Chapter 277: Being taken away by the Elf King in the middle of the night.

Shu Li couldn't make sense of it.

Of all the dreams he could have had, why did he have to dream about kissing the Elven King?

To him, the Elven King was sacred and untouchable. No matter how much he admired him, he would never dare entertain such disrespectful thoughts.

The Elven King had lived for tens of thousands of years. He was the great Son of Light, the hero who had led the forces of light out of darkness ten thousand years ago. How could a tiny Fairy like Shu Li possibly dare to dream of being with someone like him?

Besides, even if he did harbor such hopes, the Elven King probably wouldn't give him a second glance.

He was only an eighteen-year-old Fairy. In the Elven King's eyes, he was probably no different from a baby who had just learned to walk.

Shu Li covered his burning cheeks, burrowed beneath the blanket, and rolled over, bumping into Budno's body pillow.

Although he had recently realized that he was more attracted to men, he wasn't mentally prepared to start looking for a partner.

After all, he was still a minor. He wasn't old enough to be thinking ? NоvеIight ? (Original source) about such things.

Shu Li emerged from beneath the blanket, fluttered his wings, and rose into the air. By the faint light filtering into the tent, he studied the sleeping blond young man.

Was there something unusual about Ace? Did getting too close to him trigger some bizarre chemical reaction that made people have utterly ridiculous dreams?

Shu Li rubbed his chin, then lowered his gaze to Budno, who was sleeping soundly.

If Budno slept right next to Ace, would he have strange dreams too?

To test his theory, Shu Li rolled up his sleeves, took out his magic staff, and quietly recited a wind magic incantation.

Budno's body floated into the air. Shu Li silently moved him over beside Ace, positioning them so they were pressed closely together.

Satisfied with his work, he raised his eyebrows and landed back on the bedding. With Budno's body pillow separating them, he crawled beneath the blanket.

Time to sleep!

He let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and silently counted more than a hundred sheep before gradually drifting off.

After he fell asleep, Ace opened his eyes.

Propping himself up, he looked at Budno lying beside him, then at the Little Fairy curled up in the corner. An expression of helpless amusement crossed his incomparably handsome face.

Oblivious to everything, Budno reached for his body pillow.

His hand landed on Ace's arm instead.

He gave it a squeeze, decided the texture wasn't right, and mumbled something before turning to feel around on his other side.

Finally finding the soft, elongated pillow, he wrapped himself around it.

Unfortunately, that movement sent Shu Li, who was sleeping beside the pillow, tumbling into the corner.

Ace looked at the pitiful little palm-sized figure lying there and covered his forehead, laughing silently.

But Budno was an exceptionally restless sleeper. He kept rolling around with his pillow in his arms, and just as he was about to crush Shu Li beneath him, Ace reacted swiftly and reached out to pick the Little Fairy up.

Shu Li continued breathing evenly in his sleep, completely unaware that the Elven King, disguised as a human, was holding him in his hand.

His tiny body was curled into a ball, his gauzy wings folded forward to wrap around himself. His soft hair, dyed black, fell loosely around him.

The Elven King turned onto his side, facing away from Budno, and settled the Little Fairy into the crook of his arm.

He gently drew the blanket over him, listened to his faint breathing, and closed his eyes to resume sleeping.

Shu Li had no more dreams that night.

At daybreak, the clear songs of birds in the forest woke him naturally.

He reached to pull back the blanket, only to touch his own wings.

Startled, he hurriedly scrambled out from under the covers and nearly collided with Ace's handsome sleeping face.

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

He retreated several steps and looked around in bewilderment.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand how he had gone from sleeping on Budno's side of the tent to lying in Ace's arms.

He clutched his head, thoroughly perplexed.

"What's wrong?"

A man's husky voice sounded beside his ear.

Shu Li's tiny body stiffened, and he stared blankly into a pair of emerald-green eyes.

"Uh... well... I... I..."

He was so embarrassed that he had no idea what to say.

Ace sat up, and the blanket slipped down, revealing his upper body clad in a shirt.

Perhaps because he had been sleeping, several of the upper buttons had come undone, offering glimpses of his alluring collarbones and firm chest.

