Chapter 247: Let’s be heroes together!

"Through the Mother Tree's roots... you can travel anywhere on the continent?"

Hector's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"How is that possible? No matter how enormous a tree is, its roots couldn't possibly stretch across an entire continent!"

"Originally, they couldn't. But after the Dark Elves planted one of the Mother Tree's branches in Vanaku, the corruption of dark power caused her roots to grow uncontrollably."

Shu Li explained the origins of the Dark Elves and how the Mother Tree's branch had been severed.

Hector, Siti, and Nasha were still young and hadn't read many ancient texts. They knew little about the truth behind the division of the Elven race ten thousand years ago.

Seriu was older than they were. He'd once spent practically every day buried in the academy library, reading countless ancient books, so he had a general understanding of what had happened.

What he hadn't realized was that the severed branch and the Mother Tree's main trunk remained intricately connected. Through their extensive root system, the corruption had spread backward from the branch to the trunk, inflicting irreversible damage.

As a result, the main trunk had gradually withered, losing its ability to bear Elf fruit and give birth to new white Elves.

So Instructor Ilio was the last white Elf ever born.

"Poor Mother Tree," Amanda murmured sympathetically.

Not only had one of her branches been cut off, but she'd also been corrupted by dark power and forced to produce Dark Elf fruit. No wonder she'd lost her senses and resorted to luring a Fairy cub into helping her.

Ace pondered for a moment before voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Then why did the Mother Tree seek you out when you were still a cub?"

Shu Li spread his hands.

"She said my purification magic was the only thing that could help her."

Kumandi asked, "Couldn't the King purify the Mother Tree?"

The King was the first Elf created by the Light God. He possessed the purest power of light, so much so that calling him an Elf of Light wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Why hadn't the Mother Tree approached him? Why had she placed all her hopes on one tiny Fairy cub instead?

Shu Li sighed.

"I asked her that, but she wouldn't give me a specific reason. She just insisted that only I could purify her roots and branches. Later, I thought it over carefully and figured she might have chosen me because Fairies are so small."

An adult Fairy was only the size of a palm, while a Fairy cub was about the size of a thumb. With such a tiny body, a Fairy could hide beneath a leaf without making a sound, and nobody would ever notice.

If the Elven King tried the same thing, he'd probably be discovered the moment he appeared.

"Small? How small?" Siti asked curiously.

Shu Li wiggled his thumb.

"About this big when we're cubs."

"Wow! You're that tiny?" Siti exclaimed. "That's even smaller than the dolls I used to play with!"

"We're not dolls!" Dixio glared at her.

"Sorry, sorry! I was just making a comparison! Ahahaha!" Siti hurriedly apologized.

Nasha, who'd also played with dolls as a child, studied Shu Li's human-sized figure in confusion.

"Then why are you so big now?"

Angel grinned.

"Because once we become mages, we can change between our large and small forms whenever we want!"

Hector clicked his tongue in amazement.

"That's incredible!"

He really wanted to see what the Fairies looked like in their true forms. They had to be unbelievably adorable when they shrank.

Hector rubbed his chin, his imagination running wild until his eyes practically crossed.

Siti slapped him on the back.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hector nearly went sprawling across the table. He hastily waved his hands, looking guilty.

"N-nothing!"

Seriu, meanwhile, was lost in thought. He remembered the Fairy cub he'd glimpsed beside the Bakat River eight years ago.

Although he'd seen the little creature only briefly, the memory had remained vivid.

Hair that shone like spun gold, wings as delicate as gauze, exquisite clothing, a harp cradled in his arms, and a faint, luminous glow surrounding his entire body.

He'd been breathtakingly beautiful.

Falm protectively gathered the sunflower seeds closer, pushing the plate aside while giving Hector a sidelong look.

That human's head had nearly landed right in his sunflower seeds!

Crunch, crunch, crunch—

He scooped up a handful and tossed them into his mouth.

Delicious.

Shu Li cleared his throat and continued describing how the Mother Tree had harassed him.

After five years of relentless pestering, the Mother Tree finally tricked him one day, teleporting him through the space within her roots to the branch in Vanaku.

