Chapter 49: The Youth in Shu Li’s Musical Fantasy.

Among all the Fairy cubs, Shu Li ranked last in language aptitude, but first in musical talent.

When he first began studying music, he had relied on his existing foundation to perform a classic beginner’s piece for music students and received praise from everyone.

In truth, he had felt somewhat guilty.

After all, he had started from a higher point, so there was nothing remarkable about his ability to play an instrument. Once the other cubs began displaying their musical gifts, he would no longer have much of an advantage.

Determined not to fall behind and to preserve his position at the top, he took every music lesson very seriously.

As time passed, his heart gradually settled, and he was no longer plagued by unease.

He discovered that his musical talent had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, it had improved tremendously. He could often reproduce a piece perfectly after hearing it only once.

After that, Shu Li devoted himself to studying Elven music and poetry and never again played the pieces he had learned in his previous world.

The musical styles of the two worlds were completely different. Being too unconventional would only make him stand out excessively. Once he exhausted his borrowed “talent,” he would fade into the crowd.

Once a person experienced such a frightening fall from grace, they could easily become trapped by their own expectations.

Shu Li would rather keep his feet firmly on the ground and advance one step at a time than deceive himself.

His music teacher in his original world had given him a solid foundation and taught him many exquisite techniques.

He had not discarded any of them, but put them to excellent use.

Five years was enough to transform him from a complete novice into an expert.

Elven music was extraordinarily beautiful.

Some pieces possessed epic magnificence and imposing grandeur, while others carried the distant elegance and delicate emotion of classical music.

The harp had a broad range and a wealth of fingering techniques. The more strings it possessed, the richer its layers became, allowing it to produce music of indescribable beauty.

Shu Li was the only Little Fairy capable of playing a twenty-six-stringed harp, earning him considerable praise from the adult Fairies.

At this year’s Midsummer Festival, he had received an invitation from the Elven King to perform a duet with him.

To be honest, Shu Li had been unbearably nervous at the time.

He had been even more nervous than when he first performed the violin onstage before his entire school.

With so many Elves and Fairies watching him intently, his body had stiffened, his fingers had gone numb, his breathing had become labored, and his mind had gone completely blank. He had utterly forgotten the piece he was supposed to play.

Fortunately, the Elven King beside him noticed his distress and plucked one of his harp strings first. The beautiful note soothed Shu Li’s emotions.

He quickly regained his composure, matched the Elven King’s tempo, and joined him in performing the melodious “Song of Creation.”

When the final notes faded, thunderous applause filled the hall.

He had earned the approval of every Elf and Fairy present. Seeing the worshipful gazes of the other Little Fairies, Shu Li hugged his harp, his heart brimming with pride.

At the same time, he was immensely grateful to the Elven King for gifting him a unique harp.

Fairy belongings were generally small, and the harp the Elven King had given him was no exception.

Although Shu Li considered it a large harp, it resembled a miniature toy beside the instrument held by the Elven King.

Under ordinary circumstances, no matter how loudly a “miniature toy” played, its sound could never surpass that of a full-sized harp.

The silver-white harp the Elven King had given him, however, had no such limitation.

The notes Shu Li played were not overwhelmed by the Elven King’s harp. Instead, the two instruments complemented and enhanced each other, combining as perfectly as a matched pair of legendary swords.

During the first half of today’s music lesson, Lia taught them a new poem. The Little Fairies spent the second half practicing on their own.

Twenty-five Little Fairies playing their harps simultaneously filled the classroom with chaos. The discordant noise practically drilled into their skulls.

As a veteran music teacher, Lia had long since cultivated the ability to remain unruffled by anything. Seated calmly in the chair before the lectern, she used her keen hearing to distinguish each Little Fairy’s playing from the din.

“Angel, you missed a note.”

“Dixio, don’t rush. This is a lyrical piece, not a declaration of war.”

“Lois, you played the first section well, but the rest was disjointed. You still need more practice.”

“Budeno, your fingers are limiting your performance.”

“Jonah, you skipped the third section. Start again.”

“...”

When it was Shu Li’s turn, Lia tilted her head and listened for a long while. Then she smiled in satisfaction without offering any criticism.

Immersed in his music, Shu Li seemed completely unaware of the noise around him.

The silver harp in his arms had graceful contours and intricate patterns, with numerous dazzling gemstones set into its frame. Its twenty-six strings shimmered with a faint golden glow, scattering tiny flecks of starlight whenever his fingers plucked them.

The poem Lia had taught them today was called “The Maiden and the Swordsman.” It told the story of an Elven maiden and a human swordsman.

While traveling the continent to gain experience, the beautiful Elven maiden rescued a human swordsman who was being hunted. Without revealing her identity, she began traveling with him.

During their journey, they met other humans and formed an adventuring team.

The Elven maiden’s powerful magic enabled the insignificant little team to survive one crisis after another and complete numerous difficult missions. Their reputation soared, and they soon became a mercenary company welcomed by nations throughout the continent.

Human ambition, however, knew no bounds.

Disputes over the distribution of profits tore the team apart. The Elven maiden wanted to leave, but the human swordsman was unwilling to relinquish the power he had obtained with such difficulty.

The two reached an impasse. Then one day, the Elven maiden accidentally exposed her pointed ears. The human swordsman discovered her identity and used it as leverage to threaten her.

Utterly disappointed in him, the Elven maiden resolutely left the team, only to find herself wanted by the mercenary company.

Certain humans who coveted Elves even dispatched hunters to pursue her.

