I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

“Uh!” Shu Li scratched his hair. “Humans have geniuses too, don’t they?”

Ilio asked, “You know Saint Mage Danlov, don’t you?”

Shu Li’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. “Of course! He was the first human to receive the Elven King’s blessing.”

“That’s right,” Ilio said. “His talent was considered among the very best of humanity, but even he took twenty-five years to become a Senior Mage.”

“I see...” Shu Li blinked his gray-green eyes. Elves and Fairies truly were the favored children of the Light God, blessed with extraordinary talent. It was perfectly common for them to become Senior Mages by the age of twenty.

The two left their room, descended the stairs, and entered the restaurant on the first floor, where they saw the members of the song-and-dance troupe having dinner.

Sharp-eyed Mary spotted them and waved enthusiastically. “Mr. Al, little Amo, come eat dinner with us!”

At her call, Shu Li and Ilio instantly became the center of attention.

Besides the members of the troupe, there were other diners in the restaurant. When they saw the young man being invited over by a beautiful woman, many of them looked envious.

Others were disdainful.

He was merely an ordinary man. What good were handsome looks? Could he protect a beautiful woman?

Ignoring the various gazes directed at him, Ilio led Shu Li toward the troupe’s table and politely declined. “Thank you for the invitation, Miss Mary, but little Amo wants to explore the city. I’ll take him out for a while first.”

“All right.” Mary looked disappointed.

Simu held a fresh grape between her fingers and offered them a word of advice. “Keep a close eye on your money.”

Daoto City might be prosperous and bustling, but it was also home to many idle drifters. They formed gangs of thieves and specifically targeted outsiders.

“We will,” Ilio said. “Thank you for the warning, Leader Simu.”

“You’re welcome.” Simu gave him a flirtatious wink, running one slender finger across her vivid red lips. “Would you be interested in coming to my room for a chat tonight?”

As soon as she spoke, the surrounding men looked positively green with envy.

Ilio replied without batting an eye, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Leader Simu. Little Amo tosses and turns in his sleep. If I don’t keep an eye on him, I’m afraid he’ll roll right off the bed.”

Shu Li, who had always slept perfectly still: ...

Simu gave a bored snort and waved a hand, signaling that they could leave.

Ilio inclined his head, took Shu Li’s hand, and calmly walked out of the inn.

After they left, a scrawny adventurer with sharp, ratlike features approached Simu’s table with a wineglass in hand. He swept back a lock of hair hanging over his forehead and declared with smug confidence, “Beautiful leader, that man doesn’t know how to appreciate an invitation, but I do! I can keep you company tonight. We can talk all the way until morning.”

After speaking, he narrowed his triangular eyes suggestively, his expression thoroughly lecherous.

Simu narrowed her eyes and critically inspected him before curling her lips in disgust. “Being ugly isn’t your fault, but coming out and subjecting everyone else to it certainly is.”

“Hahahaha!”

Exaggerated laughter immediately erupted throughout the restaurant.

The adventurer’s face flushed crimson. He glared furiously at Simu and snarled through gritted teeth, “You filthy woman! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re beautiful!”

Simu could not be bothered with him. She merely crooked a finger and tapped it against the table.

The next instant, four burly men surrounded the short, scrawny adventurer and glared down at him with murderous expressions.

Intimidated, the adventurer carefully backed away. “Well... I... I was only joking. Ha, ha, ha!”

He returned awkwardly to his table, only to be mocked by his companions.

“Jack, don’t you know what kind of woman Leader Simu is? You actually wanted to ‘chat’ with her? Tsk, tsk.”

“Those four bodyguards are half-orcs. Any one of them could defeat two Intermediate Warriors. They’re incredibly strong.”

The scrawny adventurer flew into a humiliated rage. “Enough, enough! Stop talking!”

His companions shook their heads and resumed eating.

Simu cast a cold glance in their direction, lifted her wineglass, and slowly took a sip.

Did they think she was that indiscriminate?

A man who failed to meet her standards in both looks and character was not even worthy of carrying her shoes.

She had deliberately invited the black-haired young man only because she wanted to test him.

Sure enough, just as she had expected, the man called Al had impossibly high standards and kept himself well beyond temptation. He simply could not be seduced.

Tsk. What a pity.

Such a handsome face, too!

On the crowded street, Shu Li kept glancing up at Ilio until Ilio finally asked, “What are you looking at?”

“I toss and turn in my sleep? I’ll roll onto the floor in the middle of the night?” Shu Li bared his teeth at him.

Ilio replied innocently, “I only needed an excuse to refuse.”

