Chapter 38: The strange, ugly tree in the courtyard was treated like a child.

The music stopped abruptly. The Elves and Fairies ceased dancing and stared in surprise at the Elven King, who had suddenly teleported away.

The Elven King held out his right hand, supporting the unconscious Fairy cub in his palm, and walked toward the throne.

Aisha and the other adult Fairies responsible for caring for the cubs anxiously squeezed to the front. After watching the Elven King carefully place the cub in the cushioned raised platter, Aisha asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, what happened to Sperien?"

The Elven King lightly touched the top of the cub’s head with one finger, and a faint golden light appeared. A moment later, he withdrew his hand. The cub’s pale complexion had already regained its rosy color, and his dim little wings shone once more.

"His consciousness simply became trapped too deeply within the illusion. He exhausted himself. He will be fine after some sleep."

The adult Fairies involuntarily breathed sighs of relief.

The cubs were the future of the entire clan. Nothing could be allowed to happen to even one of them.

Especially Sperien. Not long ago, he had been stolen by a Sekern bird and abandoned in the forest. They had only just managed to find him and bring him back. They could not allow him to come to any further harm.

Still, the last time Lia had played and sung the "Song of Creation," Sperien had seen the Hall of the Gods within an illusion. This time, listening to the Elven King’s harp had once again caused his soul to resonate with the music and drawn him into an illusion, exhausting him so badly that he fainted.

The three little cubs, Disio, Angel, and Budno, clustered anxiously around the raised platter.

"Your Majesty, how long will Sperien sleep?" Angel gazed up at the Elven King with his large, watery amber eyes.

"Will he stay asleep forever?" Disio asked with a frown.

"Nooo! I still want to play with Sperien!" Budno choked out.

The Elven King brought over a large platter piled with fruit and placed it beside them. He said gently to the three cubs, "Once you finish all the fruit on this platter, he will wake up."

Budno stared at the heaping platter of unfamiliar fruit and swallowed. Unable to resist, he lunged forward, hugged one of the fruits, and took a bite.

Mmm, so delicious!

After swallowing the fruit in his mouth, he called to his friends. "Disio, Angel, hurry and help me eat!"

Many hands made light work. If they finished all the fruit as quickly as possible, Sperien would wake up sooner.

Disio and Angel hesitated briefly before joining him.

They were already terribly full, but for their leader, they would give it everything they had.

The innocent cubs amused the Fairies and Elves around them.

Since Sperien was all right, everyone resumed singing, dancing, eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves to their hearts’ content.

To them, the Midsummer Festival was the equivalent of the human New Year. It was supposed to be a joyful day for relaxing. Apart from the celebrations and rituals, everyone was free to enjoy a leisurely holiday.

Ilio rose and walked into the center of the hall. He picked up the golden harp the Elven King had "abandoned" on the chair, casually plucked the strings, and began playing and singing a new melody and poem.

Praising the gods through poetry and song was a Midsummer Festival tradition.

Since ancient times, the first song had always been performed by the Elven King, who held the title Son of Light, as an expression of respect toward the gods.

Thus, while the Elves and Fairies enjoyed the feast to their hearts’ content, Freyus Estel, the Elven King himself, had to perform before them all.

According to custom, the Elven King was supposed to play at least three songs.

Today, however, circumstances were unusual. After playing only one song, he remained beside the throne, elegantly eating fruit while watching over the Fairy cubs on the table.

Budno and the other two cubs were already so stuffed that they could not possibly finish the enormous platter of fruit.

To help Sperien wake sooner, they called over four or five cubs whose stomachs were not yet completely full. Together, they united their strength to vanquish the little fruits.

Watching the adorable cubs struggle so earnestly to eat, the Elven King smiled and advised, "There is no need to rush."

Disio’s cheeks bulged with food as he mumbled, "No. We have to finish quickly."

Crystal Castle was enormous, with countless places waiting for them to explore. Without their leader, they had no one to guide them, and more than half the fun would be gone.

At that thought, the cubs redoubled their efforts.

The Elven King took out a clean handkerchief and wiped his fingers before once again gently touching the blond cub in the raised platter.

After a while, the cub sprawled on the soft cushion finally stirred.

Shu Li slowly regained consciousness. Opening his eyes, he stared blankly at his surroundings.

The magnificent hall, the singing and dancing Elves, the heavenly sound of the harp... Was he still trapped in the illusion?

