Chapter 244: The teammates are all awake.

The monster was dead!

Shu Li lowered his gaze to the Sword of Viona in his hand and felt a tremendous surge of power welling up inside him. Light elements from the surrounding air poured into his body without pause, flowing into the intangible space where his magical power was stored and gathering into a pure white sphere.

The sphere grew larger and larger, swelling to several times its original size. It converted the light elements it absorbed into magical power that belonged to him, releasing an even purer power of light.

That power erupted from within him, flowing through his hands and into the magical sword. As the sword merged with the power of light, it unleashed a force capable of annihilating all monsters.

And so Ansedram, one of the ten great Demon Lords serving the Dark God, had survived the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, only to meet his end today.

When the Demon Lord's body had completely disintegrated, a purple crystal remained on the ground.

Formed from the condensed soul of a deceased Demon Lord, such a crystal was worth a fortune and could be used to craft all manner of magical artifacts.

Shu Li lowered his sword and immediately turned to look behind him.

Catching sight of a strand of golden hair, he exclaimed in delight, "Your Majesty... Oh... Ace?"

As his gaze traveled upward, he finally saw the other person's face.

"Mm..."

Ace pressed a hand to his forehead, his eyes half-closed. He seemed to have only just emerged from his nightmare and was still somewhat disoriented.

Hearing Shu Li's voice, he opened his emerald-green eyes and stared at him blankly.

"Sperien... are you really here?" he asked uncertainly.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Shu Li's heart.

So the Elven King who had appeared in his nightmare really had been an illusion. Everything had been a product of his imagination. Perhaps the little flower crown on his head had helped him regain consciousness.

Still, alongside his disappointment came a small measure of relief.

No one knew his secret—that he came from another world.

"Of course I'm real, Ace," Shu Li said, turning to face him. "We were all caught in the monster's nightmare spell just now. It trapped us in dreams built around our deepest fears."

Worried that the golden-haired young man might not believe him, Shu Li deliberately slapped his palm against Ace's chest a few times so he could feel the pain and know it was real.

But after two or three pats, Shu Li's brows drew together slightly.

His palm remained pressed against Ace's chest.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked, looking at him with clear, innocent eyes.

"Ah, no, nothing."

Shu Li withdrew his hand and touched the corner of his own eye.

"Are you fully awake now?"

"I am." Ace smiled. "Thank you, Sperien."

Shu Li took a step back and waved dismissively.

"No need to thank me. I didn't do anything."

He turned to look at the other Little Fairies.

They were still gripping their magic staffs, frozen in attacking stances, but now they all opened their eyes. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"Kumandi, Angel, Dixio, Budno! Are you all right?" Shu Li asked anxiously as he approached them.

The monster's nightmare spell was terrifyingly powerful. Anyone caught in it who failed to overcome their deepest fears would remain trapped forever, unable to escape.

"Where's that damned Dark Elf? We're grown up now! We're strong enough to kill him!" Dixio shouted excitedly.

"Huh?" Angel looked around at the familiar scenery in surprise. "Is this... Woba Grand Canyon?"

"We're out!" Budno exclaimed.

Kumandi spotted Shu Li holding the magical sword, and his tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

"That Dark Elf you're talking about... you don't mean us, do you?"

Lanno, nestled in Efit's arms, asked the question warily.

"Ah!"

Dixio finally came to his senses. Looking at the expressionless adult Dark Elf, he hurriedly lowered his magic staff and shook his head.

"No, no! Not you! It was another evil Dark Elf. He nearly kidnapped us when we were little."

"Is that so?" Efit murmured.

Most Dark Elves were evil by nature. Murder, robbery, theft, fraud, and kidnapping were all things they practiced with considerable ease.

But Fairy cubs lived in the Faerie Forest. How could they have encountered a Dark Elf who wanted to capture them?

"Yes! That bastard was a necromancer! He came to our... our homeland aboard a pirate ship with another necromancer who was human. They tried to capture us. Luckily, the adults back home were powerful enough to kill them," Budno declared, clenching his fists in hatred.

He had been scared out of his wits just now.

For a moment, he had truly believed he was still a helpless cub being hunted by that terrifying Dark Elf.

Efit paused at his words.

