Chapter 97: The social gathering that was supposed to be a death trap gave the quiet, academically gifted student a purifying spell...

A discussion gathering?

No wonder he had been plagued by an ominous premonition. He had completely forgotten about this.

Elves and Fairies liked to preserve their history through poetry and song. Whenever something significant happened within the clan, they held a discussion gathering and asked those involved to recount their “story” before everyone.

Shu Li had already suffered public humiliation once in the Elven Kingdom. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would have to suffer through it all over again after returning to the divine tree.

This was why showing off never ended well. In the end, he was still the one who suffered.

At Aisha’s urging, the Little Fairies surrounded Shu Li and flew toward the field. They were so excited that anyone unaware of the situation might have assumed they were the stars of the gathering.

Disio was the most enthusiastic. He took Shu Li’s hand and flew alongside him, constantly turning his head to speak.

“Sperien, you have to explain in detail how you advanced to Senior Mage. I want to learn from you so I can try to break through next year.”

Shu Li opened his mouth, then hesitated. He desperately wanted to tell Disio that his advancement had been far too simple to offer any useful lessons whatsoever.

But he restrained himself.

Once Shu Li finished telling his story, Disio would find out soon enough.

Elder Federo was presiding over the gathering. Except for those who were working, away on commissions, or traveling outside the forest for training, every Fairy had come.

The entire school field was densely packed with Fairies.

There was not enough room for everyone, so many Fairies settled on nearby branches with their own tables, chairs, and snacks, clearly prepared to enjoy the spectacle.

Shu Li was stunned by the sheer scale of the scene before him.

Good grief. Today’s gathering was every bit as large as the one held after the necromancer invaded the Faerie Forest five years ago.

The main speakers at that gathering had been Sil and several other adult Fairies, along with the prodigy Jingjing, who had become a Senior Mage at fifteen. Shu Li and the other Fairy cubs had merely played supporting roles, so there had been no pressure on them.

Today, however, he was the sole focus of the entire gathering. With more than ten thousand pairs of eyes fixed on him, Shu Li instantly felt the crushing weight of expectation.

Elder Federo smiled kindly when he saw Shu Li surrounded by the Little Fairies. “Come here, good child.”

What else could Shu Li do?

He could only steel himself and go forward.

“Greetings, Elder.” He politely bowed to Federo.

Federo appeared young, but in truth, he was tens of thousands of years old. He was one of the first Fairies created by the Light God and was deeply revered by the Fairy Clan.

Shu Li became exceptionally obedient in his presence. He did whatever he was told without protest and allowed Federo to lead him to a chair facing the enormous crowd. With both hands resting on his knees, he sat as properly as a child in kindergarten.

When the gathered Fairies saw that the main speaker had arrived, their buzzing discussions gradually subsided. Soon, the entire field fell silent.

Shu Li’s pale green eyes widened slightly. He felt as though he were being roasted over a fire, trapped in an excruciating predicament.

“Sperien, you may begin,” Siet reminded him, pressing a hand to his forehead when he saw Shu Li sitting as stiffly as a piece of wood.

The child had possessed an unusually strong sense of embarrassment ever since he was small. Whenever everyone’s attention focused on him, his face flushed easily. Asking him to explain his advancement before the entire clan truly was rather difficult for him.

But a ten-year-old Senior Mage was unprecedented. Everyone was intensely curious and wanted to hear every detail.

Shu Li took a deep breath and looked at the expectant young Fairies seated in the front row, forcing himself to calm down.

Since he had already been pushed onto the stage, he might as well do his best!

He could not disappoint his classmates, especially his three “best brothers.”

“As for why I suddenly became a Senior Mage... it all started because I...” He admitted in embarrassment, “wanted to be lazy.”

“Lazy?”

All the Fairies stared at him in surprise.

No one had expected Sperien’s opening words to be so... unusual.

Shu Li wailed inwardly.

He did not want to be this honest, but these gatherings demanded a truthful account of events. How could he possibly dare to lie?

“Ahem. It’s all right. Children like being lazy,” Siet said, attempting to preserve Shu Li’s dignity. “Don’t worry. No one will laugh at you. Isn’t that right?”

He looked toward the Little Fairies in the front row.

Budeno was the first to answer. “That’s right! I love being lazy!”

