Chapter 99: Welcoming the fairy cubs—are you Sperryn?...

Morning sunlight filtered through the faint mist and poured into the vibrant Faerie Forest. The towering divine tree, whose crown pierced the clouds, was dyed gold by the brilliant dawn.

Thousands upon thousands of Fairies had risen early and were already beating their wings as they flew toward the Fairy Nursery.

The Fairy Nursery stood several hundred meters from the divine tree and occupied a considerable area. It was a large indoor garden filled with many rare plants, as well as the flower buds that nurtured Little Fairies.

Today was the day the Fairy cubs would leave the Fairy Nursery, and every Fairy in the forest went to welcome them in high spirits.

Shu Li had made himself look fresh and presentable. His little flower crown had transformed into a silver circlet set with emeralds, and his golden hair was tied in a high ponytail. He wore a white pleated robe with ribbon-tied shoes, a sash woven from golden thread fastened around his waist, and a cloak embroidered with patterns of tender grass draped over his shoulders.

"Good morning, Sperien." Angel flew over, wrapped his arms around him affectionately, and nuzzled him.

"Good morning." Shu Li returned the embrace.

At ten years old, Angel’s features had grown more defined, and he stood half an inch taller than Shu Li. His smooth, shoulder-length silver hair hung loose, and an aquamarine gemstone adorned the center of his golden circlet. With heroic brows, amber eyes, and delicate yet handsome features, he looked full of youthful vitality in his pale blue robe.

"Where’s Disio?" Shu Li looked around. "Hasn’t Budno arrived either?"

"They’re back there!" Angel pointed.

Shu Li followed the direction of his finger and saw Disio and Budno flying toward them with the listlessness of two fellow sufferers.

What had happened?

Budno was notoriously terrible at getting out of bed, so it was perfectly normal for him to arrive late. But Disio was usually energetic and brimming with life. It was strange to see him looking just as dispirited as Budno today.

"Disio! Budno! Over here!" Shu Li called, waving to them.

Hearing his leader’s voice, Disio recovered a trace of energy. He beat his cicada-like wings and sped up, his red hair streaming behind him like a brilliant flame.

When Budno saw him abandon him, he immediately rallied and gave chase.

"Sperien—" Disio wrapped an arm around Shu Li’s shoulders and nuzzled him pitifully.

Completely baffled by his behavior, Shu Li patted his back. "What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?"

He looked at Budno, who spread his hands innocently. "It had nothing to do with me."

Because Budno loved sleeping in, he was always the last to leave home. How could he have known that Disio, who normally woke up early, would not only oversleep today but also emerge with dark circles beneath his eyes, looking pathetically sleep-deprived?

Budno had laughed at him mercilessly.

Yet, for the first time ever, Disio had not retaliated. He had merely cast Budno a lifeless glance before drifting past him like a ghost.

Budno had frozen in shock. Thinking Disio might be ill, he followed at his side, repeatedly wanting to speak but stopping himself.

They had flown like that the entire way. Only when they were nearing the entrance of the Fairy Nursery and heard Sperien calling did the "ghost" beside him instantly return to life.

And look at him now, shamelessly clinging to Sperien and cuddling him.

Outrageous!

Unable to get an explanation from Disio, Shu Li could only pat his back again. "If something’s troubling you, tell your brothers. We’ll help you solve it."

Disio gave a world-weary sigh far beyond his years. Releasing Shu Li, he said dejectedly, "I dreamed about the Fire Spirit."

"Huh?"

Shu Li, Angel, and Budno all stared at him in surprise.

"And then?"

"And then..." Disio puffed out his cheeks and muttered, "He said I’m too young and it isn’t time for him to recognize me yet. He told me to come back in a hundred years."

Shu Li fell speechless for a moment before offering him a sympathetic consolation. "It’s all right. It was only a dream, and dreams are the opposite of reality. Don’t take it seriously."

"That’s right!" Angel nodded. "Disio is so outstanding that the Fire Spirit will definitely like you when he sees you."

Budno grinned. "A hundred years from now, you’ll already be an Archmage. You won’t need the Fire Spirit’s recognition."

Disio glared at him.

Budno stepped forward and lightly punched him in the chest. "Good brother, what’s wrong with advancing little by little alongside us?"

Disio huffed twice and raised his little chin. "Fine. I suppose I can reluctantly agree."

Seeing him start bickering with Budno, Shu Li knew the storm had passed.

"Come on. Let’s hurry to the entrance of the Fairy Nursery. The little cubs are about to come out."

The four adolescent Fairies raced down from the branch, threaded through the dense crowd, and struggled toward the front in hopes of finding a good spot.

The adult Fairies considerately made room for them.

"Thank you!"

The four adolescent Fairies beamed adorable smiles and thanked everyone along the way.

By the time they squeezed into the front row, the doors of the Fairy Nursery were slowly opening. Every Fairy perked up and turned toward them in unison.

Under the eyes of the enormous crowd, eight dumpling-like little cubs flew dazedly out through the doors, led by two introductory teachers.

Each little cub carried an enormous bundle stuffed with belongings. Perhaps the bundles were too heavy, because they were having tremendous difficulty flying. Their tiny wings beat furiously just to keep the weight from dragging them to the ground.

Shu Li stared at the eight little cubs, who looked like plump dolls of good fortune, his eyes going wide.

They were so cute, pink, and tender!

Every one of them was pale and chubby. The rolls of flesh along their arms and legs resembled sections of lotus root and were unbearably adorable.

They gazed curiously around with innocent eyes. The blond cub at the front held his head high and puffed out his chest, marching proudly onward like an arrogant little peacock.

His appearance amused the adult Fairies, who laughed good-naturedly.

