Dwarf-Elf Racial Duel (3): A Duel Ended in an Instant
The arena fell into utter silence in the blink of an eye.
A crossbow. Not one that fired ordinary arrows, but a short javelin loaded into it. This thing... it was basically a ballista. A portable ballista sized for one person to carry. Wait, did crossbows even exist in this era? I mean... weren't they around in ancient Greece and Rome, or the Warring States period? Was it really that early? No, but that power is way off! No way a person could carry and fire something with that kind of force! A javelin! A javelin! From a crossbow!!
"Hoo."
The dwarf representative smiled refreshingly as he looked down at the elf duelist crumpled from the crossbow bolt.
"This is the way. Big, beautiful bolts. You don't get this thrill from those small, skinny arrows."
"D-Dwarf victory!"
The referee—the Hero—declared the dwarf's win a beat late, as if struggling to process it. A massive cheer erupted from the dwarf spectators.
Hmm. Well, anything goes as long as you don't kill, right? So pulling out a secret weapon like that and using it as a surprise attack to win should be fine. Yeah.
"C-Cowardly!!"
But the elf representative clearly didn't think so.
"Cowardly! Hiding your weapon and launching a surprise shot!"
"Hey now, that's not cowardly—it's using your head. And this thing isn't some all-purpose weapon!"
The dwarf rep slung the crossbow over his shoulder and explained.
"It's brand new, so the power's solid, but the accuracy sucks. Without that shield to steady my aim, I'd be lucky to hit one out of ten shots!"
Hmm. So the big shield wasn't just for defense—it was for aiming correction too. Pretty clever.
"Urk..."
"And anyway, if we're talking cowardly, the elves started it! Shooting arrows from afar, whoosh whoosh. We dwarves can't exactly chuck axes back, so we just take it on the chin! And now you call us cowardly? You gonna say that with a hole in your mouth? Huh?"
Hmm. Fair point. The elves were the ones raining down one-sided ranged attacks to soften things up before the duel even started. Of course, the dwarves' defenses meant no fatal hits from arrows.
"Plus, this thing's basically single-use. After one shot, you pretty much have to toss it."
The dwarf rep planted the front of the crossbow on the ground, stomped to hold it steady, and cranked back the string with all his might. The whole reload took about five seconds. Even with dwarf strength, that's a killer delay in a duel where every instant counts. So really, that initial loaded shot was all it had. A true ambush weapon. Crossbow.
"Winning with a flawed weapon like this? You oughta praise me for it."
"Urk..."
The elf rep opened his mouth to retort again, but...
"That's enough."
I cut in first.
"Don't make it uglier than it has to be. The match is decided. We said anything goes short of killing, so winning with a new weapon like that is no problem."
Besides, the dwarves still had aces up their sleeves they hadn't revealed. Enchantments using mana stones. If they'd used those more aggressively, the duels would've gone even smoother. Or maybe they already were—on the armor and shields. Honestly, tanking that many arrows like a porcupine with living flesh is impressive. Probably some defense-boosting enchantment. Or not. They did take some serious wounds. Who knows the truth.
Hmm. Inspecting their gear closer would reveal it, but... too much hassle.
"Urgh..."
At my words, the elf rep couldn't continue, dropping his head wearily.
"I... acknowledge our defeat..."
Good. Should've done that from the start!
"Alright! The duel victor is the dwarf! The winner of the inaugural Dwarf-Elf Racial Duel is the dwarves!!!!"
My shout unleashed cheers from the dwarves and even wails of grief from the elves.
Winner and loser. Joy and sorrow. Light and dark. Two starkly opposed atmospheres blending in the arena.
Hmm. That was pretty fun.
So...
"Elves. No need to grieve."
I grinned and said,
"You'll get a next time."
Ending something this entertaining after just once would be a shame, right?
Murmurs rippled through the elves at my words.
"Let's see. With dwarf and elf senses of time... hmm. Every ten years sound good? What do you think?"
Now the dwarves started murmuring too.
"Hmm. Seems fair. So, dwarves and elves—to prevent war between your races from here on, you'll hold five duels here every ten years."
Voices from both sides merged into one.
Fierce duels staking lives. Bloody brawls throwing everything at each other to fell the foe. How could witnessing that not be thrilling? Like Roman gladiators.
I cast magic over the entire arena. No one could take a life here. They'd just pass out amid intense pain instead. Add indestructible enchantments too... and it'd be a duel arena they could use without me babysitting.
"I've enchanted this arena. No one dies on it, so use it well from now on."
I approached the dwarf rep and said,
"The racial duel winner gets management rights over this arena and the surrounding area. Plus, the right to have their race's name called first whenever both dwarves and elves are named together."
The quick-witted dwarf rep seemed to catch my drift immediately.
"And also."
I teleported briefly to Yggdrasil's side.
"Yggdrasil. Lend me a branch."
「Ah, sure. How's it going?」
"Pretty fun so far. I'll fill you in after."
I cut a suitable branch and returned to the arena.
"He just... vanished..."
"Just spatial transfer. Don't worry about it."
"No, spatial transfer...?"
It's magic that jumps to known coordinates. For the record, I have perfect recall of coordinates for kids like Yggdrasil who can't move themselves. Ready to zip there anytime.
"Quick trip to the world tree. Now... do I still have those gems I was gonna gift the elves?"
"Ah, those... I left them with one of my men..."
"Fetch them. I need 'em."
At my order, the dwarf rep scurried off on his short legs, grabbed something from another dwarf, and returned. A leather pouch with a fist-sized diamond. Roughly polished on the surface, still raw-crystal-like.
Hmm. A gem this fine could shine even more with proper cutting. Like the diamond in the Hero's sword. Round brilliant cut. Honestly, diamonds gotta be that shape or they fall flat!
Mana blades swirled around the floating rough stone, carving it away. Fragments scattered, revealing the gem within. Saving most of the huge rough into a stunning shape left a glowing stone slightly smaller than my fist hovering silently.
"O. Oooh... Ooooooh..."
The dwarf rep teared up at the sight.
"H-How beautiful... The true eye of Sagarmatha. An eye holding light within..."
Hey, not done yet. I placed the polished diamond atop the Yggdrasil branch in my hand, enveloping both in mana. The branch warped at my will into a new form.
A trophy. Champion's trophy. Dwarves and elves back-to-back, hoisting the massive diamond. Dwarf needed a little rock to stand on account of height difference... but anyway. Wrapped Sagarmatha's sacred eye in world tree wood, added mithril filigree, indestructible magic to finish. Oh, tracking enchantment against theft too.
"The racial duel winner owns this trophy. For ten years, until the next."
"Ooo... Ooooo..."
The dwarf rep, beyond words now, just wept in awe.
Perfect. Stage set. Now go have fun on it, dwarves and elves.