Chapter 58: The dark elf Sperryn, who returned to the Mother Tree, was the bravest and wisest...

At that moment, the darkness receded and light descended.

Recovering from the pain, Roald raised his head and stared blankly at the unicorn and Elf who had suddenly appeared.

Every Dark Elf knew from birth that they were creatures who lived in darkness, forever beyond the reach of light. Even if they yearned for it, they had to conceal that yearning with all their might.

Roald had often hated the injustice of fate.

Why had he been born a Dark Elf instead of one of the legendary white Elves beloved by the Light God?

The songs of Elves performed by bards painted one beautiful, enchanting scene after another.

At times, he would darkly wonder whether the Elven King truly was as noble, sacred, great, and wise as those songs proclaimed.

If so, why had the king of the Dark Elves chosen to betray him?

As Roald grew older, he lost his innocence. By the time he became a feared necromancer, his childhood dreams had long since vanished, and he regarded the Elven King with contempt.

Cruel reality had taught him that only by standing at the pinnacle of power could he change his fate.

The Elven King had merely been fortunate enough to receive the Light God’s favor, gain immense power, and earn the adoration of the world.

If darkness corrupted him one day, would he still be able to preserve his sanctity?

It was this contempt that had led Roald to target white Elves and Fairies. Blinded by desire, he had lost all reverence for the Elven King. Arrogant and unrestrained, he acted without fear and was the God of Darkness’s most faithful devotee.

Roald had immersed himself in darkness and taken great pride in it.

Yet at this moment, with both hands severed, he knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat. His expression twisted in agony as he raised his head in disgrace and gazed at the golden-haired Elf seated upon the unicorn.

Like the first light of dawn, he had descended from the sky and dispelled the boundless darkness. He wore magnificent robes and the only silver crown of its kind in the world. His face was as beautiful as the splendor of the moon.

Roald stared up at him, forgetting the pain of his severed hands.

The instant he met the golden-haired Elf’s frost-cold emerald eyes, a chill swept through his entire body.

A terrifyingly powerful pressure invaded his soul without mercy.

Roald could not stop trembling.

At last, he understood the identity of the golden-haired Elf astride the unicorn.

He was the Elven King!

The Son of Light who stood closest to the Light God!

Even though Roald was a Dark Elf corrupted by darkness, the sight of the true Elven King made him instinctively want to prostrate himself at his feet and beg for forgiveness.

The Dark Elf’s earlier arrogance and brutality vanished. He lowered his haughty head and knelt humbly on the ground, trembling.

The Elven King gently flicked the final drop of blood from his blade and gracefully returned it to its sheath, as though he had not been the one who severed the Dark Elf’s hands.

"Dark Elf, did Ang Olachiri never tell you that you must never enter the Faerie Forest?"

Hearing the Elven King’s icy voice, Roald was overwhelmed by the fear of death. His throat tightened, and he did not dare answer.

Ten thousand years ago, Ang Olachiri had betrayed the Elven King. He and the traitors who followed him were forever banished from the Elven Kingdom and the Faerie Forest, ultimately falling into darkness and becoming Dark Elves.

Roald had seen the king of the Dark Elves only once. He had been too young at the time, and his memories of the king were extremely vague. All he remembered was a distant figure seated high upon a throne, coldly observing their group of newborn cubs.

Later, pirates abducted Roald, and he never saw the Dark Elf king again. Naturally, he had never learned of the decree forbidding Dark Elves from ever setting foot in the Faerie Forest.

Even if he had known, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

But now, terror gripped him. The Elven King’s words were no empty threat.

Roald instinctively raised his head and looked anxiously at the noble Elven King. His keen pointed ears heard the Elf quietly recite an arcane incantation. His body shuddered, and his consciousness abruptly grew hazy.

"...Return to the Mother Tree."

The Elven King’s final words echoed in Roald’s ears as a gentle radiance surrounded him.

So warm.

The unprecedented sensation made his soul tremble. Although his life force was draining away, he felt neither hatred nor fear. He even felt as though he had finally found salvation.

Ah—

So deep within his heart, he had always yearned for the light.

Thump... thump...

His heart gradually stopped beating. A blissful expression appeared on his face as he peacefully accepted death.

Shu Li sat dazed on the grass, still shaken. When he saw the Elven King astride the unicorn, he widened his eyes in disbelief, wondering whether his fear had caused him to hallucinate.

Only when he heard the Elven King’s heavenly voice did he finally become certain that everything before him was real.

But just as he was about to spread his wings and fly toward the Elven King, he watched in astonishment as the evil necromancer was enveloped in light and instantly reduced to ashes.

Shu Li’s mouth fell open in shock.

The Dark Elf had pursued them relentlessly, forced Kumandi to break through his limits prematurely, and nearly crushed Shu Li to death. Yet he had died just like that?

The Elven King had reduced him to ashes with a single incantation.

Even his severed hands had been devoured by the light. If the bloodstains had not remained on the grass, Shu Li would have wondered whether the Dark Elf had ever existed at all.

"Waaah! The king is here!"

"The king destroyed the Dark Elf! He’s amazing!"

"Waaah, Your Majesty, please look at Kumandi! He isn’t moving. I’m so scared—"

The three Little Fairies who had remained around Kumandi finally dared to speak after the Dark Elf disappeared.

They had been terrified the entire way. Now that they could finally relax, tears streamed down their faces, and they sobbed so hard that they struggled to breathe.

The Elven King dismounted from the unicorn and walked over to Kumandi. He comfortingly stroked the three Little Fairies and examined the unconscious Kumandi.

"Don’t worry," he said gently. "He is unharmed. He has merely exhausted himself."

