Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

Levi knew that Detection had its limits.

More precisely, it was the Third-Ring Spell version of Detection that had limits.

He had been unable to find any trace of the White Wizard Barbara mentioned by Rapunzel's godmother.

After thinking it over for a while, he decided not to return to the Silverclaw Peninsula. Instead, he landed in one of the countries near the Thorn Wasteland and assumed human form.

He planned to travel through the neighboring nations and see if he could find Lady Barbara.

The countries around the Thorn Wasteland were all quite small. None of them truly qualified as kingdoms. At best, they could be considered duchies—or even smaller than that, little more than counties or margraviates.

Despite their tiny territories, as long as they possessed independent sovereignty, the ruling family could call itself a royal family, and its territory was recognized as a kingdom.

Naturally, that only applied if the territory was not subordinate to any other nation.

Because their lands were so small, their populations were equally limited. That was why scenes like those in fairy tales—finding every young woman in the country within a single day to try on a crystal slipper—were entirely possible.

If Levi wanted to, he could likewise petition to have the Silverclaw Peninsula recognized as an independent county and proclaim himself king.

Of course, he wasn't shameless enough to do something like that.

But that was beside the point.

Levi glanced around, blue light flickering in his eyes as Detection revealed information about the duchy where he currently stood.

The Duchy of Toulouse.

It was a relatively prosperous nation—but also an exceptionally peculiar one.

Even someone as well-traveled as Levi couldn't help showing a look of surprise.

See enough strange things, and eventually nothing surprises you anymore.

The duchy's peculiarities became obvious the moment he arrived at the border checkpoint disguised as a traveling merchant.

Ordinarily, a border checkpoint would be guarded by a single group of soldiers.

But the Duchy of Toulouse had two separate contingents stationed there.

Each occupied exactly half of the checkpoint, and each wore completely different uniforms.

The guards on the left wore silver-gray armor emblazoned with a blooming white rose on the breastplate. Their expressions were stern, and when inspecting travelers, they scrutinized every detail—even the corners of their luggage.

The guards on the right wore dark crimson armor. A black eagle with outstretched wings was engraved on their breastplates. Their sword scabbards were painted black, decorated with nothing more than a single bronze stud on each hilt. Their inspections were sloppy and indifferent. They even used inspections as an excuse to extort merchants, and anyone who refused to pay would suddenly find their goods labeled "prohibited."

The most absurd sight of all was the waist-high stone wall standing in the middle of the checkpoint.

A narrow opening had been left in its center, and beside it were two official notices.

One read:

[Anyone entering My territory is forbidden from wearing red clothing.]

The other read:

[Anyone entering My territory is forbidden from wearing white clothing.]

The two notices hung side by side.

Their handwriting was neat.

Their tone was authoritative.

And yet they made absolutely no sense.

One unfortunate traveler, unaware of the local rules, arrived wearing a cloak patterned in both red and white.

The moment he stepped through the gap, guards from both sides shouted at him simultaneously.

The guards on the left declared his red clothing violated their duchy's laws.

The guards on the right insisted his white clothing violated theirs.

Neither side would back down, and they nearly started arguing with each other on the spot.

Terrified, the traveler hastily tore off his cloak and fled the checkpoint in utter embarrassment.

Levi couldn't help laughing at the ridiculous spectacle.

Thanks to Detection, he already knew the reason behind it.

The ruler of the Duchy of Toulouse, King Aemon III, had no sons.

He and the queen had only three daughters.

Although the old king was still alive, three years earlier he had drafted a will dividing the entire duchy into two halves, leaving one to his eldest daughter, Isolde, and the other to his second daughter, Catherine.

The two princesses each held administrative authority over their respective territories.

Political authority over the duchy as a whole, however, remained in the hands of the old king.

His intentions had probably been good.

While he was still alive, he wanted his daughters to gain experience governing before one of them eventually inherited the throne.

Unfortunately, reality rarely follows people's good intentions.

Their differing philosophies on governing their territories gradually turned into open rivalry, fueled by those with ulterior motives.

Eventually, that rivalry produced the bizarre situation before him.

The old king wanted to fix it.

But authority, once given away, was like water poured onto the ground.

Getting it back was far easier said than done.

And so the stalemate persisted.

The entire duchy remained caught between unity and division.

Sometimes, in the very same town, a tiny drainage ditch marked the border.

Someone might be drinking merrily on the eldest princess's side, only to absentmindedly step across the ditch into the second princess's territory.

They would immediately be arrested and thrown into prison.

Why?

Because the second princess detested alcohol.

In her territory, drinking was a crime.

Under such circumstances, most people in the duchy lived in constant confusion.

No one knew whether saying one sentence too many today might result in punishment tomorrow.

As Levi continued toward the royal capital, he found that the sense of division only grew stronger.

The capital should have been the duchy's most prosperous city—and its greatest symbol of unity.

Instead, the scene before him was even more absurd than anything he'd witnessed along the border or in the towns he'd passed through.

The city's central avenue had been split clean in half by a towering stone wall nearly ten meters high.

Two completely different emblems had been carved into it.

A white rose on the left.

A black eagle on the right.

The symbols of the two princesses.

A massive gate stood at the center of the wall.

On either side of it stood another group of guards.

