I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

“Wow—”

The Little Fairies cried out excitedly in unison.

Although it had been three years since they had last seen the silver dragon, the sight was still breathtaking.

When its head drew close to the Fairies’ flying carriage, the Kaja magical birds were badly frightened. They beat their wings frantically, wishing they could exceed the speed of light and escape this colossal creature.

The silver dragon, however, was completely oblivious. It peered into the tiny carriage and spotted a familiar little face.

Shu Li steadied himself, swallowed, and raised a hand to wave at the dragon outside the window.

After spending so much time around the Elves, his fear of enormous things had eased considerably. Even at such close range, he managed to greet the dragon without flinching as he stared into its basketball-sized eye.

The dragon rolled its eye, then flew away from the Fairies’ procession, stirring up a powerful current of air.

The carriage jolted, sending the Little Fairies tumbling in every direction. Fortunately, the Kaja magical birds were excellent carriage birds and quickly regained their formation and balance.

Dazed, Shu Li climbed to his feet and leaned out by the window to look up at the silver dragon showing off overhead.

Its wings, dozens of meters wide, spread as though they could blot out the sky. It had a beautifully proportioned body and a long, slender tail, while its silver-white scales sparkled beneath the sunlight.

The silver dragon released a long cry and flew toward the Elven capital.

“It’s so fast!” Disio said enviously. Dragons had such broad, enormous wings that they could cover hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.

“Once we become Senior Mages and grow bigger, we’ll be able to fly that fast too, right?” Angel’s face was full of yearning.

“I wish I could just whoosh—and become a Senior Mage!” Budno said, cupping his round little face in both hands.

Shu Li picked up the magic book that had fallen onto the carriage floor, dusted it off, and said, “We should follow Kumandi’s example and strive to become Senior Mages by the age of fifteen.”

Kumandi truly was the finest of all top students. During yesterday’s symposium, he had explained how he had surpassed his limits and endured tremendous pressure to advance in rank, leaving all the adult Fairies present genuinely astonished.

Whether Elf or Fairy, anyone who became a Senior Mage by the age of twenty was already exceptionally gifted. Yet their quiet top student had gone and accomplished it five years earlier.

The Little Fairies had always admired him and regarded him as their academic ideal.

Shu Li was no exception.

He wanted to become stronger as soon as possible.

If Kumandi could do it, then so could he.

As the saying went, perseverance could grind an iron rod into a needle.

Once he solved his problem of mangling incantations, he would surely achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Having been left behind by the dragon, the Kaja magical birds’ competitive instincts flared. They beat their wings with all their strength and raced toward the Elven capital.

As they approached the city gates, Siet and Aisha flew out of the carriage and released their innate power, instantly growing to adult size.

The Elves guarding the gates saw them and came forward to greet them warmly.

“Aisha, Siet, what brings you here?”

Aisha pointed at the carriage drawn by the Kaja magical birds, which was hovering in midair behind them, and said with a pleasant smile, “We’re bringing Sperien to Crystal Castle so he can study magic under the king. We brought the other children along to play for a couple of days as well.”

The Elven guard asked in surprise, “Has Sperien finally decided to remain in the Elven Kingdom?”

Aisha caught the eager gleam in his eyes and curved her lips into a smile. “He won’t be staying here permanently. He’ll make the round trip every half month.”

The Elves had always watched the Fairy cubs with covetous eyes. Aisha was actually rather worried about leaving Sperien in the Elven Kingdom, afraid they might cuddle and rub him until his skin came off.

The Elves had not raised any cubs in a very long time. They had no idea how to restrain themselves.

“Oh, I see...” The gate guard’s pointed ears drooped in obvious disappointment. They soon perked up again, however.

Every half month was fine. As long as he got to see a little cub, he would be perfectly satisfied.

Siet coughed softly, concealing the smile at the corners of his lips. “Has Lord Harmon entered the city?”

The gate guard replied, “Yes. He arrived fifteen minutes before you.”

The Elven Kingdom had been bustling these past two days. The Elven King and Ilio had brought back three cubs poached by pirates: a white young dragon and two little mermaids.

When the Elves learned where they had come from, they were astonished and eagerly gathered around to watch them, offering them every kind of food.

They were cubs!

No matter which people they belonged to, cubs were adorable and impossible not to cherish!

“Let’s enter the city too,” Siet said to Aisha.

Aisha nodded, then turned toward the carriage and called, “Little cuties, come on out!”

