I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

Danlov remained where he was, watching the Little Fairy named Sperien joyfully throw himself into the Elven King’s arms and nuzzle him affectionately.

The Elven King’s expression was gentle as he let Shu Li sit upon his palm and softly touched his hair with one finger.

The Little Fairy smiled radiantly and rubbed his cheek against the pad of the Elven King’s finger.

Danlov shifted his attention to the other three Little Fairies. They were hovering a meter away and bowing respectfully to the Elven King.

The difference between them was immediately apparent.

Just as Ilio had said, Sperien was special.

Although Danlov had grown up beside the Elven King, he had never been as close to him as Sperien was.

The Elven King rarely revealed his emotions. He might appear gentle, but there was a coldness beneath that warmth. His profound green eyes remained calm and displayed little feeling.

Perhaps he had lived so long and seen through so much that nothing could stir even the faintest ripple within his heart.

Yet upon returning to the Elven Kingdom this time, Danlov had sensed a touch of warmth that had not been there before.

Now that he had witnessed the affectionate interaction between the Elven King and the Little Fairy, he finally understood where that warmth had come from.

Shu Li was accustomed to being close to the Elven King and saw nothing unusual about his behavior.

To him, the Elven King was his teacher and elder—someone he could confide in and act spoiled around.

After greeting him, Shu Li pointed at the coffin on the grass and eagerly explained its origins, as well as why he and his companions had come to the Elven Kingdom.

The Elven King listened patiently and praised their decision.

“You have done very well.”

Shu Li chuckled, spread his wings, and flew from the Elven King’s palm to rejoin his companions.

Ilio strolled leisurely over to the coffin and examined it carefully. Stroking his smooth chin, he said, “It really does resemble a treasure chest.”

“Right? Right?” Shu Li’s pointed ears twitched. “It was so enormous that I thought it must contain a lot of treasure.”

When the three-headed water monster had offered to trade it for the Moonrise Stone, Shu Li had agreed without a second thought.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that it would turn out to be a coffin containing nothing but the body of someone who had died an unknown number of years ago.

Ilio raised an eyebrow. “You never know. There might actually be treasure inside.”

“Wow! Really, Ilio?” Budno exclaimed.

Ilio pointed at the coffin. “If you want to know whether there is treasure inside, why not open it and look?”

“No, no, no—” The four Little Fairies waved their hands in perfect unison, their faces filled with horror.

Disturbing the dead was immoral.

Danlov finally witnessed Ilio’s dreadful personality for himself. He could not believe Ilio would tease Little Fairies this adorable.

“In the Human World, precious funerary objects are often placed inside the coffins of deceased nobles,” he explained, teaching the Little Fairies about human funerals. “Such objects are generally the possessions the deceased treasured most during their lifetime.”

Naturally, the things a person had valued most while alive tended to be treasures.

Some people of contemptible character specifically targeted the graves of wealthy nobles. They stole anything valuable from the tombs and sold it through underground auction houses.

Understanding dawned upon Shu Li.

Of course. In his original world, ancient kings, generals, and ministers had also been buried with piles of funerary objects. To prevent grave robbers from stealing them, they had expended enormous amounts of labor, money, and resources while still alive, devising every conceivable way to construct secure tombs.

According to Danlov, the kings and nobles of this world faced the same problem.

With the matter of the coffin settled, Shu Li prepared to return to the divine tree with his companions.

“Since you are already here, you may as well stay and enjoy yourselves for a while,” the Elven King said. “I will have Ilio take you home tomorrow morning.”

The four Little Fairies happily agreed to remain.

Although they were supposedly staying to enjoy themselves, whenever work arose in the Elven Kingdom, everyone was assigned a task—including Danlov.

The Elven Kingdom did not support idlers.

Danlov was a guest, but he was also the Elven King’s eldest disciple and had grown up here. He understood its rules perfectly well.

Therefore, he joined everyone else in harvesting wheat.

The Elven Kingdom covered an immense area and possessed fertile soil. The Elves had cultivated farmland upon the plains and planted vast fields of wheat.

The annual harvest was abundant, more than enough to feed all the Elves and Fairies. The surplus was placed in storage items and carried into the Human World by Elves and Fairies traveling across the continent, who exchanged it with other countries and races for supplies.

Those supplies were generally crystal ores, metals, herbs, and other resources unavailable in the Elven Kingdom or the Faerie Forest.

The wheat had ripened over the past two days, and more than a dozen Elves went to harvest it each day.

Shu Li and his companions enlarged themselves and stood upon a path between the fields, gazing at the golden sea of wheat.

