Chapter 102: The human mage’s curse: consult the Elf King.

The black energy came too quickly to guard against. Shu Li had no chance to dodge before it struck him head-on.

“Ah!”

His entire body pitched backward, and he fell onto the grass. The four Little Fairies flew toward him in alarm.

“Don’t come any closer!” Shu Li shouted. He was afraid the black energy might attack his companions as well and harm them.

The four Little Fairies immediately stopped in midair, sweating with anxiety.

“Sperien, are you all right?” Disio asked frantically.

“The black energy... It went inside Sperien’s body!” Budno’s brown eyes widened as he pointed at Shu Li’s chest.

“Will he be all right?” Lois clasped her hands together, her face filled with concern.

Angel observed him closely before saying with a frown, “He should be fine... Sperien knows dark magic.”

If the black energy was a form of dark power, its effects might be less severe after entering Sperien’s body. Sperien had studied dark magic under the Elven King for five years. He was certain to know some way of dealing with it.

Although Angel could not be sure, he believed their leader would undoubtedly turn danger into safety.

Just as he had said, the black energy did not cause Shu Li any harm after entering his body. His limbs merely remained stiff for a moment. Once sensation returned to them, he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

He pushed himself upright and sat cross-legged again. Touching his chest in confusion, he looked up at his four worried companions.

“I’m fine now,” he reassured them.

“Sperien—”

The four Little Fairies flapped their wings and rushed toward him, affectionately rubbing their faces against his cheeks.

Having all four companions nuzzling his face at once was unbearably ticklish. Shu Li burst into laughter. “Hey, stop rubbing! You’re going to rub my skin right off!”

Disio drew back and hovered in the air, glaring at him with ruby-red eyes. “You scared us to death!”

Budno nodded vigorously.

Angel turned to look at the open treasure chest and said with lingering fear, “We mustn’t recklessly open things of unknown origin in the future.”

Shu Li raised a hand and scratched his head. “I was careless.”

Although the three-headed monster had behaved poorly at first and had swindled seven red crystal flower seeds from them, its attitude had improved afterward. It had even given them a pile of valuable crystal ore, causing Shu Li to lower his guard.

The idea that magical beasts were the friends of Fairies was deeply ingrained in them. Once trust had been established, they lived together amicably without remaining overly guarded around one another.

That was how he had become such good friends with Mr. Serpent.

Because the three-headed monster had mentioned Mr. Serpent, Shu Li had let down his defenses. However, he had overlooked one important problem.

The three-headed monster might have borne him no ill will and might sincerely have intended to give him a gift, but the gift itself had come from an unknown source.

It had found this golden treasure chest in the Danaga Sea half a month ago.

In other words, the golden treasure chest had come from somewhere else. A magical seal had been placed on its lid, meaning it was not something just anyone should open carelessly.

The correct course of action would have been to bring the treasure chest to the Fairy elders and let them decide what to do before opening it with the utmost caution. Instead, eager to show off the skill he had recently learned to his companions, Shu Li had carelessly broken the seal.

He had certainly learned his lesson the hard way.

Fortunately, the black energy had not affected his body.

Shu Li let out a long breath.

“Ah! Sperien! Something appeared on the back of your hand!”

Lois suddenly cried out in surprise and pointed at the right hand he had raised to scratch his head.

“What?” Shu Li froze, then lowered his hand and turned it over. His pupils contracted slightly. “This is...”

A strange design had appeared on the back of his soft, pale hand. It looked a little like... a six-legged spider!

The four Little Fairies crowded around and stared at the back of Shu Li’s hand in astonishment.

“Wow, what is that?”

“It looks like some kind of mark.”

“It’s a little ugly.”

“And it’s black. It doesn’t look nice.”

Shu Li’s face paled slightly. His lips trembled as he said gravely, “It’s a curse.”

“A curse!”

His companions paled in shock, all of them wearing expressions of disbelief.

Shu Li raised his hand and examined it carefully. He clenched it tightly into a fist, his pale green eyes filled with frustration.

He had studied dark magic under the Elven King for five years, yet he had failed even to recognize a seal containing a curse.

Now that he had been struck by it, he had no idea what to do.

He had never seen this curse mark before and did not know where to begin breaking it.

“Sperien, what should we do?” Angel tugged at his clothes. “Let’s hurry back to the divine tree and ask Siet for help!”