The Little Fairies immediately rushed from the carriage, beating their tiny wings as they gathered around. They politely greeted the Elven gate guard.

Confronted by more than twenty Little Fairies at once, the gate guard could not tear his eyes away. If Aisha and Siet had not been watching from the side, he would already have reached out to pet and cuddle them.

The Little Fairies followed Aisha and Siet through the majestic city gates. Every Elf they encountered along the way greeted them enthusiastically.

Without exception, the Elves approached in delight, pulling Aisha and Siet into aimless conversation while their eyes remained fixed intently on the Little Fairies.

Their stares made Shu Li’s scalp prickle.

The other Little Fairies would return to the divine tree after two days, but he would have to stay here alone for half a month. Faced with so many enthusiastic Elves, he was afraid he would not be able to fend them off.

He clenched his little fists and told himself that he absolutely had to remain close to the Elven King and avoid the other Elves’ “clutches.”

The journey from the city gates to Crystal Castle took half an hour longer than usual, leaving Aisha and Siet thoroughly exhausted.

They had miscalculated.

They should have brought several more adult Fairies. The two of them alone might not be able to watch over everyone. If any Little Fairy became separated from the group, the Elves would undoubtedly lure him away for cuddles.

Aisha and Siet guarded the Little Fairies nervously as they flew through the gates of Crystal Castle.

The moment they entered the magnificent hall, the melodious strains of a harp reached their ears. Noble, elegant Elves danced gracefully to the music.

The blond Elven King stood before a window, wearing a crown and a pale purple robe as he conversed with a handsome, silver-haired man.

The handsome man was powerfully built and dressed in a free-flowing white robe. Its collar hung slightly open, offering glimpses of his muscular chest.

A white young dragon rested in his arms. His broad hand stroked its back from time to time, and the young dragon, soothed by his touch, rested its head on his shoulder. Its eyes were half closed as it drifted toward sleep.

The arrival of the Little Fairies attracted the attention of every Elf present.

The dancing Elves stopped and eagerly surrounded them, lavishing the Little Fairies with boundless enthusiasm.

The Little Fairies greeted the Elves without reservation, but the young dragon in the silver-haired man’s arms attracted them even more. They could hardly wait to fly over.

“Good morning, Your Majesty, Lord Harmon.” Shu Li obediently saluted the Elven King and the Dragon King, and the other Little Fairies followed his example.

The Elven King smiled gently. “Good morning. Welcome.”

Dragon King Harmon, who had transformed from a gigantic dragon into human form, addressed Shu Li in flawless Elven. “Little Sperien, Lord Estel told me that you were the one who suggested boarding the pirate ship to search for treasure, which led to the discovery of the cubs the pirates had poached.”

“Uh, yes,” Shu Li replied.

In truth, he had been influenced by movies and television from his original world. He had assumed every pirate ship contained treasure and wanted to take a look. Who would have guessed that instead of treasure, they would find a young dragon and two little mermaids imprisoned at the bottom of the ship?

Looking back on it now, it was fortunate that his inner fantasy hero had taken over. Otherwise, once the pirate ship had been returned to the sea, the young dragon and little mermaids would have been abandoned to fend for themselves.

“Thank you for saving my younger brother.” Harmon thanked him solemnly. “If there are any rare treasures you desire, you need only ask.”

Shu Li stared in astonishment at the white young dragon in his arms.

So it was Dragon King Harmon’s younger brother? No wonder Harmon had personally visited the Elven Kingdom.

Was the age difference between the Dragon King and his younger brother really that enormous?

And if this young dragon possessed such a distinguished identity, how had the pirates managed to capture it?

“There’s no need to thank me, and I don’t need any treasure,” Shu Li hurriedly declined. The last time they met, Harmon had given him many gifts. They were still piled inside the multilayered storage pagoda in his storage ring, virtually untouched.

Seeing the Little Fairy shake his head and wave his hands, Harmon did not insist. He had come in a hurry and brought few treasures with him. Once he returned home, he would select a practical gift for the little fellow.

The young dragon, which had nearly fallen asleep in its brother’s arms, heard the Little Fairy’s clear voice and immediately raised its head, wide awake. When it recognized a familiar face, it opened its mouth and cried, “Awoo! Awoo!” while struggling to get down.

Harmon had no choice but to release it.