Once they learned that Kumandi was all right, the three Little Fairies hiccupped and stopped crying.

Disio vigorously wiped his face. Then he suddenly remembered something and cried out in panic, "Ah! Sperien! Where’s Sperien?"

What had happened earlier had been far too dangerous.

When Disio saw Sperien recklessly rush toward the Dark Elf, he had been frozen with terror. He could only watch helplessly as the Dark Elf seized Sperien’s head... If the king had not arrived in time, Disio could not bear to imagine what horrifying thing would have happened next.

Disio shuddered involuntarily.

"I... I’m over here..."

Sitting on the grass, Shu Li answered weakly.

Perhaps he had used up all his strength while confronting the Dark Elf. When he spread his wings and tried to fly, he discovered that he could not. His body trembled uncontrollably, and even his voice was feeble.

He wanted to burst into tears like his three companions and tell the Elven King how terrifying the Dark Elf had been, but although he opened his mouth, he could not cry.

While his thoughts ran wild, a pair of warm hands lifted him from the grass.

"Sperien."

The Elven King gently wiped away a tiny spot of blood on his face with the pad of his finger.

Suddenly enveloped in warmth, Shu Li miraculously stopped trembling. He stared blankly at the Elven King’s handsome face so close to his own. All the tension, anxiety, fear, despair, and lingering terror inside him erupted at once, pouring out like water through a broken dam.

Mist filled his large, pale green eyes. It quickly gathered into tears that streamed down his face.

He did not wail. He merely bit his lip and wept soundlessly, his tiny body trembling faintly. He looked utterly pitiful.

The Elven King paused. Holding Shu Li in one hand, he drew him against his chest. With the other, he stroked Shu Li’s hair and lowered his head, speaking softly.

"It’s all right now. You’re safe. Don’t be afraid."

Pressed against the Elven King’s robe, Shu Li shed even more tears the more gently he was comforted. Gradually, he began to sob aloud.

"I... I’m too stupid... Waaah... I can’t even... even pronounce an incantation properly... Waaah..."

Remembering how his tongue had failed him at the crucial moment made him feel even worse.

"My talent for magic... isn’t good at all! It isn’t good at all! A Fairy who... who can’t recite incantations... is the stupidest, stupidest Fairy ever! Waaah—"

He had studied Elven for five years, yet he still could not master it. He had known about his weakness but had never worked hard enough to correct it, assuming that if he kept learning at his own pace, he would eventually become fluent.

After what happened today, however, he realized with horror just how dangerous his tendency to stumble over his words could be!

If this continued, he would never become a powerful mage, much less a hero.

An enemy would never give a tongue-tied mage a chance to survive.

He was so stupid. So terribly, terribly stupid!

Why couldn’t he speak properly?

Sinking into self-loathing, Shu Li became more miserable the longer he thought about it. Curling into a tiny ball, he wept as though his heart were breaking.

The Elven King seemed to sigh faintly. He raised his hand, revealing the little fellow in his palm, then brought him close and gently brushed his cheek against Shu Li’s.

"Huh?"

The soft touch abruptly interrupted Shu Li’s grief. His sobs stopped, and he froze with two enormous tears hanging from the corners of his eyes.

Just now... had his cheek... touched the Elven King’s?

"Finished crying?" The Elven King smiled and swept his index finger over Shu Li’s little face, wiping away the tears.

Shu Li sat there in a daze, completely at a loss, allowing the Elven King to dry his tears. His grief and frustration faded, gradually replaced by embarrassment.

"Sperien is the bravest and cleverest Little Fairy in the Faerie Forest. How could he be stupid?" the Elven King said gently, stroking his hair again.

Shu Li tilted his head. Hearing the king praise him, he looked incredulous.

He... was brave and clever?

"If you don’t believe me, ask your companions." The Elven King lowered his gaze toward the three Little Fairies.

The three Little Fairies, who had been watching them the entire time, shouted in unison, "Sperien is the bravest and cleverest Little Fairy in the Faerie Forest!"

Shu Li hastily wiped his face, becoming even more embarrassed.

Disio flew in front of the Elven King and gesticulated excitedly as he described the terrifying scene of Shu Li confronting the Dark Elf.

"...Sperien was amazing! He wasn’t afraid of the Dark Elf at all. He stabbed the Dark Elf’s finger with his dagger..."

"That’s right, that’s right! Even when the Dark Elf grabbed him, he didn’t cry!" Angel added.

"Only Sperien’s Water Ball hit the Dark Elf!" Budno declared loudly. "His magic is the strongest!"

The three Little Fairies talked over one another, portraying Shu Li as a mighty and fearless hero until he became thoroughly embarrassed.

Was the courageous Little Fairy they were describing truly him?

In reality, he had been terrified the entire way. If Kumandi had not risked his life to resist the Dark Elf, they would have been captured long ago.

At the very end, Kumandi had fallen unconscious and they had been cornered, leaving them no choice but to risk their lives in one final struggle.

Mr. Serpent had given Shu Li many gifts, including a bottle of his venom. In that moment of danger, inspiration had struck. While the Dark Elf was not paying attention, Shu Li coated his dagger with the serpent’s venom, then used himself as bait to create an opportunity to get close.

Sure enough, the Dark Elf had fallen for it.

Shu Li had merely misjudged the Dark Elf’s strength. The venom had not spread quickly enough, giving him an opportunity to retaliate.

His head had nearly been crushed.

Never in his wildest imagination had he expected the overbearing little flower crown to save his life at the critical moment.

And then the Elven King had suddenly appeared like a god descending from the heavens.

Shu Li’s emotions gradually settled. His pointed ears twitched, and his companions’ extravagant praise made his face turn bright red.