The guards on the left wore silver-gray armor and carried long spears, their expressions solemn.

The guards on the right wore dark crimson armor and carried longswords, looking down on everyone around them with open arrogance.

Above the city gate hung two large signs.

The one on the left read:

[Territory Under Her Highness Isolde.]

The one on the right read:

[Territory Under Her Highness Catherine.]

The two signs faced each other from opposite sides, practically radiating hostility.

Levi chose to enter through the left gate, into the territory governed by the eldest princess, Isolde.

The soldiers stationed on the right side stared daggers at him, as though he owed them a thousand gold coins.

Naturally, that level of intimidation had no effect on Levi.

His expression remained calm.

Inwardly, however, he could only shake his head.

This country's finished...

After entering the section of the royal capital under Princess Isolde's rule, Levi immediately noticed something.

The king's eldest daughter seemed to suffer from an obsessive need for order.

The streets were so meticulously organized that they bordered on unnatural. Every house had exactly the same design, and even the shops lining both sides of the streets displayed their merchandise in identical arrangements.

Even the pedestrians walked with restrained, cautious movements.

Whenever children tried to run or play, the adults beside them immediately stopped them, scolding in hushed voices.

"Don't make a scene. If the guards see you, they'll arrest you!"

The children instantly froze, lowered their heads, apologized quietly, and obediently followed the adults.

The shops along the streets sold all kinds of goods.

Yet there were no merchants loudly advertising their wares.

The shopkeepers simply stood silently behind their counters, waiting for customers to come to them.

Levi casually stepped into one of the stores.

The clerk immediately hurried over, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a polite yet restrained tone.

"Sir, what may I help you with? We carry all kinds of exquisite handcrafted goods. Every item here has been approved for sale by Her Highness."

Approved for sale by Her Highness.

That phrase made Levi raise an eyebrow.

Princess Isolde wasn't just obsessive.

She was also a control freak.

Levi glanced around the shop but found nothing that interested him. In the end, he simply shook his head and walked out.

He hadn't forgotten why he'd come.

Keeping Detection active, he wandered through the royal capital, yet found no clues whatsoever related to Lady Barbara.

Eventually, he reached the end of the street, where an unmistakably divided plaza lay before him.

A crowd had gathered there.

Standing before them was a man dressed like a scholar in white robes, addressing the people.

Holding an ancient tome in his hands, he spoke in a solemn voice.

"My fellow citizens, Her Highness Isolde is kind and benevolent. The strict rules she has established exist solely to make our lives more orderly and to keep us away from chaos and evil."

"We must obey Her Highness's regulations without exception, conduct ourselves with dignity, treat others respectfully, and never allow ourselves the slightest negligence."

"Otherwise, not only would we be disrespecting Her Highness, we would also be committing blasphemy against the gods."

The citizens all nodded devoutly.

No one dared speak loudly.

Even coughing was done in hushed tones.

There was a certain beauty in such perfect order.

The middle-aged man in white was clearly pleased.

After clearing his throat, he prepared to continue instructing the crowd.

Suddenly, however, loud commotion erupted from the opposite side of the plaza, forming a stark contrast with the solemn atmosphere here.

Levi looked up.

At the far end of the square, a group of guards clad in dark crimson armor escorted a gorgeously dressed woman as they crossed over from the territory on the right.

She was beautiful.

She was also unmistakably arrogant.

She wore a brilliant crimson gown embroidered with golden patterns, while a jewel-encrusted crown rested atop her head.

Detection immediately identified her.

She was Catherine, the king's second daughter.

Behind her followed a procession of attendants.

Some carried musical instruments.

Some held bottles of fine wine.

Others led hunting hounds.

The entire group chatted and laughed loudly as they walked, shattering the plaza's solemn silence while passing directly in front of the white-robed scholar.

The scholar's expression shifted several times.

After hesitating briefly, he finally stepped forward and blocked Catherine's path.

In a stern voice, he said, "Your Highness Princess Catherine, this is the territory governed by Her Highness Princess Isolde. Loud disturbances are forbidden here, as is wearing brightly colored clothing. I ask that Your Highness abide by the rules."

Princess Catherine merely sneered.

Hands on her hips, she replied haughtily, "Rules? What rules?"

"Half of the Duchy of Toulouse belongs to me."

"I'll wear whatever I want."

"I'll make as much noise as I please."

"Why should I follow her rules?"

The attendants behind her immediately burst into loud laughter.

Some even deliberately began playing cheerful tunes, their piercing music clashing violently with the plaza's solemn atmosphere.

The white-robed scholar's face turned livid.

Yet beneath his anger, he also felt an immense sense of relief.

He had spoken up.

Even if Princess Isolde learned of this, she wouldn't blame him.

At worst, she'd give him a few words of criticism.

After all, how could someone like him possibly force a princess to obey?

Princess Isolde would understand.

That was why he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Had he remained silent after witnessing all this, and the matter later reached Princess Isolde's ears...

That would have been a real disaster.

Seeing that the scholar had fallen silent, the unruly Princess Catherine laughed triumphantly and strode past him.

As she passed Levi, she took several steps forward before suddenly stopping.

She turned around, walked back to stand directly before him, her eyes lighting up as she looked him over.

"What is your name?" she asked.