Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

The swallow was an ordinary swallow.

And yet, it wasn't an ordinary swallow.

Levi's Third-Ring Spell-level Detection revealed that this passenger-carrying swallow, which looked no different from any normal swallow, was an important supporting character from the fairy tale Thumbelina. The true protagonist, of course, was the Thumbelina riding on its back.

No matter how one looked at it, this swallow carrying Thumbelina was just an ordinary swallow.

Except for one thing.

It could talk.

It could communicate with Thumbelina.

It could speak with Thumbelina.

But that wasn't an ability unique to it.

Nor was it a swallow transformed by a spell, like Miss Nightingale Odelle.

Throughout the entire story of Thumbelina, there were many animals capable of speaking with Thumbelina.

For example, the toad that kidnapped her at the beginning, the cockchafer that appeared later, the field mouse, the swallow, and so on.

All of them were ordinary small animals. Nothing in the story suggested they possessed any special traits compared to others of their kind.

In fact, they were just animals.

Yet whenever they interacted with Thumbelina, they could communicate with her.

And Levi had already discovered the reason why.

That's right.

It came from Thumbelina herself.

Thumbelina was not a natural lifeform.

She was a magical creature—and a very special one at that.

At the beginning of the fairy tale, a witch gave a married couple a grain of barley, and Thumbelina grew from that grain.

In a sense, Thumbelina was a barley spirit.

This barley spirit possessed little combat ability. In the story, even a toad or a field mouse could leave her completely helpless.

However, she possessed a special ability that even surprised Levi.

Enlightenment Aura!

This was the secret uncovered by Levi's Detection.

And Thumbelina herself still didn't know it.

This innate gift allowed creatures within Thumbelina's vicinity to gain intelligence.

Small animals such as toads and field mice would instantly gain the ability to communicate with Thumbelina and develop human-like emotions the moment they came near her.

However, the ability existed only through Thumbelina herself.

Once they moved far away from her, they would revert to their previous muddled and instinct-driven state.

Levi was extremely interested in this ability.

His instincts immediately told him that its potential was enormous.

The only question was whether his cheat ability, Origin Energy, could replicate it.

If it could...

A thought stirred in Levi's heart.

The ending of the story Thumbelina flashed through his mind—the countless flower spirits...

And the King of the Flower Spirits...

Levi then glanced at his Cloud Territory once more.

An idea began to take shape in his mind.

He was preparing to pay a visit to Thumbelina.

But before he could do so, someone unexpectedly came to visit him instead.

She stood atop a wild Cloud Spirit.

Levi froze for a moment before realizing what had happened.

The resonance between Cloud Spirits had revealed his location.

'I can't let that happen again.'

Thinking this, Levi raised his head and examined the gloomy old woman before him.

Or rather—

An old witch.

Her skin was pale, thin, and shriveled like the bark of an ancient tree that had gone years without sunlight.

Deep wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes and mouth.

Her gaze was cold and sharp, like that of an owl in the night.

Her gray-black hair was tangled, dry, and unkempt, wrapped beneath a black headscarf with several dull strands hanging loose, resembling the hair of a corpse.

She wore a coarse dark-gray robe, old and weathered, stained with herbs and soil.

A leather belt hung around her waist, carrying a knife, potion bottles, and seed pouches.

A peculiar scent surrounded her—neither unpleasant nor pleasant.

The Potion Witch of the Rapunzel Garden!

Mela Geggen!

Rapunzel's Godmother!

Mid-Tier Third-Ring Wizard!

Connected to multiple fairy tales, including Rapunzel and Donkey Cabbages!

...

Blue light flickered within Levi's eyes as information about the woman appeared before him.

Her name.

Her strength.

The spells she specialized in.

At this moment, Rapunzel's godmother still had no idea that Levi was now the man in the world who knew her best.

While Levi observed her, Mela was observing Levi as well.

Levi had made no effort to conceal his magical fluctuations.

As a result, Mela immediately discerned his strength.

The discovery surprised her greatly.

Then her gaze shifted downward to the Cloud Territory beneath Levi's feet.

With her experience, she instantly recognized what it was.

Only the aggregation of thousands upon thousands of Cloud Spirits could produce such a phenomenon.

The implications behind that fact moved her deeply.

Raising a single Cloud Spirit was no easy task.

Raising so many Cloud Spirits was even more difficult.

That meant Levi was backed either by a powerful organization—

Or by a terrifying existence so powerful that it was beyond imagination.

Especially considering how young Levi was...

Rapunzel's godmother, Mela, immediately became serious.

At that moment, Rapunzel noticed her as well.

A trace of panic flashed through her eyes.

"Godmother, what are you doing here?"

"If I hadn't come," Mela sneered, showing no restraint whatsoever, "you'd have run off with this man already!"