Under the Elves’ meticulous care, the wheat had grown exceptionally well. Every kernel was plump and gleamed like translucent yellow jade beneath the sunlight.

When the wind blew, waves rolled endlessly through the wheat. Against the blue sky and white clouds, the sight resembled a painting of flawless beauty, filling everyone who saw it with peace and delight.

Elves never used tools to harvest wheat.

Magic could accomplish everything.

It was time to practice magic again. The Little Fairies took out their magic staffs, each claimed responsibility for a plot of wheat, and eagerly began harvesting.

Danlov’s gaze followed the blond Little Fairy. Shu Li raised his magic staff and effortlessly cast wood magic with astonishing speed. Entire stretches of wheat were pulled from the soil by their roots, bound with prepared grass ropes, and stacked neatly together.

Danlov extended his perception and confirmed beyond all doubt that the blond Little Fairy had not opened his mouth to recite an incantation.

What he had witnessed in the courtyard had not been an illusion.

Danlov frowned slightly, utterly unable to understand.

Sperien was only a Grand Mage. How could he silently cast intermediate and high-ranking wood magic?

“Surprised?”

Ilio stood beside him, smiling.

Danlov nodded. “Yes. I am extremely surprised that he mastered silent magic at such a young age.”

Ilio winked at him. “Would you be even more surprised if I told you he could already use silent magic when he was five?”

“Five?” Danlov blurted out. “Impossible!”

Regardless of how gifted Fairies were, they had only just awakened their magical affinities by the age of five, had they not?

Ilio raised one slender finger and wagged it at him. “The Little Fairies born in the same cycle as Sperien awakened their magical affinities when they were three or four months old. By the age of five, they were already Mage Apprentices. But Sperien was different. He awakened Seven-Element Magic and received the king’s blessing at birth. With guidance from the Mother Tree, he became the first to master the silent Purification Spell.”

The more Danlov heard, the more unbelievable it seemed.

Yesterday, Ilio’s stories about Sperien’s “heroic exploits” had piqued his curiosity, convincing him to stay until the beginning of next month so that he could meet the Elven King’s youngest disciple.

Unexpectedly, Sperien had come looking for him first thing this morning.

After spending half a day with him, Danlov completely agreed with Ilio’s assessment.

Now that he had learned of Sperien’s magical talent, his entire understanding of magic had been overturned.

It was as though he had stumbled into a gap in his own knowledge and begun questioning everything he knew.

“...Sperien single-handedly purified the ancient battlefield ruins in the north,” Ilio continued. “He successfully summoned the Wood Spirit, which had been missing for ten thousand years, and earned its recognition.”

The corners of Ilio’s mouth rose. He was as proud as though he were boasting about his own younger brother.

“That is why he can also cast silent wood magic.”

Danlov parted his lips but could find nothing to say. He looked at the blond Fairy working in the wheat field, a trace of admiration entering his blue eyes.

Ilio patted him on the shoulder and smiled. “Danlov, stop holding yourself so rigidly. Relax and join us. Let’s see who can harvest the most wheat today.”

Danlov smiled as well and accepted the challenge.

Soon, a Saint Mage and a Mage Sovereign were sweeping through the wheat fields like a gale scattering fallen leaves.

After binding another pile of wheat, Shu Li paused to rest. When he looked up and saw Danlov and Ilio racing to “flatten” the fields, his mouth fell open.

Whoa!

They were incredible!

As expected of a Saint Mage and a Mage Sovereign. Neither was even breathing hard. Their spells were fast and precise, and their command of wind magic had reached perfection. Within a few breaths, they had cleared an entire plot, stacking the wheat neatly together to await threshing.

Their performance ignited Shu Li’s competitive spirit. He decided he needed to work harder too.

Come, Wood Spirit. Help me cast my strongest wood magic.

He raised his magic staff. The wood elements in the air surged wildly toward him, and an enormous apparition of the Wood Spirit appeared behind him. It spread its arms and directed every wood element in the area for his use.

Danlov and Ilio stopped simultaneously. They turned toward the blond Little Fairy nearby, their pupils abruptly contracting.

“That is...”

“The Wood Spirit.”

Ilio stared intently at Shu Li, his eyes shining.

Beneath a gigantic tree near the wheat fields, the noble and breathtakingly handsome Elven King stood in silence. His eyes radiated endless tenderness as he watched Shu Li.

After working all day, Shu Li and his companions returned wearily to the courtyard reserved for young Elves.

The work might have been exhausting, but they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Shu Li felt that his magical technique had improved considerably.