“Yes, Sperien, we need to go back right away! Siet will definitely know what to do!” Disio flew around in frantic circles, his little wings beating at high speed.

“Niledi is a bad magical beast!” Budno puffed out his cheeks indignantly.

“He went too far!” Lois waved her tiny fist in righteous anger. “Once we return to the divine tree, I’m telling Elder Fedro.”

They could not defeat the three-headed monster, but Elder Fedro, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, could certainly teach it a lesson.

Shu Li bit his lip and looked down at the treasure chest. Noticing something inside, he reached out to retrieve it.

“Be careful!” Angel stopped him.

“The seal has been broken. There’s no danger now.” Shu Li took the objects out of the chest.

There was a rolled sheet of paper tied with red cord and a metal tube as thick as a finger.

After hesitating briefly, he untied the red cord and unrolled the yellowed parchment. Writing gradually appeared across its surface.

“It’s written in the Continental Common Language.” Disio leaned closer and slowly read the words aloud. “Dear Mage, if you can see this letter, it means you have broken the seal on the treasure chest. First, I must apologize to you...”

“You have been cursed,” Angel continued. “If you do not follow my instructions, the curse will remain with you for the rest of your life, until the moment of your death...”

The Little Fairies gasped.

What a vicious caster!

The paper trembled in Shu Li’s hand. His little face turned deathly pale, but he frowned and forced himself to finish reading everything written on it.

The writer was a Grand Mage named Claude Boer, who came from the Kingdom of Pedam, a small country in the south. Ten years ago, the Kingdom of Cecilia had launched wars of aggression against the surrounding countries. As one of its neighbors, Pedam bore the brunt of the invasion and suffered mercilessly beneath the flames of war. Countless people living along the border between the two countries had died.

Cecilia’s Black Knights had been unstoppable. Wherever they passed, corpses littered the ground in scenes too horrific to behold.

Pedam’s military was weak and suffered defeat after defeat. It appealed to the other surrounding countries for aid, but not a single one offered assistance.

The king had no choice but to lead his army into battle personally. He was gravely wounded in a battle three years ago and had been bedridden ever since.

The queen could not hold the kingdom together alone. With the prince and princess still young, the nation stood on the brink of collapse.

To resist Cecilia’s Black Knights, the queen decided to assemble a powerful escort and send it to the Dalia Empire to request aid.

The Dalia Empire was one of the four great powers of the Austin Continent and possessed an indomitable army. If Pedam could borrow troops from them, it would surely be able to withstand the terrifying Black Knights and reverse the course of the war.

Why would a small southern kingdom seek aid from a great nation in the distant west?

Because Pedam’s queen and the empress of the Dalia Empire were sisters.

They had once been the cherished princesses of the Kingdom of Snow. When they reached marriageable age, princes from many countries sought their hands. After a series of trials and careful consideration, the elder sister married the prince of the Dalia Empire, while the younger sister married the prince of Pedam.

One was a great western empire, while the other was a small southern kingdom.

Although the strength of their nations differed enormously, the sisters remained as close as ever. Every year, they exchanged letters and shared their happiness with each other.

After Cecilia invaded Pedam, all communication was severed. Not a single messenger beast or courier party could escape the kingdom.

Pedam’s circumstances had become desperate. The invaders had already captured more than a dozen cities in succession and were rapidly approaching the capital. The queen had no choice but to make one final attempt.

She ordered the court’s Grand Mage, Claude Boer, to deliver her letter to the empress of the Dalia Empire at any cost.

Claude Boer had sworn to serve the beautiful queen until his death. Accompanied by a knightly order, he broke through the encirclement and set out for the Dalia Empire.

Yet somehow, news of his mission leaked. The Black Knights pursued them, and the knightly order suffered devastating losses while protecting Claude Boer. He fled into the Central Court and sought protection from the Mages’ Association.

Not only did the Mages’ Association refuse to protect him, but it also betrayed his whereabouts.

Enraged yet powerless, Claude Boer risked his life to escape. He secretly boarded a ship bound for the Pross Empire and traveled north along the Bakat River.

Only after entering the Pross Empire did he learn that he had become a wanted man.

For an entire year, he lived like a hunted rat, hiding wherever he could and enduring countless hardships. Eventually, using a disguise, he managed to board a seagoing vessel bound for the Dalia Empire.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect the ship to encounter a terrible hurricane from which no one could escape alive.