"That's not true, Godmother. This... he... he's Lord Levi."

Rapunzel was visibly nervous.

She turned to Levi and said, "Lord Levi, this is my godmother, Mela Geggen."

Mela remained unmoved.

She silently stared at Levi before suddenly saying, "I know who you are."

"Is that so? Then allow me to offer my greetings to you, Lady Mela, Rapunzel's godmother."

Levi spoke with impeccable noble etiquette, a perfectly appropriate smile on his face.

A flash of blue light flickered deep within his eyes.

Detection had already revealed everything about her.

Levi knew she had learned about him from Snow White.

At the same time, the emotions she felt toward him were not anger at someone who had abducted her goddaughter, but rather wariness—the wariness one felt toward a being who had gone from an ordinary man to a Third-Ring Wizard in less than a year.

Just like the Magic Mirror Queen, Rapunzel's godmother was the sort of person who thought more the more she knew.

For Levi, that was a good thing.

Hearing their exchange, Rapunzel blinked in surprise.

She glanced at her stern godmother and quietly asked, "Godmother, how do you know Lord Levi?"

"Lord Levi?"

Rapunzel's godmother let out a cold laugh.

Then she continued, "That girl as white as snow told me about you. She even showed me your portrait. I must admit, the little girl captured your likeness quite well. Of course, she also hasn't forgotten the sword strike you gave her back then."

"Is that so? If that's the case, then I sincerely apologize."

Levi wasn't surprised in the slightest.

When used against beings of the same level, a Third-Ring Spell-level Detection was extraordinarily effective and could uncover a vast amount of information.

It wasn't like when facing a terrifying existence such as the Seven-Headed Dragon, from whom Levi could barely glean any information at all.

Rapunzel's godmother had been observing Levi the entire time.

When she noticed that he showed absolutely no surprise, something stirred in her heart.

"You seem to know everything," she said cautiously, probing him. "Snow White told me that back then, you were just an ordinary man."

Levi thought for a moment.

Then he decided to bluff her.

Now was the time to test his acting skills.

He deliberately fell silent for a moment.

Then, putting on a profound expression, he slowly said, "My mentor told me many things."

"Your mentor?"

Rapunzel's godmother thought to herself, Just as I suspected.

"That's right. My mentor told me many things."

"Who is your mentor?" she asked.

"Lady Mela, although this may sound somewhat rude, I still have to say it."

"You are not qualified to know of His existence."

Levi deliberately used the word His.

After a pause, he continued, "Otherwise, how could I have gone from an ordinary man to a Third-Ring Wizard in merely half a year?"

"And how would I have known the location of your Magic Herb Garden and invited your goddaughter here?"

"And why would I choose to remain in the Mist Swamp and become the lord of that region?"

Levi spoke in an intentionally mysterious tone.

Especially when he mentioned becoming the lord of Hornreach.

Rapunzel's godmother froze for a moment.

Her brows furrowed.

Seeing this, Rapunzel immediately explained, "Godmother, Lord Levi is now the ruler of the Silverclaw Peninsula. Not long ago, a dragon appeared in the neighboring Mist Swamp!"

"You mean the Seven-Headed Dragon slumbering in the Mist Swamp?"

Rapunzel's godmother felt her heart skip a beat.

A grave expression appeared on her face.

"Your mentor knew about it long ago and told you to stay there?"

The battle between the dragon and the angel had already spread throughout the continent's supernatural circles.

Rapunzel's godmother was naturally aware of it as well.

Although she had never witnessed the Seven-Headed Dragon's power firsthand, she knew perfectly well that it was an existence beyond her ability to oppose.

Perhaps a single breath from the Seven-Headed Dragon would reduce her to ashes.

Before this, she had never known that such a being lay hidden in the depths of the Mist Swamp.

Yet Levi's mysterious mentor had known all along.

Not only that, but he had instructed Levi to remain there.

That suggested some deeper purpose.

Furthermore, Rapunzel's godmother had noticed something.

When Levi referred to his mentor, he had used the word His...

For a moment, countless thoughts churned through her mind.

Only after quite some time did she manage to calm herself.

Frowning, she casually asked, "Then what purpose did your mentor have in leaving you there?"

"Lady Mela, that is not a question you should be asking."

Levi deliberately allowed his tone to turn cold.

Strangely enough, that attitude dispelled some of her doubts instead.

She fell silent.

Levi glanced at her.

With a wave of his hand, clouds rolled and churned.

The dragon blood, dragon hide, dragon bones, and other materials he had collected from the Mist Swamp appeared before them.

"My mentor gave me these."

Levi spoke as if it were nothing worth mentioning.

At that instant, Rapunzel's godmother no longer harbored even the slightest doubt that a mysterious and immensely powerful mentor stood behind Levi.