I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

As far as Shu Li was concerned, getting admitted was all that mattered. He didn’t particularly care which class he was assigned to. What concerned him most right now was the dormitory arrangement.

”This is where you’ll be living from now on.” Zefir led the new students to the academy’s freshman dormitories. ”The boys live in the building on the left, and the girls in the one on the right. Two students share each suite. They’re fully equipped, with a study and magic research rooms.”

The Mage Apprentices followed Zefir into one of the vacant suites and eagerly looked around.

After making a circuit of the place, Shu Li couldn’t help exclaiming in amazement.

He had assumed the dormitories at a magic academy would be like school dorms back in his old world: a single room with four people sleeping in bunk beds. Who would have guessed that St. Velia Magic Academy was so lavish that its students lived in luxury suites?

Each suite contained two bedrooms with private bathrooms, two magic research rooms, a study, and a small living room. It was beautifully furnished and fully equipped with everything they could possibly need.

As expected of the greatest magic academy on the entire continent. No wonder mages from everywhere were desperate to get in. Unfortunately, St. Velia Magic Academy operated on a recommendation system that required endorsement from renowned instructors.

There were nine new students in total. Since Nasha was a girl, she naturally lived in the girls’ dormitory.

Zefir escorted her downstairs, summoned the female mage in charge of the dormitory, and had her arrange Nasha’s room. That left eight boys, who were told to pair up and choose their own rooms.

”So... how should we split up?” Dixio looked at Ace and Hector, the two humans, and thought it would be best if they shared a suite.

Unexpectedly, Ace spoke first.

”I’ll share with Sperien.”

”Huh?” Shu Li turned in surprise to stare at his flawless profile.

Ace smiled. ”We’ve been sharing a room throughout the journey. We’re used to it.”

Zefir looked at Shu Li. ”Is that so?”

Under Zefir’s pale golden gaze, Shu Li suddenly felt a little self-conscious. He scratched the back of his head and answered awkwardly, ”Y-Yes.”

Zefir didn’t know what the Elven King intended, but since he had chosen this Little Fairy, Zefir would let him have his way.

”All right. Ace and Sperien will share a suite.” He looked at the others. ”What about you?”

The Little Fairies and the young dragon exchanged glances.

Hector rubbed his cheek, somehow feeling as though he was being rejected.

”I can room with anyone.”

As long as it wasn’t that solemn-looking black-haired boy, he didn’t care. Of all the boys from the mountain communities, the one named Kumandi alone looked difficult to get along with.

”I’ll room with you,” Kumandi said.

The other Little Fairies and the young dragon were too innocent and might accidentally give themselves away around a human.

”Uh...” Hector wilted inwardly.

Just his luck. The one person he’d hoped to avoid had actually volunteered to share a room with him.

”Then it’s settled,” Zefir said.

He had spent less than two hours with them, but he’d already gotten a rough sense of their personalities. Of all the Little Fairies, Kumandi was the steadiest. Having him share a suite with the human student was the most suitable arrangement.

The remaining four were easy to pair off: Dixio with Budno, and Angel with Amanda.

”St. Velia Magic Academy’s rules are as follows. All expenses are waived during your first year. At the beginning of your second year, the academy holds a magic assessment. The thirty students with the highest scores enter the official elite class, and all their expenses will continue to be waived. Students outside the top thirty are assigned to classes according to their results, and their expenses will no longer be waived.”

Once the rooms had been assigned, Zefir began explaining the academy’s rules.

”Excuse me, are we normally allowed to leave the academy and take assignments in the city?” Shu Li raised his hand.

After traveling through the teleportation arrays, they had very little usable gold left. To maintain their cover as impoverished mountain folk, they couldn’t touch the mountains of gold and silver inside their storage rings for the time being. They would have to earn their spending money with their own hands.

Zefir asked in puzzlement, ”You’ve only just arrived at the academy. Why are you already thinking about taking assignments?”

”We’re poor!” Amanda declared.

Just thinking about how all the money they’d earned on the road had gone toward teleportation made his heart ache.

Zefir: ”...”

In all his life, he never imagined he’d hear a dragon claim he was poor.

Harmon was the king of the dragons, with mountains of gold and treasure piled inside his cavern. His own little brother had gone out into the world to gain experience, and he couldn’t even bear to give him some spending money?

