I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

The moment Danlov mentioned lessons, the four Little Fairies simultaneously looked torn and reluctant to part with him.

Admittedly, staying in the Elven Kingdom for a few extra days had partly been an excuse to skip class, but Danlov’s tales of adventure were so fascinating that hearing them once simply wasn’t enough. They wanted more.

Unfortunately, as he had said, circumstances did not permit it. He was a Mage Sovereign, after all—the highest authority in the Central Realm. He had to return as soon as possible to take charge of the situation.

Shu Li glanced up at the Elven King, then smiled at Danlov. “I already have the king’s permission to travel the continent and gain experience in a few years. I’ll be studying at the magic academy then, so you can teach me whenever you have time!”

The surrounding Elves were mildly astonished by his words.

Danlov was even more surprised.

His teacher had actually agreed to let an underage Fairy leave early to gain experience?

That was unprecedented!

He looked questioningly at the Elven King. The Elven King stroked Shu Li’s head and said gently, “We agreed that once he becomes a Grand Mage, he may travel the continent.”

Shu Li held his head high and puffed out his chest, calmly accepting the doubtful looks from the Elves around him.

He was already a Senior Mage, and he had the fire element to aid him. Within a few years, he would undoubtedly advance to Grand Mage.

Danlov was filled with emotion.

Fairies truly were extraordinarily gifted. They could reach in their teens a level that took human mages fifty or sixty years to attain.

For humans, advancing became increasingly difficult at the higher magical ranks. There might be only a single rank between Mage and Grand Mage, but some people could spend their entire lives without ever advancing any further.

Danlov himself was considered an exceptionally gifted human. He had become a Saint Mage at a little over six hundred years old and had assumed that he would advance to Mage Sovereign before turning one thousand. Never had he imagined that he would remain trapped at the Saint Mage rank for more than two thousand years. If he failed to break through soon, his life would reach its end.

Fortunately, he had wisely chosen to return to the Elven Kingdom. Here, he had rediscovered the conviction he once possessed and finally broken through his bottleneck to become a Mage Sovereign.

Unlike humans, Elves and Fairies had none of those difficulties. Advancing through the ranks came to them as easily as drinking water. It was perfectly common for the exceptionally gifted among them to attempt advancement to Saint Mage at only a hundred years old, to say nothing of becoming Mage Sovereigns at four or five hundred.

Danlov had no doubt whatsoever that Sperien could become a Grand Mage within a few years.

He raised his right hand to his chest and bowed respectfully to the Elven King. “Please rest assured, Teacher. Once Sperien reaches the Central Realm, I will faithfully fulfill my responsibilities and take good care of him.”

“I’ll leave him in your care, then,” the Elven King said.

Danlov smiled. “As you should.”

Shu Li patted his chest. “I’ll protect myself and try my best not to cause trouble.”

If trouble insisted on coming to him, however, he would follow Ilio’s teachings and make a spectacle of himself whenever the situation called for it.

When Angel, Disio, and Budno learned that Sperien would be allowed to leave and gain experience in a few years, they immediately became eager as well.

“Your Majesty, w-we want to go with Sperien!”

The Elven King turned toward the three Little Fairies’ expectant faces. “If you have reached the rank of Senior Mage by the time Sperien becomes a Grand Mage, I will consider it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty! We’ll study hard and become Senior Mages as soon as possible!” The three Little Fairies cheered, brimming with confidence in themselves.

The corners of Ilio’s mouth lifted. He reached out with both wicked claws and vigorously ruffled the Little Fairies’ heads.

“Leaving early to gain experience won’t be that easy. You’ll also have to defeat me in swordsmanship.”

“What? Defeat you?” Disio’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?”

Ilio was the finest Elven warrior in the Elven Kingdom. It would take them at least several hundred more years to defeat him.

“I’ll allow all of you to fight me together,” Ilio said with a smile.

The four Little Fairies exchanged glances, their fighting spirit blazing. None of them stood a chance against Ilio in a duel, but if they fought as a team, they might have an opportunity to win.

“All right!”

Bursting with confidence, the Little Fairies accepted.

Once they had finished talking, Danlov took a letter from his storage ring and handed it to Shu Li.

“This is the recommendation letter you asked me for this morning. Today was so busy that I nearly forgot about it.”

Delighted, Shu Li accepted the recommendation letter with both hands. It had already been stamped with the official crest. “Thank you, Danlov!”

That morning, he had been in a hurry to find the Elven King. After he returned, his friends had surrounded him and bombarded him with questions. By the time he remembered the recommendation letter, Danlov was already preparing to leave the Elven Kingdom.

