I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Finally Being a Top Student

Thanks to Chris’s prank, the Fairy Cubs hurried and finally arrived at the classroom on time. Just as they collapsed into their seats, panting, Lia, their music teacher, entered the room precisely on the dot.

Lia was a female Fairy with beautiful chestnut hair tied into a long ponytail. She wore a pale yellow, straight-hemmed dress, and her translucent butterfly wings fluttered gently as she gracefully floated to the front of the classroom.

Seeing the twenty-five sweaty Fairy Cubs, she adjusted the small harp in her arms and smiled warmly. “Good afternoon, darlings. I’m Lia, your music teacher.”

The cubs, being naturally sociable, immediately chimed in without hesitation.

“Good afternoon, Lia!”

“What will we learn in music class? Singing?”

“I want to learn the fairy harp! Can I?”

“Siet taught us a song… like this… The Dwarves and Goblins fight all day, the Goblins steal the Dwarves’ treasure, the Dwarves smash the Goblins’ door with iron hammers, the Goblins retaliate by digging up the Dwarves’ land…”

One cub began singing the nursery rhyme Siet had taught them, and the others joined in. Soon, all the cubs were singing at the top of their lungs.

Lia plucked the five-stringed harp in her arms, effortlessly keeping up with the melody and accompanying the cubs.

Shu Li initially hesitated to sing, unfamiliar with the song. But when the other cubs began singing, he felt out of place remaining silent.

Reluctantly, he pulled out his “Quick Reference Manual,” found the Kong Er lyrics for “Dwarves and Goblins,” and joined in softly.

As the song ended, the cubs were still eager for more. Lia set down her harp and clapped enthusiastically.

“You sang beautifully!”

The little cubs puffed out their chests proudly, their faces beaming with joy.

After clapping, Lia patiently explained, “Siet is your primary teacher, focusing on language and writing. I will be responsible for music-related subjects. I’ll teach you how to chant poems, play instruments, compose melodies, and write lyrics.”

“Wow, that sounds so complicated!” Angele muttered, his chubby cheeks puffed out in a pout.

“Mhm!” Decio nodded in agreement.

But Shu Li’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs.

Since transmigrating to this otherworld, music had been the only thing that felt familiar.

The music of this world shared the same seven basic notes as the music of his original world. Though singing in Elven was quite challenging, humming the melodies came naturally.

The classroom buzzed with chatter as Lia played a soothing melody on her five-stringed harp to calm the cubs.

As the cubs gradually quieted down, she spoke slowly and deliberately, “In the age before writing, the Elves created music and poetry to preserve their history and culture. Later, an Elf named Desna traveled the continent and fell in love with a clever and handsome human man. She taught him music and poetry, and thus, the first bard was born.”

“Music brings joy, and poetry inspires longing. Wherever bards traveled, they were warmly welcomed. Even now, bards hold high status, unbound by nationality, free to roam the continent, and cherished guests of the nobility. Whenever nobles host banquets, they invite bards to perform Elven poetry.”

As Lia plucked the strings of her harp, she recounted the origins of music and poetry, captivating the cubs with her tale.

“Why perform Elven poetry?” Budno asked, puzzled. “Don’t humans have their own poetry?”

Lia played a few light, nimble notes, her deep blue eyes as fathomless as a still pond.

“Because… Elven poetry contains magic.”

“Magic?” the cubs murmured, confused.

Lia nodded. “Yes, most Elven poems contain magic. Some soothe the mind and aid sleep, others heal heart ailments, and still others summon elemental spirits. Of course—”

Her tone shifted abruptly, lowering her voice as she spoke gravely, “They can also be used for battle and killing.”

“Ah?” The cubs’ eyes widened. “So… so powerful!”

Shu Li hunched over his desk, scribbling furiously in Chinese, recording Lia’s words. When he encountered unfamiliar terms or phrases, he quickly transcribed them phonetically, marking them with parentheses to ask the other cubs about later. If even they didn’t know, he would consult the adult Fairies.

