I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

After the prayers ended, the Fairies returned to the divine tree. Since it was Shu Li’s turn to remain in the Elven Kingdom and study, he stayed behind.

His friends were reluctant to part with him, and the eight Fairy cubs clung to him, rubbing themselves against him over and over.

“Sperien, when you come back to the divine tree, I want you to tell us that story again.” Misina hugged Shu Li and refused to let go.

Shu Li squished his soft little cheeks. “Didn’t you already hear it at the storytelling gathering?”

Misina shook his head. “Once wasn’t enough! I want to hear it lots and lots of times!”

“That’s right! We want to hear it lots and lots of times!” the other Fairy cubs chimed in.

Shu Li helplessly looked at Angel. Smiling, Angel stepped forward and plucked the cubs off Shu Li one by one.

“You must work hard to grow up. Once you become Senior Mages, you’ll be able to travel the continent and gain experience on your own.”

“That’s right! We awakened our magic when we were only one year old!” Disio boasted proudly.

Provoked by his words, the Fairy cubs clenched their little fists and resolved to awaken their magic at the temple during the next Midsummer Festival.

At last, Shu Li saw the Little Fairies and cubs onto their flying carriages. Standing at the city gate, he waved until they were out of sight.

Once the procession of Fairy carriages had disappeared into the distance, he strolled leisurely back toward the Crystal Castle. Every Elf he encountered along the way greeted him warmly.

“Sperien, would you like some bread? I just baked it. It’s very soft and won’t hurt your teeth.”

“Uh, thank you, but no.”

Dark lines practically covered Shu Li’s forehead as he declined with awkward politeness.

Apparently, he would never escape the story of how he had nearly broken his teeth on black bread.

Unwilling to remain the target of the Elves’ teasing, Shu Li spread his wings and beat them rapidly, racing toward the Crystal Castle like a gust of wind.

He had nothing else to do, so he decided to hole up in his room and study.

The Elves along the road exchanged amused smiles at the sight.

Little Sperien was so thin-skinned. He was far too easy to tease.

Upon reaching the lawn before the Crystal Castle, Shu Li slowed down. His toes lightly touched the ground, and he landed gracefully. Folding his wings, he continued on foot.

Now that he had assumed his larger form, walking was much more convenient.

As he passed through a gallery, he spotted the pavilion ahead and involuntarily stopped. Standing beside a tall, thick stone pillar, he watched the two Elves inside.

They were the Elven King and Ilio.

Shu Li did not know what the Elven King said to Ilio, but Ilio placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully. He then stepped backward and left the pavilion.

Soon, the elegantly designed, magnificent pavilion held only the Elven King.

One of his hands rested against a pillar entwined with green vines and tiny flowers, while the other lay upon the railing. His head was tilted slightly upward, and he gazed calmly at the sky.

Shu Li pressed himself close to the stone pillar like a sneaky little thief, peeking around it curiously.

The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with clouds that blazed like fire. The evening glow fell upon the Elven King, dyeing his golden hair a vivid crimson. The light gilded his flawless face, while his pale purple robes and elaborately embroidered cloak pooled around his feet. When the evening breeze swept past, they billowed elegantly.

Shu Li had no idea what he was looking at or thinking about. He simply stood there in silence, like a statue that would never move.

Shu Li had always regarded the Elven King as an invincible ruler. It had never occurred to him that the king might possess a vulnerable side.

While praying to the gods earlier that day, Shu Li had inexplicably entered a mysterious illusion. There, he had seen the Elven King sitting in a ruined palace, holding a Fairy covered in blood and guarding against every approaching creature, half-mad and utterly wretched.

Shu Li felt terribly guilty.

Why had his illusion imagined the Elven King in such a miserable state?

Yet after he escaped the illusion, his little flower crown had reverted to its original form, leaving him deeply confused.

Truth and falsehood were intertwined so thoroughly that he could see through neither.

After the prayers ended, his guilt had kept him from telling the Elven King what he had seen, unlike on the previous occasions.

During the journey back, he had deliberately remained in the middle of the Fairy procession and secretly observed everyone around him. He had not found a single blond Fairy who resembled the dead young man from the illusion.

Having concluded that the illusion was false, Shu Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, gazing at the Elven King’s elegant figure from a distance, Shu Li found it difficult to connect him with the tragic king from the illusion.

Still, perhaps it was merely his imagination, but Shu Li thought he sensed a trace of... loneliness around him.

He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had seen incorrectly.

“Little Sperien, what are you doing?”

Sayah’s voice suddenly came from behind him, startling him.