He took a comfortable hot bath, changed his clothes, casually tied his hair into a ponytail, and went to the dining hall feeling completely refreshed.

With Little Fairies present, the dining hall was livelier than usual.

Budno’s eyes sparkled at the sight of so much food. Grabbing a knife and fork, he began devouring everything in reach.

Ever since advancing to Senior Mage, he had been able to control his weight. No matter how much he ate, he would not gain weight.

In that case, why would he not eat to his heart’s content and enjoy the feast?

“Mmm, delicious! It’s so delicious!” Budno gestured toward his companions while eating. “Hurry and eat too.”

“Slow down, or you’ll choke,” Angel warned him.

“Mhm, I know,” Budno mumbled indistinctly as his fork reached toward the plate in front of him.

Disio quickly moved the plate away. “That’s my fruit!”

Budno withdrew his fork and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I saw it wrong.”

Shu Li shook his head.

Whenever he ate with Budno, his own appetite improved. Before he knew it, he would end up eating more than usual.

Enjoying the harmonious atmosphere, Danlov raised his ale and clinked cups with Ilio.

After dinner, the Elves began their evening entertainment.

Inside a breathtakingly beautiful palace, the Elves dressed in magnificent robes and adorned themselves with exquisite, expensive jewelry. They gathered within the resplendent hall to sing and dance with effortless grace.

Ilio held a golden harp in his arms and played alongside the other Elves, producing a lively, beautiful melody.

“When the morning star rises,

The stars of night vanish beyond the horizon.

Darkness retreats,

And the earth welcomes long-awaited light.

The God of Spring comes with gentle winds and fine rain,

Bringing life to the parched earth

...”

The “Song of the Earth” brought boundless joy to the Elves.

Shu Li naturally invited the Elven King to dance with him.

He had grown much taller with age.

At fifteen, when Shu Li enlarged himself and stood beside the Elven King, the top of his head reached the king’s shoulder.

Although there was still a difference in their height, Shu Li could now perform every movement with ease.

Having danced with the Elven King since childhood, Shu Li had no reservations about taking the woman’s part. Of course, when he was fortunate, the Elven King would accommodate him by taking it instead.

It could be said that the Elven King had personally taught Shu Li everything he knew about dancing.

Standing beside a column, Danlov watched the Elven King dance with the Little Fairy and felt as though he had already exhausted his lifetime’s capacity for astonishment.

In all the years Danlov had lived in the Elven Kingdom, he had never once seen the Elven King dance with another Elf.

Yet now the Elven King seemed like a different person, openly doting upon one Little Fairy alone. Danlov found it utterly incomprehensible.

Was it merely because Sperien was his youngest disciple?

Danlov looked toward Ilio, who was playing the harp.

They were both the Elven King’s students, yet neither of them had ever received such special treatment.

This return to the Elven Kingdom had shaken Danlov profoundly. Sperien’s unique silent magic and the Elven King’s attitude toward him had both opened Danlov’s eyes to things he had never imagined before.

“Danlov, may I invite you to dance?”

The silver-haired Angel stood before him and extended an elegant invitation.

Danlov was quite surprised.

Elves disliked dancing with humans, so he had been left standing alone for some time. He had not expected the adolescent Fairy before him to invite him.

“It would be my pleasure,” Danlov replied with a smile.

He had not danced an Elven dance in a very long time and missed the opening beat.

Angel did not mind in the slightest. He patiently guided Danlov until he caught the rhythm and began dancing properly.

Once he rediscovered his former sense of movement, Danlov relaxed.

If the mages of the Central Court saw him dancing, would their jaws hit the floor?

“Danlov, I heard that you founded Saint Velia Academy of Magic,” Angel said curiously as they danced.

“That is correct.” Danlov nodded.

Angel’s amber eyes sparkled. “Could you write me a letter of recommendation?”

“Huh?” Danlov nearly stepped the wrong way. He stared in confusion at the adolescent Fairy, who was considerably shorter than him.

Surely Angel was not yet old enough to travel across the continent?

“I want to obtain the letter now and use it later,” Angel explained.

To break his curse, Sperien had traveled to the Human World with Ilio. Not only had he earned a Mage Apprentice badge, but he had also obtained a letter of recommendation to Saint Velia Academy of Magic. The other Little Fairies had been terribly envious.

A Saint Mage’s visit to the Elven Kingdom was a rare opportunity, so Angel had shamelessly decided to ask him for a recommendation.

Danlov did not understand what was going through the Little Fairy’s mind, but since Angel wanted one, he readily agreed to write it after the ball.