Shu Li grumbled unhappily, “But that’s slander.”

He slept perfectly well! There was no chance he would roll onto the floor.

Ilio bent down and patted the Little Fairy’s head. “Then I apologize. Will that do?”

“Hmph. That’s more like it.” Shu Li reluctantly accepted his apology. “But now that I think about it, why did you refuse? She only wanted to talk!”

Something flickered in Ilio’s eyes.

How was he supposed to explain to the innocent Little Fairy that this particular “chat” was not an ordinary chat?

Clearing his throat, Ilio pointed ahead. “Weren’t you hungry? There’s a decent restaurant over there.”

“Oh, right! Let’s eat first!” Shu Li’s attention was immediately diverted.

Only after filling his stomach would he have the energy to take the test for his magic badge.

But wouldn’t the Magic Association be closed this late at night?

When he asked Ilio, Ilio replied, “In other cities, it might close at nightfall. Daoto City is different. Its nightlife is only just beginning. Evening is when people have the most time for entertainment.”

“I see!” Shu Li tugged on Ilio’s hand. “Come on, let’s get to the restaurant. I’m starving!”

Having successfully changed the subject, Ilio’s lips curved upward as he led the Little Fairy into the restaurant.

The establishment was neither particularly large nor particularly small, and its prices were affordable for ordinary people. Even though they were dressed in coarse linen, no snobbish employee drove them away.

Ilio ordered two plates of vegetables and fruit, two bowls of milk, and some finely milled wheat cakes.

Finally able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, Shu Li was nearly moved to tears.

After living as a Fairy for ten years, he realized that he had practically become a vegetarian. Biting into juicy fruit filled him with blissful satisfaction. Meat, by contrast, looked greasy enough to make him nauseated.

As he happily ate his fruit, he glanced at a nearby customer eating steak.

Sure enough, he had completely lost his desire for meat.

Seeing this, Ilio assumed he wanted some and asked, “Would you like a plate of beef?”

Shu Li shook his head like a rattle-drum. “No, no.”

Fruit was wonderful, vegetables were wonderful, and the wheat cakes were good too.

Ilio watched with a smile as the Little Fairy bent over his meal and ate with gusto.

He was so easy to feed!

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Shu Li rubbed his round little belly and left the restaurant with Ilio, heading toward the Magic Association.

The Magic Association stood in the heart of Daoto City, at least an hour away on foot. To save time, they boarded a public carriage and squeezed into the compartment with seven or eight other passengers.

Just over twenty minutes later, the carriage reached the city center, and Shu Li eagerly jumped out.

He had only just bathed and was a perfectly clean little fellow, yet the other passengers reeked of sweat and feet. The stench had nearly suffocated him.

“Phew...” Breathing fresh air again, Shu Li felt as though his life had been saved.

Ilio raised an eyebrow.

Everything about the Little Fairy was wonderful, except that he was a little delicate.

But an underage Little Fairy had every right to be delicate. If not for the curse, he would still be living a happy, carefree life in the Faerie Forest.

Fairies normally did not leave to gain experience until they reached adulthood at a hundred years old.

Sperien had been forced to do so ninety years early. It truly was asking too much of him.

Before taking Shu Li to the Magic Association, Ilio brought him to a nearby weapons shop and told him to choose a low-rank magic staff.

He was supposed to be a Mage Apprentice, after all. He could hardly carry an advanced magic staff set with a top-grade sunstone.

Since it was only for temporary use, Shu Li saw no need to buy anything too expensive.

When the weapons-shop owner saw two people in coarse linen enter, he treated them coldly and continued working behind the counter.

Shu Li did not mind. He stood before a row of low-rank magic staffs and examined the prices on their labels. After looking for some time, he chose the cheapest one.

Fifty silver coins.

“This one will do!” he said, pointing at a pitch-black magic staff.

“Are you sure?” Ilio asked.

A fifty-silver-coin magic staff was scarcely different from a tree branch. It had merely been polished and fitted with a lowest-grade energy stone at its tip.

“I’m sure.” Shu Li picked up the magic staff and swung it experimentally a few times.

The black staff was light ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and of moderate length, making it just right for him.

Since he liked it, Ilio took a gold coin from his belt pouch and placed it on the counter.

The owner looked at the gold coin’s pure sheen, then at the cheapest low-rank magic staff in the child’s hands, and felt a twinge of regret.

If he had known, he would have come out to serve them and recommended a more expensive staff.

“Would our honored customers care to purchase a magic robe as well?” Unwilling to give up, he plastered a smile across his face and began promoting his merchandise.

