Chapter 29

The elves began to flourish rapidly.

Using bows and arrows from the trees, they hunted animals in the forest and cultivated numerous trees, expanding the Great Forest even further. Under the shade of Yggdrasil, they swiftly extended their territory.

Among those who came from outside the Great Forest, there were also individuals wishing to join the elves, some of whom eventually merged with them after being transformed into elves by Yggdrasil itself.

With the Great Forest, where Yggdrasil was located, as their base, the prosperity of the elves took its first steps.

Still, even among these elves, there existed an element of unease.

The ones who settled near Yggdrasil first and were transformed into elves by me began to subtly differentiate themselves from those who joined later through Yggdrasil.

Because *they* had been around the World Tree from the very beginning, they considered themselves purer and more noble elves—or something like that.

This discrimination started due to such “first-come-first-served” reasons, but as time passed, various other excuses piled on top.

Like how elves transformed by Yggdrasil had shorter ears compared to those transformed by me, or how they supposedly had less refined senses and couldn’t commune with spirits as well…

Such differences stemmed from the disparity in magical proficiency between Yggdrasil and myself—but it was only a minor difference. Still, it seemed they just wanted any excuse to discriminate against each other.

Anyway, though this difference was still minor for now… if left unchecked, it could lead to a significant rift within the elven race over time.

Should I let it be? Or should I interfere?

If I were human, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated to intervene. Hmm… This must be why Yggdrasil says I show too much favoritism.

If I leave this alone, the so-called “noble” ones might become High Elves, while the rebellious ones who run away could turn into Dark Elves… Hmm, still, I can’t just let it go like that.

So I approached Yggdrasil and said:

“Do you plan to simply ignore the conflicts among these children?”

「I feel the need to take action… but scolding them only lasts temporarily, and they start fighting again soon after. What should I do to make them stop fighting?」

How indeed… Is fighting really bad? Would they stop if I told them not to? They’re not kids anymore; would they halt because of such advice?

Well, maybe it’s okay to prescribe a bit of extreme medicine in situations like this.

In some myth from another world, there was a story about the Sun Goddess who, angered by tyranny, locked herself inside a cave, plunging the world into darkness.

Would mimicking that scenario work here?

“This is what I propose.”

It will be a spicy remedy for them, but it’s appropriate for those causing disputes within the elven race.

“You should reprimand them, then completely ignore them until they realize their mistakes and repent.”

「Huh? Ignore the children? But without my care, they’re fragile beings who struggle to survive!」

“That’s precisely why this remedy will be effective. The threat to their survival will force them to recognize their faults. However, using this method frequently might backfire, so we should use it only this once.”

「Umm… I understand. I’ll trust in you, Mother. But what if they keep fighting and never realize their mistakes?”

“In that case, I’ll step in. I’ll explain what they’re doing wrong and how they can earn your return. By pressuring and advising them, they should reflect and repent, right?”

This feels like a mix of carrot and stick… no, both are sticks, I guess.

Still, I’m offering a solution, so that’s something.

「Understood. Please take care of the children for me.」

“I shall.”

Thus, Yggdrasil began disciplining the elves.

「Why do you insist on dividing yourselves?! You are all my children under the same shade! I can no longer tolerate this! Until you reflect on your wrongdoings and vow never to repeat them, I will not listen to your voices!」

Yggdrasil’s stern voice reached the elves, leaving them greatly shocked.

Though they had begun hunting with bows and arrows, they were still at the early stages—barely able to light fires properly and eating almost raw meat. Their main sustenance was Yggdrasil’s fruit.

The elves had idly assumed Yggdrasil wouldn’t withhold its fruits…

But after a few days, their assumption turned into reality, delivering a massive shock.

“It’s your fault, you amateurs!!”

“What?! You guys are the ones ignoring us! Yggdrasil said we’re elves too! Why do you look down on us?!”

“What? We don’t hear short-eared bastards!”

Whoa. Such hatred.

No, wait. This isn’t the time to spectate.

