Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

Meriel was actually trying to sell him a dream?

Levi laughed.

If it came to selling dreams, he was the professional here.

Levi said to Meriel, "First of all, Princess Meriel, I appreciate you bringing me this information."

"It's very important to me."

The Three Snake-Leaves could grant Levi the power to bring the dead back to life.

The importance of such an ability was self-evident.

After a pause, Levi continued, "But what you've brought me is information, not The Three Snake-Leaves themselves."

"I certainly believe that such a miraculous treasure exists."

"But with nothing more than this piece of information, you're asking me—a count who has only just established himself—to attack a powerful kingdom. Then, after defeating it, hand the entire kingdom over to you."

"The terms you're offering are like a lion opening its mouth wide. You really want everything, don't you?"

Levi's words made Meriel blush.

Only for a moment.

She quickly regained her composure.

Calmly, she said, "Yes, Count. From your perspective, that request is a little excessive."

"But obtaining the Snake-Leaves won't be easy either."

"You need a key to open the door."

"The Dres Family is the family of gatekeepers. Generations of inheritance have caused later descendants to forget this great mission, but the promise is etched into our bloodline. Only someone of the Dres Family can use that bloodline to open the gate to the ruins."

"Only then can you obtain the Herb of Resurrection that you seek."

"The Herb of Resurrection?"

Levi's eyelid twitched.

"That's the source of The Three Snake-Leaves," Meriel replied.

"Hm?"

Levi looked at her.

Meriel seemed slightly uncomfortable. She swallowed before explaining.

"Because of the pressure my father brought upon us, my grandfather later searched through countless ancient texts. In the end, he found a fragment of the records and finally learned about our family's mission and its existence."

"But by then it was already too late."

"My father sensed that something was wrong and made his move first."

"My grandfather never managed to push open that door."

A trace of regret appeared in Meriel's eyes.

Levi's expression turned a little strange.

My father.

My grandfather.

The whole thing felt like he was watching a melodramatic soap opera.

The problem was that this was supposed to be a fairy-tale world full of princes and princesses.

Levi sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, fairy-tale princes were all lies.

Real-life princes went bald and liked visiting islands.

The regret in Meriel's eyes quickly vanished.

Pressing her lips together, she looked at Levi.

"So, Count, you need me."

"You need the Dres bloodline within me to help you open that door and obtain the Herb of Resurrection."

"I believe that's enough to serve as a fair exchange."

"Behind me, there are still people loyal to the Dres Family. They will also contribute from the shadows."

"I can promise you, in the name of the Dres Family, that once I reclaim the kingdom, I will grant you the lands currently occupied by my father."

"At that time, you won't be a count anymore. You'll be a duke, a figure no less prestigious than the Grand Duke of Silverbrook."

"Your family will be honored because of you."

Meriel said a great deal, but none of it moved Levi.

His expression remained as indifferent as ever.

Meriel had been secretly observing his face the entire time.

Seeing that he remained completely unmoved, panic rose within her, and the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"Count, as long as you help me reclaim my kingdom, I can share the crown with you. We..."

The princess's face reddened slightly.

But gritting her teeth, she forced herself to continue.

"Our children together will become the future rulers of the kingdom."

Meriel was offering to make Levi a prince consort.

And to bear his children.

For princes from other nations who possessed no inheritance rights, this would have been an opportunity beyond their wildest dreams.

But after hearing it, Levi merely glanced at her.

For a moment, Meriel thought she saw a trace of disgust in his eyes.

That single look shattered the last remnants of her pride.

A nameless fury surged within her.

She glared at him.

It had no effect on Levi whatsoever.

Blue light flickered in his eyes.

In truth, his attention had remained fixed on the Herb of Resurrection that Meriel had mentioned.

If he remembered correctly...

No, he definitely remembered correctly.

After all, he would only make a mistake like the one with Doctor Know-All once.

This Herb of Resurrection had also appeared in another fairy tale.

That fairy tale was The Two Brothers.

The Seven-Headed Dragon slumbering within the Mist Swamp was one of the important supporting characters from that story.

His eyes flickered slightly as a possibility occurred to him.

'So the protagonist from The Two Brothers was brought back to life with this thing after he died?'

The thought crossed Levi's mind.

'The Seven-Headed Dragon is already in place. Has that protagonist already begun his adventure?'

He felt that both the protagonist and his brother from that story were anything but ordinary.

Even their animal companions were extraordinary.

With Levi's current strength, he probably wouldn't even qualify to participate in their adventure.

'How could they be that powerful?'

Levi was puzzled.

