Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Dragon Fear Among Dwarves and Elves
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I recalled Sia’s reaction when she first saw me.
If I hadn’t taken some measures back then, she’d still be feeling repulsed by me.
Being imprinted in someone’s mind as a terrifying existence isn’t exactly a good thing.
I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why would I enjoy seeing them trembling for no reason?
However, there are times when such an imprint can be helpful.
For example.
“P-Please spare me…….”
Like this.
The reason it had come to this was simple.
I had merely stepped into this massive hall filled with dwarves…… and this was the result.
Some dwarves were even passing out from overwhelming fear.
I hadn’t threatened them or anything.
The moment I simply appeared before them, they saw me and fainted, foamed at the mouth, or cowered in terror.
At least the dwarf who seemed to be their leader representing them didn’t faint, but he couldn’t hide his trembling as he said that to me.
“I won’t kill you.”
Even after I clearly said that, the one who looked like the dwarf leader was still gripped by fear.
This was a headache in its own way.
They were so terrified that they couldn’t even properly receive my intentions.
Nia, standing beside me, stroked her chin with her finger as if she had expected this.
“As expected, it turned out like this.”
“You knew?”
“It’s happened countless times.”
“Ah. It was like this with Sia last time too……. What on earth did the Progenitor Dragon do to make the elves and dwarves react like this just to me?”
“Those two races fought almost every day, so your progenitor ruled them thoroughly through fear. That must be why.”
“Er, um……. I see.”
To sum up what Nia said:
The elves and dwarves had fought so much that they were suppressed with maximum fear.
That’s why an indelible fear of dragons was etched into their instincts back then.
But the World Tree’s blessing must have existed even then, right? At least the elves shouldn’t have had a problem.
“Didn’t you have your blessing back then too? Then why did they fight each other?”
“Their hostility was much stronger back then. Over generations, they slowly submitted to the dragon’s fear, suppressing their nature, and that’s why it’s only to this extent. If it were like back then, this place would already be an ocean of flames.”
……Ah. So the elves and dwarves’ natures were overly aggressive toward each other?
“Why on earth did those two races end up fighting so much?”
“Well…… I’m not entirely sure myself. They’ve just been like that ever since they were born from my power.”
So even the World Tree doesn’t know.
“Anyway…… hold on.”
I approached the one who seemed to be the dwarf leader.
But every time I got closer, this guy kept backing away.
“Stop moving.”
“Eek……!”
At that, the dwarf froze like ice, unable to budge.
“Sia, this dwarf seems like the most influential one among them. What’s his name?”
“Gilbert.”
“Good, Gilbert. Could you extend your hand for a moment? I’m not going to do anything strange.”
“Y-Yes!”
Just like I did with Sia, I infused him with my energy.
Only then did Gilbert’s pale complexion return to normal.
“Wh-What brings you here…….”
“I came to mediate because of the recent disputes with the elves.”
“Th-That’s……!”
Gilbert started acting guilty, like his feet were itching.
Ah.
Just from that scene, I could tell. The dwarves were the ones who started this dispute.
And the elves weren’t that aggressive about conflicts.
It might seem like I’m painting the dwarves as the bad race, but what can you do when it’s the truth?
The elves must have held back a lot too.
No matter how much Sia and Nia suppressed the elves, if the dwarves kept picking fights, they’d eventually explode.
“Let’s hear the reason. Why did you do it?”
“……Instinct.”
“Ah, instinct.”
According to Gilbert, they had such intense hostility toward elves that they didn’t even know why themselves.
But no matter how much they disliked it, shouldn’t they control instincts to that degree?
If they’re intelligent beings, that is.
There’s a great way to handle situations like this.
Just make it so they don’t have to get heated with each other.
Separate the dwarves’ living areas from the elves’ so their habitats don’t overlap at all.
Of course, as social beings, they might encounter elves in daily life…… but I’d like to believe they’re not foolish enough to clash even then.
“We separated the elves’ and dwarves’ residential areas in a similar way before. So the conflicts decreased sharply.”
You can’t fix instincts themselves, so just ensure they never cross paths.
If they cause trouble when they do meet…… well, we’d have to impose sanctions then.
There are humans who band together and start brawls too, so instilling proper fear for that would be best.
