Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

After the Sky Knight Rune Winter had eaten and drunk his fill, he asked Levi a question.

"By the way, Levi, are you heading somewhere?"

Levi glanced at him. Although he said nothing, the meaning in his eyes was obvious—what business is it of yours?

The other man rubbed his hands together like a fly and shamelessly said, "Well, here's the thing. I think your cooking is really delicious, so I was thinking, if we're heading the same way, then we could..."

"..."

Hearing this, Yalina and Miss Odelle the Nightingale were both speechless.

Levi fell silent for a moment before asking, "Where are you going?"

"As for me, I plan to head to the village up ahead first, see if there's a cheap inn, and take a bath. I haven't bathed in two or three months." It would've been better if the slovenly Sky Knight Rune Winter hadn't said anything. The moment he did, Levi, Yalina, and Miss Odelle the Nightingale all suddenly felt as though the air itself had become suffocating.

Levi immediately said, "Sorry, we're not going the same way."

"It doesn't matter. Wherever you're going, I can just follow along with you." Rune instantly changed his tune.

Was this really a Heaven-defying knight powerful enough to suppress an entire kingdom?

Yalina and Miss Odelle the Nightingale were nearly defeated by his shamelessness.

Levi remained silent.

Seeing this, the Sky Knight Rune Winter quickly added, "I'm a Sky Knight. Traveling with me guarantees safety."

As he spoke, he finally remembered that the people in front of him consisted of an unfathomably powerful wizard who was also a Great Knight, plus an actual Great Knight.

Did a group like this even need protection?

So the Sky Knight Rune Winter's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

But he truly couldn't bear to give up Levi's cooking. It was simply too delicious. Racking his brains, he suddenly thought of a way to repay them, and immediately said excitedly, "I'm a Sky Knight. None of you have reached this level yet, right? I can guide your knight training."

"Although you might not necessarily break through to the Sky Knight realm—after all, not even one out of fifty Great Knights can reach this level unless they possess talent and aptitude like mine—I can still make you stronger, strong enough to stand among the top ranks of Great Knights." The Sky Knight Rune Winter spoke confidently.

Yalina was somewhat tempted, but she didn't dare make the decision on her own, so she looked toward Levi.

In truth, Levi had never intended to truly part ways with the other man.

After all, this guy was a participant in two fairy tale story instances. Especially in The Raven, he was the male protagonist himself.

And the fairy tale The Raven contained far more than treasures like endless bread, ham, and wine.

There were even more powerful treasures.

For example, a stick capable of opening any door in the world, a cloak that could turn its wearer invisible, and a horse capable of traveling anywhere in the world.

Levi coveted these treasures immensely. Even if he couldn't obtain them personally in the end, being able to use Origin Energy to copy the abilities of those treasures would already satisfy him completely.

So even if the Sky Knight Rune Winter wanted to leave on his own, Levi would never let him go easily.

His earlier attitude had merely been to avoid arousing suspicion. If he acted too eager, the other party would easily suspect ulterior motives, and that would become troublesome.

But that approach was meant for cautious people.

Now, looking at this guy, Levi began wondering whether his tactic of playing hard to get had even served any purpose.

In the end, this slovenly, gluttonous Sky Knight Rune Winter happily joined Levi's group just like that.

Miss Odelle slept inside the birdcage.

Inside the alchemy carriage, Levi continuously consumed Magic Power, using Synthesis to recreate various delicacies from his memories in order to raise the proficiency of this spell.

Meanwhile, Yalina sat at the front of the carriage driving the horses, casually chatting with the walking Sky Knight Rune Winter.

"Where is your lover imprisoned?"

"In a golden palace called Stromberg Fortress."

"A palace made of gold?"

"Probably. I've never been there myself, so I don't know."

"Then where is this golden palace?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't still be searching for it."

"Have you been searching for a long time?"

"For several years!"

"You never thought about giving up?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I promised her I would go find her. I've already disappointed her once. I can't disappoint her a second time."

"And what if you never find her?"

"I don't know either."

"Why does she have to stay inside that golden palace? Can't she come look for you herself?"

