Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

"How did you know?" Queen Moya and King Aemon III both stared at Levi in shock. "That's a secret!"

"We've never told anyone."

Levi replied calmly, "I'm a wizard. Knowing a few secrets is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

In truth, he was anything but calm.

At first, he'd thought this was simply the tale of The Goose Girl. What he hadn't expected was that it was also connected to two other fairy tales.

The Fisherman and His Wife.

The Little Mermaid.

That revelation had caught him completely off guard.

After hearing Levi's explanation, King Aemon III and Queen Moya exchanged a glance.

A moment later, Aemon III let out a weary sigh.

"Serena was so kind... so beautiful. From the day she was born, I loved her with all my heart."

"But as the years passed, she only grew more beautiful... and little by little, strange things began to appear."

"She loved the water. Even when she was very young, she could stay underwater for an incredibly long time. Even knights couldn't match her."

"At first, that wasn't much of a concern."

"But later, she fell gravely ill and nearly died. After she recovered... she gained that ability."

"Her tears turned directly into pearls."

"I suppose that's what you meant by an ancestral bloodline awakening, Wizard."

"We just didn't know it back then."

"When Serena cried, her tears became pearls. She was terrified. And the more frightened she became, the more she cried... and the more pearls appeared."

"We were frightened too. By then, Moya had already told me about her ancestors."

"But I still loved her."

"I loved her deeply."

As he said those words, Aemon III gazed at Queen Moya with heartfelt affection.

Moya looked back at her husband with tear-filled eyes.

Watching the scene unfold, Levi felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his spine.

Yeah... I'm definitely allergic to this kind of lovey-dovey stuff.

After a brief pause, Aemon III turned back to him with a bitter smile.

"But Serena's abnormalities only became more obvious."

"I was afraid the Church would notice."

"They wouldn't listen to a single explanation. They'd burn Serena, my queen... and me, along with both of my daughters, at the stake."

"As far as I know," Levi said evenly, "they absolutely would."

Aemon III's expression grew even more bitter.

Meanwhile, guilt filled Queen Moya's eyes as she looked at her husband.

"I'm sorry, Aemon... I dragged you into all of this."

"This was never your fault, Moya. The moment I decided to marry you, I knew I'd never regret it."

That declaration sent another shiver through Levi.

He couldn't help frowning.

Neither Aemon III nor Queen Moya noticed.

Turning back to Levi, the king's eyes gleamed with an unreadable light as he continued, speaking more quickly.

"So in the end, I came up with a plan."

"I would cast Serena out... then secretly hide her away. That way, I could protect her more effectively."

"So..." Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"It was all just a performance."

Aemon III nodded without hesitation.

"I had my three daughters tell me how much they loved me."

"My eldest daughter, Isolde, said she loved me as much as her favorite desserts. She could never resist sweets."

"My second daughter, Catherine, said she loved me as much as her favorite beautiful dresses. She'd adored fine clothes ever since she was little."

"And my youngest daughter, Serena..."

"...said she loved me as much as salt."

"That answer shook me to my core."

"Salt. Something people hardly ever notice, yet something no one can live without."

"My poor Serena... she loved me more deeply than anyone."

"But you pretended to think she didn't love you at all—that she was just brushing you off—and you banished her," Levi finished for him.

"That was only for the benefit of outsiders, Wizard. No matter what Serena had answered, I would have flown into a rage and exiled her from the palace."

"Then I would secretly have my people bring her back."

"And instead..." Levi said, "...you botched it."

"You never found her again."

Aemon III fell silent.

Queen Moya lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

A long while passed before the king finally spoke again.

"We've been searching for her all these years."

Suddenly, he looked up and fixed Levi with an unwavering stare.

"Wizard... you've come to see us so suddenly..."

"...Do you know where Serena is?"

"In fact..."

Levi paused.

"I don't."

It was the truth.

But neither Aemon III nor Queen Moya seemed to believe him.

Pressing his lips together, Levi continued, "The real reason I came here..."

"...was to look for someone."

"Who?" Although disappointment flickered across Aemon III's face, he immediately added, "Perhaps I can help you, Wizard."

"Perhaps. The person I'm looking for is a witch named Barbara. She's a... good witch," Levi said after a brief pause. "A friend of mine told me she lives here."

"Unfortunately, I couldn't find her."

"So I came to your kingdom."

"But I still haven't found her," Levi said.

"Just a name?" King Aemon III looked at him. "Do you have any other identifying features?"