As a former chubby child, he had only ever been diligent about eating. When it came to everything else, he saved himself whatever effort he could.

Although he had since slimmed down and become more agile, he was still as lazy as ever whenever the opportunity arose.

“I love being lazy too!” Disio and Angel declared, raising their hands together.

Best brothers had to stick together. Not one of them could be left behind.

Soon, the other Little Fairies began raising their hands one after another, declaring that laziness was nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone was lazy sometimes. It would be stranger if a Little Fairy never tried to avoid work.

The adult Fairies struggled not to laugh. To protect the blond young Fairy’s pride, they painstakingly suppressed their amusement.

Even with the Little Fairies’ unconditional support, the corner of Shu Li’s mouth twitched. Instead of easing his embarrassment, they had only made it worse.

He rubbed his burning cheeks and decided to throw caution to the wind.

All the other Fairies had to speak at gatherings like this too. He had simply done it a few more times than most. It was no big deal.

“Everyone knows that whenever I get nervous, I trip over my words, and when I trip over my words, I recite spells incorrectly. To fix that problem, I decided to try a different approach...”

In one breath, he explained his idea of shortening incantations and how Ilio had told him about the elemental spirits.

Naturally, he omitted the part where the mother tree had taken him to the Dark Elves’ territory and forced him to learn silent light magic. Through a careful bit of misdirection, he assigned the credit to Ilio instead.

In short, with Ilio’s guidance, he had stumbled into learning silent purification magic.

He had then consulted the Elven King, who helped him find a large collection of ancient texts concerning elemental spirits.

Following the information recorded in those texts, he rode Doray alone to the ancient battlefield in the northern reaches of the Elven Kingdom.

The Fairies gasped repeatedly. When they learned that the little fellow had dared to visit the ancient battlefield alone, they broke out in cold sweat from sheer terror.

The northern region of the Elven Kingdom contained the sealed spirits of those who had died ten thousand years ago. It was a barren wasteland where neither adult Fairies nor Elves dared travel alone, yet Sperien had ventured into it at only ten years old!

The young truly knew no fear.

Shu Li had no idea what emotional turmoil the adult Fairies were experiencing. He had already abandoned all hope of preserving his dignity and continued his account.

“...I met an enormous magical beast named Orsop. He may have looked ugly, but he was actually very gentle. He kindly carried me to the basin at the center of the ancient battlefield, and before leaving, he gave me a badge...”

It was precisely because of that badge that he had entered the strange illusion.

The moment Shu Li mentioned an illusion, the Little Fairies grew excited.

They knew that whenever Sperien entered an illusion, he witnessed extraordinary things. Sure enough, this time had been no exception.

The illusion had shown him the battlefield from ten thousand years ago. He had witnessed the Elven King’s magnificent presence as he commanded the battle, as well as the Spirit of Wood fighting by his side.

Shu Li hesitated briefly, then honestly described how the “people” within the illusion had seen him.

Not only had the Elven King inside the illusion noticed him, but he had even exchanged a few words with him.

Upon learning that Shu Li was a Little Fairy from ten thousand years in the future, the Elven King had asked the Spirit of Wood to send him out of the “illusion.”

“I don’t know whether it truly was an illusion. I asked His Majesty, but he said he had no memory of ever meeting me. However, a small piece of the green vine used by the Spirit of Wood inside the illusion came back with me...”

He had been terribly confused at the time and wanted to understand what had happened. Unfortunately, night was approaching and he was hungry, so he could only take his things and leave.

Then one of the vine’s thorns pricked his finger and drew several drops of blood. After that, everything began spiraling out of control.

The surroundings were utterly silent.

No one had expected the events that followed to be so fantastical.

More than a dozen travel-worn young Fairies beat their wings and flew unsteadily toward the school, their bodies exhausted from their journey.

When they saw more than ten thousand Fairies gathered on the school field, their eyes widened in shock.

What major event had occurred while they were away training?

Why had every Fairy on the divine tree come out?

The field was filled to capacity, and even the nearby branches were crowded with spectators enjoying the spectacle.

Strangest of all, the entire gathering was utterly silent. Only one clear young voice echoed through the air.

It was an enormous discussion gathering.

And its star was none other than the famous Sperien!