One could imagine how terrified he'd been. He'd nearly fainted from fright, but fortunately, his determination had been strong enough to overcome his fear.

Dixio, Angel, and Budno had heard this story once before, three years ago. Even so, listening to it again made their hearts race with anxiety for him.

When Kumandi learned that the Mother Tree had arbitrarily teleported five-year-old Sperien straight into Dark Elf territory, his hands curled into fists.

At the time, Sperien had only recently survived an attack by Dark Elves and necromancers. He'd barely had a few peaceful days before the Mother Tree forced him into another dangerous situation.

Yet as Kumandi watched Shu Li recount the experience in a lighthearted tone, occasionally tossing in a joke to keep the atmosphere lively, his gaze gradually softened.

Sperien had always been brave.

Kumandi took a beautifully bound notebook from his storage ring, opened it to a blank page near the middle, and began writing rapidly with his quill in Elven script.

The notebook contained every story he'd collected about Shu Li.

Watching the studious Fairy diligently take notes, Shu Li couldn't help covering his forehead.

His quiet little scholar hadn't changed that habit of recording everything.

He could only hope there wouldn't be too many poems about him when they eventually returned to the Faerie Forest.

Without pausing, Shu Li went on to describe everything that had happened afterward: his agreement with the Mother Tree, purifying the severed branch, cleansing the dark power from her roots, purifying the fruit, and secretly stealing it away.

His companions were dumbfounded.

They completely forgot about their sunflower seeds, listening with rapt attention and occasionally gasping at Shu Li's audacity.

When he explained that he'd secretly observed Efit for five years, concluded that Efit was an unusual Dark Elf, and decided to reveal himself and propose a partnership, everyone thought he'd lost his mind.

He'd been only ten years old!

How could a Fairy cub that young dare make such a reckless decision?

Ace asked gently, "Were you afraid?"

Shu Li looked into those green eyes, so similar to the Elven King's, and answered seriously.

"I was. But I wasn't."

He picked up a sunflower seed, deftly cracked it open, and tossed the kernel into his mouth.

Then he continued with an animated expression.

"It was a gamble, sure. But the facts proved my judgment was right. Efit really is a different kind of Dark Elf."

With Efit's help, he'd successfully transferred the first little fruit, bringing renewed hope to the white Elves.

The others thought back to Efit, whom they'd met not long ago.

Although their encounter had been brief, the way Efit cared for the cubs had made it clear that he was fundamentally different from other Dark Elves.

The dark power within him was almost nonexistent, and he didn't possess the slightest trace of that repulsive aura.

Moreover, he was fiercely protective of his friends. To prevent the little Fairies' identities from being exposed, he'd even suggested making the humans drink a potion that would erase their memories of the day.

"He wants to change the fate of Dark Elf cubs, while I want to help the Elven King, save the Mother Tree, and ensure the white Elves continue to exist. We have a common goal, so working together makes everything much easier. With Efit covering for me, I've already managed to transfer more than a dozen fruits."

Shu Li was brimming with satisfaction, his voice full of pride.

"Now the Mother Tree's main trunk has regained its former splendor. I've also completely cleansed the roots connecting Vanaku to the Elven Kingdom, the Ergoja Desert, and the Central Court. I can travel freely between all those places."

And with that, he'd finished telling them the story of Efit.

Silence settled over the carriage.

Everyone remained absorbed in what they'd heard, unable to find words for a long time.

Amanda gazed at Shu Li in admiration, his eyes sparkling like little stars.

As expected of brave Sperien! His stories were always so exciting!

Thank goodness his older brother had taken him to visit the Elven Kingdom, allowing him to embark on this adventure with the little Fairies. Their journey had been packed with danger and excitement.

Now he'd have stories of his own to tell!

Once his travels were over and he returned to Dragon Island, he'd organize a grand storytelling gathering and talk for three days and three nights, making sure every dragon came to hear about his adventures.

Hehehe!

Amanda was so delighted by the thought that he nearly let his tail pop out and wag wildly.