Danlov smiled. “You’re welcome.”

While writing the recommendation letter, he had specifically asked the Elves about Kumandi and learned that the young Fairy was both exceptionally gifted and diligent in his studies. At fifteen, he had dared to fight the Dark Elves invading the Faerie Forest. To protect the five-year-old Little Fairies, he had forcibly pushed himself beyond his limits and advanced to Senior Mage. Then, disregarding his own safety, he had held the Dark Elves back and endured until help arrived.

After hearing of Kumandi’s courageous deeds, Danlov sighed with emotion.

Young Fairies were innocent by nature, yet possessed fearless courage. Such a quality was truly rare and precious.

“Oh, right.” Shu Li’s expression turned solemn. “Please don’t forget about the coffin.”

Danlov nodded. “Before returning to the Central Realm, I’ll visit the Pross Empire and return the coffin to the Snowo family.”

With the Mage Sovereign’s promise, Shu Li could finally relax.

The coffin had been their original reason for coming to the Elven Kingdom. Now that the matter had been satisfactorily resolved, he was overjoyed.

Helping others truly was the source of happiness.

Even if that “other” happened to be a corpse.

No matter how reluctant they were to part, the time had come. Danlov bowed once more to the Elven King, mounted a unicorn, and left the idyllic Elven Kingdom and Faerie Forest under Daigmon’s escort, heading for the conflict-ridden Human World.

After seeing Danlov off, the four Little Fairies were taken to the training grounds by Ilio.

Determined to travel the continent as soon as possible, they pulled out every trick they possessed and attacked Ilio with all their might.

Two hours later, they lay sprawled on the ground, panting like oxen, while the black-haired Elf mocked them mercilessly. They were so furious that each of them puffed up like an angry pufferfish.

Their entire bodies aching, the Little Fairies crawled away from the training grounds in sorry states. They returned to their rooms to wash up, planning to rest properly that night before rising early the next morning to return to the divine tree.

“Sperien, are you going to Vanaku again tonight?” Angel asked.

“I am,” Shu Li replied.

Whenever he was in the Elven Kingdom, he made the most of his time to purify the mother tree and her fruits.

“Can you come back earlier?” Disio asked worriedly.

Every time Shu Li stayed until the early hours of the morning, he never got enough sleep.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back in ten minutes at most today,” Shu Li promised. He would not be exploring the desert tonight, merely performing the purification. It would not take long.

“Really?” Budno remained skeptical.

Sperien had also promised to return early the previous night, yet he had still come back more than an hour later than agreed.

Only after Shu Li promised them again did his friends finally stop worrying.

Budno suddenly had a fanciful idea. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could enter the mother tree’s root space too?”

Disio’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! Then we could go to Vanaku with Sperien.”

Angel frowned. “Sperien can enter the root space because he has a contract with the mother tree. We don’t have contracts with her, so I’m afraid we can’t enter.”

“Why don’t we ask the mother tree?” Budno suggested excitedly.

The corner of Shu Li’s mouth twitched. “That...might not be a good idea.”

Vanaku was Dark Elf territory. How could he possibly allow his friends to take such a risk? If anything happened and they failed to escape in time, falling into the hands of the Dark Elves, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Only the gods knew what horrifying methods the Dark Elves might use against underage Fairies.

Remembering the Dark Elf named Roald, Shu Li shuddered involuntarily.

Most Dark Elves were evil and terrifying. Any Little Fairy they captured would undoubtedly meet a miserable fate—either brutally tortured to death or sent to an underground auction house and sold at an exorbitant price to some perverted buyer.

No. He had to crush this idea of theirs completely.

Shu Li did not stop his friends from asking the mother tree for her opinion. Once night fell and the Elves had all gone to the great hall to sing and dance, they quietly slipped into the deserted courtyard.

First, they affectionately rubbed themselves against the eight fruits. Then they waited for the mother tree to appear.

For the first time, the mother tree’s phantom manifested before Angel and the other two Little Fairies.

Her long, slender green hair connected to the tree trunk at its ends. She wore a flowing green dress whose hem was adorned with jewel-like leaves. A benevolent smile graced her flawless, breathtaking face, and wisdom filled the green eyes with which she gazed kindly at the Little Fairies.

“Wow—”

The three Little Fairies cried out in admiration.

Angel was the first to bow to the mother tree, and Disio and Budno immediately followed.

