Chapter 260: A Lively Symposium.

Today was destined to be anything but peaceful.

To placate the little Elven cub, who was puffed up with anger like a tiny pufferfish, Shu Li brought out a pile of candy and toys, then showered him with kisses, hugs, and lifts into the air. At last, he managed to coax the little fellow out of his sulk.

The Little Fairies gathered around him, impatient to hear stories about his adventures in the outside world.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping harvest the wheat?" Shu Li asked helplessly, rubbing his forehead. His adventures were a long story. An hour or two wouldn't be nearly enough to tell it all.

"Siet gave us three days off! We've got plenty of time, so spending half a day here won't hurt!" Lois spun happily through the air, her light brown hair fluttering around her.

"Sperien, I want to hear your stories." Misina, one of the Fairy cubs, flew up to Shu Li, who had assumed his larger form, and wrapped both hands around a lock of his hair, pleading sweetly.

"Brave Sperien, tell us a story!" The other four cubs landed on Shu Li's head, clinging to his hair like little ornaments. One nestled against his cheek, rubbing affectionately against him.

The touch of that soft little face melted Shu Li's heart.

Fairy cubs were just too adorable.

"Sperien, I want to hear too!"

Not to be outdone, the Elven cub in Shu Li's arms puffed out his cheeks and grabbed a lock of his hair.

"Ouch, ouch! Gently, please!" Shu Li made an exaggerated face.

Sure enough, all the cubs immediately let go.

"Sperien, we're sorry..."

Every one of them looked properly remorseful.

Shu Li breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "It's all right. I forgive you."

Islar squirmed slightly in his arms, indicating that he wanted to get down and walk by himself.

Shu Li set him on the ground and took his hand instead.

"Come on. Let's go to the hall."

It seemed there was no escaping today's storytelling session. In that case, he might as well give everyone what they wanted!

The Elves seemed to have anticipated the gathering and had already prepared the hall. The long tables were covered with all manner of snacks: crunchy nuts, fresh fruit, delicious drinks, and countless other treats. There was something for everyone.

Catching the sweet, enticing aromas, the Little Fairies cheered and eagerly rushed toward the tables. Just before reaching them, they released their innate power, transformed into their larger forms, and landed lightly on the floor.

After all, if they wanted to enjoy a proper feast, eating in their larger forms was much more satisfying.

Misina and the other four Fairy cubs were still only Initiate Mages and couldn't transform. They fluttered down in front of a fruit platter, each picked up a small red fruit with both hands, and began nibbling away.

A faint warmth spread across the back of Shu Li's right hand.

A streak of red light shot out of the Fire God's Mark and transformed into a round little magical beast.

It was none other than the gluttonous Falm.

"Wow! See? I told you there'd be delicious food when we got back to the Elven Kingdom!"

Drooling, the little beast lunged toward the nearest table, spotted a fruit, and took an enormous bite.

Now this was what fruit should taste like!

Fresh, crisp, juicy, and wonderfully sweet. The fruit grown by humans simply couldn't compare.

Falm devoured ten pear-shaped fruits in rapid succession and still looked as though it wanted more.

Shu Li stared at it, speechless.

Did this creature have a bottomless pit for a stomach?

It had eaten a mountain of magical beast meat at dinner, yet somehow still had room for all this fruit.

Shaking his head, Shu Li ignored Falm and led Islar by the hand in search of an empty seat.

Sayah spotted him and called out, "Sperien, come over here! Your seat is right here."

Shu Li looked in the direction she was pointing.

He froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

The seat was right beside the Elven King's throne, in an exceptionally conspicuous position.

Come to think of it, where was the Elven King?

They'd been in the hall for quite a while, and most of the Elves had already arrived. Yet there was still no sign of him.

Could it be...?

Deep in thought, Shu Li walked toward his seat. As he passed a table, he casually picked up a plump, juicy fruit and began nibbling on it.

Suddenly, someone gave his right hand a gentle tug.

He looked down at Islar.

Meeting the cub's bright, expectant eyes, Shu Li immediately understood. He held his own fruit between his teeth, freeing his left hand to pick up another one for Islar.

"Thank you."

Islar accepted the red fruit and began nibbling on it like a little hamster.

Shu Li led him to the conspicuous seat and sat down. His gaze drifted involuntarily toward the throne, and he sank into thought once more.

Elves and Fairies had extraordinarily long lifespans, so they needed interesting activities to pass the time. They often gathered to share their experiences, which was how these storytelling sessions had become a tradition.