“N-nothing!” Shu Li spun around and flashed her a guilty grin. “Heh, heh... Good evening, Sayah.”

Sayah looked toward the setting sun, only half of which remained above the horizon, and obligingly followed his lead. “Good evening.”

Shu Li stared at the fading sunlight on Sayah’s face and berated himself inwardly.

What an idiot he was. Whenever he became nervous, he started blurting out the wrong things again.

“Would you like to come help me in the kitchen?” Sayah suggested.

“Sure! Of course!” Shu Li agreed immediately. “Let’s go!”

He was afraid that if he lingered any longer, the Elven King would discover him spying.

Seeing the Little Fairy so enthusiastic, Sayah gladly led him toward the dining hall’s kitchen.

Shu Li followed without glancing aside. Guilt had left his mind in a haze and his limbs stiff, and he did not even notice that he was swinging the arm and leg on the same side of his body as he walked.

Inside the pavilion, the Elven King turned toward the gallery. From a distance, he watched the blond Little Fairy walking stiffly away, and a trace of amusement flashed through his green eyes.

This was not Shu Li’s first time helping in the kitchen.

Preparing meals for the Elves was a massive undertaking. Fortunately, magic made the work far more efficient.

Not every Elf ate in the Crystal Castle’s dining hall. Those living outside the castle usually prepared food wherever they resided.

Even so, the Crystal Castle’s dining hall had to prepare more than a thousand portions for every meal.

Shu Li repeatedly rinsed the freshly gathered fruit with water magic. Once it was clean, he used wind magic to transport it onto a long table, where the other Elves divided it among plates.

After washing ten baskets of different fruits this way, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Little Sperien, are you tired? Have some fruit and rest for a while.” The Elf washing fruit beside him thoughtfully offered him a fresh, juicy fruit.

Shu Li accepted it without ceremony, found a stool, and sat down. As he ate, he watched the other Elves work.

The Elves might appear beautiful and elegant, as though their delicate hands had never performed a day of labor, but in truth, they were more diligent than anyone. Their movements were swift and precise, without the slightest hesitation or wasted effort.

When Shu Li finished eating, he tossed the core into the recycling basket and returned to work.

An hour later, the tables in the kitchen were laden with tempting dishes.

When dinnertime arrived, the Elves began entering the dining hall to eat.

Shu Li rubbed his round belly, already stuffed from eating in the kitchen, and gave a satisfied burp. He then took on the role of a server and diligently delivered meals to the Elves.

“Oh, Little Sperien is serving us today!” Every Elf who saw him beamed, their voices growing gentler.

“Please enjoy your meal.” Shu Li placed the dishes on each table and withdrew gracefully. Then he turned back toward the kitchen to collect another meal for the next Elf.

After delivering twenty meals in succession, he grew thirsty. He squeezed himself a cup of fresh fruit juice in the kitchen and gulped it down.

“Little Sperien, the king is here. Take this meal to him,” Sayah called.

“Huh? Oh—” Shu Li set down his empty cup, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the corners of his mouth. Using wind magic to support the large tray piled with food, he left the kitchen.

The moment he entered the dining hall, he spotted the blond Elf sitting alone at a table.

The image of the Elven King from the illusion surfaced in Shu Li’s mind once again. His steps faltered, and his wind magic nearly collapsed beneath the weight of the tray.

“Careful.” Galot, who was seated nearby, reached out to steady it.

“Th-thank you.” Shu Li broke into a sweat. After regaining his composure, he stabilized the large tray and carried it to the Elven King’s table.

The Elven King smiled when he saw him. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It... it wasn’t hard.” Shu Li arranged the dishes, flashed him a brilliant smile, and balanced the empty tray atop his raised index finger. Like an acrobat, he began spinning it round and round—

“Oh no!”

Unfortunately, his technique was inadequate. The tray tilted and was about to crash onto the Elven King’s table. Shu Li cried out softly and scrambled to catch it.

The next moment, a long, well-defined hand caught the tray with perfect ease.

Shu Li’s face turned scarlet. He was so mortified that steam practically rose from his body.

The Elven King returned the tray and thoughtfully reminded him, “Try not to drop it again.”

“Yes!” Shu Li hugged the tray to his chest, using it to conceal half his crimson face. “Please... please enjoy... your meal, my king...”

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and fled.

The Elven King was speechless.

The other Elves laughed good-naturedly.

Shu Li raced into the kitchen, set down the tray, found a corner, and crouched there with both hands pressed to his burning cheeks.

Aaaaaah—

I’m such a stupid little pig!

I embarrassed myself so badly in front of the king!

A person truly could not afford to feel guilty. The moment guilt took hold, everything went wrong.