A certain Dark Elf who had disappeared thirteen years ago came to mind.

"When... did this happen?" he asked.

"Thirteen years ago," Shu Li answered.

Efit's expression was rather strange.

Could he know the Dark Elf who attacked us?

With that answer, Efit was almost certain of the identity of the Dark Elf who had infiltrated the Faerie Forest.

It was Roald.

Roald had been kidnapped by a necromancer when he was young. After reaching adulthood, he had joined forces with pirates and preyed upon ships at sea.

Occasionally, he returned to Vanaku to sell rare treasures and valuables stolen during his raids.

Because of his extensive connections, other Dark Elves were willing to pay enormous sums for him to procure things on their behalf.

Efit had once urgently needed a particular kind of poisonous sandstone to prepare a potion. After searching numerous auction houses without success, he had reluctantly spent half his savings hiring Roald to find it for him.

But after waiting six months, he had heard nothing from Roald.

His money had vanished along with him.

Efit subsequently made inquiries through several channels, but Roald seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Not a single trace of him could be found.

Efit had suspected that he had died unexpectedly.

He had never imagined that Roald had met his end in the Faerie Forest.

Thirteen years ago, the Little Fairies before him must still have been very young cubs.

Being hunted by Roald must have frightened them terribly.

"Phew! At least I don't have to deal with that horrible old witch anymore."

Cindy shook her head, muttering to herself.

"Dad..."

Hector opened his eyes dejectedly, two trails of tears still running down his cheeks.

"I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid!" Nasha declared firmly, brandishing her magic staff.

"I'll bite you horrible pirates to death! I'm a dragon! I'm not afraid of anyone! Bite you! Bite you! I'll bite every last one of you to death!"

Amanda opened his mouth and released a clear, ringing dragon's roar.

"Aah!"

Everyone else clapped their hands over their ears.

The sound jolted them completely awake, and the lingering negative emotions from their nightmares vanished without a trace.

"Where's the monster?" Hector asked, wiping his face as he searched for the terrifying purple-haired creature.

"That's right! Where did it go?" Cindy asked in surprise.

"Dead."

Shu Li pointed the magical sword in his hand toward the fist-sized purple crystal lying on the ground.

"I stabbed it through the heart with the Sword of Viona. That killed it, and its soul condensed into this crystal."

"The Sword of Viona!"

Nasha stared at the weapon in Shu Li's hand in disbelief.

"Is that one of the Five Swords?"

As a princess of the Pedam Kingdom, she naturally knew the legends surrounding the magical swords.

After all, her mother's dowry had included a magical sword called the Sword of Itno.

When the Kingdom of Cecilia invaded the Pedam Kingdom, her mother had arranged for someone to take the Sword of Itno away.

Nasha had no idea where the sword was now.

"Yes," Shu Li replied solemnly. "I channeled light elements into the Sword of Viona, and it killed the monster with surprising ease. This time, it was a true death."

In other words, the purple-haired monster would never be able to resurrect again.

"Magical swords and light elements are both the natural enemies of monsters. Against overwhelming power, Ansedram's ability to resurrect was utterly useless."

At some point, Falm had reverted to his small magical beast form.

Flapping his batlike wings, he flew over and began circling above the purple crystal.

As for the Fire Spirit, it was nowhere to be seen.

Efit regarded Shu Li with a complicated expression.

This extraordinary Little Fairy never failed to surprise him.

Since awakening from his nightmare, Seriu had remained silent.

His jet-black eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the magical sword in Shu Li's hand, and there was no telling what he was thinking.

"Wonderful! That huge monster is finally dead!"

Lanno and Luca scrambled out of Efit's embrace, cheering excitedly.

"Phewww!"

Hector let out a long breath.

His legs could no longer support him, and he dropped onto his backside.

"Ouch!"

His bottom landed on a rock, making him wince in pain.

Nasha was equally relieved. Leaning on her magic staff, she tried to collect her thoughts.

The nightmare had affected her deeply. She couldn't get the image of a Black Knight swinging his sword at her out of her mind.

Cindy, on the other hand, had been relatively unaffected. Once awake, she promptly pushed everything that had happened in her nightmare out of her thoughts.

Now that the monster was dead and the danger had passed, her curiosity came rushing back.