"...Why did you purify the roots leading to the Ergoja Desert?" Seriu asked.

The Ergoja Desert lay within the Izera Empire, far removed from the Elven Kingdom.

Its environment was brutally harsh. Even high-ranking adventuring parties faced almost certain death there, let alone an underage Fairy.

"To find the Fire Spirit."

Shu Li picked up the little magical beast who was busy cracking sunflower seeds.

"Next, I'm going to tell you where Falm came from."

"Let go! Let go!"

Falm waved his short, chubby paws indignantly.

If Shu Li wanted to talk, he could talk! Why did he have to grab him?

Stop interrupting his sunflower-seed feast!

Shu Li put him back on the table, and Falm immediately scampered over to the plate, grabbed another handful of seeds, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Everyone couldn't help laughing.

Dixio sprawled across the table and reached out to poke the little magical beast's round belly.

Falm retaliated with his barbed tail.

"Why were you looking for the Fire Spirit?" Seriu asked. "As far as I know, all the elemental spirits disappeared after the War of the Gods. Not a single mage has successfully summoned one in ten thousand years."

Yet today, he'd watched this little Fairy summon the Fire Spirit with astonishing ease.

It was almost unbelievable.

"To become stronger!"

Shu Li clasped his hands together, determination shining in his eyes.

"I want to become stronger so I can help the Elven King stop the Dark God from returning to the Human World, slaughtering innocent people, and bringing disaster to the Austin Continent."

Besides that, he also hoped to use his growing power to find a way home.

Hector asked in astonishment, "Are you saying... the Dark God is going to return?"

"Yes."

Shu Li nodded gravely.

"Although the Dark God has been sealed away for ten thousand years, dark forces still exist throughout the continent. Dark Elves, necromancers, orcs, and even the Hemon Knights, who call themselves champions of justice, all worship the Dark God. Meanwhile, the Hodehe Temple, hidden among ordinary people, has been secretly recruiting followers and spreading dark power."

He continued, his expression solemn.

"We don't even need to look far for proof. The Demon Lord we encountered this afternoon is enough to show that the Dark God has already begun making his move."

"Ah! Thank goodness we came to the canyon for this assignment and killed it!" Angel patted his chest. "Otherwise, with its ability to keep coming back from the dead, who knows how many people it would've killed?"

"That's terrifying!" Siti pressed closer to Nasha, cupping her cheeks in both hands. "I've never even thought about something like this before."

As a princess, she'd always lived a sheltered, privileged life.

Even though her mother had died young and her father had married her aunt afterward, she'd never been deprived of material comforts.

She'd only started studying magic to resolve the problems in the Valley of Wind. She'd never had any particularly grand ambitions.

Compared with Sperien's sense of purpose, her own concerns suddenly seemed painfully small.

Nasha bit her lip, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

Her sole reason for living was revenge.

Once she found her older brother and accumulated enough strength, she intended to return to the Pedam Kingdom and take revenge against the Kingdom of Cecilia for her father, her mother, and all the soldiers and civilians who had died.

She couldn't understand how a little Fairy, someone who should have been living a carefree life, could care so deeply about the entire continent.

He'd left the Faerie Forest before even reaching adulthood and was already working to thwart the Dark God's schemes.

It was almost beyond comprehension.

Seriu lowered his gaze to the demonic sword in his hands and sank into thought.

Hector looked at Shu Li in confusion.

"Why would you... take such a heavy responsibility upon yourself?"

Sperien was only an eighteen-year-old Fairy. There was no reason he should feel obligated to shoulder such a burden.

After all, humans were the most numerous race on the Austin Continent, yet humanity hadn't even managed to unite against the threat.

Instead, the Elves and Fairies, who were few in number and generally kept to themselves, had taken up the responsibility first.

Shu Li replied, "There's a saying: when the nest is destroyed, no egg survives. It means that when disaster strikes everyone, no individual can expect to escape unharmed. That's why we need to prepare before it's too late. We have to stop the Dark God's plans before he can descend into the Human World."

Dixio, Angel, and Budno applauded together.

