I and the hero sighed upon seeing the two heralds who had burst into the inn.
Though it wasn’t quite clear what they were made of, one was an elf envoy wearing clothes as soft as silk while the other was a dwarf envoy clad in metallic armor covering his whole body, with a wildly grown-out beard.
The two envoys growled at each other but extended their hands toward the hero.
“The tales of your valor are well known to us. You’ve consecutively defeated monsters so troublesome that only elves could handle them, all with just your human form.”
“Ho! You’re not bad with that sword, I’ll give you that! Your weapon’s pretty impressive, but your lack of proper gear is concerning! I’ll hook you up with some fine armor if you come with us, hero!”
Both the elf and the dwarf seemed eager to pull the hero to their respective sides…
First things first, though, I should assess the situation before blindly siding with either party.
“Step back for now. A decision will be made after further consideration.”
“What? Who’s this horned lady? Some kind of beastman? She seems to be the hero’s attendant, judging by her appearance. Please step aside while we discuss matters with your master.”
…
“Care to repeat that?”
“Hmm… While your skills are unquestionable, there seems to be a slight issue with your judgment in selecting attendants. Remember, choosing based purely on looks isn’t wise… Kuueck!”
In an instant, gravity around the elf intensified dozens of times, pinning him down.
I sighed as I watched the elf, now seemingly attempting to burrow underground like a rock spirit.
“Young one, who has only lived a thousand years, speak without thought. Am I right?”
“G-guess so…”
“Calm down. He spoke out of ignorance, surely.”
“Kyuuu…”
As the sound of bones grinding filled the air from the elf’s body, both the dwarf envoy, the hero, and even an oblivious beast nearby were visibly shocked.
We’ll get to that beast later.
With a simple gesture, I released the elf from the crushing gravity, allowing him to breathe again like a squashed bug under a shoe.
Hmm. Lost my cool there for a moment.
“From now on, carry humility in your mind. Got it?”
“Y-yes sir, cough!”
Dear me, so frail he can’t even answer properly.
Even though it feels like prescribing medicine after causing illness, perhaps I should at least mend his shattered skeleton.
“That’s enough from you, then…”
Just as the dwarf envoy attempted to slink away,
“Hold on. Let’s hear more of your story.”
My brief command halted the dwarf’s light steps.
The dwarf envoy looked at the hero with pleading eyes, but the hero simply shook his head without uttering a word.
“Don’t worry. We’re just listening to your tale, nothing more.”
First, we must understand how things have unfolded, don’t we?
And those directly involved likely know the most about the matter.
—
Elves and dwarves.
Though they hadn’t met directly, they’d exchanged news through intermediaries among humans.
The elves nurtured the forest beneath the World Tree, while the dwarves mined metals deep within the tallest mountain.
Despite their differences, letters passed between the two races, and they gradually warmed up to each other over time.
“Nice to meet you. Representative of the Elven Diplomatic Mission.”
“Ho ho! Taller than I imagined! I’m the representative of the dwarves!”
Meeting in person after exchanging polite letters led to conflicts instead of harmony.
“Your features are far more distinctive than expected.”
“That’s thanks to my magnificent beard! Isn’t it splendid? But tell me, why don’t elves grow beards? Your faces are so smooth down here.”
“Our kind doesn’t grow beards. Instead, our hair grows long and straight. By the way, aren’t dwarves rather short? Perfect for digging tunnels though.”
“Ha! Elves are like twigs—how do you manage any strength? One sneeze and snap!”
Their friendly correspondence had masked these differences, but direct meetings escalated tensions.
“Behold! Isn’t this beautiful? The most precious gem we’ve mined! We call it ‘Sagarmatha’s Golden Iris.’ It shines brilliantly even with minimal polishing! Forest-dwellers like yourselves rarely see such treasures!”
“Indeed, it’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it? So, I was thinking we could use a special wood to enhance its beauty. No one knows wood better than elves, right?”
“Using wood for decoration… I don’t find it appealing.”
“For elves, trees are akin to kin. To think you’d suggest using them to decorate a gem… I decline. Let’s pretend this conversation never happened.”
“Hmm. What if we donated this gem to the elves?”
The elves paused briefly.
“Sagarmatha is the name of the holiest mountain we revere. Its ‘eye’ would symbolize a bright future between elves and dwarves. The dwarves trust elves more than others.”
“Humans vary too much to trust easily, beastmen are half-animal, and lizardmen have cold blood. Ultimately, elves seem the most reliable.”
The giants, a rare few, were entirely ignored in this discussion.
“So, could you provide a branch from your sacred World Tree?”
At this, the elf representative abruptly stood up.
“This meeting is over. Everyone, let’s go.”
“Wait! Why? It’s just a branch of a tree!”
“Just a branch?! What do you think the World Tree represents?!”
The elf shouted in anger.
“The World Tree is akin to our parents! Asking us to cut off a branch is like asking us to carve flesh from our parents! Are all dwarves this rude? This negotiation is completely broken off! How horrifying to have corresponded with such disrespectful beings!”
“Hey! That’s taking things too far! Ruining everything over this? Cancelling all future plans?!”
But the elf remained resolute.
“Sagarmatha, the mountain you hold sacred.”
“Yes…”
“Could dwarves possibly mine and destroy that mountain if needed?”
The dwarf hesitated, then nodded slightly.
To the dwarves, Sagarmata was a majestic, towering presence, yet one willing to sacrifice itself when necessary.
“If truly needed, Sagarmata would offer itself willingly.”
“Would you carve flesh from your own parents? Truly unfilial. There’s nothing more to say. We’re leaving!”
“Wait! No…”
Thus, the initial meeting—and all subsequent negotiations—between elves and dwarves ended disastrously.
—
“That’s what happened. Yes. After that, various clashes followed.”
Hm… A conflict between elves and dwarves.
Honestly, it seems to stem from differing worldviews among the races.
For elves, trees are kin, especially the World Tree which they view as parental figures. Asking for a branch would feel like asking to sever a parent’s hand.
But for dwarves, it’s just a branch. They’d mine their sacred mountain if necessary, so they couldn’t comprehend the elves’ mindset.
Moreover, they couldn’t fathom why the elves would react so strongly despite being offered their most valuable gem.
From the elves’ perspective, forgiving the dwarves would be impossible. From the dwarves’ side, understanding the elves’ stance would be equally hard.
If these two races were to wage war…
Ah, no calling forth the Destruction Dragon God. Though tempting to shout “Hotya!!” and wipe out anyone ending in -f or -r, that wouldn’t solve anything.
So, I should listen to both sides.
Listening to both Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha seems only fair.
Hold on, inner Destruction Dragon God… Now is not your time!
We cannot destroy everything just because Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha stayed silent!
