The Hero Met the Dwarves and Elves
A few days after the hero met the dwarves and elves, the imperial capital of Lidea was in absolute chaos. And for good reason—emissaries had arrived from the elven kingdom, which rarely mingled with humans, and from the dwarven city.
Even old man Ghetto, who had lived for quite some time, had never actually seen an elf or dwarf up close, and he went out just to gawk at them.
The imperial palace welcomed them warmly while subtly flexing the empire's might. Thanks to that, a grand welcoming ceremony unfolded, and Lidea, the empire's capital, was swept up in a festive mood.
At a time when the Demon King army has appeared, no less. A deep sense of skepticism washed over me again at the sight, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Coincidentally, both the elves and dwarves had arrived in the capital almost simultaneously. As a result, Crown Prince Aaron handled the elves, while Princess Mary Reister received the dwarves.
It was a rare public appearance for Mary, and she handled the dwarves with notable caution. Of course, to me, her efforts felt pointless, but I had no desire to discourage her when she was trying so hard.
Exactly two days after the elves and dwarves arrived in the capital, I received a summons from the emperor and headed to the palace.
"You've come, hero."
The emperor spoke to me with his usual expressionless face, and as I greeted him, I began scanning the throne room.
On one side, the elven emissaries were chatting with Crown Prince Aaron. On the other, the dwarves glowered at the elves with furrowed brows.
The differences were subtle: Mary was absent, unlike Aaron, and Karen Cross from the Magic Tower boldly occupied a seat in the throne room, despite not being imperial nobility.
"What did you summon me for?"
I asked the emperor, even though I already knew the answer.
The emperor stared at me silently, glanced once at the elves, then once at the dwarves, and finally spoke.
"Regrettably, the Demon King army is approaching both the elven and dwarven nations. Both sides wish for your help, hero. What do you think we should do?"
The emperor phrased it as if he had no intention of getting involved himself. He must have figured it was better to dump the whole mess on me rather than take sides.
I pretended to ponder, buying time as I eyed the emperor.
The reason the elves and dwarves sought me, the hero, was simple. Unlike humans, who forget everything quickly, elves had unnaturally long lifespans, and dwarves drilled their experiences into the next generation like brainwashing.
The Demon King hadn't appeared on the continent for the first time, and they remembered exactly how pivotal the hero had been in those wars.
Plus, no nation's leader welcomed foreign armies crossing their borders.
"Hmm... It's tough to decide something like this on the spot."
Finally, unable to stand my feigned indecision, the elves and dwarves spoke up first.
"Hero, please help our elven forest. With our strength alone, it's hard to protect the World Tree from those vile demons."
One of the elven emissaries pleaded with me, eyes brimming with tears.
She was keeping a low profile now, but knowing what elves were really like, I found the act utterly repulsive.
As I stared silently at the elf, the lead dwarven emissary stepped forward and addressed me.
"Hmph! Look at these shameless bitches! Trying to snag the hero for free? Hero, come with us. The dwarves can give you something good."
I smirked at the dwarf glaring daggers at the elves.
I already knew from my previous life not to fall for their so-called "good stuff."
I gave them both a troubled look, but I'd already decided where to go.
Perfect timing—my sword's broken anyway.
There was jack shit to gain from the elves, but plenty from the dwarves. Plus, thinking of that brazen elf queen's face, she still had a long way to go before she'd come to her senses.
But the dwarves were sly bastards too, so I decided to lock in my gains upfront.
"Uh, can you custom-make one for me?"
"Huh?"
The dwarven leader gave me a strange look at my words.
"If you make me a decent weapon and armor, I'll go with you."
"..."
The dwarven leader frowned without responding.
Dwarves could craft weapons far superior to anything humans made, but they rarely handed them over to outsiders. Not every dwarf was a blacksmith either. The odds of a dwarven emissary to a human nation being one were slim, so naturally, he couldn't promise weapons offhand.
"Hero, will you truly abandon the elves and the World Tree like this?"
As I laid out conditions for the dwarves, the elven leader gazed at me with desperate eyes.
Her subtle play for pity was revolting, but I deliberately looked moved as I eyed the elves.
"Ah, damn... When you look at me like that, it tugs at my heartstrings."
"Hero! We'll custom-make your weapons! For free! Top-grade stuff!"
As I seemed to waver toward the elves, the dwarven leader shouted urgently.
For a dwarf who hated elves with a passion, losing the hero to them was unthinkable.
I forced my lips not to curl into a smirk and stared at the dwarven leader.
"You wouldn't go back on your word later, would you? A real dwarf among dwarves?"
"Hmph! This hero knows his stuff! Fine. I stake my name, James Schultz, on it!"
I nodded at James, the dwarven leader, as he thumped his chest.
When dwarves staked their name on a promise, they never broke it.
"Wait, hero. Why not reconsider?"
As I leaned toward the dwarves, Aaron spoke up desperately.
And I clearly saw it: just before Aaron stepped in, one of the elven leaders whispered something in his ear.
This idiot's fallen for the elves' ploy?
I chuckled inwardly at Aaron.
I didn't know how the elves had swayed him, but it was a terrible choice. Seeing him take their side only tipped my decision further toward the dwarves.
"Your Majesty, I'd like to help the dwarves. Is that alright?"
I asked the neutral emperor, who frowned at Aaron before nodding at me.
"If that's the hero's will."
"But Father!"
"Silence! Whether it's the elven forest or the dwarven city, both are vital allies to us. How can we choose between such important requests?!"
The emperor bellowed angrily at Aaron, who dared contradict him.
The empire had positioned itself as uninvolved, but Aaron had ruined that.
From the emperor's perspective, the dwarven nation—with its vast rare ores and skilled artisans—might have felt more valuable than the elves munching on grass. Still, he didn't want to discard the lesser elves entirely; it was just greedy nobles' mentality.
"Since the hero has decided, the empire will no longer interfere. I hope both sides understand our position."
With that, the emperor wrapped it up and left the throne room.
Aaron, suddenly in the emperor's bad books, glared at me with a resentful scowl.
"You'll regret that choice, hero."
With seducing me via Aaron a failure, the female elven emissary approached and spat haughtily.
I scowled at her sudden arrogance, but before I could respond, James beat me to it.
"Regret my ass! Where do these ugly bitches get off meddling? Huh?"
"...The foul stench is unbearable. Could you back off?"
The elven leader pinched her nose in reply.
I let out an incredulous laugh at the two subraces revealing their true colors.
"What? Can't handle a real man's sweat after sniffing trees all your life? Pussy tingling yet?"
"So vulgar, I can't even converse with you."
"Hah! Don't worry, big-ears. I ain't keen on chatting with an ugly hag like you either."
The elves were insufferably arrogant, and the dwarves spewed vulgarity the moment they opened their mouths. They kept their distance from humans and lived in isolation, but I doubted it was entirely their choice.