After Sayah finished serving the meals, she noticed that the Little Fairy had disappeared. She searched around in confusion and finally spotted him crouching gloomily in a corner like a mushroom.

“Sperien, what’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

“Uh, nothing. My... legs are just a little tired,” he said, hastily inventing an excuse.

As a Little Fairy, he usually flew everywhere with his wings and rarely used his legs. It was perfectly reasonable for his feet to hurt after walking too much.

Sure enough, Sayah believed him. Bending down, she stroked his head. “Leave the rest to us. You should go back and rest.”

The little fellow was only ten years old and had limited stamina. Two hours of work was more than enough.

Shu Li stood up and shook out his legs, which had gone numb from crouching. “It’s all right. I still have plenty of energy.”

Seeing that he looked lively enough, Sayah allowed him to remain. “Don’t force yourself if you’re tired.”

“I know, I know.” Shu Li washed his hands and began dividing the food onto plates with Sayah. As they worked, his mind grew active again. His eyes darted sideways, and he asked quietly, “Um... Sayah, do you know whether the king has a Fairy he likes?”

“A blond Fairy,” he added.

Although the illusion was false, the Elven King within it had treated the blond Fairy in his arms with extraordinary tenderness. Shu Li could not shake the feeling that their relationship had been unusually deep.

“Wouldn’t that be you?” Sayah replied as though the answer were obvious.

He was a blond Fairy who had received the Elven King’s blessing at birth. The king kept him close, taught him personally, and constantly watched over his every action. On the day the mother tree had “kidnapped” him, the king had released the full force of his aura and nearly disregarded the future of the Elves to uproot the mother tree on the spot.

Sayah’s answer left Shu Li so stunned that his mouth opened wide enough to hold an egg.

“N-no, not me! I’m still a child!”

He might consider himself an adult inwardly, but his body was only ten years old. That made him a child.

The king’s affection for him was obviously the fondness of an elder for a younger person!

“I mean, does the king have an... adult Fairy he likes?” Shu Li emphasized the word “adult” and gave her a suggestive wink.

“An adult?” Sayah finally understood his meaning and frowned deeply. “Little Sperien, tell me honestly. Has that disreputable Ilio been corrupting you?”

“Uh...” Shu Li went blank.

Taking his stunned silence as an admission, Sayah gritted her teeth. “I knew we never should have allowed Ilio to take you to the Human World alone. Look at this! It only took him a little over ten days to lead you astray!”

Coming to his senses, Shu Li hurriedly defended Ilio. “No, no! This has nothing to do with Ilio. I wanted to ask on my own.”

Seriously.

Ilio could be awful sometimes, but Shu Li could not allow him to be falsely accused of this.

Sayah, however, gave him an understanding look and said with heartfelt anguish, “Little Sperien, you’re too innocent and kind. You don’t need to defend that fellow. I understand everything.”

“No, you don’t!” Shu Li said, his head aching. “I’m the one who was curious. Really!”

Sayah studied him suspiciously. After scrutinizing the Little Fairy’s lovely face and deciding that he did not appear to be lying, she temporarily spared Ilio.

“Why did you suddenly become curious about that?”

Shu Li’s pointed ears twitched, and his cheeks reddened slightly. “Am I not allowed to ask?”

Sayah chuckled and answered his question. “The king has always been single. I don’t believe there is an Elf or Fairy he likes in that way.”

“Oh, is that so?” Shu Li asked tentatively. “Could they possibly have... died during the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago?”

Sayah waved dismissively. “That’s even less likely! The king is deeply devoted. If his beloved had died, he certainly would have erected a memorial and a grave for her, then visited every year to pay his respects.”

No such place existed, which meant that the king had never loved anyone from ancient times to the present.

After receiving such a definitive answer from Sayah, Shu Li once again rejected everything he had seen in the illusion.

When the work in the dining hall was finished, he returned to his room, threw himself onto the bed, and collapsed from exhaustion.

The bed was so soft, and the blanket was so comfortable. He wanted nothing more than to lie there and fall asleep.

But he could not. He still needed to bathe, study, read, and write in his diary. At midnight, he also had to purify the mother tree and Fruit Number Two.

He still had so much to do!

After lingering on the bed for a while, Shu Li dragged himself up with difficulty. He untied his ponytail, allowing his waist-length golden hair to spill freely down his back, and trudged into the bathroom.

Standing before the mirror, he gave an enormous yawn.

Then his gaze fell upon his reflection, and his eyes widened abruptly.

With his hair down, he bore an unmistakable resemblance to the dead blond Fairy from the illusion!