Mustn't stare!

Shu Li bashfully averted his gaze.

He looked toward Budno, who was still snoring away like a little pig, and ground his teeth.

If Budno weren't such a terrible sleeper, would he have needed to shrink himself in the first place?

Ace brushed the golden strands away from his forehead, revealing his smooth brow, and smiled at the Little Fairy.

"Good morning, Sperien."

"G-good morning, Ace."

Shu Li snapped out of his daze and hurried to explain.

"Um... Budno moves around too much in his sleep. I was afraid he'd crowd you, so... so I made myself smaller and slept in the corner. But I don't know what happened... When I woke up, I was over here with you..."

His face flushed scarlet. He nervously pressed his fingertips together, his pointed ears drooping pitifully.

Ace reached out and gently touched his hair.

"I moved you over here," he said warmly.

"Huh?"

Shu Li lifted his head and stared at the blond young man in surprise.

Ace explained, "I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed you were gone. I thought you'd gone outside. After looking around for a while, I found that Budno had pushed you into the corner. You didn't even have a blanket covering you."

Shu Li's eyes widened.

He wanted nothing more than to shake Budno awake.

He had already squeezed himself into the corner, yet he still hadn't escaped Budno's relentless sprawling!

The next time they went adventuring, he absolutely refused to share a tent with Budno again.

"Thank you," Shu Li said gratefully.

"You're welcome."

Ace studied his tiny appearance with curiosity.

"Is this a Fairy's true form?"

"Uh, y-yes."

Shu Li fluttered his wings and landed in front of the tent flap. Releasing his innate power, he transformed from his tiny form into his full-sized one.

Fortunately, he had worn a robe specially designed for Fairies on this trip to the Magical Beast Forest. It had narrow openings in the back through which he could extend or retract his wings.

He picked up the hooded cloak folded nearby, shook it out, and quickly draped it over himself, concealing his wings and pointed ears.

"I... I'll head outside first."

Ace nodded. "All right."

Shu Li lifted the tent flap and was about to leave when his gaze fell on Budno, still sleeping like a little pig.

Unable to resist, he gave Budno's backside a resounding smack.

"Wake up, you lazy little pig!"

Before Budno could react, Shu Li hurried out of the tent.

"Whoa!"

Budno's startled cry rang out behind him.

Shu Li breathed in the fresh forest air, stretched, and greeted his teammates who were already awake.

"You're finally up! I'm exhausted!"

Falm, who had stood guard all night, transformed into a streak of light and darted into the Fire God's Mark to catch up on his sleep.

Today, the Light Squad would officially begin exploring the forest, honing their willpower and combat abilities. There was no need for Falm to release his intimidating aura to frighten away the magical beasts.

Around the campsite, the early risers had already begun preparing breakfast.

Shu Li used water magic to wash up quickly, then joined them.

He set a pot over the campfire, brought some water to a boil, and added milk and oats. Before long, the sweet fragrance of warm milk drifted through the air.

By the time everyone was awake, breakfast was ready.

Each person received a bowl of milky oatmeal, accompanied by bread, oatcakes, and delicious fruit.

Budno was eating with obvious enjoyment when Shu Li leaned closer and whispered, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Great!" Budno answered indistinctly through a mouthful of food.

He had always been an excellent sleeper. As long as he felt safe in his surroundings, he could sleep straight through until morning.

Shu Li viciously bit into his oatcake.

"Did you have any dreams?"

"Dreams?"

Budno stopped eating and thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nope! I hardly ever dream when I'm asleep."

Shu Li: "..."

Hold it in! You absolutely must resist the urge to beat up this Little Fairy!

Budno suddenly sensed a murderous aura.

Utterly confused, he looked at Shu Li with innocent, guileless eyes.

Shu Li relaxed his furrowed brow and waved a hand in defeat.

"Never mind. Keep eating."

"Oh."

Suspecting nothing, Budno happily resumed munching his bread. He also helped himself to a piece of fish from Amanda, soaked it briefly in his oatmeal, and stuffed it into his mouth.