"Sperien's right! We're going to become heroes and defeat the Dark God!"

"Heroes?" The corners of Ace's mouth lifted slightly. "What an interesting title."

Dixio turned to him.

"Ace, do you want to join us? We can all become heroes who save the world!"

Shu Li instinctively looked toward Ace.

Admittedly, the invitation sounded like something straight out of an overdramatic fantasy adventure, but every additional companion would improve their chances of success.

Ace smiled.

"Why not?"

Angel's eyes immediately lit up.

"You agree?"

Ace nodded.

"Yes."

"Yay!"

Angel and Dixio exchanged an excited high five.

"What about you, Kumandi?" Budno asked hopefully. "Do you want to become a hero with us?"

Kumandi answered solemnly, "If we're going to become heroes, we need to get stronger first. Once we return to the magic academy, let's ask Ilio to intensify our training!"

In other words, he agreed.

"Me! I want to be a hero too!" Amanda raised his hand.

How could the dragons possibly be left out of something so important?

During the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, the dragons had played a crucial role!

His grandfather had fought shoulder to shoulder with the Elven King, utterly crushing the armies of darkness.

Dixio threw an arm around Amanda's shoulders and rubbed affectionately against him.

"That's my brother!"

Amanda's face instantly turned bright red.

Hector watched them make such an enormous decision so easily, struggling to understand.

Fairies and dragons really were such purehearted, wonderful creatures.

Humans, by contrast, were weighed down by complicated thoughts, endless concerns, and narrow perspectives. They couldn't make a decision like that on the spur of the moment.

Siti and Nasha exchanged glances, seeing the same hesitation reflected in each other's faces.

Seriu frowned deeply, struggling with his own feelings.

He wasn't a particularly noble person. He couldn't devote himself to the welfare of an entire continent.

Perhaps once he'd taken his revenge, he might consider it.

Shu Li looked at his four silent human companions but made no attempt to pressure them.

Becoming a hero required tremendous determination and courage.

Those whose resolve was weak might end up making irreversible mistakes, harming both themselves and others.

The atmosphere inside the carriage had grown rather heavy.

Shu Li reached out and poked Falm, who was still enthusiastically cracking sunflower seeds, knocking the little beast onto his side.

Falm bared his teeth at him.

"What?"

"I'm about to tell everyone your story. Don't you want to listen?"

"What's so interesting about that?"

Falm couldn't have cared less. He stretched out a paw to scoop up the few remaining sunflower seeds.

Shu Li shrugged and addressed the others.

"Do you know why I can cast magic instantly?"

Dixio answered, "The Mother Tree taught you?"

Shu Li shook his head.

"The Mother Tree only taught me how to cast purification magic silently. But Ilio told me that if I gained the recognition of an elemental spirit, I'd be able to command the natural elements at will and cast spells instantly."

He briefly described how he'd found the Wood Spirit and learned to cast wood-element magic instantly, leaving his human companions astonished all over again.

"I found clues about the Fire Spirit in an ancient text, so I asked the Mother Tree to cleanse her roots beneath the Ergoja Desert. Three years ago, I traveled through her root passages and successfully entered the Temple of Edas, buried deep beneath the desert..."

Shu Li proceeded to recount everything that had happened during his desert adventure, leaving nothing out of that part of the story.

He'd discovered an adventuring party searching for the Temple of Edas and secretly listened to their conversations from hiding.

Then, boldly following them for three consecutive nights, he'd reached the gathering place of the fire dragon lizards.

From there, he'd instructed the Mother Tree to extend her roots more than eight hundred meters underground, finally locating the Temple of Edas.

"...Y-you went into the temple all by yourself?" Hector asked incredulously.

Just how fearless was Sperien?

Eight hundred meters beneath the ground!

The mere thought was suffocating, yet this little Fairy had ventured down there completely alone.

"Yes." Shu Li nodded.

"Weren't you scared?" Siti asked.

The air so deep underground would be thin, and there might be unknown creatures lurking in the darkness.

If anything went wrong, there'd be no coming back.

Kumandi gazed deeply at Shu Li.