"Because her teacher won't allow it. Unless I find that golden palace and complete her teacher's trial, the two of us can't be together."

"Who is her teacher?"

"The Raven Queen!"

"Who is the Raven Queen?"

"A terrifying wizard."

"How terrifying?"

"I don't know either. I only know that whenever I meet her, whatever she says, I do. I can't resist her at all, and I wouldn't resist her either."

"Why is she called the Raven Queen?"

"I heard from my lover that she has left traces of herself in many places. She likes turning people into ravens. It wasn't just my lover who was turned into a raven—there were others too, many, many people transformed into ravens... That's why people call her the Raven Queen."

"..."

"Why does the Raven Queen turn people into ravens?"

"That, I don't know. Maybe she's bored."

"Oh..."

Their conversation continued all the way until dusk fell and a village appeared ahead of them.

The village rested quietly beside an enormous black forest. Ancient stone bridges at the entrance were covered in moss. Timber-framed houses stood in disorderly rows, smoke drifting lazily from the chimneys. The air carried the scent of baked rye bread mixed with the rank smell of livestock, and from time to time, a few stone cottages could also be seen.

Beyond the village proper stretched vast open fields divided into long strips, planted with wheat, barley, rye, and occasionally crops like peas and beans.

The arrival of Levi's group broke the village's tranquility.

The villagers watched them with guarded eyes.

That was perfectly normal in this era.

Outsiders always attracted extra attention.

After all, there was no way to know whether newcomers were crafty merchants or scouts sent ahead by vicious bandits.

Especially at dusk.

Very soon, a middle-aged man dressed somewhat more decently than the others—though his clothes still bore patches—approached Levi under the escort of several villagers.

"Outsiders, halt. I am the village steward, Ruhabi. What is your purpose in coming to our village?" the middle-aged man asked Levi's group with a stern expression.

Before Levi's group could speak, the Sky Knight Rune Winter let out an awkward laugh, rubbing his hands together like a fly, and spoke first.

"Sir, we're adventurers. We were hoping to stay at your village inn for the night and find a place to sleep."

The way he spoke carried absolutely none of the bearing expected of a so-called Sky Knight.

Yalina and Miss Odelle the Nightingale were utterly dumbfounded.

After all, even a Great Knight would be treated as an honored guest within Miss Odelle's family, while a Sky Knight was someone her family wouldn't even qualify to meet in person.

And yet the Sky Knight Rune Winter before them was so approachable that it instead made people look down on him somewhat.

"Adventurers?"

The village steward glanced suspiciously at the alchemy carriage, his face full of doubt. After a moment of silence, he said, "My apologies, but our village has no inn."

"Then is there anywhere we could stay as guests?" Rune froze briefly before shamelessly asking again, craning his neck to look deeper into the village.

Seeing this, displeasure flashed across the village steward's eyes. Just as he was about to rebuke Rune, a gold coin suddenly shot out from Levi's alchemy carriage, lightly striking the steward before bouncing away and landing not far in front of him.

The moment they saw that gleaming golden object, the village steward froze.

Not just him—the villagers behind him froze as well.

Had it merely been a silver coin, they would not have reacted like this.

But this was a gold coin, something that for people like them existed only in the tales of wandering bards and the idle conversations of noble lords.

To them, it was practically the equivalent of a million-pound cheque, enough to utterly overwhelm them.

Levi's calm yet authoritative voice came from inside the carriage.

"I require a place to stay. It must also have room to accommodate the carriage."

The village steward exchanged glances with the surrounding villagers, communicating silently through their eyes.

In the end, the steward bent down and picked up the gold coin. Looking toward the carriage, his tone immediately turned humble.

"Honored sir, it is our village's greatest honor to host you tonight. While we do not have an inn, the Karaf family possesses a sturdy stone house and a clean environment. I can have them vacate their home for your stay. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Watching from the side, Rune wore an awkward expression.

The difference in treatment was simply too extreme.

But he had an excellent mindset and wasn't angry in the slightest.

In a situation like this, forget a Sky Knight—even an ordinary knight would likely fly into a rage.