“Isn’t this a weapons shop?” Shu Li asked curiously.

“We sell some protective equipment as well. We simply don’t have as many styles as a specialty shop.” The owner swiftly opened a cabinet and displayed the magic robes inside.

“This one, this one... and this one are all excellent. Each is enchanted with an advanced magic array and offers seventh-level protection, enough to withstand one attack from a Senior Mage.”

Shu Li looked up at Ilio. He was the one paying, so the decision was his.

Ilio accepted the magic robe the owner handed him, inspected it, and returned it. “No, thank you. My younger brother is only a Mage Apprentice. He has no need for such a fine magic robe.”

The attached magic array was all appearance and no substance, yet the owner dared boast that it could withstand an attack from a Senior Mage.

“What about this one? Honored customer, please take another look at this one.” Hoping to earn the remaining fifty silver coins, the owner continued his aggressive sales pitch.

Ilio refused decisively. With no other choice, the owner’s face darkened as he gave Ilio fifty silver coins in change.

Carrying his newly purchased low-rank magic staff, Shu Li left the weapons shop with Ilio under the owner’s resentful glare.

“Do you want a magic robe?”

Standing outside the weapons shop, Ilio looked down at the Little Fairy.

“Do I need one?” Shu Li asked.

Had Ilio not just rejected the weapons-shop owner’s recommendation?

“Those were all defective goods.” Ilio put an arm around his shoulders and guided him toward the clothing shop across the street.

The clothing-shop owner was far more welcoming than the weapons-shop owner. He sent an assistant to serve them, introducing clothes in a wide range of prices for them to choose from.

Hugging his magic staff, Shu Li obediently followed Ilio and watched him bargain skillfully with the owner. Not only did Ilio select a suitable magic robe for him, but he also chose several sets of everyday clothes.

Their quality was much better than coarse linen.

Ilio seemed to enter a shopping frenzy, buying eight sets of clothes and two pairs of boots in one go.

Although they were all ordinary styles and not particularly expensive, the sheer quantity delighted the owner so much that he could not stop smiling.

“Why did you buy so much?” Shu Li clicked his tongue in astonishment.

Eight sets of clothes meant four sets each. Was that not a little wasteful?

They would only be away for a few days. Once his curse was lifted, they would return home. Two sets of spare clothes would have been more than enough.

Ilio paid two gold coins and ruffled the child’s hair. “You don’t need to save money for me.”

Shu Li shrugged. “All right!”

The person paying had the final say. Shu Li would simply listen to him.

Once the clothes had been packed, the two prepared to leave. A lavishly dressed youth approached from outside with two servants behind him and strutted arrogantly across the threshold.

The youth noticed Shu Li and Ilio’s coarse linen clothes and curled his lip in disdain. “Coffin, why do you serve just anyone? Aren’t you afraid of lowering your shop’s standards? If you do this again, I won’t buy my clothes here anymore.”

“Well, this... Haha... I run a business. How could I turn customers away?” The owner smiled awkwardly. “Rest assured, Young Master Most. The clothes you ordered were all made by renowned artisans. The designs, fabrics, and enchanted patterns are completely unique.”

The youth called Most cast another disgusted glance at Shu Li and Ilio, who had yet to leave, then gave a cold snort. “Hurry up and bring out the clothes I ordered.”

He had taken only two steps farther inside when something seemed to bind his ankles, pitching his entire body forward.

“Young Master!” The servants behind him were startled and reached out to catch him, only for their own feet to abruptly halt as well. Both toppled forward with him.

Thud!

Master and servants crashed to the floor in a heap.

“My goodness! Young Master Most, are you all right?” The owner paled with fright. He hurried forward, shoved the two hulking servants aside, and helped the youth out from beneath them.

“Hiss... Hiss...” After falling flat on his face, Most clutched his aching chin and furiously glared at his two useless servants.

The servants lowered their heads, admitted their mistake, and begged their young master’s forgiveness.

“Pfft!”

A burst of laughter rang out, sounding particularly grating to Most’s ears.

He whipped his head around and glared at the child standing in the doorway. Pointing at him, he demanded, “Hey! What are you laughing at?”

Shu Li looked perfectly innocent. “I’m in a good mood, so I laughed. Am I not allowed to?”

With that, he parted his lips to reveal a row of neat white teeth and gave Most an exceptionally brilliant smile.

Most flew into a rage. He turned and berated his two servants, who were standing there like a pair of witless geese. “What are you gawking at? Go teach that little brat a lesson for daring to laugh at me!”