I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

After finishing his diary entry, Shu Li read it through from beginning to end, then closed it with satisfaction. Resting his chin in both hands, he stared at the four notebooks on the table and involuntarily sank into thought.

His Elven was still only half-baked, yet he had already filled four notebooks in just over two months. Right now, he was only learning simple everyday conversation. Once he officially started learning the written language, who knew how many notebooks he would need?

He had to find some way to get a spatial storage pouch for carrying important belongings with him.

Unfortunately, Aisha had said that cubs who could not use magic were unable to use storage pouches.

This was terrible.

Shu Li scratched his hair in frustration. His fingertips brushed against the flower crown, and he expertly removed it and set it on the table.

Forget it. He would stop thinking about it and go to sleep!

He still had to get up early for school tomorrow!

Carrying his magic-stone lamp, Shu Li rose dejectedly.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that even after transmigrating, he would still have to attend school—and start all over again from the very beginning.

He could practically foresee how difficult his future would be.

Sniffling, he entered the bathroom and hung the lamp from a hook on the wall.

To take care of the cubs, the adult Fairies had prepared a remarkably complete set of daily necessities. There was a finely crafted wooden basin, a soft linen washcloth, a tiny rinsing cup, a wastebasket, and two large wooden barrels with lids.

Both barrels were taller than Shu Li. The one against the left wall was filled with clean water, while the one against the right wall was empty.

Shu Li guessed that the empty barrel was probably meant for wastewater.

The toilet stood at the very back of the bathroom. It resembled a round red drum, with metal handles on both sides so it could be moved easily.

A small vine basket hung in the corner, holding a stack of soft, fine-textured dried grass leaves.

This was the toilet paper Fairies commonly used.

It could not compare to soft white tissues, but it was much better than freshly picked leaves.

Shu Li used a dipper to scoop water from the large barrel and pour it into the wooden basin, then began washing the linen cloth.

So primitive!

It was seriously far too primitive!

This continent had existed for tens of thousands of years and possessed magic comparable to advanced technology, so why had people’s standard of living remained stuck in place?

Shu Li complained inwardly as he washed up.

After finishing his personal hygiene, he spread his wings slightly and floated out of the bathroom.

He did not want to dirty his clean bedsheet after going to all the trouble of washing his little feet!

He turned off the lamp, pulled the fragrant blanket over himself, and obediently closed his eyes.

After more than three months without a phone, he had already grown used to sleeping early. Fairy cubs were also highly active during the day, so he slept well. Not long after closing his eyes, he drowsily drifted into dreamland.

Early the next morning, Shu Li awoke to the crisp chirping of birds.

He opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar room, his entire mind frozen.

Only after a long while, as the birdcalls drew closer, did he finally wake fully. Brimming with energy, he sat up and stretched comfortably.

The one advantage of transmigrating was getting enough sleep.

As a student in his final year of high school, he had often studied until midnight, then secretly hidden beneath his covers and scrolled through his phone before bed. By the time he actually fell asleep, it was nearly one in the morning.

Then he had to get up at six the next day. With less than five hours of sleep, he had no energy at school and became drowsy every afternoon.

He knew perfectly well that the habit was unhealthy, but he could never stop scrolling through his phone before bed.

That was why his father had come to check on him every night. In the end, Shu Li had panicked from guilt that evening, gotten knocked unconscious by a falling book, and transmigrated into this backward other world.

There was no entertainment here whatsoever. What else could he do at night besides sleep?

Shu Li climbed out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open with a swish.

”Chirp, chirp!”

A sparrow as round as a ball was perched outside the window, tapping the glass with its pointed red beak.

The moment Shu Li saw the plump bird several times larger than himself, he went rigid.

Huh?

W-why was there a fat sparrow sitting outside his window so early in the morning?

The sparrow’s eyes spun as it examined the Fairy cub inside. Upon seeing the green flower crown on his head, it tapped the window again with its red beak.

Listening to the knocking sound, Shu Li’s sluggish brain started working again. He noticed that the sparrow was standing on something.

Hm?

It looked like a letter.

After hesitating, he cautiously opened the window a tiny crack, remaining vigilant in case the sparrow charged inside and swallowed him like a bug—although the chance of that was probably very low.

The sparrow picked up the envelope in its beak and deftly pushed it through the narrow opening.

Shu Li caught the envelope with one hand and thanked the sparrow.