He simply appeared far too harmless, like some kind of "good person."

Even Levi found himself inwardly amazed by him.

After hearing the village steward's words, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright, make the arrangements."

"We will not disappoint you, my lord. Please take this gold coin back—it is far too precious." The village steward respectfully handed the gold coin toward Yalina, who was driving the carriage.

Yalina didn't know whether she should accept it or not, so she turned to look toward the carriage behind her, waiting for Levi's decision.

But Levi merely said, "Lead the way."

The village steward immediately became caught in a dilemma, his body even trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Yalina took back the gold coin, then pulled out a silver coin from her own belongings and handed it to him.

"Please lead the way, Mr. Steward. My master doesn't like being kept waiting."

Only then did the village steward let out a huge sigh of relief. He quietly thanked Yalina in a low voice before beginning to lead the way.

Further ahead, several villagers accompanying the steward had already rushed toward the most conspicuous stone house in the village.

"Open up! Open up! Karaf, open the door!" the villagers shouted while pounding heavily on the door of the stone house.

"Stop banging on it! Damn you, you're about to smash my door apart!"

A somewhat overweight man angrily yanked the door open and stormed outside.

His stomach protruded slightly, though he wasn't obese. His shoulders were broad, his complexion ruddy, and he wore a neatly trimmed brown beard. His eyes carried a shrewd look.

He wore a dark-blue finely woven wool robe, thick in texture and evenly dyed. Beneath it was a spotless white linen shirt with simple geometric embroidery around the collar and cuffs. On his feet were soft cowhide boots with thick soles, completely free of mud.

From his clothing alone, it was obvious this was a rather wealthy man.

Then again, if he weren't wealthy, how could he afford to live in one of the few stone houses in the village?

However, his temper didn't seem very pleasant. He glared furiously at the villager pounding on his door.

"I'm already in a terrible mood. If you can't think of a good reason for me to spare you, then I'm going to plant my boot squarely up your backside, John!"

"Karaf, you still want to kick my backside?" the villager called John shouted back. "I'm telling you, an important noble has arrived in our village! He brought out a gold coin! The village steward ordered me to notify you to vacate your house so this honored guest can stay here. And if that honored guest feels uncomfortable during his stay, hmph... then who'll be getting kicked might be another matter entirely!"

"An honored guest?" Karaf frowned slightly.

At that moment, a tall, slender woman walked out from the inner room.

She stood half a head taller than most men. Even beneath her loose long dress, one could tell her limbs contained astonishing explosive power. Yet her movements were unbelievably light—she walked almost without making a sound, silent as a feline predator.

The other villagers hadn't heard her footsteps at all, so her sudden appearance startled several of them.

However, they were already accustomed to this and quickly calmed down, nodding respectfully toward the woman who had appeared so suddenly.

"Lady Laura."

This woman named Laura was Karaf's wife. Though already around thirty years old, she looked barely in her early twenties, as though time itself refused to leave marks upon her.

Her skin possessed a healthy ivory complexion. Her eyes were unique, their pupils a rare amber color. Her hair fell in natural waves, braided into an intricate arrangement pinned behind her head.

She nodded toward the villagers before softly asking, "Did something happen?"

"There's no time, Lady Laura! An honored guest is coming to stay at your home. Hurry and clean up the rooms, then prepare the finest food your household has to entertain him... Lady Laura, the village steward said he is definitely a noble!" John said urgently.

"I'm sorry. My Emily wore her beloved little red hood and went into the forest to visit her grandmother, but she still hasn't returned. Karaf and I are both very worried..." Laura said with a troubled expression. "I'm afraid we may fail to properly entertain such an honored guest. If he doesn't mind, could he perhaps stay with another villager instead?"

"Emily probably just stayed overnight at her grandmother's house, so don't worry about it. And right now, the village steward has already brought the honored guest here..." John turned his head to look. "Look, he's almost here already, so stop wasting time!"

The alchemy carriage had already arrived not far away. Inside the carriage compartment, a young man who looked every bit like a noble lifted the curtain and glanced in their direction, a trace of blue light flashing through his eyes.

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

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