The moment the young dragon landed, it raised its head and tail and curiously examined the crowd of Little Fairies. When it recognized Disio, Angel, and Budno among them, it excitedly flapped its wings and spoke in its soft, childish dragon tongue.

Even a young dragon was as large as a canine. Its wings spanned a full two meters when spread, and their powerful beats whipped up a small whirlwind.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa—”

Caught completely off guard, the Little Fairies were blown away.

Aisha and Siet, who had been speaking with the Elves, heard their cries and turned around. The sight nearly made their souls leave their bodies. They rushed over in alarm, trying to catch the Little Fairies as they were sent flying.

But each of them had only two hands. Whenever they caught one, another sailed past, leaving them scrambling frantically.

Without hesitation, the Elves joined in, catching one Little Fairy here and another there. The hall descended into chaos.

Suddenly, someone recited an incantation. The wind inside the hall fell still, and the airborne Little Fairies stopped abruptly, suspended in midair.

Shu Li had been closest to the young dragon and had been blown the highest and farthest. His head had come within a hair’s breadth of striking the ceiling.

A gentle current of air wrapped around him, sparing him from the collision.

His body slowly descended until he landed in a fair, open palm.

Shu Li released a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and looked gratefully at the Elven King who had caught him.

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Elven King gently stroked his head with a finger from his other hand and asked with concern, “Were you frightened?”

Shu Li shook his head. “I’m all right...”

He had not exactly been terrified. He was simply stunned by the force generated by the young dragon’s flapping wings.

Dragons truly possessed tremendous strength from birth. A few casual flaps of its wings had produced such a powerful gale.

And it was still only a young dragon!

The other rescued Little Fairies, still shaken, landed in the Elves’ hands and inevitably suffered the fate of being petted and cuddled.

“Oh, little cutie, were you frightened?” An Elf cradled a Little Fairy and seized the opportunity to rub his cheek against him.

“That was far too close.” Ilio held a Little Fairy by the back of his collar. “We actually all forgot to use magic.”

Aisha covered her face in shame.

Wasn’t that the truth?

When she saw all the Little Fairies blown away at once, her mind had gone completely blank. She had lost even the ability to think and could only wonder how she was supposed to catch more than twenty Little Fairies with two hands.

She had forgotten about magic, and Siet and the Elves clearly had as well.

They simply cared too deeply about cubs. Their fear that the cubs might be hurt had left them unable to think clearly.

Fortunately, the Elven King had acted in time. Calmly reciting an incantation, he had stilled the wind and rescued the cubs.

Cold sweat beaded on Harmon’s forehead.

The Fairies and Elves were not the only ones who had been stunned. His own brother’s foolish behavior had nearly made him cough up blood in fury.

The Little Fairies had gathered around it in friendship, hoping to get acquainted. What had it done instead? One flap of its wings, and it sent every one of its future friends flying.

Harmon curled a finger and rapped the young dragon firmly on the head. Exasperated by its failure to do better, he ordered, “Amanda, apologize!”

The white young dragon knew it had caused trouble. It lowered its head, folded its wings, curled its tail around itself, and huddled into a pitiful ball.

It... it had only stretched its wings out of habit. How could it have known the Little Fairies were so fragile that one flap would send them flying?

Whimper...

“Awroo, awroo—”

The young dragon, who spoke only the dragon tongue, opened its mouth and apologized.

Harmon coughed softly and translated for his younger brother. “Amanda knows he was wrong and is willing to give every Little Fairy a gift as an apology.”

The adorably bewildered young dragon pressed closely against his brother’s leg and cautiously raised its head, silently asking everyone for forgiveness.

The Little Fairies were innocent and straightforward. Since the other party had apologized, they naturally bore no grudge.

The highly sociable Angel left Siet’s palm and flew in front of the young dragon. Using the dragon tongue he had only just learned, he said haltingly, “You... are amazing!”

They both had wings, but a dragon’s wings were powerful enough to serve as weapons!

Disio and Budno flew over as well, raised their thumbs, and praised it. “Amazing! Amazing!”

The other Little Fairies soon surrounded the young dragon.

“Amazing! Amazing—”

Their bright voices showered it with an endless stream of praise, making the young dragon grin broadly. “Awoo, awoo, awoo!”

Shu Li sat cross-legged in the Elven King’s palm and sighed ruefully.

They had all crammed the dragon tongue for a single night, so how had the other Little Fairies already learned simple sentences while he could still say nothing but “hello”?