Levi shook his head.

"That's all I know. You can try looking for her. Who knows? Maybe your Serena is living with Witch Barbara."

Aemon III froze for a moment before forcing a bitter smile.

"I hope so."

Suddenly, Levi said, "I almost forgot something."

As he spoke, he turned to Queen Moya.

She immediately tensed.

Aemon III promptly took her hand, silently reassuring her.

Seeing this, Levi said, "Relax. I only want to ask you one question."

"Why did your ancestor come ashore?"

In The Fisherman and His Wife, after the enchanted flounder took back every blessing it had granted the fisherman and his wife, it was never seen again.

Yet according to Queen Moya, her ancestor had obtained the item the Sea Witch wanted, traded it for a potion that could transform him into a human, and came ashore.

Unlike the mermaid princess in The Little Mermaid, who had been blinded by love, this merman prince had come ashore with a purpose.

What was that purpose?

Levi looked at Queen Moya.

She was momentarily taken aback. After giving it some serious thought, she sighed helplessly and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I don't know either."

"Her family..." Aemon III said, unable to hide his concern for his wife. "Moya is the only one left."

"..."

Levi glanced at Aemon III, shook his head without another word, then turned and walked into the courtyard. Rising into the air, he quickly disappeared from their sight.

Only then did Queen Moya seem to lose all her strength.

She collapsed to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably.

Aemon III hurriedly embraced his queen, his face filled with sorrow.

...

The drifting clouds were as soft as fluffy cotton, layered one upon another across the vast heavens.

Levi lay quietly atop a thick bank of white clouds, his body supported by their soft, buoyant surface. There wasn't the slightest sensation of falling—instead, it felt as though he were lying upon the gentlest bed in the world.

A gentle breeze drifted through the high skies.

It was light and refreshing, free from the harsh bite of the wilderness or the clammy chill of ancient tombs. It carried only the crisp coolness unique to the world above the clouds, brushing softly against his hair and clothes.

The sky was a flawless sapphire blue without a single blemish.

Warm sunlight poured down gently—not scorching, not dazzling. Filtered through the thin mist of the upper atmosphere, it settled comfortably against his skin.

Clouds stretched endlessly across the horizon, sometimes spreading apart, sometimes gathering together like tranquil white hills, drifting lazily with the wind at such an unhurried pace that it seemed capable of washing away every trace of restlessness and irritation.

The soft rustle of flowing clouds.

The quiet whisper of the high-altitude breeze.

Now and then, a cloud bird glided gracefully overhead, its wingtips brushing the clouds and leaving behind a faint, fleeting sound before silence returned once more.

It was the perfect place to take a long, peaceful nap.

Unfortunately, Levi hadn't forgotten why he'd come.

He was here to find the White Wizard Barbara.

As for Queen Moya's ancestor...

That mystery could wait.

After all, increasing his own strength remained his highest priority.

Nor was he placing his hopes on King Aemon III.

According to the fairy tale, Aemon III and Queen Moya would eventually reunite with their daughter Serena.

But who knew when that would happen?

Levi wasn't the type to sit around waiting for luck to come to him.

He carefully recalled the contents of The Goose Girl at the Well and identified several key clues.

A village beside the mountain.

Beyond the mountain lies the wasteland.

An old woman cutting grass alone.

The villagers believe she's a witch.

...

Those clues pointed to a very specific location.

Levi rolled over atop the Cloud Spirit and looked down at the ground below.

Blue light flared brightly in his eyes as he activated Detection.

It didn't take long before he found a place that matched the clues.

A village southwest of the wasteland, separated from it by a small mountain.

Blackstone Fork Village.

It belonged to the Duchy of Titans.

Levi patted the Cloud Spirit.

Understanding immediately, it leisurely carried him above Blackstone Fork Village.

This place was much closer.

Using Detection, Levi carefully searched the area.

He still couldn't find any trace of Witch Barbara.

However, he did discover something else.

The villagers had all noticed an elderly woman from outside the village who frequently came to cut grass beyond its outskirts.

She always appeared during the day, left in the afternoon, and then vanished without a trace.

Some villagers had tried following her.

They saw her head toward the wasteland...

...and then she simply disappeared.

The villagers were frightened.

They believed she was a witch, so they neither dared drive her away nor approach her too closely. In the end, they simply pretended she didn't exist.

If any child tried to greet her, the other villagers would immediately stop them.

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

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