Lia glanced in Shu Li’s direction before continuing, “A wandering bard can only sing fifty Elven poems in their lifetime. Otherwise, they will suffer magical backlash and risk their lives.”

“Humans are so fragile!” Angele exclaimed with childlike wonder.

Shu Li nodded in agreement.

In this Otherworld, humans not only shortened their lifespans by playing the legendary five-stringed harp, but even singing Elven poems could lead to an early death. How tragic!

Lia shook her head gently. “When you grow up and travel the continent, you’ll meet more humans and won’t think that way anymore.”

Among humans, there are many exceptional individuals who stand at the pinnacle of greatness.

Through mastering magic, they defied their short lifespans and rose to become the continent’s elite.

Moreover, humans were generally treacherous, selfish, and often committed heinous acts against other races.

For instance, some nobles kept Little Fairies as pets, indulging their perverse desires. Meanwhile, ruthless hunters risked their lives to invade the Faerie Forest, cruelly capturing Little Fairies and selling them into the human world for exorbitant profits.

The Fairy Cubs before her were barely a hundred days old—too young for Lia to reveal the full extent of human cruelty. She feared traumatizing them and hindering their healthy development.

Shu Li paused his note-taking, lost in thought.

Lia’s words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

Why was she being so vague? What was she afraid of?

Could it be that humans had committed some unspeakable atrocities against Elves or Fairies, forcing her to speak in such veiled terms? Otherwise, why would the Elven King have closed the Faerie Forest, permanently barring outsiders?

“Alright, that’s enough for the story. It’s time for our lesson,” Lia announced, placing her five-stringed harp on the table. “All my little darlings, please fly into the air.”

The Fairy Cubs looked puzzled by this request, but they obediently complied.

Buzzing— the sound of countless wings vibrating filled the air.

All the Fairy Cubs left their desks and chairs, soaring into the air. A few mischievous ones climbed onto the classroom’s ceiling beams, frolicking and playing.

Lia raised her hand and chanted a simple spell.

Instantly, the desks moved as if alive, automatically sliding to the sides of the classroom and aligning neatly against the walls, leaving the chairs in place.

“Wow~~!” the cubs exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide with wonder.

Shu Li watched in alarm as his desk, with his notebook still on it, slid toward the corner. He quickly flew over to rescue it.

Close call!

His notebook had nearly been crushed by another desk.

He stuffed the notebook back into his waist pouch, which bulged awkwardly with its five notebooks.

Maybe I should get a larger messenger bag specifically for carrying my things, he thought.

As for the storage ring on his right index finger, he needed to return it to the Elven King and couldn’t use it freely anymore.

Returned to its rightful owner, intact and unchanged.

After magically moving the desks, Lia clapped her hands, signaling the cubs to return to their seats.

The cubs fluttered down, their curious eyes fixed on Lia, eager to see what she would do next.

Watched intently by twenty-five pairs of innocent, wide eyes, Lia smiled mysteriously. She raised her right hand, revealing a golden bracelet on her wrist, and gave it a gentle shake. Countless shimmering specks of light sprang from the bracelet, scattering and drifting toward each cub.

Just as the cubs reached out to catch the glowing specks, the lights transformed into delicate, miniature five-stringed harps.

“Wow-wow-wow!”

“It’s a harp!”

“Amazing! This harp is so small, I can hold it with one hand!”

“Lia, Lia, are these harps for us?”

“I love it so much, waaaah~”

“Idiot, don’t bite it! You’ll break it!”

The cubs clutched their new harps, their fingers plucking at the strings, producing crisp, clear notes. However, with over twenty cubs strumming simultaneously, the result wasn’t harmonious music but a cacophony of noise.

Whitey and Reddy played with no rhythm or order, making Shu Li want to cover his ears. Helplessly cradling his harp, he had no free hands.

As the name suggests, a five-stringed harp has only five strings and five notes, making it ideal for beginners learning simple melodies. Harps with more strings are naturally larger in size.

The cubs’ small hands and short fingers naturally meant they received the smallest single-handed harps.