What a bastard of an older brother!

Zefir looked sympathetically at the young dragon and considered giving him a monthly allowance of one hundred thousand gold coins from now on.

Whatever else one might economize on, children shouldn’t have to suffer for lack of money.

The Little Fairies knew nothing of their dragon uncle’s thoughts. They nodded vigorously in agreement.

”Exactly! We’re really poor. We finally earned a few thousand gold coins working as guards and fighting river bandits, and then the teleportation arrays swallowed all of it.”

”Tuition and everything else might be free, but we still have to pay our own living expenses, right?”

”Seidler said we could earn money by taking assignments in the city. I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

”Once we’ve earned enough, we can buy better magic robes and magic staffs.”

”So...” Shu Li looked expectantly at their dragon uncle. ”Does the academy place any restrictions on new students?”

Zefir instinctively glanced at the Elven King disguised as a human, a peculiar look flashing through his eyes.

Seriously? Even the Elven King is too stingy to give the Little Fairies any money?

Or is this part of their training?

”Ahem.” Zefir said, ”Ordinarily, new students aren’t permitted to leave the academy to take assignments during their first three months. But considering your special circumstances, an exception can be made.”

”Really?” Shu Li’s face lit up. ”Thank you, Uncle!”

Amanda and the other Little Fairies chorused brightly, ”Thank you, Uncle!”

Zefir glanced at the smiling Ace beside them and ultimately decided against giving Amanda an allowance.

If even the Elven King approved of this training, he shouldn’t interfere.

Hector gazed at them enviously and sighed inwardly.

So this is what it’s like to have connections!

Next, Zefir took them to a nearby dining hall, arranged free meal cards for them, and treated them to a lavish dinner before leaving.

The Mage Apprentices returned to the dormitory building in high spirits and went to their respective suites.

In the small living room, Shu Li asked, ”Which bedroom do you want?”

”Either one is fine,” Ace replied.

Shu Li walked to the bedroom door on the left. ”Then... I’ll take this one, and you take that one. Is that okay?”

Ace nodded. ”All right.”

Shu Li opened the door, and his attention was immediately captured by the large bed inside.

”It’s been such a long day. I’m exhausted. Let’s get to sleep early!”

He needed plenty of rest so he could get up early tomorrow and go into the city to take assignments.

”Mm.” Ace’s voice was gentle. ”Good night, Sperien.”

Shu Li waved at him. ”Good night, Ace.”

He closed the bedroom door and locked it. The first thing Shu Li did was throw himself onto the bed, hug the soft pillow, and rub his face against it vigorously.

This is amazing!

At last, he had a private space all to himself. He could finally sleep without worrying about anything.

For a Fairy, returning to his tiny natural form was the most comfortable state of all. He had frequently shared a room with Ace during their journey and hadn’t been able to return to his smaller form for ages.

Shu Li withdrew his innate power and instantly shrank back to his tiny size. He crawled out from beneath the heap of clothes, completely naked, fluttered the gauzy wings on his back, stretched his limbs, and happily flew around the room.

Just as he was getting carried away, a sudden sound came from outside the window.

Knock, knock, knock.

Startled, he stopped in midair and frowned deeply.

Someone... outside the window?

He immediately released his perception and extended it toward the window.

There was no one there.

Instead, he discovered a tree root.

A tree root?

When the root received no response from the Little Fairy inside, its tip lifted again and gently tapped against the windowpane.

Delight spread across Shu Li’s face. He took a magic robe sized for his tiny Fairy form from the storage ring hanging around his neck, hurriedly put it on, and flew to the window.

Pulling aside a corner of the curtain, he pressed close to the transparent glass until he was face-to-face with the tip of the root.

”Eunomysis, is that you?”

”It’s me, Sperien.”

The Mother Tree’s gentle, affectionate voice sounded in his mind.

”You’ve finally arrived.”

It had been nearly a month since Shu Li had heard the Mother Tree’s voice.

He really had missed her.

”I’m sorry, Eunomysis. I kept you waiting.”

”No. You arrived a week earlier than I expected.”

”Mm. If we hadn’t used the teleportation arrays, we really would have reached the academy a week later and missed the enrollment deadline. Luckily, Danlov developed the teleportation arrays.”

