Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

"We absolutely cannot provoke that Levi staying at the Golden Fleece Inn, Your Grace."

Inside the secret chamber, the First-Ring Wizard Sindru spoke to the Silverbrook Grand Duke with an unusually grave expression.

"There is an extremely high possibility that he is one of the two Second-Ring Wizards who fought in the Emerald Forest."

"You're certain?" The Silverbrook Grand Duke's brows knitted tightly together.

"I'm highly confident. Ever since his arrival, the Duchy of Silverbrook has no longer been peaceful. More importantly, I secretly inspected the carriage Levi arrived in—it had alchemical runes engraved on it." Sindru's expression had never been so solemn before.

The Silverbrook Grand Duke's face changed slightly.

At that moment, Sindru continued, "A Second-Ring Wizard who no longer fears the Church Tribunal's pursuit and judgment, who dares to expose himself and act without restraint—if such a person truly unleashed his power, not a single person in the entire castle would survive."

"Not even a Great Knight?" the Silverbrook Grand Duke asked, his voice trembling faintly.

"Your Grace, Second-Ring Wizards are extraordinarily rare and powerful beings even across the entire continent. Before one of them, a Great Knight might be nothing more than a minor figure who could be killed with a casual wave of the hand. Don't forget—this Levi is also a Great Knight himself."

"Previously, I never connected a Great Knight with a Second-Ring Wizard. But after seeing the Silver-Scale Surge Potion, I began to suspect it. And now, I can basically confirm it. That Levi is the very person who infiltrated our wizard gathering and traded potions and Silver Arrowfish. He's also the one who fought another Second-Ring Wizard in the Emerald Forest," Sindru said grimly.

"If I gave you a knight order of five hundred men, you still couldn't deal with him?" The Silverbrook Grand Duke still refused to give up.

Sindru fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"Your Grace, we have no way of knowing how many methods a Second-Ring Wizard possesses. What if he escaped? We would never know peace again."

"Look at the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Amtyr. He was turned into a frog by a witch. Once he became a frog, what use was a thousand-man knight order guarding him?" Sindru said.

The Silverbrook Grand Duke frowned deeply. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Report him to the Church?"

Unless absolutely necessary, the Silverbrook Grand Duke did not want to do that.

On one hand, he himself was far from clean. He had violated the Church's prohibitions by secretly sheltering a wizard inside the castle to serve him. If the Church discovered this, the fanatics of the Inquisition would show no mercy. The number of kings imprisoned by the Tribunal was not small, and in the end, very few of them ever walked back out of those gates whole.

On the other hand, even if the Church failed to discover his little secret, once Church forces entered the duchy, getting them to leave again would not be easy.

"We absolutely cannot report this to the Church." Sindru hurriedly stopped the Silverbrook Grand Duke from pursuing that idea. "That would completely ruin our relationship with that Second-Ring Wizard."

"If the Church fails to eliminate him immediately, Your Grace, do you truly have the confidence to withstand the wrath of a Second-Ring Wizard? Do you even know what methods he possesses?"

Those words hit like a bucket of cold water, instantly calming the Silverbrook Grand Duke.

His expression darkened as he looked toward his court instructor.

"Then how should we handle our relationship with him?"

"He seems to be someone without a permanent home. Perhaps we could offer him a piece of land as a gesture of goodwill." Only after thinking for a long time did Sindru come up with this solution.

"Would he accept?" the Silverbrook Grand Duke asked. "I mean, would a Second-Ring Wizard even care about such things?"

"I don't know. But we must let him see our sincerity," Sindru replied. "Judging from his past actions, he does not appear to be an evil person."

"But he is still a wizard. If the Church discovers this…" Land itself was not the issue. No matter how small the Duchy of Silverbrook was, it could still spare a territory or two. The real problem was the Church. If the Church believed the duchy had ties with a wizard, then the Duchy of Silverbrook itself might become history.

"Your Grace, he is not a wizard. He is a Great Knight. That is something everyone in Aetherlan knows. Granting land and title to a Great Knight is something no one could criticize." Sindru explained.

"...I need time to think about it." The Silverbrook Grand Duke glanced at Sindru, but ultimately still failed to make a decision.

Sindru inwardly let out a sigh, then shifted the conversation to another matter.

"Your Grace, Henry, the envoy from the Kingdom of Amtyr, intends for this Third Prince to marry Princess Milissa, the brightest jewel of Aetherlan. He promised that if the two can be joined in marriage, then the Kingdom of Amtyr will help the Duchy of Silverbrook resist the advance of the Kingdom of Valeria."