”Thank you.”

The sparrow chirped and spread its wings to leave.

Shu Li suddenly remembered something and called out, ”Wait.”

He placed the letter on the table, hurried over to the cabinet, and grabbed a handful of red seeds from one of its compartments.

These were the seeds he had picked up in the grass at the Fairy Nursery.

At first, he had thought they were valuable gems. He had been terribly disappointed when he later discovered that they were merely the seeds of some plant.

Still, the seeds were so beautiful that he could not resist collecting a large number of them.

Sparrows liked eating seeds, so he would give it a few as thanks!

A Fairy cub’s palm was tiny, so one handful amounted to only four or five seeds. He placed them on the windowsill, where they sparkled beneath the morning sunlight.

The sparrow chirped excitedly.

”They’re for you,” Shu Li said in accented Elven.

The sparrow seemed to understand. It pecked several times, taking the seeds into its mouth, then spread its wings and flew away happily.

Shu Li leaned over the windowsill and watched it gradually recede into the distance, become a black speck, and finally disappear into the dense forest.

It looked like a fluffy ball, but it could certainly fly fast. Just like that little fatty Budeno.

Shrugging, Shu Li closed the window securely and picked up the letter from the table.

The envelope was made from some kind of tree bark and gave off a refreshing woody fragrance. Its flap was sealed with wax stamped by a golden seal.

The intricate design of the seal radiated nobility.

During Shu Li’s first year of high school, wax seals had become popular among his classmates. He had also been obsessed with them for a while, ordering all kinds of materials online and entertaining himself endlessly.

Once he lost interest, he gave away half of the expensive supplies and locked the rest in a drawer.

Now, holding a wax-sealed envelope delivered by a sparrow, he felt both puzzled and curious.

Normally, wax seals were used only when sending letters to important people.

So who had sent this?

”Ring-a-ling—”

Aisha’s bell suddenly rang outside, summoning the cubs.

Without thinking, Shu Li shoved the letter and his notebooks into his belt pouch, rushed into the bathroom, and quickly washed up and combed his hair. Unsurprisingly, the green flower crown he had left on the table last night had once again returned silently to his head.

The ringing accelerated. Shu Li hurried outside and ran into Redhead and Whitehead.

”Good morning, Disio, Angel.” After greeting them every day, he could now say the morning greeting very fluently.

”Good morning, Sperien.” Whitehead’s silver hair stuck out in every direction, and his eyes were heavy with sleep.

”Good morning, Sperien.” Redhead’s hair, on the other hand, had been combed meticulously. He had even tried pressing it down with water. Unfortunately, his hair was naturally curly, and one stubborn cowlick stood upright, refusing to compromise.

Seeing Whitehead swaying on his feet, Shu Li asked in confusion, ”Sleepy?”

Whitehead puffed out his cheeks and complained angrily, ”The bed was uncomfortable!”

Not only was it uncomfortable, but it was also too small. Every time he rolled over, he fell onto the floor. He had fallen five times during the night, and when he woke that morning, he discovered that he was lying beneath the bed. He had risen in confusion and banged his head against the underside of the bed with a thud, bringing tears to his eyes. Had he not heard Aisha’s urgent bell, he would still be lying on the floor crying!

Whitehead grumbled as he lifted his bangs, revealing his slightly swollen forehead.

Shu Li looked at him sympathetically, leaned closer, and blew on it.

”Blow, blow, pain, away!”

Whitehead blinked his amber eyes.

”Huh? It really doesn’t hurt anymore?”

An illusion!

Shu Li smiled.

Children were so easy to coax.

”What about you?” he asked Redhead.

Redhead proudly held up two chubby fingers.

”I only fell twice!”

Shu Li grinned.

”I. Didn’t. Fall.”

Redhead’s proud expression immediately collapsed. However, he soon gazed at Shu Li in admiration.

As expected of their boss. He had not fallen even once.

”S-so amazing!” Whitehead exclaimed in wonder as well.

Under the two pairs of sparkling eyes, Shu Li felt a little embarrassed.

He had slept in beds for eighteen years. Of course he would not fall.

Still, after sleeping in a flower cradle for three months, he had felt a tiny bit unaccustomed when he first lay down.

A flower cradle was spacious and surrounded by protective petals. No matter how much a cub rolled around inside, he would never fall out.