Startled, he abruptly rolled over and sat up. He moved so quickly that his head spun and his vision blurred. His body swayed from side to side, and just as he was about to tumble from the raised platter, a warm hand steadied him.

"Careful."

A familiar voice sounded beside his ear. Shu Li instinctively raised his head and found himself looking into a pair of deep green eyes.

Huh?

The Elven King!

But which era’s Elven King was this?

The illusion had left Shu Li so disoriented that he could not immediately tell. He could only stare blankly.

"Sperien, you’re awake?" Disio dropped the fruit in his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Wonderful! Sperien is awake!" Angel spread his wings and flew onto the raised platter. He wrapped his arms around Shu Li and rubbed against him vigorously.

Budno plopped down on the table and stared at the half-eaten platter of fruit, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The fruits might be incredibly delicious, but his stomach was too full. He truly could not eat another bite.

The other cubs looked at the remaining half platter of fruit, then at the newly awakened Sperien. Rows of tiny question marks practically appeared above their heads.

Hadn’t they been told that Sperien would only awaken after they finished the entire platter?

They had not finished the fruit, yet he was already awake!

Unable to understand, the cubs promptly tossed the question from their minds. Cheering, they circled excitedly around the raised platter.

The sight of the Fairy cubs finally cleared the fog from Shu Li’s mind.

Thank goodness!

He had left the illusion and returned to reality.

The Elven King he had just seen was not the one from the illusion either.

After reassuring his friends, Shu Li looked at the Elven King and eagerly asked, "Your Majesty... can an illusion cross time and space?"

The Elven King drew his brows together slightly. Gazing at the little cub kneeling in the raised platter, he answered with a question of his own. "What did you see in the illusion?"

Shu Li nervously clutched the hem of his robe in both hands and studied the Elven King in confusion, as though trying to detect something unusual on his beautiful face.

There was nothing.

The Elven King’s expression remained perfectly calm, revealing none of his thoughts.

"I saw the Midsummer Festival from some era in the past. You and the Elves were playing and singing poems in praise of the gods."

Shu Li steadied himself. Determined to uncover the truth, he decided to speak frankly.

He described everything he had seen in the illusion, leaving nothing out.

"...Then the God of Darkness suddenly appeared. He spoke in that disgusting voice and said all kinds of hateful things, constantly mocking and taunting you and the Light God. After that, I don’t know what happened, but the entire illusion turned black..."

Shu Li rubbed his arms, smoothing down the goose bumps that had risen across his skin.

He had never known that darkness could exert such terrifying pressure upon someone. It had unleashed every negative emotion inside him, suffocating him as though the end of the world had arrived and instantly stripping him of all desire to live.

If the Elven King of that era had not sent him back, he might still be trapped in the darkness, drowning in self-pity. Controlled by those negative emotions, he might have lost his reason and done something irreversible.

After recounting the illusion, Shu Li looked expectantly up at the Elven King and waited for his answer. Before the Elven King could speak, however, the cubs surrounding Shu Li began chattering.

"Wow, Sperien, your illusions are amazing! Both times, you saw His Majesty and the gods!" Angel exclaimed in wonder.

"The God of Darkness and the Light God are brothers. Were they born from the same flower bud?" Budno asked innocently.

"Silly!" Disio pulled a face at him. "Aisha said only we Fairies are born from flower buds."

Mocked by Disio, Budno’s round face turned bright red, but he could think of no way to argue.

"Sperien, His Majesty called you a little insect!" Lois giggled.

Shu Li scratched his head and continued staring at the Elven King.

Only after the cubs quieted down did the Elven King speak unhurriedly. "What you saw in the illusion must have happened more than ten thousand years ago."

"M-more than ten thousand years ago?" Shu Li’s mouth dropped open in shock, and his eyes practically turned into spirals.

That was quite the leap through time!

Why had a Fairy cub barely over four months old witnessed illusions from the distant past both times he listened to Elven poetry?

"During the Midsummer Festival that year, the God of Darkness did indeed visit Crystal Castle in the Elven Kingdom." The Elven King looked into the little cub’s bright, pale green eyes and said regretfully, "However, I did not notice any point of light or little insect at the time."

"You didn’t?" Shu Li could hardly believe it. "Does that mean I didn’t... travel through time inside the illusion?"

He had thought he had suddenly acquired a special ability that allowed him to travel freely through time.

In the end, it had all been his imagination!

His head drooped in disappointment.

Or... was it possible... that so much time had passed that the Elven King had simply forgotten?

