I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

Shu Li rubbed his slightly reddened cheeks as he returned to his little house.

After being fussed over for more than an hour, he could finally go home and rest.

Having stood empty for more than ten days, the little house had inevitably accumulated a layer of dust.

Shu Li deftly cleaned and scrubbed it with magic. In two or three minutes, he was done. He opened the windows to air the place out, and it became a spotless little home once more.

Although he had rinsed himself off in the wooden cabin at the edge of the forest, Shu Li did not feel clean enough, so he took another hot bath in his own bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, he emerged as pale, soft, and steaming as a freshly cooked bun.

Dressed in comfortable sleepwear, his long golden hair loose around him after being dried with wind magic, Shu Li sat at his desk and opened his diary.

It had been inconvenient to write while traveling. Now that he was home, he needed to catch up as quickly as possible.

Gripping his pen, Shu Li bent over the diary and wrote furiously, determined to record everything he had seen and heard over the past several days. However, too much had happened for him to finish in a single night, so he decided to spread it out over several days and record a portion each day.

The magic stone lamp shone brightly, illuminating every corner of the little house. Water heated on the stove atop the table, releasing a faint veil of steam.

When the moon reached the middle of the sky, Shu Li yawned, put down his pen, and called it a night.

He picked up the warm water he had prepared and took two sips to soothe his throat.

After reading everything from beginning to end, he closed the diary in satisfaction. Shu Li rose and stretched, turned off the magic stone lamp, climbed into bed, hugged his soft blanket, and fell asleep instantly.

He slept dreamlessly through the night.

The next day, Shu Li awoke to Sif’s clear chirping.

He rubbed his face against the blanket and lingered in bed for a while.

Only after riding in a jolting carriage and sleeping on the hard wooden beds of tiny inns did he realize just how comfortable his own bed was.

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

Shu Li raised his head and asked groggily, “Who is it?”

“Sperien, are you awake?” Budeno’s booming voice came from outside.

Shu Li rolled over and sat up in astonishment.

Had the sun risen in the west?

Budeno, who loved sleeping in more than anyone, had appeared outside his door this early in the morning and was even calling for him with such vigor.

Shu Li turned to look at the hourglass beside his bed, thinking he might have overslept.

But he had not. It was only a little after six in the morning.

“Brave Sperien, are you awake?”

The childish voice made Shu Li shudder.

It was Misina.

One of the newborn Fairy cubs.

Ever since leaving the Fairy Nursery and hearing his stories, Misina had pestered him every day to tell more tales of his adventures.

When Shu Li had returned to his house the night before, the eight little cubs had been reluctant to leave. They still wanted to hear stories and practically wished they could sleep beside him.

Although the little cubs were adorable and felt wonderful to cuddle, Shu Li had cruelly refused them for the sake of a peaceful night’s sleep.

Never had he imagined that they would come knocking the moment the sun rose.

The Fairy cubs of this generation were far too disciplined.

Shu Li called helplessly, “I’m up, I’m up! Just wait a moment.”

He quickly washed up, changed into clean new clothes, and casually tied his hair into a ponytail. His little flower crown transformed into an emerald-studded circlet, and he opened the door looking fresh and tidy.

“Uh—”

Shu Li’s pale green eyes widened.

He had assumed that only Budeno and Misina would be outside, but instead found a whole crowd of Little Fairies and cubs!

Apparently, every child except him had risen early and gathered outside his house.

What exactly were they doing here?

Shu Li was hesitating over whether to close the door when Angel reacted swiftly, wrapping his arms around him and rubbing against him with a beaming smile.

“Good morning, Sperien.”

“Good... Good morning.”

What else could Shu Li do?

He could only greet each Little Fairy in turn and cuddle all eight cubs while he was at it.

“Sperien, let’s hurry to school!” Disio impatiently grabbed Shu Li’s hand, wishing they could teleport there in an instant.