Karola flew over to Kumandi and lightly nudged him with an elbow, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“It looks like our brave little Sperien has accomplished another remarkable feat.”

Kumandi murmured an acknowledgment and increased his speed.

“Hey, wait for me!” Karola hurriedly chased after him.

Honestly, whenever something involved Sperien, even Kumandi’s entire demeanor changed.

Looking at how anxious he was, anyone would think he was a doting elder brother worried about his little brother.

The older students returning from training landed on the field one after another. They found an open patch of ground and sat cross-legged.

Shu Li was so engrossed in his story that he did not notice them.

“The green vine grew incredibly fast. It plunged into the charred earth in an instant, while the badge that had looked like an ugly lump of iron revealed its true form. A totem appeared on its surface and released a beam of golden light that enveloped the vine...”

The vine’s explosive growth had frightened him so badly that he turned and ran.

Shu Li vividly described the astonishing sight. The green vine had spread wildly throughout the entire basin, then climbed over its rim and continued across the whole wasteland.

Every Fairy stared with their mouth hanging open. Even the immensely knowledgeable Federo looked astonished.

Although he had already learned about the ancient battlefield from the Elven King, hearing the person involved recount the events firsthand was still shocking.

“...Then I met the Spirit of Wood. She touched my forehead with one finger, and then I... fainted...”

Yes. He had fainted.

“As for what happened afterward, I only know what His Majesty told me. Anyway, I was unconscious, and somehow, without understanding anything, I became a Senior Mage.” He scratched the back of his head. “That’s more or less what happened.”

He had finally finished!

Could they end the gathering now?

“That’s incredible!” Angel cupped his cheeks with both hands and exclaimed in admiration.

Sperien was so brave. Every time he encountered danger, he somehow escaped unharmed.

“Why did you have to faint?” Disio looked deeply disappointed. He had wanted to learn how to advance, but Sperien had lost consciousness at the crucial moment.

Karola turned toward Kumandi in surprise. “Kumandi, Sperien is only ten this year, isn’t he?”

Kumandi glanced at him. “Yes.”

After meeting his dark purple eyes, Karola inexplicably felt guilty. “Well... I just find it hard to believe. A ten-year-old Senior Mage! That’s even more impressive than you were back then!”

“Sperien is exceptionally talented,” Kumandi replied.

Karola rubbed his nose.

This was not merely a question of talent.

It was luck!

Sperien had possessed outrageous luck ever since childhood. Even when he encountered danger, he always emerged with some unexpected reward.

Federo rose to his feet and gazed deeply at the restless blond Little Fairy. Placing his right hand over his chest, he bowed solemnly.

“Sperien, the Elven King has already told me that because of you, all the spirits bound to the ancient battlefield were purified and returned to the embrace of the gods.”

The other adult Fairies rose one after another and bowed emotionally to Shu Li.

“Thank you, Sperien.”

“Ah—” Shu Li jumped to his feet in alarm and waved his hands frantically. “Th-There’s no need to thank me! I only... stumbled into it by accident... I really didn’t do anything...”

The Elven King and the Elves had bowed to him, and now even the Fairy elder and the rest of the Fairy Clan were doing the same. He could barely bear it.

However, when his eyes met Federo’s tear-filled blue gaze, the awkwardness in his heart abruptly faded.

Perhaps Shu Li considered what he had done insignificant, but to the Elven and Fairy Clans, it was an act of immense merit.

The souls sealed within that barren land had waited for more than ten thousand years. Now they had finally been purified and released.

Shu Li returned Federo’s bow and said solemnly, “It was my honor to help our predecessors.”

He should not feel embarrassed. He should treat the purified souls with the highest respect.

They were heroes!

Federo regarded him with approval.

When the gathering ended, the adult Fairies gradually dispersed. The Little Fairies surrounded Shu Li, clamoring for him to demonstrate his silent purification magic.

Left with no choice, Shu Li took out his magic staff. His sharp eyes spotted Kumandi approaching, so he aimed the staff at him and silently recited the purification spell.

In less than two seconds, a sphere of white light gathered at the tip of the staff and showered over Kumandi.

Kumandi stood perfectly still, neither dodging nor resisting, and allowed the purification magic to wash over him from head to toe.