Shu Li himself could hardly remember things that had happened ten years ago. As a member of a long-lived race, how could the Elven King possibly remember every insignificant little detail?

Shu Li abruptly raised his head and gazed intently at the Elven King.

The Elven King picked up a strawberry-like fruit and placed it in his arms. "Fill your stomach first," he said gently.

"Okay—" Shu Li hugged the fruit and took a refined little bite.

Now that he thought about it, the illusion had made him hungry again.

The Elven King watched him warmly and gently rubbed the little cub’s head with the pad of one finger. Lowering his eyes, he said, "Elves possess excellent memories. We never forget anything that leaves a deep impression on us, no matter how long we live."

Shu Li froze in the middle of biting his fruit. Only after the Elven King withdrew his finger did he swallow and ask, "But... why did everything in the illusion feel so real?"

Even the sensations had been perfectly clear.

Inside the illusion, he had buried his head in the Elven King’s hair to his heart’s content, rubbing and nuzzling against it and thoroughly enjoying himself.

Its smoothness had felt like cool silk, so wonderful that he had not wanted to let go.

Holding the fruit, Shu Li suddenly felt his cheeks grow warm.

When describing the illusion just now... he seemed to have confessed every one of his foolish actions.

Sure enough, he caught a glimmer of amusement in the Elven King’s green eyes.

"There is no need to dwell on it. Some things should be allowed to unfold naturally. You need not deliberately seek an answer," the Elven King murmured. "When the time is right, everything will resolve itself."

Was that so?

Shu Li blinked.

The Elven King was telling him not to investigate too deeply. Time would eventually reveal the truth.

He was not a real cub, after all. He could tell that there was more behind the Elven King’s words. But since the other man was unwilling to explain, Shu Li could not force him.

Perhaps he simply thought Shu Li was too young!

It was like parents discussing something important. When their child asked about it out of curiosity, they would brush them off with, "It’s grown-up business. Children don’t need to worry about it."

As a Fairy cub barely over four months old, he truly should not burden himself with so many worries.

An illusion was only an illusion. Why dig so deeply into it?

Shu Li glanced at the genuine cubs beside him. After hearing his description of the illusion, they had merely marveled at it without giving the matter another thought.

By insisting on getting to the bottom of everything, he was the one behaving strangely.

Clenching one tiny fist, he earnestly told the Elven King, "I’ll work hard to grow up!"

Once he became an adult, mastered his abilities, and grew strong enough to stand on his own, surely the Elven King would stop treating him like a child.

The Elven King’s gaze softened, and he nodded with a smile. "All right."

Shu Li lowered his head and took a fierce bite of the fruit.

He still had not eaten his fill!

He had only finished half of the previous fruit before the illusion abruptly overtook him. By the time he woke up, that remaining half had long since vanished without a trace.

Wait.

Had he overlooked an important problem?

It seemed that, in full view of everyone, he had once again—yet again—publicly humiliated himself.

Shu Li’s face alternated between green and white. After struggling internally for quite some time, he finally regained his composure.

Once public humiliation happened often enough, a person eventually got used to it.

So there was no point dwelling on it.

He might as well concentrate on eating and fill his stomach first!

Shu Li held the fruit and ate with relish.

Lunch came to a successful conclusion amid Ilio’s passionate playing.

The Elves arranged accommodations for the Fairies.

Crystal Castle was enormous and could easily house more than ten thousand Fairies.

Shu Li and the other cubs were assigned to a courtyard filled with childlike charm.

It had once been the residence of Elven cubs. The rooms were small and unsuitable for adult Fairies, but they were just right for Fairy cubs.

As soon as Shu Li entered his room and saw the soft bed, he happily threw himself onto it and rolled around.

A bed more than a meter wide was ridiculously spacious for a Fairy cub no bigger than a thumb.

It was like waking up in a bed two hundred square meters wide.

Disio had been assigned to the same room. After rolling around on the bed, he curiously flew to the window and gazed outside. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, what an ugly tree!"

A tree?

What kind of tree was ugly enough to deserve that description?

Shu Li flew over to Disio. Together, they pressed themselves against the transparent crystal and stared at the large tree in the courtyard.

The tree looked extremely strange. Its thick trunk formed a perfectly regular hexagon, with six limbs growing from its upper section. Each limb split into several branches, but there were very few leaves. It looked like a balding head with only a sparse fringe remaining, which was rather pitiful.

What kind of tree was this?

Why had it been planted in the courtyard where Elven cubs lived?

Weren’t they afraid its ugliness would traumatize the children?