Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

More than ten days later.

Levi's carriage finally entered the region of the Silverclaw Peninsula.

The Silverclaw Peninsula was an irregular stretch of land extending into the vast outer sea, its overall shape resembling a giant wolf's claw slightly curled inward. The terrain was generally lower in the west and higher in the east, gentle in the north and steep in the south. It stretched more than eighty kilometers from north to south, with its widest east-west point exceeding twenty kilometers. The core region was surrounded on three sides by land and marshes, with a total area of roughly 240 square kilometers.

Most of this territory belonged to Viscount Silverclaw and his family, aside from the piece of land Levi had obtained from the Duke of Silverbrook—Hornreach.

Hornreach covered a little over forty square kilometers.

Although it was not large, only about one-fifth the size of Viscount Silverclaw's territory, it was critically important because only Levi's domain bordered the sea and possessed an excellent harbor, while the Viscount's lands were completely landlocked.

The goods produced within Viscount Silverclaw's territory had to pass through Hornreach's port before they could be shipped along the coastline to other regions.

Otherwise, transporting them over land would be extremely costly.

Before Levi's arrival, although Hornreach was technically an exclave of the Duke of Silverbrook's family, it had been practically undefended against Viscount Silverclaw.

The Viscount's goods and fleets could move through Hornreach without restriction.

The steward appointed by the Duke of Silverbrook simply lacked the power to oppose the locally dominant Viscount Silverclaw.

Of course, he had never intended to resist in the first place, because he had long since been bribed by the Viscount, receiving enormous payments every year at the cost of severely undermining the Duke of Silverbrook's interests.

Now, Viscount Silverclaw had already learned from the steward stationed in Hornreach that Levi had become the territory's new lord. He was furious about it and harbored deep hostility toward Levi, even entertaining thoughts of framing him.

All of this information had been gathered by Levi through Detection.

As for Viscount Silverclaw's hostility, Levi did not care in the slightest.

He was just a viscount—hardly worth mentioning.

Levi also did not enter Silverclaw City, the only settlement on the peninsula that could truly be called a city. Instead, he headed directly toward Hornreach.

After traveling more than thirty kilometers, the carriage finally arrived at the heart of Hornreach at dusk—Coldwind Keep.

The environment here was harsh. The biting northern winds carried the salty stench of seawater as they howled endlessly through the cracks in the stone.

The town itself was not large, visually no more than two or three square kilometers. At its center stood a stone-built castle, the source of the name Coldwind Keep.

Below the castle was a row of relatively orderly stone houses.

Beyond those stone houses spread a dense patchwork of thatched huts and wooden shacks, scattered unevenly across the settlement, forming a main road leading straight to the city gate alongside countless messy little alleys.

There was no slum district, because the entire town was effectively a slum already.

And yet, that was simply the norm in this world.

According to Detection, Levi learned that the permanent population here numbered only around three thousand, most of them crude folk who made their living through fishing and smuggling.

The harbor was the town's lifeline. Several battered fishing boats and merchant ships rose and fell with the murky waves, while a few crude wooden docks stretched into the sea, piled high with fishing nets and barrels.

This was Levi's territory.

Yalina guided the carriage while looking around everywhere, her eyes filled with anticipation.

The wolf-eared girl adjusted her little red hood to keep her unusual features hidden from others. Looking toward the harbor and feeling the salty sea breeze, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

Then there was Rune, the Sky Knight.

He yawned lazily, clearly bored out of his mind.

Only two things could truly interest him.

One was the delicious food Levi made.

The other was the whereabouts of his beloved.

An ordinary impoverished port town like this simply could not catch his attention.

He had seen countless places like it before.

Levi had agreed to help him search for his lover in the future, though in exchange, Rune would have to serve Levi for a period of time.

The Sky Knight Rune had accepted the condition without hesitation.

He believed that rather than wandering aimlessly on his own, following Levi—a mysterious and powerful wizard—would give him a far greater chance of finding his beloved.

As for Levi himself, he already had his own reasons for seeking Rune's lover.

Finding the woman herself was merely incidental.

What Levi truly wanted were the treasures connected to her—treasures that could grant him a number of powerful new abilities.

However, there was no rush for that. It could be handled slowly over time.

The main reason was that Levi was somewhat wary of the master of the Golden Palace of Stromberg—the Raven Queen.