The Silverbrook Grand Duke remained expressionless. He let out a cold laugh.

"And what are their conditions?"

"They demand that the future Grand Duke of Silverbrook be chosen from among the descendants of this Third Prince and Milissa."

"Hmph."

The Silverbrook Grand Duke snorted coldly.

The Kingdom of Amtyr clearly harbored ill intentions toward the Duchy of Silverbrook as well. However, this method was still barely within the limits of what he could accept. At the very least, the Silverbrook title would continue to be passed down.

Because of that, the Silverbrook Grand Duke did not reject the proposal immediately and instead fell into hesitation.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let me speak with them again."

Sindru nodded and left the secret chamber together with the Silverbrook Grand Duke, heading toward the residence the castle had arranged for the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Amtyr.

The Silverbrook Grand Duke attached great importance to this Third Prince. The prince had been given an independent suite within the main building, second only to the residence of the Grand Duke and his wife. It had its own bedroom, sitting room, fireplace, and no shortage of luxurious furnishings.

However, just as the two arrived outside the residence, they heard violent crashing and smashing sounds coming from inside.

The Silverbrook Grand Duke's expression changed drastically.

If anything happened to the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Amtyr here, then the Duchy of Silverbrook would have to face the wrath of the Kingdom of Amtyr.

He shot Sindru a glance beside him.

Sindru inwardly groaned in misery. He immediately became fully alert, prepared to instantly cast the only defensive spell within his Sea of Souls the moment anything went wrong.

Then he pushed open the door.

At a glance, he saw a mysterious masked figure casually wave a hand, sending the Third Prince—who had already awakened his Life Energy Seed—flying violently into the wall. The prince slid to the floor, eyes tightly shut, already unconscious.

Elsewhere on the ground, Envoy Henry had long since collapsed there. His chest had caved inward, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

The mysterious figure turned and glanced at Sindru.

That gaze...

Every hair on Sindru's body stood on end.

Seeing the other party raise his hand again to cast another spell, Sindru had no idea what happened. His mind went blank, yet his mouth shouted on its own: "Lord Levi, you cannot kill them!"

The mysterious figure paused.

Then he removed the mask, revealing Levi's face exactly as expected.

With a half-smile, he looked at Sindru, as well as the pale-faced Silverbrook Grand Duke standing behind him.

"And why not?"

Sindru's heart pounded violently.

He knew that if he answered poorly, both he and the Silverbrook Grand Duke would die on the spot.

His mind raced frantically. Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his head, and he blurted out: "If you kill him here, the Kingdom of Amtyr will never let the matter rest. They will definitely report it to the Church."

"The Church's Inquisitors are like hyenas. They'll harass you endlessly."

The Church.

The terrifying power that even the Magic Mirror Queen did not dare casually expose herself before as a witch.

A sharp glint flashed deep within Levi's eyes.

Looking at Sindru, this First-Ring Wizard, he said, "But if I spare him here, he'll still report me to the Church. In that case, why shouldn't I eliminate him first?"

"Yes, Lord Levi, you're right," Sindru replied. "But if he dies at the hands of bandits, then the Church will not intervene."

"What do you mean?" Levi's heart stirred slightly as he looked at the other man.

"The Duchy of Silverbrook will no longer welcome them. Unfortunately, on their return journey to the Kingdom of Amtyr, they encountered bandits. It is a regrettable tragedy, but one we were unable to prevent," Sindru said.

"Oh? And where would these bandits come from?"

"The public security within the Duchy of Silverbrook is not particularly good. There are always reckless fools bold enough to risk anything."

"Yes. All of this was done by adventurers," Sindru declared with complete certainty.

"But the Kingdom of Amtyr may not believe that." Levi's eyes carried a playful amusement.

"As long as we believe it ourselves, that is enough, Lord Levi. As for you—as an outstanding warrior, you have earned the appreciation of the Silverbrook Grand Duke and are to be granted the title of baron and sent to your territory. What do you think?" Sindru asked Levi.

"Oh? A territory?" A strange look appeared in Levi's eyes.

In truth, the Magic Mirror Queen's attention was currently focused entirely on Snow White, who was recovering from her injuries.

Right now, she simply had no time to trouble Levi, though she hated him even more than before.

Theoretically speaking, Levi no longer needed to constantly wander from place to place. He could remain in one location for a much longer period of time.

In that case, taking a piece of land and playing a bit of a farming game actually sounded like a fairly good pastime.

Of course, his search for fairy tale treasures could not stop. At the same time, he absolutely could not relax in improving his own strength.

With those thoughts in mind, Levi said, "That does sound somewhat interesting."