As Yggdrasil secluded itself and stopped producing fruit, the elves began blaming one another and fighting.

While physical conflict hadn’t broken out yet, it was only a matter of time.

Here, I decided to step in.

I leaped into the square where the elves had gathered, surprising them with my sudden appearance.

“Stop.”

With a low voice, I used magic to slightly increase the gravity in the square, immobilizing the elves.

“You continue to fight despite being told not to. How foolish.”

Bound by the increased gravity, the elves struggled to move, astonished by my unexpected arrival.

Even the elves who prided themselves on their heightened senses hadn’t noticed my presence.

Is this what it feels like to see something that shouldn’t exist?

“You….”

The elves I personally transformed remembered me, unable to utter another word.

If they recall me breaking stones with arrows, that makes sense.

But…

“An outsider?!”

Ah, the ones who don’t know me are reacting like this. Makes sense—they must’ve been transformed directly by Yggdrasil.

“Outsider, stay out of this! This is an internal elf problem…”

“Idiot! Do you know who this person is?!”

“What?! Calling me an idiot?!”

Oh dear. Now they’re fighting again. Even under increased gravity, they’re trying to punch each other.

“Silence.”

I intensified the gravity further, forcing the elves to collapse flat on the ground.

“Your endless bickering prompted Yggdrasil to ignore you, yet here you are, still fighting. Truly foolish.”

“Grrr…”

“Khhhr…”

The elves writhed on the ground like insects, looking rather pitiful.

“I’ve come here with a solution to this issue… but if you continue like this, you won’t be able to use it. Sad, truly sad. Is this how the elven race will meet its end?”

I sighed softly and released the gravity magic pinning them down. Slowly regaining their breath, the elves stood up.

“Could you… solve this problem?”

“Of course. Don’t you already know how?”

The problem itself isn’t difficult. If they put their minds to it, it could be resolved quickly.

However, they lack the will to resolve it.

“That…”

“This person may be unknown to you, but this is an internal elf issue. They refuse to treat us as equals.”

A voice from someone unfamiliar with me. Indeed, they were the ones who initiated the discrimination.

“Can’t we all live peacefully under the World Tree together?”

They remained silent.

What pathetic fools.

“You must first understand each other’s feelings.”

If they could see things from the other’s perspective, perhaps they’d understand.

I cast a spell, swapping the races of those divided into two groups.

Those transformed by me became like those transformed by Yggdrasil.

And vice versa.

Though the differences were subtle, they’d definitely notice.

“What is this?!”

“Heavy…”

Impressive sensations, aren’t they?

“How does it feel to walk in each other’s shoes?”

“It’s… incredibly frustrating…”

“This much of a difference exists?!”

Good. Looks like they’re starting to understand each other.

“Will you swear not to fight anymore?”

“Yes! We swear!”

“Uh… Can you change all of us like this permanently?”

Hmm… Not impossible, but what about new elves joining later?

Make me transform everyone? Yggdrasil would throw a fit if she heard that.

“This was done by Yggdrasil herself. Are you dissatisfied with her work?”

“No, that’s not it…”

To the elves, Yggdrasil holds an absolute position. Complaining about her work would be disastrous.

That’d be quite entertaining, though.

“Understood. We won’t fight with them anymore.”

“They’re elves too. Get along nicely. Nicely.”

Anyway, after mediating the elves’ conflict, I returned them to their original forms.

The elves, whose heightened senses dulled back to normal, looked somewhat wistful.

“Now that you’ve reconciled, I’ll teach you how to appease Yggdrasil.”

I summoned nearby spirits: spirits of fire, water, wind, earth, and trees.

There were fewer spirits of light and darkness, though.

By sharing my magical power, I manifested their forms.

“This…!”

“You can converse with spirits, but you’ve likely never seen them in physical form before.”

If I share my power, I can manifest their shapes like this—but no such beings currently exist on the land.

Ah, dragons could do it, though.

“I’ll teach you how to harness the power of these spirits.”

Indeed, elves and spirit magic go hand in hand! Of course!