The Little Fairies wanted to hear about his adventures, and the Elves had caught wind of it. With nothing better to do, they'd all come to the hall.

According to past custom, the Elven King never missed a gathering of this scale.

Yet today, he hadn't appeared.

Could it be that... he couldn't come?

Shu Li's heartbeat quickened.

Under what circumstances would the Elven King miss such an occasion?

Obviously, if he wasn't in the Elven Kingdom!

"Sperien, are we starting?"

Just as Shu Li felt himself closing in on an answer, Islar's childish voice sounded beside him.

"Huh? Starting?"

Shu Li snapped out of his thoughts and discovered, to his astonishment, that all the Elves and Little Fairies in the hall had settled into their seats, snacks at the ready, waiting for him to speak.

"Sperien, we're ready!"

The Little Fairies proudly displayed their notebooks and quills, prepared to record everything he said.

Shu Li felt an overwhelming urge to cover his face.

They'd picked up this habit from Kumandi, who diligently took notes at every storytelling session so he could turn the accounts into poetry afterward.

Shu Li let out a long, weary sigh.

He picked up a cup of honey from the table and took a sip to soothe his throat.

Just as he was about to speak, a tall, slender figure appeared in the doorway.

The Elven King!

Shu Li's eyes widened in surprise.

The man wore an elegant, magnificent white robe, its sleeves and hem embroidered with intricate magical runes in golden thread. Delicate floral and leaf patterns adorned the cloak trailing behind him.

A silver crown proclaiming his royal status rested upon his head. His straight golden hair fell loosely down his back, and when his brilliant, star-bright green eyes turned toward Shu Li, they held a gentle warmth.

The Elves rose to their feet, placed their right hands over their chests, and bowed respectfully to their noble king.

The Little Fairies stopped playing, hurriedly stood properly, and followed suit.

Shu Li's mind went blank.

The moment he saw the Elven King, he once again discarded his earlier suspicions, leaving himself hopelessly conflicted.

Only when the Elven King reached his seat did Shu Li belatedly rise to his feet and stammer a greeting.

"Your Majesty, good... good morning!"

"Good morning, Sperien."

The Elven King inclined his head slightly, walked to his throne, and sat down with effortless grace.

Shu Li's shoulders slumped, and his spirits sank.

"Have the humans been bullying you?" the Elven King asked with concern, noticing his dejected expression.

"Uh, no, no!" Shu Li hurriedly waved his hands. "With Ilio around, nobody dares bully us."

Besides, his duel with Luvisi had made him famous overnight. No human would dare pick on him now.

In fact, whenever Shu Li returned and met the Elven King, he always reported what he'd experienced outside. Whether the king attended this storytelling session or not would make little difference.

However, he hadn't yet had the chance to tell the Elven King what had happened yesterday in the Woba Grand Canyon.

Shu Li frowned.

Anything involving the Dark God was too important to treat lightly.

And besides—

He had a personal reason for bringing it up.

"Your Majesty," Shu Li said solemnly, "we encountered a Demon Lord from hell."

The moment he finished speaking, dozens of sharp intakes of breath echoed throughout the hall.

Daigmon, who was seated nearby, frowned.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely certain." Shu Li nodded emphatically. "It can't be killed permanently. Every time you kill it, it comes back to life even stronger than before. Apparently, it's one of the Ten Demon Lords of Hell. Its name is Ansed... Ansed..."

Oh, no!

He'd forgotten the Demon Lord's name!

"Ansedram," the Elven King supplied.

Shu Li clapped his hands.

"Right! Ansedram! That's its name!"

The Elves immediately lost all interest in their snacks, their expressions turning grave.

The Little Fairies, on the other hand, continued holding their fruit and looked around in bewilderment, unable to understand why everyone had suddenly become so serious.

Unlike Shu Li, they were genuinely underage Fairies whose minds had yet to mature. Their Fairy instructors currently emphasized a happy, carefree education and hadn't taught them much about the dark forces.

Islar gently tugged on Shu Li's clothes and whispered, "What's a Demon Lord?"

Shu Li patted his little head and answered gravely, "One of the Dark God's lackeys."

He then began recounting the Light Squad's expedition to the Woba Grand Canyon.

Starting with how they'd registered as an adventuring party, he told the entire story in a clear, measured voice, describing every stage of their journey in detail.

The Elves listened attentively, occasionally asking questions, which Shu Li answered truthfully.

However, when he reached the part involving Efit and the Dark Elf cub, he omitted certain details and presented their meeting as a chance encounter.