“Good evening, O-Onomysis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Good evening,” the mother tree said gently. “Sperien told me that you would also like to form contracts with me.”

“Yes, yes!” The three Little Fairies nodded vigorously. “We want to go on adventures with Sperien!”

True brothers went everywhere together.

The mother tree looked at Shu Li, who blinked and asked, “Is it possible?”

Catching his hint, the mother tree smiled at the three Little Fairies. “I’m afraid it would be difficult. Sperien was able to form a contract with me because he received the Elven King’s blessing.”

“Oh...is that so?” The three Little Fairies immediately deflated.

So they also needed the Elven King’s blessing.

But receiving the Elven King’s blessing was anything but easy!

“However—” the mother tree continued.

The Little Fairies instantly raised their heads and stared at her with bright, watery eyes.

However what?

Even Shu Li pricked up his ears curiously.

He had just spoken with the mother tree inside his mind, and she had certainly never mentioned any “however”!

“If you become Grand Mages and then form a shared contract with Sperien, you may be able to fulfill your wish,” the mother tree said.

“A shared contract?” Angel murmured.

“We have to become Grand Mages too.” Disio clenched his fists.

“Then we’ll have to work hard!” For once, Budno’s eyes shone with determination.

Shu Li was surprised, but the idea of going on adventures with his brothers once they had grown stronger was certainly something worth celebrating.

Having gained the mother tree’s approval, the Little Fairies were ecstatic. They exchanged high fives in celebration.

With more than three hours remaining until midnight, Shu Li returned to his room to read.

He had deliberately found several ancient books in the library, hoping to uncover information related to the Five Swords.

His friends did not understand why, but assumed he was merely interested in the magic swords. They sat on his bed and helped him search.

The four Little Fairies studied attentively inside the room. Falm, his belly full, lay in a corner of the bed, burrowed into the soft blankets and snoring soundly.

As Shu Li read, he spoke with the mother tree in his mind.

“Onomysis, how is that adventuring party doing? Have they found the Blazing Sun Crystal I hid at the bottom of the lake?”

The Day of Fire was over, so the fire dragon lizards’ mating season had ended. They should have dispersed by now, shouldn’t they?

“Some high-ranking fire dragon lizards are still lingering by the lake. The adventurers can only hide inside a cave in the Gobi and wait.”

“Oh. Then let’s wish them luck.”

Hopefully, they would successfully retrieve the Blazing Sun Crystal. As for the Temple of Edas, they might as well give up!

Once the magic array activated, no one except the magical beast guarding the temple could enter.

And that guardian beast was currently sprawled on his bed, snoring away.

Shu Li glanced at the carefree little magical beast in the corner. Ever since disguising himself as a cub, Falm had been thriving. At dinner, he had received an entire plate piled high with fruit and devoured it with great delight.

As soon as midnight arrived, Shu Li entered the mother tree’s trunk under his friends’ watchful gazes and traveled to Vanaku.

The purification proceeded exceptionally quickly this time and was completed in less than ten minutes.

He had intended to discuss selecting another old fruit for purification with Effit, but Effit seemed to have been delayed by some matter and failed to appear on time.

Shu Li had no choice but to abandon the idea and return first.

The three Little Fairies waiting by the window simultaneously breathed sighs of relief when they saw Shu Li emerge from the mother tree’s trunk.

Shu Li squeezed into the room through a gap in the window and urged his friends to hurry to bed. If they stayed up any later, they would never wake up tomorrow morning.

Already drowsy, the Little Fairies bid one another good night and left Shu Li’s room with yawns.

Shu Li closed the door and stretched. Seeing that Falm was still asleep, he took out his diary and recorded everything that had happened over the past few days.

“...Dad, Mom, my brothers—you could never imagine that I was chosen by the God of Time and Space to become the master of a Soul Vessel! Once I learn how to use it, I’ll definitely find a way home. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could choose the exact point in time when I return? No matter how many years I spend in this other world, I hope I can return to the very day I transmigrated... That way, it will be as though I was never away from you for even a single day. Right?”

After writing those words, Shu Li stared blankly at his diary.

If someone had to suffer the pain of separation, then he would bear it alone.

He did not want his father to blame himself, his mother to shed tears of grief, or his brothers to suffer.

The only thing troubling him was what form he would take when he returned. Would he go back in his Fairy body, or merely as his original soul?

Biting his finger, he sank into thought.

“Are you still studying this late?”

A familiar baritone voice sounded inside the room. Shu Li returned to his senses, put away his notebook and quill, then turned toward the fire spirit sitting on the windowsill.