“Story gathering, story gathering! We’re going to hear stories!” Misina exclaimed, circling Shu Li excitedly.

It was his first time attending one of Sperien’s story gatherings. He was so happy!

“Wait—slow down—we haven’t eaten breakfast yet!”

Surrounded on all sides, Shu Li was swept toward the school. Every adult Fairy they passed watched them with a smile. A few who had nothing else to do even followed them to the school.

The procession steadily grew. When they reached the school, the Little Fairies were informed that everyone would be traveling to the Elven Kingdom today.

“Huh? Why?” Impatient as ever, Disio asked Aisha in confusion.

“The Mother Tree has borne new fruit, and the Elves are going to Miladi Palace to pray to the gods for their blessing,” Aisha explained. “Elder Federo has decided that the Fairies should visit the Elven Kingdom and offer their congratulations as well.”

The Fairies had all been happy for the Elves when they learned half a month ago that the Mother Tree had borne new fruit.

Now that the Elves were going to pray to the gods, the Fairies naturally had to join them.

“Besides...” Aisha glanced at Shu Li, amusement rippling through her silver eyes. “The Elves would also like to hear Sperien’s stories about his adventures.”

At those words, Shu Li’s face darkened.

If the Elves wanted to hear what had happened, couldn’t they just ask Ilio to tell them? Why did they have to drag him into it?

Unfortunately, the decision had already been made and could not be changed. After a hurried breakfast, they found the school grounds filled with flying carriages drawn by Kaja magical birds.

The Little Fairies and cubs excitedly divided themselves among the carriages.

When it was Shu Li’s turn, a minor dispute broke out.

The Little Fairies and cubs began a serious discussion over who would ride in the same carriage as Shu Li, reaching a stalemate that lasted a full ten minutes.

Shu Li rubbed his temples in exasperation. When his sharp eyes spotted the quiet top student, inspiration struck. He turned to the Little Fairies and said, “Take your time deciding. I’ll ride with Kumandi and ask him some questions about my studies while we’re traveling.”

Without waiting for them to react, he beat his wings and shot toward the quiet top student at the speed of light.

Kumandi paused just before entering the carriage and turned toward the golden-haired Little Fairy hurtling in his direction. Afraid that Shu Li might fly too fast and crash into him, he reached out to stop him.

Shu Li took the opportunity to grab his arm and gazed up at him with glistening green eyes. “Kumandi, I want to ride with you.”

Kumandi glanced at the Little Fairies and cubs chasing after him, then nodded. “Get in.”

“Thank you, Kumandi!” Shu Li swiftly darted into the carriage.

Inside, Carola greeted him with a charming smile.

“Kumandi, we want to ride with you too.”

The Little Fairies who had caught up began chattering all at once.

Kumandi’s handsome face turned stern as his imposing presence filled the air. The little fellows immediately fell silent, each gazing at him expectantly and hoping to be chosen.

The cabin of each flying carriage had only eight seats, and there was no room for anyone extra. In the end, Disio, Angel, Budeno, Misina, and another female cub named Bena were allowed aboard.

The little fellows who had not been chosen went disappointedly to ride in the other flying carriages.

The Fairies departed the divine tree in a grand procession and headed toward the Elven Kingdom.

It was the Fairy cubs’ first journey away from home. They pressed themselves against the carriage windows and looked everywhere, exclaiming in wonder whenever they spotted something new.

“Brave Sperien, what’s that enormous creature?” Misina asked Shu Li beside him from time to time.

“It’s a magical beast.” Shu Li wrapped an arm around him to keep him from becoming so excited that he fell out of the window. “Many enormous magical beasts live in the Faerie Forest.”

“Wow! It looks so impressive, and its whole body is covered in bumps,” Misina marveled.

“It’s obviously hideous!” Bena wrinkled her little nose in distaste. She thought Seken birds were far more impressive, especially the one named Dore. Its wings spanned more than two meters when fully spread!

The Fairy cubs had also listened with great interest to the story about the Seken birds.