As for the nightmare, he concealed its true contents and substituted the memory of being carried to the edge of the forest by that enormous stupid bird.

It was common knowledge that a person's first terrifying experience could leave a lasting psychological scar and an unforgettable fear.

Using that incident as the source of his fear was perfectly reasonable.

"What happened next? How did you escape the nightmare?"

Misina flew up in front of Shu Li and asked anxiously.

"After that..."

Shu Li turned toward the throne.

Whether in reality or in the nightmare, whenever he'd fallen into despair, it had always been the Elven King who descended from above, rescued him from danger, and dispelled his fear.

Of course, Shu Li carefully avoided mentioning the humiliating incident in which he'd regained his senses only to cling to the Elven King and sob uncontrollably in his arms.

"...With His Majesty's guidance, I killed the Demon Lord using the Sword of Viona."

He clasped his hands together, gazed at the Elven King, and asked, "Your Majesty, was the version of you I saw in the nightmare real?"

The Elven King didn't answer immediately.

He regarded the Little Fairy, who was so eager for confirmation, with a calm gaze.

Shu Li grew increasingly nervous.

Part of him desperately hoped the answer was yes.

Another part hoped just as strongly that it was no.

His feelings were a tangled mess of contradictions.

After a long moment, the Elven King replied without directly answering his question.

"Your Phanis Ring influenced the Demon Lord's nightmare, creating an illusion in which reality and fantasy intertwined. Whether something was real or false depended on the heart."

Shu Li stared blankly.

What did he mean, depended on the heart?

Before Shu Li could think any further, the Elves launched into a heated discussion about the Demon Lord.

"Shouldn't the Demon Lords have been sealed in hell alongside the Dark God?"

"To think Ansedram survived the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago!"

"That ability to resurrect endlessly makes it an exceptionally troublesome enemy."

"The Dark God clearly hasn't abandoned his ambitions. He's been stirring in the shadows all this time, waiting for a chance to return."

"Little Sperien was in terrible danger this time."

"This is exactly why letting underage Fairies venture into the outside world is so worrying."

"A demonic sword has appeared!"

"How did Sperien obtain the Sword of Viona? Has it acknowledged him as its master?"

"That's impossible. Demonic swords have always belonged to humans."

"There are occasional exceptions. His Majesty once wielded the Sword of Carlos and slew countless demonic creatures and necromancers from hell."

"The appearance of a demonic sword signals the Dark God's impending return. We must make every possible preparation for the battles ahead."

"Without the Fire Spirit's assistance, Falm really does have no combat instincts whatsoever."

"A Little Fairy revealed his identity in front of humans!"

At those words, hundreds of pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward the guilty-looking Little Fairy.

"Well... I can explain."

Shu Li shifted backward in his seat, sweat breaking out across his forehead.

"Ilio made them sign confidentiality contracts! They absolutely won't reveal anything!"

Under the collective scrutiny of the Elves, Shu Li obediently answered every question they asked.

For instance, how had he obtained the demonic sword?

That was another interesting story in itself.

Two hours later, Shu Li's head was spinning. He yawned repeatedly, so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

His internal clock was different from everyone else's.

By his reckoning, it was already time for bed.

Fortunately, the considerate Elves finally took pity on him and let him go. Seeing how sleepy he was, the Little Fairies stopped pestering him with questions as well.

Shu Li rose unsteadily to his feet, preparing to return to the magic academy and get some sleep.

"Careful—"

He missed a step, lost his balance, and was about to fall when the Elven King reacted instantly and caught him.

"Mmph!"

Shu Li tumbled straight into the Elven King's arms, his cheek pressed against the man's chest.

This scene...

Why did it feel so familiar?

Earlier today, in the bookstore, Ace had caught him and pulled him into his arms in almost exactly the same way.

Thump—thump—thump—

Listening to the Elven King's steady heartbeat, Shu Li's expression turned peculiar.

Ever since he was little, all his "intimate contact" with the Elven King had taken place while he was in his tiny Fairy form.

Sometimes he sat on the king's shoulder. Sometimes he perched in his palm. Occasionally, he even clung to a lock of the king's hair and used it as a swing.

But never before had he pressed against the king's chest like this while in his larger form.

The sense of touch had a memory of its own, one more precise than either hearing or sight.

And a Fairy's sense of touch was several times more sensitive than a human's. Once a Fairy experienced a particular sensation, it was almost impossible to forget.

At that very moment, Shu Li had only one thought.

The Elven King's embrace felt exactly the same as Ace's!!