It wasn't as tasty as fish dipped in seasoning, but it was edible enough.

The corner of Shu Li's mouth twitched.

Gluttons really aren't picky. How can he eat something like that?

And why didn't he have any strange dreams after sleeping next to Ace?

Could the problem actually be me?

Has my admiration for the Elven King turned into romantic feelings?

The thought nearly made Shu Li spit out his oatmeal.

"Cough!"

He hurriedly covered his mouth, drawing concerned questions from the others.

"I'm fine. Just swallowed too quickly," he said, blushing.

He struggled to calm himself as he continued eating his oatmeal and thinking.

Without realizing it, his gaze drifted toward Ace, who was sitting across from him.

Is it because Ace has the same blond hair and green eyes as the Elven King that I've started transferring my feelings onto him?

There was a saying that what occupied your thoughts during the day would appear in your dreams at night.

So when I sleep next to Ace, I end up having those intimate dreams?

At this realization, Shu Li's ears turned bright red, and his emotions surged like a stormy sea.

He had even been suspecting that Ace was the Elven King himself!

Ugh...

With a silent sigh, Shu Li finished his oatmeal.

Forget it. I'm not going to think about this anymore. I've got more important things to do.

As for this hopeless tangle of thoughts, I'll figure it out eventually.

For now, just let me be a perfect ostrich and bury my head in the sand!

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Shu Li directed them in packing up the campsite.

Then their forest expedition began.

Without Falm's intimidating aura keeping them at bay, the magical beasts emerged one after another and launched attacks on the adventurers.

However, the moment they realized their targets included Fairies and a dragon, they turned tail and fled in terror.

It was all the fault of a certain Fairy named Chris, who had left them with unforgettable nightmares eighteen years earlier.

That mischievous Fairy had not only delighted in harassing the Senke birds but had also enjoyed tormenting other magical beasts.

Even high-ranking magical beasts hadn't dared harm him.

The Fairy Clan was notorious for being fiercely protective of its own and holding grudges.

Hurt a young Fairy, and the adults would come after you. Then more would follow, and the trouble would never end.

The magical beasts simply couldn't afford to provoke them.

As for dragons, there was even less to discuss.

Anger one of them, and the entire Magical Beast Forest might suffer the consequences.

In short, the Light Squad's expedition went remarkably smoothly, and they reaped a tremendous harvest.

They gathered numerous precious medicinal herbs, collected more than a dozen hides shed by high-ranking magical beasts, and even discovered an extensive deposit of magic crystals.

Each member managed to mine more than twenty fifth- and sixth-rank magic crystals.

As the sun began to set, the Light Squad headed back with their bags full.

They left the Magical Beast Forest in high spirits. Although exhaustion showed on their faces, their excitement was unmistakable.

A road roughly five or six hundred meters long connected the Magical Beast Forest to Diha Village.

The members of the Light Squad chatted animatedly as they walked, their cheerful conversation frequently punctuated by laughter.

As the sun sank below the horizon, darkness gradually descended.

"Let's hurry!" Shu Li urged.

They had left their carriage in the care of a villager. If they returned too late, they might miss the agreed-upon time.

"Right!"

The others quickened their pace, hurrying toward the village.

They had covered another three or four hundred meters when more than twenty horses suddenly appeared ahead.

Each horse carried a knight clad in black armor.

With long spears gripped in their hands, the knights charged aggressively toward the Light Squad.

Shu Li frowned deeply.

His fingers tightened around his magic staff, and every muscle in his body tensed.

"Watch out!" he warned in a low voice.

They're not here with good intentions!

And there was something terribly familiar about these knights.

Seriu, Halis, and Nasha had already assumed fighting stances.

Expressions of fury appeared on all three faces, and the flames of hatred blazed in their eyes.

"Black. Knights!"

Seriu forced the words through clenched teeth.

With a sharp swish, he drew the sword at his waist. His figure flashed forward, and in an instant, he stood at the front of the group, his blade pointed directly at the enemy.

Nasha bitterly regretted her lack of strength.

If she were stronger, she would have stood alongside Seriu to confront their enemies.

"What? Black Knights?!"

The others were stunned.