Sindru was overjoyed inside.

This Second-Ring Wizard was genuinely interested.

At that moment, Levi's gaze passed over him and landed on the Silverbrook Grand Duke standing behind him.

"However, this is only your opinion..."

The Silverbrook Grand Duke was no fool. He knew that if he handled this poorly, people would die.

So what if the castle was heavily guarded?

The other party could come and go whenever he pleased!

Hearing those words, the Silverbrook Grand Duke immediately replied, "Lord Levi, Sindru's words are my words as well!"

"I wholeheartedly welcome you becoming a noble of the Duchy of Silverbrook. It would be the duchy's honor," the Silverbrook Grand Duke declared.

Levi smiled.

He dispersed the Magic Power sustaining Wizard's Hand, glanced at Sindru, and suddenly asked, "How did you know it was me?"

The question sounded rather abrupt.

But Sindru quickly reacted.

"Lord Levi... your carriage."

Levi remembered.

His alchemical carriage had been gifted to him by the Three Shepherd Brothers, and alchemical runes had been engraved upon it.

He had forgotten about that detail. He had not expected this fellow to notice it.

A careful man.

Levi glanced at Sindru, then at the Silverbrook Grand Duke, smiled faintly, and said, "Don't forget your promise."

As soon as the words fell, black light enveloped Levi's body.

He transformed into a Night Raptor and flew away from the Grand Duke's castle, leaving behind two men with uncertain and shaken expressions.

He could transform into a flying magical creature!

That alone was an enormous deterrent.

It meant that if they broke their promise to Levi, there would be almost nowhere safe for them to hide.

Levi's retaliation would descend from the sky, rise from the ground, and come from every direction.

They would undoubtedly die.

Unless they hid within the Church for the rest of their lives and never emerged again.

They would completely lose their freedom.

That was even more painful than death.

Moreover, Sindru himself was a First-Ring Wizard. If he entered the Church, the consequences might not necessarily be any better than being caught by Levi.

And if the Church learned that the Silverbrook Grand Duke had been sheltering a wizard, the outcome would not be pleasant for him either.

Thus, the Silverbrook Grand Duke and Sindru exchanged looks, each seeing the complicated emotions reflected in the other's eyes.

Both of them could only force bitter smiles.

...

Time passed swiftly.

Several days later.

Henry drove the jolting carriage at full speed along the road leading back to the Kingdom of Amtyr.

Inside the carriage lay the heavily injured Third Prince of the Kingdom of Amtyr.

In truth, Henry's injuries were not light either.

However, he was a Great Knight. His physique far surpassed that of ordinary people, allowing him to keep forcing himself onward, though he was already close to his limit.

As he drove the carriage, he comforted the Third Prince inside.

"Your Highness, once we pass the border ahead, we'll be back within the Kingdom of Amtyr."

"I've already notified the border nobles to receive us."

"Once we arrive there, we'll be safe."

"Safe...?"

Inside the carriage, hope flickered within the Third Prince's eyes.

Henry continued speaking.

"Your Highness, once we return to the Kingdom of Amtyr, the Silverbrook Grand Duke will pay the price for his actions."

Ever since the incident where they had been attacked by a wizard, the Silverbrook Grand Duke had thrown the awakened pair out of the castle.

Although Henry could understand the decision—understand that the man did not wish to offend a powerful wizard—he still could not accept such betrayal.

Therefore, no matter how many "good deeds" the Silverbrook Grand Duke had done before, all goodwill had been wiped away by this single matter.

Henry swore in his heart that he would make the Silverbrook Grand Duke suffer for it.

As for the wizard who attacked them...

Neither Henry nor the Third Prince had decided whether they should report the matter to the Church.

If the Church could eliminate that wizard as cleanly and decisively as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, then naturally that would be ideal.

But if they failed...

Then both he and the Third Prince would be in danger.

So they hesitated.

But that was a concern for the future.

Right now, their sole priority was entering the territory of the Kingdom of Amtyr.

And the border was already right before them.

Henry drove the carriage across the border together with the severely injured Third Prince, entering the Kingdom of Amtyr.

"We're back, Your Highness." Henry inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

The Third Prince had also relaxed somewhat.

But at that moment, a group of people suddenly surged out from all directions.

They wore the clothing of bandits, but beneath the garments, the faint gleam of armor could be seen.

"Damn it!"

Henry drew his weapon, preparing to fight.

Yet among the bandits, a man carrying the presence of a Great Knight stepped forward.

"It's over."

Inside the carriage, the Third Prince let out a sigh.

Faced with the possible arrival of death, he instead appeared remarkably calm.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar

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