Unwilling to accept failure, Claude Boer sealed the queen’s letter and his own final testament inside the golden treasure chest. Offering his soul as a sacrifice, he placed a terrifying curse upon it.

Anyone who broke the seal on the treasure chest would be cursed.

The way to break the curse was simple. The cursed person merely had to deliver the queen of Pedam’s letter to the empress of the Dalia Empire in person. The curse would then disappear automatically.

After the five Little Fairies finished reading the letter, none of them spoke for a long time.

Eventually, Budno quietly asked, “Isn’t the Dalia Empire the country closest to the Faerie Forest?”

“Yes,” Angel replied.

Shu Li held the sealed metal tube tightly and pursed his lips. “This is too complicated. We... need to find the king.”

The Black Knights!

The Kingdom of Cecilia!

Memories from ten years ago suddenly surged forth, replaying vividly in his mind.

The Little Fairies did not dare delay. They gathered their belongings and flew tirelessly toward the divine tree.

Shu Li had his four companions sit on his shoulders. He spread his gauzy wings, reinforced them with acceleration magic of the wind element, and flew at a frantic pace. At last, they reached the divine tree before nightfall.

An hour later, two beautiful snow-white unicorns descended from the sky and landed on the grass beneath the divine tree. The golden-haired Elven King and the black-haired Elven warrior dismounted with graceful movements, then hurried toward the Fairies waiting beneath the tree.

Elder Fedro, Siet, and Aisha, all in their larger forms, respectfully bowed to the Elven King.

“My king, I’m terribly sorry to ask you to come here so late,” Fedro said apologetically.

By the light of the magic stone lamps, the Elven King looked toward the young Fairy hiding behind Siet, along with the four Little Fairies perched atop his head.

“Sperien is my young disciple. If he encounters a difficult problem, it is only right that I handle it,” the Elven King said gently.

Hearing this, Shu Li felt even more ashamed.

The king had taught him with such care, yet Shu Li had failed to master what he had learned and gotten himself cursed. In the end, he still had to trouble the king to resolve the problem.

Ilio spotted the little fellow hiding behind Siet, too ashamed to show himself. Grinning, he strode over.

“Sperien.” He stopped beside Shu Li and looked down at him.

Shu Li puffed out his cheeks, closed his eyes, and resigned himself to his fate. “Go ahead and laugh if you want!”

Boohoohoo!

Whenever Ilio saw him embarrass himself, he always burst into loud, unbearably smug laughter.

How infuriating!

“Are you an idiot?”

For once, Ilio did not laugh at him. Instead, he reached down and vigorously ruffled Shu Li’s head.

As soon as the four Little Fairies saw his large hand approaching, they disloyally flew away and escaped to Siet’s and Aisha’s shoulders.

Ilio had already manhandled them often enough to instill a deep fear of his hands. They had no desire to fall victim to them again.

Ilio tousled Shu Li’s hair into a complete mess with both hands and even pinched his cheeks several times.

“L-Let go of me...” Shu Li mumbled indistinctly.

With the Elven King present, Ilio did not dare torment him for long. He released Shu Li’s head and rebuked him in exasperation. “You’re certainly bold. You dared break the seal on something when you didn’t even know where it came from.”

“Mmm...” Shu Li covered his reddened cheeks and let his head droop dejectedly.

Stop scolding him! He had already blamed himself and reflected on his mistake!

“Ilio.” Siet and Aisha could not bear to see their Little Fairy reprimanded. “Sperien is young and inexperienced. He did not understand how dangerous curses can be. Please don’t be too harsh on him.”

Ilio took a step back and bowed to them. “My apologies. My concern got the better of me. When I learned that Sperien had been cursed by a human Mage, I was beside myself with worry.”

No, the one who was truly beside himself with worry was the Elven King.

Ilio was merely saying what the king could not.

The Elven King gazed at the dejected golden-haired young Fairy and called softly, “Sperien, come here.”

Shu Li’s pointed ears twitched. He lifted his head and met the Elven King’s gentle green eyes, then walked toward him without hesitation.

“My king, I’m sorry. I...”

“This is not your fault. There is no need to apologize.” The Elven King used his long, slender fingers to smooth the hair Ilio had disheveled, revealing Shu Li’s smooth, pale forehead. “What matters now is breaking your curse as quickly as possible.”

“My king...” Shu Li stared at him blankly. The anxiety that had lingered in his heart was miraculously soothed.