Elves and Dwarves (1)
The Hero and I both sighed as we looked at the two messengers who had barged into the inn.
An elven messenger dressed in clothes made of some impossibly soft, silk-like material—though I had no idea what it was—and a dwarven messenger clad head to toe in metal armor, his beard a tangled mess. The two growled at each other but extended their hands toward the Hero.
"We've heard of your fame, Hero. To think a mere human could fell one tricky monster after another—beasts that even we elves would struggle against."
"That sword of yours looks pretty handy! The weapon's impressive enough, but your armor seems lacking. Come with us, and we'll hook you up with some top-notch gear, Hero!"
Elves and dwarves. Both sides clearly wanted to pull the Hero to their own camp...
First things first, I needed to get a read on the situation. I couldn't just blindly side with one or the other.
So.
"Step back for now. I'll decide after I understand things better."
"What's this? This horned wench? A beastkin? Looks like she's your Hero's servant. We're in the middle of talking to your master—go wait somewhere."
...?
"What did you just say?"
"Hm. No doubt about your skills, Hero, but your taste in servants leaves something to be desired. Picking based on looks alone isn't wise. You should keep that in mind—urk!"
In an instant, gravity on the elf multiplied dozens of times over, crushing his body. I sighed as I watched him sink into the floor like some kind of rock spirit merging with the earth.
"A mere fledgling who hasn't even lived a thousand years, and your mouth runs wild like that. Isn't it?"
"Y-yeah."
"Please, calm down. He didn't mean anything by it—he doesn't know better."
"Kyuuu...."
As the elf's bones cracked and ground with sickening crunches, the dwarven messenger, the Hero, and even the oblivious Beast God who'd been watching all paled in horror. I'll explain the Beast God later.
I released the crushing gravity with a casual flick of my hand. Only then did the elf, gasping like a bug underfoot, manage ragged breaths.
Hm. I'd lost my temper for a second there.
"Next time, keep some humility in that thick skull of yours. Got it?"
"Y-yes—cough!"
Oh dear, he was too fragile to even answer properly. It felt like punching and then offering medicine, but I supposed I could mend his shattered bones at least.
"W-well then, I'll be going..."
Just as the dwarven messenger tried to slink away with his tail between his legs.
"Hold on. Let's hear more of the story."
My curt words halted him in his tracks. The dwarf shot the Hero a pleading look, but the Hero just shook his head without a word.
"Don't worry. We're just listening, that's all."
I needed to figure out what was going on, right? And no one would know better than the people involved.
Elves and dwarves. They'd never met directly but had heard of each other through human go-betweens.
The elves who tended forests beneath the world tree, and the dwarves who dug tunnels in the highest mountains, working metals. It hadn't taken long for letters to flow between the two disparate races, slowly building familiarity.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm the representative of the elven goodwill delegation."
"Hah! You're even lankier than I imagined! I'm the dwarven representative!"
But when two utterly different races finally met face-to-face, it inevitably sparked new conflicts.
"Letters couldn't convey it, but you're more... distinctive than I pictured."
"All thanks to this beard! Impressive, eh? Do elves not grow them? Your upper lip's as smooth as a baby's bottom."
"We don't grow beards. Our hair grows long and straight instead. But you're awfully short, aren't you dwarves by nature? Perfect for digging tunnels."
"And you elves are all stick-thin like twigs—how do you even use any strength like that? One good whack, and snap! You'd break!"
Letters had been full of polite flattery, but in person, tensions escalated quickly.
"Take a look at this! Beautiful, isn't it? The most precious gem we've mined—Sagarmatha's Eye, we call this diamond! Just a little polish, and it shines like this! You forest-dwellers never get to see such things!"
"It certainly is lovely."
"Right? So, to adorn it even more beautifully, I think we need a special wood. No one knows trees better than elves, yeah?"
"Using wood for decoration... I'm not keen on carving and cutting trees."
The elf's voice carried clear reluctance.
"To us elves, trees are like kin. Decorating gems with them? An unappealing proposal. Consider it unheard."
"Hmm. Even if we donated this gem to you elves?"
The elves fell silent for a moment.
"Sagarmatha—the name of our holiest mountain, the tallest peak. Adorning its 'eye' and gifting it to the elves would symbolize a bright future between our peoples. Truth be told, dwarves think elves are more trustworthy than other races."
The dwarf chuckled heartily.
"Humans vary too wildly to trust easily, beastkin are half-feral and don't listen well, lizardmen have cold blood in their veins. In the end, elves are the reliable ones, right?"
"That... makes sense."
It was a conversation that completely ignored giants and other rare races.
"So, about that. Your most treasured tree is the world tree, isn't it?"
"Yes, but...?"
"How about just a branch from it?"
At those words, the elven representative shot to his feet.
"This ends the friendship talks. Everyone, up."
"Huh? Wait! Why? It's just a branch from one tree!"
"One tree? A branch? What do you take the world tree's branches for?!"
The elf bellowed in fury.
"The world tree is like our parent! To demand a limb from that parent? Are all dwarves this rude?! These negotiations are over! To think we exchanged letters with such boors—disgusting!!"
"W-wait! That's too much! You're ruining everything over that one thing?! Wrecking all our future plans?!"
The dwarf stammered in panic, but the elf was resolute.
"Sagarmatha, was it? Your sacred mountain."
"Y-yes."
"Would dwarves carve into it if needed?"
The dwarf nodded slightly. The immense, holy peak Sagarmatha was like a great parent who would yield all if they truly required it.
"So what? If it's truly needed, Sagarmatha would offer itself."
"Carving flesh from your own parent? Filial impiety indeed. No more to discuss! We're leaving!"
"Wait! No..."
And so, the first meeting between elves and dwarves—and all subsequent negotiations—went straight down the drain.
"And that's what happened. Yes. From there, all sorts of clashes followed."
Hm... So, the elves and dwarves' feud. Honestly, it seemed born from clashing worldviews.
From the elves' perspective, trees were kin, and the world tree especially was like the parent who nurtured them. Asking for a branch was no different from demanding a parent's severed hand.
But to dwarves, it was just a tree branch—and they were the type to excavate even their sacred Sagarmatha if necessary. They probably couldn't grasp the elven mindset.
And above all, they couldn't fathom why the elves flew into a rage even when offered their most valuable gem.
Unforgivable from the elves' view; incomprehensible from the dwarves'. If these two races went to war...
What should I do?
Ah, but no Apocalypse Dragon mode. Sure, I was pissed, but I couldn't just go Hiya!! and wipe out every elf or dwarf with "ph" in their name!!!
So.
Let's hear both sides out first. Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha. It'd be right to decide after listening to my children too, yeah?
Hold it together. Inner Apocalypse Dragon...! This isn't your moment!!
I couldn't just smash everything because Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha hadn't said a word in this mess!!