As a music student majoring in violin, Shu Li had some experience with other stringed instruments and could play the 47-string harp.

However, the fairy harp in his hands was clearly different from the harps he was familiar with.

Aside from both being vertical-stringed instruments, this harp lacked the foot pedals used to change pitch. Instead, it had two small buttons on the body.

Shu Li pressed the buttons and noticed the first and second strings glowed faintly. When he plucked them, they produced two different notes.

So that’s how it works.

These two small buttons were pitch-altering keys.

No wonder Siet could play complete seven-note melodies on a five-stringed harp.

With seven notes available, things would be much easier.

Ignoring the cacophony of chaotic harp sounds around him, Shu Li adjusted his posture, plucked the strings, and began playing a classic beginner’s piece every music student learns.

After distributing the harps to each cub, Lia let them play freely, not stopping them even when they created a cacophony of noise.

Fairies never restrict their cubs’ interests. They believe in learning through play and playing while learning, gradually uncovering each cub’s natural talents.

Suddenly, Lia’s ears twitched. Amidst the chaotic harp sounds, she heard a coherent melody.

Following the notes, she saw a golden-haired cub sitting in the back row, playing the harp with focused concentration. His technique seemed clumsy, yet his fingers unerringly found the correct strings, even using the chromatic keys to alter the pitch of the first and second strings.

It was Sperien.

Lia gazed intently at the golden-haired cub.

She might not remember the names of all the other cubs, but she certainly knew the little one blessed by the King.

After all, his notoriously stuttering Elven had become the talk of the school.

The amusing misunderstanding at lunchtime had spread like wildfire, making Kumandi the target of endless teasing among the fairies.

The young fairies winked and nudged each other, constantly repeating, “I just want some Jingjing.”

Kumandi, however, remained remarkably composed. Instead of getting angry at the teasing, he would retort, “What do you want from me? Want to practice Light Magic together?”

Every Little Fairy knew Kumandi was a learning fanatic. Even at his young age, he had already created his own magic spells. Any fairy who “practiced” with him invariably ended up bedridden for a week or more, unable to leave their room.

As Lia entered the classroom, she immediately spotted Sperien wearing a floral crown.

He truly stood apart from the others, radiating a fierce determination.

Perhaps his difficulty with Elven had created significant psychological pressure, driving him to work even harder.

In the past, there had been Fairy Cubs who learned languages slowly, but they never faced Sperien’s anxieties. They played, slept, and ate without a care, and as they grew older, they naturally mastered several languages.

Knowing Sperien’s weakness, Lia didn’t expect much of him.

But what was she hearing now?

A mature, melodically complete, and utterly novel piece of music.

The melody was simple, with just a few notes repeating in different patterns, yet it sounded utterly charming, lifting the spirits.

The other Fairy Cubs gradually stopped strumming their harps, gazing in awe at Shu Li as he played.

Sperien is amazing!

He can play the harp without even learning!

The piece was short, lasting just over a minute.

Shu Li finished with a perfect cadence and let out a long sigh.

Not bad!

His musical talent hadn’t vanished just because he was in a new body.

Setting down the harp, he lifted his head with a joyful expression, only to suddenly meet over twenty pairs of burning eyes. Startled, he quickly folded his wings in front of him, wrapping them around himself.

W-why is everyone staring at me like that?

“That was absolutely wonderful!” Lia clapped enthusiastically, showering him with praise. “Absolutely brilliant!”

“Clap, clap, clap, clap—” The other cubs joined in, their applause ringing out like thunder.

Decio and Angele’s big eyes sparkled with admiration as they gazed at Shu Li.

The boss really lives up to his title! Besides being a bit slow to speak, he’s amazing at everything else!

Suddenly the center of attention, Shu Li felt a momentary surge of nervousness, but he quickly regained his composure, his delicate face glowing with pride.

After being a slacker for so long, it’s finally time to shine as a top student!

Otherwise, I’d really be letting down my music teacher who taught me for ten years.