Having achieved his goal, Angel happily finished the dance and skipped away to find another Elf.

Danlov returned to the column and casually picked up a glass of fruit juice from the table.

He had barely taken two sips when someone else invited him to dance.

The red-haired adolescent Fairy had a hint of pride in his jewel-like eyes. He extended his hand in invitation and declared, “Danlov, may I ask you to dance?”

Danlov set down his glass and smiled kindly. “It would be my pleasure.”

Having secured his agreement, impatient Disio immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

After dancing with Angel, Danlov had recovered his familiarity with Elven dances, so dancing with the red-haired adolescent Fairy came easily. The only problem was that Disio’s personality was nowhere near as gentle as Angel’s. He naturally assumed the man’s part.

Thus Danlov, the Saint Mage revered throughout the Human World, was forced to take the woman’s part.

Halfway through the dance, Disio spoke.

“Danlov, could you write me a letter of recommendation to Saint Velia Academy of Magic?”

Danlov fell silent for a moment. “...Certainly.”

He finally understood. The Little Fairies had not asked him to dance because they wanted his company. What they truly wanted were letters of recommendation to the academy.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you!” Disio beamed. He hastily finished the dance and bounded away.

Danlov laughed at having been used and left the dance floor. Before he could return to the column, however, the brown-haired, brown-eyed adolescent Fairy approached him with an adorable smile and invited him to dance.

“Danlov...”

“Do you want a letter of recommendation? Certainly.”

Budno blinked. Was it really that easy? He could obtain the letter without even having to dance. Wonderful!

“Thank you!” Budno smiled radiantly.

After dealing with the three Little Fairies, Danlov could finally enjoy a moment of peace. He turned toward Sperien, who had just finished his third dance with the Elven King, and wondered whether Sperien would approach him as well.

Covered in sweat from dancing, Shu Li walked toward a nearby table. As he passed Danlov, he noticed that the man’s gaze continued following him. Shu Li gave him a puzzled glance, picked up a cup, and poured himself some fruit juice.

Danlov silently waited for him to speak.

Shu Li finished one cup. Deciding it was not enough, he poured another and continued drinking.

Halfway through, he lowered the cup and met Danlov’s gaze in confusion.

What was wrong? Why was Danlov staring at him so strangely? Was there something odd about his appearance?

Shu Li touched the silver circlet on his forehead.

His little flower crown had not reverted to its original form!

Danlov coughed awkwardly twice and took the initiative to ask, “Do you... need a letter of recommendation to Saint Velia Academy of Magic?”

Since he already had to write three letters, a fourth would make little difference.

Shu Li blinked as he processed Danlov’s question, then blinked again.

He had thought Angel and the others had so eagerly invited the Saint Mage to dance because they did not want him to feel neglected. It turned out their motives had been anything but pure. They had been plotting to obtain letters of recommendation to the academy.

Shu Li already possessed one.

It had been written by Job Carter Gulain, the examiner from the Daoto City Magic Association.

A Saint Mage unquestionably possessed greater prestige than Job, and the academy’s teachers would pay more attention to his recommendation. Even so, Shu Li did not want to disregard Job’s goodwill.

He took a wax-sealed letter from his storage ring. “Thank you, but I already have one.”

Surprised, Danlov lowered his gaze to the emblem on the letter and the recipient’s name.

Gabri Muse.

It was addressed to the current headmaster of the academy.

Danlov smiled and asked with interest, “May I ask how you obtained it?”

“Of course.” Shu Li put the letter away and openly told Danlov how he had been cursed and forced to travel to the Human World with Ilio in search of the queen of the Dalia Empire, who could break it.

After listening to his story, Danlov could not help sighing with emotion.

This fifteen-year-old Little Fairy had already experienced enough adventures to fill an entire biography.

“You are exceptional, Sperien. If only my students were half as exceptional as you,” he said with a sigh.

Human talent was limited after all.

Over the past two thousand years, Danlov had accepted ten extraordinarily gifted disciples, yet none possessed Sperien’s drive for self-improvement or his empathy for others.

When cursed, Sperien could simply have asked the Elven King to destroy the mage’s soul and forcibly break the curse. Instead, he had personally delivered the letter out of kindness and fulfilled the mage’s dying wish.

He had accidentally exchanged a precious Moonrise Stone for a human coffin. Rather than regretting it, he had decided to send a complete stranger’s body home.

He did not seem like a Fairy.

Fairies were extremely hostile toward the outside world. They could never have made such unusual decisions.

Yet neither did he resemble a human.