The blond cub’s ears twitched, and he raised his little chin even higher.

Shu Li covered his mouth as he laughed. He finally understood why the adult Fairies had constantly searched for chances to cuddle and squish them when they were young.

Little cubs in their innocent stage were simply irresistible!

The eight cubs were watched all the way to the divine tree. Their introductory teachers first took them to their new homes, and after settling them into their accommodations, they would lead them on a half-day tour of the divine tree. Once the Fairies outside the Fairy Nursery watched the cubs fly away, they gradually dispersed and returned to their own business.

The Fairy students headed back to school for class.

Shu Li had fallen far behind in his academic lessons. Even though he had copied notes both yesterday afternoon and that evening, there were still many things he did not understand, and he struggled terribly throughout class.

When noon finally arrived, the Little Fairies poured out and flew toward the school cafeteria to eat.

Shu Li remained behind to study a little longer and was the last to leave the classroom. Notebook in hand, he recited vocabulary as he flew, making use of every available second.

"Sperien, are you Sperien?"

A childish voice suddenly rang out. Shu Li hurriedly stopped and lowered his head in puzzlement, only to find several pale, tender little faces looking up at him.

Huh? Huh? Huh?

The ones blocking his way were none other than the eight cubs who had only just reached one hundred days old.

The blond cub at their head was the one who had asked whether he was Sperien.

With eight pairs of bright, shining eyes fixed on him, Shu Li felt rather overwhelmed by the attention. He bent down slightly and gave them a friendly smile. "Yes, I’m Sperien. What’s your name?"

The blond cub patted his own little chest. "I’m Misina."

The other Fairy cubs immediately began introducing themselves.

"My name is Ruth."

"I’m Timia."

"I’m Lanlor!"

"I’m..."

The flood of names left Shu Li’s head spinning. He hurriedly raised a hand in a stopping gesture. "Wait a moment. Let me write them down."

He took out his quill, turned his notebook to a blank page, and quickly drew eight simple cartoon figures based on each cub’s distinguishing features. Then he labeled them one by one with the corresponding names.

Misina gave the others an expression of sudden understanding and muttered, "He really is Sperien. He couldn’t remember all our names at once."

"That’s right! Sperien is terrible at remembering names."

"He often calls people by the wrong names too."

"Is he taking notes in his notebook?"

"Dania said taking notes is a good habit."

"Mm-hmm! That’s why we bought lots and lots of little notebooks."

The Fairy cubs chatted among themselves. Hearing them, Shu Li felt several dark lines descend across his forehead. He barely managed to finish writing the final name, then feigned composure as he put the notebook and quill into his storage ring.

"Aren’t you going to the cafeteria for lunch?" he asked.

"We already ate!" Misina rubbed his round little belly.

The cubs had been the first group to enter the cafeteria, and every one of them had eaten with great enthusiasm. When the other Fairy students arrived, none of them looked like Sperien. The cubs had therefore questioned a red-haired adolescent Fairy and learned that Sperien had not arrived yet, so they had waited outside the cafeteria to catch him.

Unable to understand the workings of their little minds, Shu Li patiently asked, "Then aren’t you going home for your afternoon nap?"

Children’s bodies were still growing. Plenty of sleep helped their physical development and ability to learn.

"We were waiting for you." Curiosity sparkled in Misina’s blue eyes. "When you were little, were you really carried away by a Sekern bird named Deklet?"

Shu Li froze. Before he could answer, the other cubs rushed to ask their own questions.

"And then the Sekern bird discovered you and abandoned you at the edge of the Faerie Forest, right?"

"You encountered the magical serpent Bazien Bulgareth..."

"No, no! First he encountered a squirrel. He had to draw his dagger, point it at her, and shout—"

"Stay back! Stay back! Stay back!"

The eight Fairy cubs drew the daggers hanging from their waists in perfect unison and sang with all their might, "Brave Sperien fears no hardship! Determined to cross the forest and return to the divine tree..."

Shu Li... Shu Li turned to stone, cracked apart, and shattered into fragments that scattered all over the ground!

What he had feared had finally happened!

The introductory Fairy teachers taught nursery rhymes to the newborn cubs.

The songs were humorous and entertaining, inspiring and uplifting, with melodies that were easy to remember.

Fairy cubs loved singing nursery rhymes more than anything.

Ten years ago, his song, Brave Sperien, had spread far and wide. Every Little Fairy knew how to sing it. As they grew older, they gradually stopped singing nursery rhymes and moved on to more complex poetry.

Yet never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the introductory Fairy teachers would turn his story into a lesson and tell it to the newborn cubs.

The eight little cubs’ childish singing attracted the attention of the other Fairies. Before long, a crowd had gathered outside the cafeteria.

Shu Li wanted to turn and flee, but he had not eaten yet, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

He endured the agony until the cubs finished singing, then took a deep breath and assumed the dignified air of their senior. Gently stroking each cub’s round head, he took the opportunity to pinch their plump little cheeks and said through gritted teeth—no, with a warm and friendly smile, "You sang very well."

Please never sing it again! Seriously!

"Hee-hee-hee!"

Praised by him, the little cubs grinned with pure, innocent delight.

Clap, clap, clap!

The Fairies watching them burst into enthusiastic applause. Shu Li alone raised his head and silently questioned the heavens.

Under the adoring gazes of the little cubs, Shu Li maintained his smile and flew gracefully into the cafeteria. His sharp eyes immediately spotted Quiet Top Student. He rushed over, seized Kumandi’s hand without a care for anything else, and pleaded tearfully, "Kumandi! Please! Let your new poems remain quietly inside your notebook!"

Kumandi: "..."