If he'd been there at the time, he absolutely would not have allowed Sperien to act so recklessly.

Angel's eyes suddenly brightened, and he stared intently at Shu Li.

"So that's where you went when you were wearing that sunstone armor for several days! You went to the desert!"

Sunstone armor could withstand high temperatures, making it the ideal equipment for exploring a desert.

"Uh..."

Shu Li guiltily rubbed his nose.

Kumandi asked, "What's this about?"

Angel explained, "Those were the days when we found out about Sperien's partnership with Efit."

Dixio and Budno immediately puffed out their cheeks and glared accusingly at Shu Li.

He'd hidden the most important part from them!

Shu Li blinked innocently.

"Well... I didn't want you to worry!"

Kumandi couldn't help reaching out to pat his head. His expression remained stern.

"Don't hide things like that from us again. Understand?"

Shu Li immediately raised three fingers.

"Understood! From now on, I'll discuss things with everyone before taking action."

Kumandi looked helplessly at the little Fairy putting on his best obedient expression.

If Sperien actually listened to such warnings, he wouldn't be Sperien.

"Tch! What's there to worry about?" Falm protested unhappily. "I lived in the underground palace for ten thousand years, and I'm perfectly fine!"

Apart from being boring, the underground palace was completely safe.

"You lived down there for ten thousand years? Weren't you lonely?"

Nasha felt a pang of sympathy. She picked up the little magical beast and gently stroked his back.

Falm narrowed his eyes contentedly.

"Not lonely at all! I spent most of the time sleeping! Besides, I had Sharo to keep me company!"

Shu Li laughed.

"Just look at how round he is. That should tell you how comfortably he lived down there."

Falm retorted, "Comfortable or not, it still wasn't as good as being outside! It's all your fault for taking so long to arrive! You made me wait ten thousand years!"

Shu Li spread his hands innocently.

"How can you blame me for that? I wasn't even born until ten thousand years later!"

Kumandi caught the implication in their exchange and turned to Falm.

"Why were you waiting for Sperien?"

After all, the two of them hadn't known each other before that.

Falm flicked his tail and pointed at Shu Li.

"Ask him yourself."

Kumandi turned toward Shu Li.

Shu Li pressed his lips together before answering.

"Because... I once traveled back ten thousand years into the past..."

He continued recounting his exploration of the underground palace.

Using a high-grade magic stone, he'd broken through a door and officially entered the Temple of Edas.

There, he'd collected Crystals of the Blazing Sun formed from the Fire God's congealed blood, encountered the little magical beast Falm, and then accidentally fallen into a labyrinth on an even deeper level.

The labyrinth was filled with deadly dangers. One wrong move could have doomed him forever.

Relying on his own intelligence, he'd worked his way through the maze step by step until he finally located a magical formation that could take him out.

His companions were so engrossed in the story that they almost forgot to breathe.

The admiration in their eyes grew with every word.

Kumandi clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, his palms practically itching to give Shu Li a good spanking.

Such a dangerous place!

And he'd gone there alone, keeping it a secret from all the Elves and Fairies!

Hector, Siti, and Nasha were utterly stunned.

Seriu listened with his heart in his throat, gripping the demonic sword tightly as an overwhelming desire to accompany Shu Li on an adventure of his own rose within him.

Ace's green eyes gradually darkened.

When Shu Li reached the part where he'd stepped into the teleportation array, accidentally traveled ten thousand years into the past, and met the Fire God, several cries of astonishment rang through the carriage.

Shu Li deliberately left out certain details concerning the Fire God, including anything related to the Elven King and the secret of his little flower crown.

It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them.

Those matters concerned the Elven King's privacy, and he had no right to reveal them.

After learning that Shu Li had come from ten thousand years in the future, the Fire God had agreed to his request and activated the magical formation to send him back.

And so, Shu Li had gained the Fire Spirit's recognition and returned to the Elven Kingdom with Falm.

"And that's how Falm came to be with me."

He looked at the little magical beast dozing in Nasha's arms.

"Sperien! You're so brave!" Amanda exclaimed, practically beside himself with admiration.