Levi still wanted more time to develop his strength. He had no desire to attract the attention of a witch who sounded overwhelmingly powerful just from her title alone.

But that was another matter entirely.

Yalina drove the alchemical carriage toward the city gate.

Because this was a port town, the stone walls here were especially thick and sturdy, built to defend against pirates and repel foreign enemies.

Several soldiers wearing silver-gray uniforms stood guard at the gate, each with a vicious silver claw emblem embroidered over the chest.

This was not the crest of the Duke of Silverbrook's family.

One burly soldier stepped forward and barred their path with his spear, speaking in a rude tone.

"Stop! What are you here for?"

Yalina frowned slightly and shouted at the soldier, "Inside the carriage is Lord Levi, the new lord of this land. Call the steward here immediately."

The gate guard froze for a moment before a man who appeared to be an officer stepped forward. His expression was dark as he coldly replied, "We've received no such notice."

"At the moment, I suspect you're pirate spies."

"The person inside the carriage—get down!"

"Submit to inspection!"

Something was wrong.

Even if they doubted Levi's identity as the new lord, they should not have acted in such an insulting manner.

After all, if Levi truly was the new lord, this officer would suffer the consequences terribly.

Oh, these were Viscount Silverclaw's men?

Then it made perfect sense.

Seeing no response from Levi's side, the officer—whose physical abilities had already reached knight level—impatiently summoned more than twenty soldiers to surround the alchemical carriage completely.

He coldly ordered, "Seize them!"

"If they resist, kill them immediately!"

Hearing this, Levi, seated calmly inside the carriage, merely shook his head slightly.

This was hardly an exclave of the Duke of Silverbrook.

It was practically Viscount Silverclaw's personal territory.

Even the gate guards had been replaced by the Viscount's men.

Levi refused to believe they would dare act like this without Viscount Silverclaw's approval. Otherwise, their reaction would not have been so obvious after hearing his identity.

Clearly, this was a test orchestrated by Viscount Silverclaw.

The man wanted to gauge Levi's strength. If Levi proved insufficiently powerful, they might simply kill him under the pretense of him impersonating the territory's lord, thereby continuing their control over Hornreach.

Though Levi never stepped out of the carriage, he could clearly sense the officer's undisguised killing intent.

The gate soldiers drew their swords and blades, preparing to charge forward.

The wolf-eared girl, Little Red Riding Hood, grew somewhat nervous. A faint red glow flickered deep within her eyes as her body trembled slightly.

Noticing her abnormal reaction, Yalina took her hand and reassured her with a calm look.

Yalina herself possessed Great Knight-level combat strength. These soldiers were beneath her notice.

Besides, there was no need for her to act personally.

They already had a professional enforcer—the Sky Knight Rune.

Otherwise, what exactly was Levi keeping this man around for?

"Kill them," Levi calmly ordered from inside the carriage.

"Them?" The Sky Knight glanced lazily at the soldiers, cracked his knuckles, and grinned. "Alright."

The instant his voice fell, he vanished from sight.

Almost simultaneously, soldiers were sent flying one after another. By the time they hit the ground, either their chests or skulls had caved inward, and all signs of life were gone.

Among them was the knight-level officer himself, his chest deeply crushed as he lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

In only a short moment, every single gate soldier surrounding the carriage had been beaten to death by Rune.

Rune returned beside the carriage and said, "Handled."

From inside the carriage, Levi merely responded with a calm "Mm."

Meanwhile, the surrounding townsfolk, fishermen, sailors, and merchants who had gathered to watch the commotion all turned pale, their eyes filled with fear and unease.

Among the crowd, one servant-dressed man went especially white in the face before turning and running deeper into town.

"Yalina."

Once again, the wizard lord inside the carriage spoke.

Having followed Levi for quite some time now, Yalina immediately understood what he meant. She promptly raised her voice and announced to the crowd: "The man inside this carriage is Lord Levi, personally appointed by the Duke of Silverbrook as the new lord of Hornreach!"

"These men offended and attempted to murder the new lord. Their crimes were unforgivable, and so Lord Levi ordered their execution!"

"All others who were not involved are innocent. Your property and safety will be guaranteed!"

"Now return to your places."

Yalina's stern gaze swept across the distant onlookers.

With such overwhelming brutality displayed before them, the crowd immediately scattered in panic.