“So, I’m thinking of changing your residential areas. Any objections?”
At those words, even Gilbert couldn’t say anything.
Even with mutants flocking to the mutant city, the land was vast enough that swapping residential zones was easy.
The infrastructure was similar across zones, so they wouldn’t feel inconvenienced.
They might have voiced complaints, but due to the profound fear they felt toward me, they didn’t dare express any.
Deals like this require a certain level of fear from the start.
Thus, Gilbert and the dwarves ended up living in a zone directly opposite the elves.
It was an isolated area with plenty of spare land anyway, and the dwarves preferred not encountering people often.
In exchange, they weren’t without demands.
They requested the latest forge facilities for their use.
Actually, it wasn’t even a request. They said they’d build the forge themselves if we just approved it in their zone.
We had no reason to refuse, so Sia and I readily nodded.
……Come to think of it, besides their instinctive hostility toward elves, the reason they were so on edge might have been the lack of a proper forge—they couldn’t make anything.
In their current zone, building a forge would cause noise pollution like terrorism to races with sensitive hearing.
Anyway, with that, the elf-dwarf issue was resolved.
If I hadn’t stepped in, the lack of fear would have made negotiations far less smooth.
It felt a bit like blackmail…… but since we pretty much met the dwarves’ demands, this seemed like a satisfactory mediation for both sides.
The elves wouldn’t have to deal with the dwarves anymore, the dwarves wouldn’t have to redden their faces at the sight of elves, and they could set up their own workshops.
While we were at it, we proceeded to separate residential zones for several other sensitive races.
It was something that should have been done long ago, but with mutants pouring in and so much administrative work, they had hastily assigned zones.
Thus, once the residential issues were sorted, the conflicts clearly decreased.
Of course, mutants forced to relocate voiced complaints……
But when Sia announced fair compensation soon, those complaints quickly died down.
The tumultuous first day of visiting the World Tree passed, and suddenly my schedule felt wide open.
Having finished everything in one day left me with nothing to do.
So now, I was fully recharging by fiddling with Nia’s cheeks.
Nia didn’t seem burdened by the skinship at all; she just nestled in my arms silently, peering curiously at my smartphone.
“……This is fascinating. Human technology truly is remarkable.”
Rather, Nia seemed hooked on the smartphone’s built-in functions and the video content accessible through it.
“They say human entertainment has no end, and it’s true. Human imagination is astounding.”
So right now, Nia was watching all sorts of video media.
American cartoons, Japanese animations, movies, and more……
“Want me to get you one?”
“……! Really!?”
Her dramatic reaction made me want to do something for her……
So I asked Sia to get Nia her own smartphone.
Her eyes sparkled like she was beholding a divine relic, which was amusing.
To think this was the World Tree that created havens for all these mutants.
“Uwaaa…… Finally, a breather.”
And Sia let out a proper sigh of relief, having finished the biggest headache.
It would have gotten done somehow without me, but with me here, it wrapped up much faster and without issues.
Worth coming after all.
Anyway, for the remaining time, I toured around with Sia, Nia, Yeonhwa unnie, and Ha-rin.
Since Nia couldn’t stray far from her main body, instead of long trips, we observed how mutants lived in the mutant city, which was interesting in its own way.
Also, I dropped by the dwarves out of curiosity about something……
“H-Here you go!”
They suddenly offered me crafts without me even asking.
I waved it off and refused, but they insisted on giving them to me.
They said they’d feel uneasy if I didn’t accept.
Somehow…… it felt weird, like I’d become the dragon exploiting dwarves from a novel.
But isn’t this something public officials can’t accept?
I heard public officials must declare items over 100,000 won from abroad…… This stuff looks like it could fetch tens of millions at auction just by glancing.
For now, I decided to consult the deputy director and dispose of it.
After finishing our U.S. schedule and returning to Korea, I consulted the deputy director about the dwarf crafts……
“Just dispose of them quietly. No one sane would audit the director over this anyway.”
“Isn’t that corruption?”
“You didn’t even take a fee for starring in that movie this time—that’s already more than enough. And since the director contributes so much to society…… the higher-ups will let it slide.”
The deputy director spoke as if it were no big deal.
……Is this really okay?