He had no answer.

Perhaps time would eventually give him one.

For now, the most important thing was increasing his strength.

And for Levi, there was a shortcut to becoming stronger.

As long as he obtained more Spell Model Crystals, his Sea of Souls could be strengthened again and again. A stronger Sea of Souls would improve both his meditation efficiency and the speed at which his Spiritual Power grew.

Even among Third-Ring Wizards, his Spiritual Power growth rate was already considered quite fast.

But if he could acquire more Spell Model Crystals, it could become even faster.

After unexpectedly receiving the Blessing of Eros in the Flower Fairy Realm, his Spiritual Power had surged dramatically. It was already approaching the 100-point threshold.

If his Spiritual Power growth rate increased further, Levi would soon reach the limit of a Third-Ring Wizard.

At that point, as long as he pushed his Third-Ring Spells to their limit and advanced them to the level of Fourth-Ring Spells, he should be able to become a Fourth-Ring Wizard...

Of course.

That was only Levi's speculation.

The meditation method he had obtained from the Candy House could only support him up to the level of a Third-Ring Wizard.

As for the higher realm of Fourth-Ring Wizards, even the Sugar Saint Artisan had never reached it.

Still, that was thinking too far ahead.

Levi snapped back to reality and noticed that the fallen princess, Meriel Dres, was staring at him with an ugly expression.

But no matter how ugly her expression became, it was useless.

Levi remained completely unmoved.

"I'll take you to find the gate to the ruins and obtain the Herb of Resurrection."

"In exchange, I'll help you get rid of your father. As for whether you can reclaim the throne afterward, that'll depend on you."

"Of course, that's assuming I obtain the Herb of Resurrection first."

Meriel frowned immediately.

Something felt wrong, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

And there was an obvious contradiction in Levi's words.

"If you haven't captured the royal capital, how are you going to take me—... no, how am I supposed to take you to the ruins and find the Herb of Resurrection?"

Then she realized where the problem was.

Levi had said, I'll take you there.

How could he possibly know where the ruins were?

How could he be the one taking her there?

Meriel's eyes filled with confusion.

The next second—

Levi waved his hand.

A massive cloud descended from the sky.

A human face emerged from beneath it, grinning cheerfully at them.

It wasn't a cloud.

It was a Cloud Spirit that Levi had summoned.

Levi said to the stunned Meriel, "Come on. Get on. I'll take you to the Kingdom of Valeria."

"I've got some things I need to discuss with your father as well."

"I wasn't the one causing him trouble, yet he came after me first."

"I should settle that account with him."

Levi spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather.

Only then did Meriel suddenly understand.

Levi wasn't an ordinary Great Knight.

He was a wizard.

At last, all the unusual things about him had an explanation.

Then, in the very next moment, she pointed at him.

"You're a wizard!"

"If the Church finds out, they won't let you go!"

"No wonder the Church stationed Archbishop Cologne in your territory. Has the Church already started suspecting you?"

"So that's it!"

"No wonder your territory has changed so dramatically in such a short time!"

"You don't have a wizard backing you."

"You are the wizard!"

"So that's the truth!"

"You're in danger, Levi!"

"..."

Meriel kept talking without pause.

Levi's expression, however, remained calm.

What she didn't know was that his cheat, Origin Energy, could conceal his Sea of Souls. Even the Seven-Headed Dragon or a Four-Winged Angel wouldn't be able to see through it.

He refused to believe that a mere archbishop could uncover his secrets.

And as long as he didn't expose his identity as a wizard, the Church couldn't casually use Holy Power against him, a secular lord.

Holy Power was special.

It was formed through the combination of faith and Holy Light.

Using Holy Power against believers would result in backlash from the power itself.

This information was something Levi had learned through Detection.

Levi wasn't a believer.

But he could pretend to be one.

After all, that archbishop wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

If patriotism could be negotiated, why couldn't faith?

Levi had complete confidence in himself, though there was no need to explain any of that to Meriel Dres.

He merely said, "Princess Meriel, that's my problem, not yours."

"Let's discuss the location of the ruins instead."

Meriel stared blankly at him.

Suddenly, her face turned pale.

"You're not planning to kill me, are you?"

"Why would you think that?" Levi glanced at her.

"Otherwise, why would you reveal that you're a wizard? Only dead people can keep you safe," Meriel said.

"Your imagination is quite impressive."

Levi laughed.

"I don't have a habit of killing people to silence them."

At that very moment, everyone who had died at Levi's hands—the Frog Prince, Faithful Henry, and several others—nodded their heads in agreement from hell.