Her blue eyes darted from one person to another.

"Well, then..." she began, smiling brightly. "Don't you think it's time for an explanation? Fairies? Dragons? The Fire Spirit? The Fire God's mount? What other shocking secrets are you hiding?"

At her reminder, Hector, Nasha, and Seriu all fixed their gazes on Shu Li and his companions.

Dixio and the other three Little Fairies hunched their shoulders.

Amanda did the same.

As though acting on a shared instinct, all five retreated behind Shu Li.

Falm opened his mouth wide and swallowed the monster's crystal in a single gulp. Then he transformed into a streak of red light, plunged into the back of Shu Li's right hand, and hid inside the Fire God's Mark.

Faced with the glittering, expectant eyes of his human classmates, Shu Li broke out in a cold sweat.

Earlier, when they had been confronting the powerful Demon Lord, he had been forced to reveal his identity as a Fairy to save their lives.

Now that the danger had passed, he owed his human classmates an explanation.

The only consolation was that his disguise remained intact in the real world.

"Ahem."

Shu Li cleared his throat.

"Well... it's exactly what you heard. I... we really aren't human."

Under Cindy and the others' expectant gazes, Shu Li took a deep breath and raised his head solemnly.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Sperien of the Faerie Forest, eighteen years old, and an Intermediate Grand Mage."

Fairies disliked lying.

Since their true identities had already been exposed, they might as well face the truth openly.

Kumandi stepped out from behind Shu Li.

"I'm Kumandi of the Faerie Forest. I'm twenty-eight years old and a Junior Grand Mage."

"I'm Dixio of the Faerie Forest, eighteen years old, and a Senior Magic Instructor."

"I'm Angel of the Faerie Forest, eighteen years old, and a Senior Magic Instructor."

"I'm Budno of the Faerie Forest, eighteen years old, and a Senior Magic Instructor."

Finally, it was Amanda's turn.

He scratched his head shyly.

"I... I'm Amanda of the Dragon Clan. I'm twenty-two years old, and my strength is equivalent to that of a Grand Swordmaster and a Magic Instructor."

As they listened to the introductions, Hector, Cindy, and Nasha's mouths fell open wider and wider.

Seriu had already suspected that they were young Fairies and a young dragon, but even he was stunned to learn their actual magical ranks.

The natural talents of Fairies and dragons were so extraordinary that humans could scarcely hope to compete.

Sperien in particular was a full two ranks above the other Little Fairies his age.

It seemed that only the resource-rich Fairy Clan could afford to nurture a Seven-Element Mage.

Compared with the other human students, Ace was remarkably composed.

He offered an elegant greeting and said, "It is a great honor to have the Child of Light and a dragon as our teammates."

Shu Li's gaze briefly swept over the front of Ace's clothes.

He rubbed his right thumb and forefinger together a few times, then broke into a broad grin.

"And we're honored to have all of you as our teammates."

Hector clutched his chest, marveling aloud.

"Unbelievable... I'm just an ordinary human, yet I've actually met the legendary Fairies and dragons in my lifetime!"

Nasha hesitated before asking, "Then... is Mr. Al a Fairy too?"

Mr. Al and Amo addressed each other as brothers.

If Amo was a Fairy, surely Mr. Al must be one as well.

Shu Li blinked.

"No. He isn't a Fairy. He's... an Elf."

Nasha's eyes widened.

An... an Elf!

Mr. Al is actually an Elf!

Cindy frowned slightly.

"Wait. When you say Mr. Al... do you mean Instructor Ilio?"

If she remembered correctly, Nasha had once addressed Instructor Ilio as Mr. Al.

Nasha nodded.

"Yes."

"Instructor Ilio is an Elf!"

Hector grabbed his head in disbelief.

Cindy looked much the same, her jaw practically hitting the ground.

Aaaaaah! How could such an awful instructor possibly be one of the legendary, elegant Elves?!

The corners of Ace's mouth lifted.

"How surprising," he said with a smile.

Seriu rapidly searched through his memories.

Gradually, the image of an elegant Elf with black hair and blue eyes surfaced in his mind, slowly overlapping with that of the black-haired, black-eyed Ilio.

"Is this what you really look like?" he asked Shu Li. "Or... are you all wearing disguises?"