The cubs had only switched from flower cradles to single beds the previous night. It was perfectly understandable that they could not adapt immediately.

Shu Li flew to the gathering square and saw the other cubs yawning repeatedly, all listless and exhausted. They looked completely different from their lively selves yesterday. Clearly, none of them had slept enough.

As the little fatty Budeno descended from the air, his foot suddenly slipped, and he landed hard on his bottom.

”Waaah—”

He was just about to open his mouth and burst into tears when he saw Shu Li standing opposite him with a smiling expression. His wail stopped abruptly, and he forcibly held back his tears.

H-he absolutely refused to let that annoying fellow laugh at him!

It was all because the bed had been too small last night. He had fallen ten times and cried three times, suffering miserably until dawn. His severe lack of sleep was the only reason he had made such a mistake just now.

Seeing the dark circles beneath the little fatty’s eyes, Shu Li felt sympathy for him.

How pitiful. He must have fallen many times during the night.

With his round, ball-like build, a single bed only four centimeters wide truly did him an injustice.

Redhead and Whitehead possessed none of Shu Li’s sympathy. They pointed at Budeno and laughed gleefully at his misfortune.

Humiliated and furious, Budeno flapped his wings and prepared to charge over to defend his dignity.

Aisha stepped forward in time and asked gently, ”Are you all right?”

Budeno nearly crashed into her arms. He hurriedly stopped himself and landed again.

This time, he stood steadily.

Two large teardrops clung to his doughy face, but he bravely shook his head.

”I-I’m fine.”

He could not allow the annoying fellow to look down on him, much less disappoint his little followers. Budeno endured the pain in his bottom and behaved with exceptional courage.

Aisha stroked his head and reminded him, ”Be more careful next time.”

Although Fairies had wings, they could still fall to their deaths. Tragic falls from great heights were especially likely when they were mentally exhausted or physically weak.

Once all twenty-five cubs had arrived, Aisha looked around and was surprised to discover that Sperien alone was bright-eyed and energetic. The others were listless, and several were so sleepy that they could barely open their eyes.

She knew that cubs usually struggled to adjust on their first day after leaving the Fairy Nursery and moving into their own cottages, but a cub as refreshed as Sperien was unprecedented.

His ability to adapt truly was exceptional.

He had already demonstrated that clearly in the Fairy Nursery.

After marveling at him, she shook her bell. The loud chiming made every drowsy cub jolt awake, instantly dispelling their sleepiness.

”Is everyone hungry?” Aisha asked.

”Hungry!” the cubs answered in unison.

No matter how sleepy they were, they could not allow their little bellies to go hungry.

Having successfully redirected their attention, Aisha led them to the school dining hall for breakfast.

At the thought of food, the cubs perked up and eagerly followed her.

After flying upward for a while, they reached the school dining hall.

Without needing instructions from Aisha, the cubs entered familiarly, found the long table where they had eaten yesterday, and sat neatly in rows with greedy expressions.

The sparrow, as round as a ball, flew nimbly through the dense forest. The instant it left the territory of the sacred tree, its body abruptly expanded, transforming into a gigantic falcon.

Compared with the silly, adorable sparrow, the falcon—with wings spanning four meters—was domineering and ferocious. Wherever it passed, other birds hurriedly moved aside, not daring to confront it.

The falcon rampaged arrogantly through the sky. In the blink of an eye, it reached the middle and outer regions of the Faerie Forest. Slowing slightly, it found the person it was searching for and abruptly plunged downward.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

Its wings scraped against the leaves, producing a tremendous noise.

Just before it reached the ground, its body transformed again, returning to the form of an adorable fat sparrow.

”Chirp, chirp!”

Flapping its wings, the sparrow flew toward the blond man standing beside the lake.

The blond man had already heard it approaching. He gracefully extended one hand, and the sparrow landed precisely on his pale fingertip, chirping excitedly.

Your Majesty—I completed the mission! The letter was delivered! Reward! Reward!

The blond man lightly tapped its head and smiled faintly.

”Where is my return gift?”

The sparrow gave a reluctant coo and unwillingly opened its red beak, spitting out four crystal-clear plant seeds.

Author’s Note:

Shushu: I’m giving you some seeds. Don’t dislike them, okay?

Fat Sparrow: I don’t dislike them! Not at all! I don’t dislike them one bit! I just took a few extra.