Dixio squeezed in beside Shu Li, wrapped his arms around him, and rubbed against him vigorously.

"You're not allowed to keep secrets like that from us anymore!"

Not to be outdone, Angel and Budno crowded over and hugged him too.

"Good brothers do everything together!"

"Hey, hey! I know, I know!"

Shu Li was helplessly squashed between them as they rubbed their cheeks against his. He shot Kumandi a pleading look.

Unfortunately, Kumandi was far too busy writing to pay him any attention.

His head was bent over his notebook as he rapidly recorded Shu Li's adventures.

Shu Li had no choice but to turn to Ace for help.

Ace merely gave him an amused, knowing smile, showing absolutely no intention of rescuing him.

"You're all so close," Hector said enviously.

They weren't related by blood, yet their bond was stronger than that of actual brothers.

As for Hector himself, he had cousins who shared his blood but treated him as a rival, making life difficult for him at every opportunity.

Some even wanted him dead.

After rubbing against Shu Li to their hearts' content, the little Fairies finally released him.

Shu Li breathed a sigh of relief and touched his cheeks, which had grown hot from all the affectionate rubbing.

Seriu remarked, "Your adventures could fill an entire book."

To have experienced so much at such a young age!

If someone wrote Shu Li's biography, it would surely become a bestseller throughout the continent.

Amanda nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly! We should call it Brave Sperien! And it should start with the stupid bird carrying you to the edge of the forest!"

Hector asked curiously, "What kind of bird was this stupid bird?"

"The stupid bird was a fruit-stealing Sekern bird, a seventh-rank magical beast known for its incredible speed!" Amanda explained excitedly. "Listen, eighteen years ago, when Sperien had only been born a few months earlier, he went to the orchard to pick fruit..."

Amanda loved hearing stories about Sperien more than anything, and he recounted this particular adventure with tremendous enthusiasm.

Dixio, Angel, and Budno chimed in with additional details.

Before long, everyone had heard how a tiny Fairy had ended up dangling from a fruit-tree branch, been carried to the edge of the Faerie Forest by a stupid bird, and embarked on an adventure to find his way back to the divine tree.

The human members of the group listened with great interest, gazing at Shu Li in wonder.

Shu Li covered half his face.

His embarrassing past was being dragged out for everyone to hear!

"...With Mr. Serpent's guidance, Sperien figured out which direction the divine tree lay and hurried on his way. But it was getting late, and he was too exhausted to keep flying, so he took shelter in the plump bird's nest..."

"He was sleeping peacefully when something unexpected happened in the middle of the night!"

Amanda paused dramatically and lowered his voice.

"Two humans appeared beneath the tree! They were being hunted by a group of Black Knights—"

Humans?

Black Knights?

Seriu's entire body jolted.

He stared at Shu Li in disbelief and asked hoarsely, "Do you... remember what those two humans looked like?"

Shu Li answered, "It was too dark, and I was hiding inside the bird's nest, so I couldn't see them clearly. All I know is that one was a boy who cried a lot, and the other was an injured mage."

Seriu stared at Shu Li without blinking.

The intensity of those dark eyes made Shu Li uneasy.

"Um... what's wrong?"

Seriu gave a bitter smile and spoke softly.

"That boy who cried a lot... was me."

"Huh?"

Shu Li froze.

What a ridiculously small world!

Who could have imagined that the young fugitive he'd encountered all those years ago was actually Seriu?

Seriu took a deep breath.

Facing his astonished companions, he finally revealed the secret he'd kept buried in his heart for twenty-two years.

"I... am a prince of the Kingdom of Cecilia."

At those words, Nasha's pupils abruptly contracted.

She released Falm, slammed both hands against the table, and went rigid.

"You're a prince of the Kingdom of Cecilia? The very Kingdom of Cecilia that destroyed the Pedam Kingdom?"

She spoke through clenched teeth, her violet eyes blazing with hatred.

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"You..." Seriu stared at her, stunned.

Nasha closed her eyes for a moment.

Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I am the princess of the Pedam Kingdom!"