Humans were generally selfish. Very few would risk their lives to do something that offered them no benefit.

Sperien had done both deeds without asking for anything in return. He had done them simply because he wanted to.

Danlov suddenly understood the true meaning of “brave Sperien.”

Shu Li finished his fruit juice, licked the corner of his lips, and said to the Saint Mage, “Danlov, you shouldn’t think that way.”

“Hmm?” Danlov regarded the adolescent Fairy’s solemn face.

“I once read a saying in a book,” Shu Li said. “Compare people, and someone will feel worthless. Compare possessions, and someone will want to throw theirs away.”

Danlov looked surprised.

Shu Li continued, “Every person is unique. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, so you cannot judge them all by the same standard. If your students learned that you compared them to me, they would undoubtedly feel hurt. Besides, I’m not necessarily more exceptional than they are.”

In his original world, many people had mocked him for being terrible at foreign languages. His three brothers were all so accomplished and spoke numerous languages, yet somehow the genes had mutated when it came to him. He could not even learn English, supposedly the easiest foreign language.

Hearing those remarks had left Shu Li dejected for a long time and made him hate English even more. He stopped doing his homework altogether.

His homeroom teacher called his family, and his eldest brother happened to answer. After learning what had happened, his brother ended the call and looked toward Shu Li, who had curled up in a corner of the sofa.

At the time, Shu Li had braced himself for a scolding. Unexpectedly, his eldest brother did not criticize him at all. He merely rubbed Shu Li’s hair.

“It’s all right. If you can’t learn it, then you can’t learn it.”

“But... people laugh at me and say I’m stupider than all of you.”

Shu Li’s lips trembled as tears gathered in his eyes.

His eldest brother crouched in front of him, pinched his cheek, and smiled. “So what? Your second brother, your third brother, and I can’t play the violin. Does that mean we’re all stupider than you?”

Shu Li shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Exactly!” his eldest brother said. “Everyone has something they’re good at. Why would you compare your weaknesses to someone else’s strengths? You are yourself. You’re unique, and you’re the best!”

After that, Shu Li no longer felt inferior.

So what if he could not learn it? He had tried his best—well, admittedly, there had been times when he had simply given up!

Had he not given up, he would never have pulled out his phone to play a game while memorizing vocabulary. Then his father would not have knocked on his door in the middle of the night, causing Shu Li to panic, fall over, get knocked unconscious by a dictionary, and transmigrate into another world.

Upon arriving in an other world whose language he could not understand, he abandoned that defeatist attitude, worked hard to overcome every difficulty, and devoted himself to studying.

The results proved that he was not as hopeless as he had imagined. Once he truly made up his mind, there was nothing he could not accomplish.

A fierce fire blazed in his eyes. Clenching one fist, he declared resolutely to the Saint Mage, “Every weak person has a heart that longs to become strong! I do too! That is why I keep pushing forward, determined to become someone as powerful as the Elven King!”

Danlov sensed a vibrant life force within the adolescent Fairy. Like a blade of grass, Shu Li was tenacious and unyielding, with boundless strength hidden inside him.

Danlov had lamented that his life was approaching its end, but did he still possess the determination and perseverance to pursue a higher realm?

For all these years, he had appeared to work tirelessly, but in truth, he had been standing still.

His endless duties, the flattery surrounding him, and the glory bestowed by authority had all gradually eroded his fighting spirit.

It was time to listen to his own heart again.

“Thank you, Sperien.” Danlov bowed to the adolescent Fairy.

Shu Li stared blankly.

Why was Danlov suddenly thanking him?

He had merely defended the Saint Mage’s students and argued with him for a few moments. Why was the man grateful?

It was rather embarrassing!

Danlov did not explain. He merely smiled and left the lively hall.

Shu Li watched him go, utterly bewildered.

“Uh... Did I say something wrong?”

The Elven King approached and gently stroked Shu Li’s soft hair.

“You spoke very well,” he praised.

Reassured by the Elven King’s approval, Shu Li relaxed.

When the ball ended, Angel, Disio, and Budno successfully obtained their letters of recommendation from the Saint Mage. Overjoyed, they held up the wax-sealed letters and skipped excitedly through the corridor.

Sayah came to urge them to go to bed.

Chuckling mischievously, they bounded into their rooms.

Shu Li shrugged and closed his door. After stretching, he washed up, returned to his tiny form, and was about to take out his diary when the Mother Tree’s voice sounded inside his mind.

“Sperien, my roots have purified as far as the desert of the Izerafa Empire. Are you certain you wish to search for the Fire Spirit alone?”