Sperien was so clever. He had actually thought of asking the plump bird to incubate the Seken bird’s egg.

“If I say it’s impressive, then it’s impressive!” Misina planted his hands on his hips, puffed out his little cheeks, and asked Shu Li, “Brave Sperien, don’t you think it looks impressive?”

Shu Li lightly pinched his tender cheek. “You can drop the word ‘brave’ and just call me Sperien.”

“Oh.” Misina asked, “Then does Sperien think it looks impressive?”

“Something can be both impressive and ugly.” Shu Li cuddled both cubs at once. “When you grow up and explore the forest yourselves, you’ll learn that some magical beasts are hideous and majestic at the same time.”

Now that Sperien had agreed with both of them, the two cubs returned to the window to watch the scenery outside.

Shu Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he had relaxed too soon. Three more inquisitive little fellows were waiting for him!

“Sperien, tell us more about the outside world!” Budeno said. “What else do humans eat besides bread paste? Do they have fresh fruit, nectar, deer milk, bird eggs, and wheat cakes?”

He rattled off a whole list of foods in one breath, his now-slender little face filled with worry.

As a Little Fairy who loved to eat, he was deeply concerned that when he traveled the continent someday, he might go hungry because there would be nothing delicious to eat.

“It’s not quite that bad!” Shu Li reassured him, patting his shoulder. “As long as you have money, you can still eat delicious food.”

Human society was divided into classes, and people’s material circumstances depended on their standard of living.

The performing troupe had a large household to support and needed to economize wherever possible, so naturally, they ate only the simplest food.

The Hobna family, however, was rich and powerful. Their banquet tables had been laden with every delicacy imaginable, along with fine food and wine.

Reassured that he would not go hungry, Budeno relaxed.

Next, Disio and Angel asked a barrage of questions, which Shu Li answered one by one.

Carola joined in enthusiastically, leaving Shu Li’s mouth parched from talking.

Kumandi handed him a juicy fruit.

“Thank you.” Shu Li accepted the fruit and took a bite. Mm, delicious.

After finishing the fruit, he announced that he would not give them any more “spoilers.” They would have to wait until they reached the Elven Kingdom.

The other Little Fairies regretfully fell silent.

Taking advantage of the time before they arrived, Shu Li took his notebook out of his storage ring, sat beside Kumandi, and asked him for help with his studies.

He had missed too many days of class and had fallen seriously behind. If he did not find a way to catch up, he would no longer be able to keep pace with everyone else.

Kumandi explained everything patiently, speaking clearly and arranging each point logically. Shu Li understood as soon as he heard it, and a mere two hours of tutoring proved as effective as two days of studying alone.

The quiet top student truly was amazing!

Immersed in an ocean of knowledge, Shu Li barely noticed the time passing. Before he knew it, they had arrived in the Elven Kingdom.

As always, the Elves came out of the city to welcome them. The adult Fairies enlarged themselves, landed on the ground, and exchanged greetings with the Elves.

The Little Fairies left the flying carriages drawn by Kaja magical birds and politely greeted the Elves.

When the Elves saw the eight newborn Fairy cubs, their eyes began to gleam.

Shu Li noticed the hungry looks on their faces, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

When Shu Li and the others had first visited the Elven Kingdom, they had been too young and naïve to understand what was happening. By the time the Elves began competing to cuddle them, it had already been too late.

Each of them had nearly been petted raw.

Once they grew a little older, they became wiser. Whenever they saw that hungry look appear in the Elves’ eyes, they kept their distance and resolutely protected their hair and tender cheeks.

Unable to cuddle the Little Fairies, the Elves had sighed regretfully.

Now, upon seeing the eight newborn Fairy cubs, their desire to cuddle a cub began stirring once more.

Such adorable little bundles were simply born to be cuddled!

Misina and the other Fairy cubs curiously studied the beautiful, elegant Elves, completely unaware that they had already become their targets.