When the Elven maiden fell into a trap and was surrounded by humans, the human swordsman suddenly descended from above and shielded her from the blades of his own kind.

A brutal battle erupted.

The human swordsman slaughtered every hunter and member of the mercenary company, but exhausted his own life in the process.

Before he died, he apologetically told the Elven maiden that darkness had invaded his soul during one of their missions. Unable to control his hideous desires and terrifying ambition, he had done something unforgivable to her. Only recently had his soul broken free of the darkness. Once he realized his mistake, he had rushed without rest to save her. The Elven maiden had saved his life, yet he had repaid her kindness with betrayal.

To atone for his sins, he swore an oath in his capacity as a prince of the Kingdom of Cecilia: whenever the Elves called, the Sword of Carlos would fight for them.

The human swordsman closed his eyes forever. His body and the sword that had slain countless magical beasts and evildoers dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished into the heavens.

It was said that every member of the Kingdom of Cecilia’s royal family was a Sword of Carlos.

The poem used a lyrical melody to tell a tragic story.

After learning the story behind it, Shu Li could roughly empathize with the poet’s feelings.

The poem had probably been composed many years after the events took place. Its creator recounted the past in a tranquil voice, having relinquished all hatred and resentment until only faint longing and sorrow remained.

An innocent Elven maiden had met a valiant human swordsman. It should have been a beautiful encounter, but a cruel twist of fate had brought it to a tragic end.

All the love and hatred between them had scattered on the wind. Although the Elven maiden received an eternal vow, she was left with a regret that could never be healed.

At that moment, the sorrow of a long-lived people was laid bare in its entirety.

She had never forgotten the human swordsman who had vanished long ago.

After hearing the poem, Shu Li sighed inwardly.

This story taught him that romances between different species never ended well. Either you died, or I did.

The only thing that made him curious was the so-called Sword of Carlos.

Why had even the human swordsman’s remains disappeared when he died?

And just how powerful was that sword if it could become a divine blade summoned by the Elves?

With those questions in mind, Shu Li began playing the piece on his harp. The graceful, lingering notes sounded like the Elven maiden murmuring her story.

“...Beautiful Elven maiden, the Sword of Carlos shall fight for you...”

When he reached the final verse, Shu Li could not help singing the poem’s lyrics aloud.

A Little Fairy’s voice had not yet matured and sounded as tender as a bird’s chirping. Gradually, all the surrounding noise faded away, leaving only his harp and his singing.

The other Little Fairies stopped playing and turned toward Shu Li in unison.

Lia looked slightly startled.

She could sense magic.

Little Sperien had actually discovered on his own how to weave magic into the notes of his harp!

It was incredible.

Shu Li entered a strange and wondrous state. A river appeared before his eyes, with reeds growing thickly along its banks. A gentle breeze passed through them, making their feathery plumes sway in layer after layer of golden waves.

A brown-haired young man in white mage’s robes stood amid the reeds. He held a magic staff and was preparing to cast a spell when he suddenly sensed something. Lowering the staff, he swiftly turned around. The sword at his waist struck one of the small ornaments hanging beside it, producing a clear chime.

Five or six meters separated Shu Li from the young man. Still playing his harp, Shu Li observed him curiously, wondering who he was and why he had appeared inside the illusion.

Yes, this was an illusion.

Shu Li had never expected that merely playing his harp would trigger one.

Yet this illusion differed from those he had experienced in the past. The young man across from him appeared to see him immediately. Vigilantly gripping his magic staff in one hand and resting the other on the sword at his waist, he narrowed his black eyes and stared sharply at Shu Li.

“...A Little Fairy?”

After clearly seeing Shu Li’s appearance, the young man looked astonished.

Shu Li’s hands faltered.

The illusion vanished instantly.

He blinked and found himself looking into Lia’s worried face.

“Sperien, just now...” Lia trailed off.

Shu Li let out a long breath and was about to put down the harp when his body went rigid. No matter how he tried, he could not move.

Alarmed, he looked to Lia for help.

Lia stepped forward and removed the harp from his arms. She gently placed her palm against his forehead and recited an incantation that relieved fatigue.

Before long, Shu Li felt a warm current spread throughout his body, and his stiff limbs finally regained their freedom.

“What... What happened to me just now?” he asked blankly.

Lia lowered her hand and gazed at the five-year-old Little Fairy with a complicated expression. “While you were playing, you wove magic into your music and triggered an illusion.”

Shu Li was bewildered.

He knew the scene he had witnessed was an illusion, but when had he learned to weave magic into poetry?

Seeing his confusion, Lia smiled. “Little Fairies with exceptional musical talent will unconsciously weave magic into poetry after awakening their magic.”

This was extraordinarily high praise for Shu Li.

His lips parted slightly, and joy appeared in his pale green eyes.

Clap, clap, clap!

The other Little Fairies applauded excitedly.

“Sperien, you’re amazing!”

“Sperien, thank you! You let me see so much delicious food. I almost managed to eat it all!”

“Hahaha! Budeno, why are you always thinking about food?”

The classroom filled with cheerful laughter and lively chatter.

Far away in the Central Court, on the banks of the Bakat River, the brown-haired young man stood among the reeds, staring blankly ahead for a long time without recovering his senses.

After an unknown length of time, a slender blond mage approached him and asked in puzzlement, “Prince Seriu, what are you looking at?”

The brown-haired young man called Prince Seriu returned to his senses and turned toward the blond mage.

“Nothing.”

It must have been his imagination.

How could a tiny Fairy have been sitting on a reed leaf, playing a harp?