed without hesitation. "I promise you everything you asked for, as long as you bring my golden ball back."
Although she said that aloud, what she was really thinking was:
'This frog really is stupid. What ridiculous wishful thinking! It belongs in the well croaking alongside the other frogs. How could it possibly become friends with a human?'
She was clearly trying to trick the frog!
Levi saw through it immediately.
But he was in a good mood today and did not mind playing this game with the princess.
So Levi nodded, plunged headfirst into the deep well water, quickly found the little golden ball lying at the bottom, and brought it back to the surface.
The golden ball landed on the grass.
The moment Princess Milissa saw her beloved toy again, she was overjoyed.
She picked up the golden ball and immediately ran off.
"Don't run, don't run! Take me with you! I can't catch up!" Levi was not surprised at all. He deliberately shouted after the little princess.
Sure enough, she ignored him completely and ran all the way out, allowing the Grand Duke's guard squad stationed outside to escort her back to the castle.
Poor Levi... no, rather, amusing Levi could only return to the side of the well and cast the spell Wizard's Hand, using it to pull out the Silver Arrowfish he had brought back from the underground river.
Carrying the Silver Arrowfish, he quickly disappeared into the rustling sounds of the dense forest.
The next day.
Princess Milissa was dining together with her father, the Grand Duke, while the Court Tutor Sindru—who had served her family for two generations—was also present at the table.
The Grand Duke's family had produced two Great Knights, greatly strengthening the family's power.
The border situation had also stabilized considerably.
As a result, the Grand Duke of Silverbrook had remained in an excellent mood lately, and his appetite had improved as well.
The three of them dined elegantly and calmly.
While eating, Princess Milissa brought up what she had encountered in the Emerald Forest the previous day.
What she did not expect was that the moment she finished speaking, the expression of her beloved father, the Grand Duke of Silverbrook, immediately turned serious.
He said, "Milissa, are you saying that yesterday you encountered a frog that could understand your words, speak the language of humans, and even helped retrieve your golden ball from the well?"
"Yes, Father." Princess Milissa was rather surprised. Wasn't it just a small matter? Why was he taking it so seriously?
After hearing this, the Grand Duke of Silverbrook turned his gaze toward the Court Tutor Sindru.
This First-Ring Wizard, known by the title of mentor, pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it is some unusual mutant creature. Or perhaps it was modified by a powerful individual, which is why it can understand human speech and speak human language."
"Can you do something like that?" the Grand Duke asked.
"My apologies, Your Grace. I cannot. That exceeds my capabilities," Sindru replied.
"Who would pay attention to a frog?" the Grand Duke suddenly said.
"What do you mean, Father?" Milissa asked with a puzzled expression.
"My dear Milissa, if a frog were quietly sitting in a pond near you, would you pay attention to it?"
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