”Danlov is an exceptional human,” the Mother Tree praised.

Through the window, Shu Li looked at the scenery outside under the bright streetlights.

He had to admit that St. Velia Magic Academy occupied an enormous area and had beautiful surroundings. There was even a small landscaped green space near the dormitories, filled with plants.

The Mother Tree’s roots had used those plants as cover, winding around a nearby tree and extending along its branches until they reached his window.

”Eunomysis, how did you know I was staying in this room?” Shu Li asked curiously.

He had entered the bedroom only a few minutes ago when the Mother Tree’s root began tapping on his window. It was almost as though she’d been waiting outside all along for him to appear.

”My roots spread throughout the ground nearby. The moment you entered the dormitory grounds, I sensed you.”

”Oh, I see.”

Shu Li could only marvel inwardly at the incredible reach of the Mother Tree’s root system.

”Then... can I use your roots to return to the Elven Kingdom tonight?”

He had long since come to regard the Faerie Forest and the Elven Kingdom as his home. After being away for so many days, he missed them terribly.

He missed the Elven King, the Elf cubs, the little fruits growing on the Mother Tree’s branches...

Right!

He still needed to purify the Mother Tree’s offshoot and the fruits!

The thought made him impatient to get started.

”You can,” the Mother Tree replied.

Without another word, Shu Li cracked the window open just enough for his tiny body to squeeze through. He reached the Mother Tree’s offshoot and slipped inside it in an instant.

”Let’s go to Wanaku first.”

Inside the spatial passage formed by the Mother Tree’s roots, he sent his thoughts to her.

Understanding his intention, the Mother Tree navigated her complex root network and instantly transported him into the trunk of her offshoot in Wanaku.

Igya City was two hours behind Wanaku. Seven in the evening here was already nine at night there.

When Shu Li’s little head emerged from the main trunk of the offshoot, everything around him was pitch-black, illuminated only by a sky full of stars and silver moonlight.

It had been a long time since he’d felt such concentrated dark energy. He frowned slightly and cautiously hid beneath a leaf before taking out his high-ranking magic staff.

”Eunomysis, I’ll purify you and the fruits right away.”

”Purify my main trunk first. You don’t need to do much—three times will be enough. Leave the fruits until tomorrow.”

”Why?” Shu Li asked, puzzled.

”Dark Elves are most active at night. Too much commotion might attract their attention. To be safe, from now on we’ll change the purification time to five in the morning, Igya City time.”

Shu Li considered it and agreed. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Light magic was far too conspicuous at night. Daytime would be much safer.

Five in the morning in Igya City was seven in the morning in Wanaku, when the sun would already be high in the sky.

At worst, he’d just have to work a little harder and get up early every day!

Once the time was settled, he swiftly cast three high-ranking purification spells, replenishing the Mother Tree’s offshoot with the power of light.

”Let’s go!”

His task complete, Shu Li slipped back into the Mother Tree’s trunk without hesitation and headed for the Elven Kingdom.

Back in the freshman dormitory at St. Velia Magic Academy, the Elven King, restored to his true appearance, stood inside his bedroom holding several high-grade magic stones.

He closed his eyes slightly, recalling the teleportation arrays he had observed during the day.

A moment later, he tossed the magic stones with flawless precision into their respective positions, gathered light elements at his fingertip, and murmured a short incantation.

A beam of light shot from his fingertip and struck the floor.

The magic stones activated and resonated with one another. An intricate golden magical formation lit up across the floor, nearly identical to a teleportation array.

The Elven King looked down at the miniature teleportation array and contemplated it for several seconds.

Then he moved his fingers slightly.

The magical formation rippled, its inscriptions shifting and transforming into a more advanced configuration.

The improved teleportation array was complete.

The Elven King stepped into its center.

The formation activated, light flaring up around him. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.

The light of the teleportation array gradually faded, and even the magic stones disappeared without a trace.

Far away in the Elven Kingdom, a golden magical formation suddenly illuminated a courtyard.

A figure appeared within it in an instant.

Golden hair, green eyes, purple robes.

It was the Elven King.

At precisely the same moment, Shu Li poked his head out from the Mother Tree’s main trunk.