Only then did Yalina quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Beside her, Miss Nightingale Odelle said, "That was incredible, Yalina."

"Yeah, Sister Yalina," the wolf-eared girl, Little Red Riding Hood, agreed with an earnest nod.

Praised by the others, Yalina unconsciously lifted her chin slightly in satisfaction. Just as she was about to say something, Levi's calm voice came from inside the carriage.

"Enter the city. We're heading to the lord's manor."

Yalina pouted.

What an annoying man. He would not even let her enjoy being praised for a little longer.

Still, she obediently guided the carriage toward the lord's manor—the only castle within Coldwind Keep.

That was where the steward appointed by the Duke of Silverbrook handled affairs.

In this world, the great nobles often possessed vast territories due to historical and political reasons. Many of those lands were not even connected to their core domains, and some territories were spread across different countries entirely.

Naturally, this created considerable difficulties in governance.

To deal with that, they had developed a complex yet efficient system of indirect administration centered around appointing representatives and establishing layered bureaucratic structures.

For large exclaves far removed from the core territory, a great noble would appoint a high-ranking representative—usually called a governor—to exercise supreme authority on his behalf. The governor would reside there permanently, handling administrative, judicial, and military matters in full.

These governors typically relied heavily on local forces and autonomous institutions, often making use of preexisting regional power structures to achieve low-cost, highly efficient governance.

For example, they might appoint local officials or recognize municipal self-rule—especially municipal self-rule. This approach reduced management costs while ensuring stable tax revenue.

Large exclaves would receive governors, but for medium or smaller exclaves, great nobles generally preferred assigning a fully trusted steward to oversee everything.

Old Steward Mott had been precisely such a trusted administrator, dispatched by the Duke of Silverbrook to manage this exclave.

But after more than ten years, he had long since changed.

Because no matter how much authority a steward possessed, he was still only a steward—a servant—not a noble.

In contrast, Viscount Silverclaw had promised him that if he cooperated, he would eventually receive a genuine fief of his own, transforming from Steward Mott into Sir Mott... or perhaps Baron Mott.

And so Steward Mott was tempted.

Over the years, the taxes Hornreach submitted to the Duke of Silverbrook had grown smaller and smaller. Meanwhile, Viscount Silverclaw's territory prospered more and more. The Viscount's men and fleets openly traveled through Hornreach without paying any fees whatsoever.

It was not that the Duke of Silverbrook had never suspected anything. It was simply that Hornreach had never generated much revenue to begin with, and he had far more important matters demanding his attention, so he chose to remain silent.

But silence did not mean the Duke of Silverbrook had no thoughts on the matter.

And now, having finally found an opportunity, he had gifted this exclave to Levi.

But that was another matter.

Inside the castle—

Old Steward Mott felt as though an icy hand had seized his heart so tightly it nearly stopped beating after receiving news from a servant about the fate of the gate soldiers sent to test Levi.

Those gate guards had been personally dispatched by Viscount Silverclaw after learning that Levi had become the new lord of Hornreach. Their leader had even possessed knight-level combat strength and was known for his fierce battlefield prowess.

Yet that very group of Viscount Silverclaw's elite had been effortlessly and cleanly slaughtered after initiating their little test.

Such decisiveness and overwhelming strength left Steward Mott deeply uneasy.

Originally, he had intended to cooperate with Viscount Silverclaw in getting rid of Levi, this new lord.

But now, he no longer dared entertain such thoughts.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he led the castle staff outside to welcome Levi's arrival.

The alchemical carriage gradually came into view.

The expressions of those waiting grew increasingly complicated—uneasy, nervous, uncertain.

Finally, the carriage stopped before them.

Levi stepped out and surveyed the castle and the territory around it.

So this was the place where he would begin building his domain.

A faint blue glow flickered deep within his eyes as he quietly used Detection to gather more information about the territory.

As for Steward Mott and the others, Levi ignored them completely, deliberately leaving them hanging.

Although Levi had arrived with only a handful of people and no large retinue, the brutal display from earlier still weighed heavily on everyone present, leaving them restless and anxious.

After what felt like quite some time, seeing that Levi showed no intention of speaking, Steward Mott finally stepped forward on his own and said: "Honored Lord, welcome to your domain."

"According to protocol, you will need to present—"

---

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

---