Chapter 96
One day, about two months later, an elven group arrived in the dwarven nation, accompanied by a guide.
Well, technically, Azvardo and I had arranged their entry permits and guide, but even though I knew it would happen, seeing elves in the dwarven nation in person made me doubt my own eyes.
Yet the dwarves around us made no particular fuss. They acted as though they were used to seeing elves, which left me oddly unsatisfied.
Ah, but of course.
They really were used to seeing them.
My appearance—and Win's.
Whether high elves or half-elves, we were all simply elves of some kind to the dwarves, so the dwarves of this country must have grown thoroughly accustomed to seeing elves by now.
Thinking of it that way, I felt a little sorry for the elves, who seemed somewhat tense.
To them, this was probably not quite enemy territory, but it must have seemed like a place where anything could happen.
But among them, the only one who remained perfectly composed was Airena. She stepped to the front and walked toward us,
"Azvardo-san, Eisa-sama, it has been a long time. And to all of you dwarves, we'll be in your care for a little while. I hope you'll treat us well."
She gave Azvardo, me, and the dwarves who had come to greet them a polite, graceful bow.
It was a remarkably polished display, making it clear to me that she was accustomed to situations like this.
Ah, of course.
After all, Airena was a formidable woman who had negotiated with one country after another, alone, as the elves' representative.
There must have been countless times when her life was in danger as well.
Given that, dealing amicably even with dwarves who had no intention of fighting would hardly be difficult for her.
"Oh, it must be about thirty years since we last met. Do you still use the kukri knife I sold you? You should show it to me; I'll service it later. Ah, this is no place for a long conversation. I'll show you to my home. You and Eisa must have a lot to catch up on."
Azvardo, too, made a point of acting friendly and shook Airena's hand.
By doing so, he was probably trying to put the tense elves at ease, even if only a little.
There were three male elves and two female elves accompanying Airena.
A few of them had faces I had seen before, back when I was living in the royal capital.
Even though I had only helped them with their equipment and talked with them a little, it was still nice to see familiar faces again.
I smiled and waved at them, feeling nostalgic, and they gave me a small wave in return.
The dwarven nation was a vast underground space carved out of the earth and built up with stone.
Yet it was so refined and civilized that "living in holes" hardly seemed like a fitting description.
It had fully equipped water and sewer systems, and because the ventilation had been carefully designed, the underground air was not merely free of stuffiness; I could even feel a gentle breeze.
Sunlight did not reach the depths, but to make up for that, they cultivated great quantities of moss that gave off light. The stone buildings stood out in its glow, making the whole place almost fantastical.
I had been impressed when I first saw it, and the elves who visited this time were no different; looks of astonishment appeared on all their faces.
Even Airena, who had carried herself more regally than anyone, stood there with her mouth hanging open in a daze.
One of the prejudices elves held about dwarves was the assumption that they were a savage race, but anyone who actually saw the dwarven nation would understand that this was wrong.
Indeed, once you set aside that prejudice, it was obvious enough: if dwarves truly were a savage race, they could never have become such excellent craftsmen.
They were certainly impulsive, but that did not mean they were thoughtless. They possessed the patience to work carefully at things and an excellent aesthetic sense.
That was precisely why this dwarven nation could be both practical and beautiful.
Well, it was in the middle of a mountain range, a remote backwater, so it was hardly convenient.
At Azvardo's home—or rather, his mansion—the elves and I introduced ourselves properly.
Of the five elves accompanying Airena, two men and one woman were adventurers, and I already knew them.
The remaining two, however, were elves who had chosen rather unexpected ways of life.
First, the man named Huresio was apparently a traveling bard who journeyed not only throughout the Kingdom of Rudoria but also through the neighboring countries.
He had apparently visited the Vilestrika Republic and the cluster of small states many times as well, and I had a feeling we would have a lot to talk about.
The other elf, a woman, was named Rebis.
She was, astonishingly, a fairly renowned painter.
She was often invited by the royal palace or nobles to paint portraits, but landscapes were apparently her true specialty.
Rebis looked as though she could hardly wait to paint the dwarven nation, and she couldn't hide her restlessness even during the introductions.
Airena certainly had brought along some unusual elves.
Actually, I had never even considered that the elves might have such interesting people among them.
I found myself wondering how they would interpret and understand the dwarven nation, and how they would convey it to the outside world.
I was starting to look forward to it.
Rebis seemed eager to go sketch the dwarven nation immediately, but first they had to recover from the fatigue of their journey at Azvardo's mansion, and then they were due to have an audience with the current king of the dwarves.
I had met the current dwarf king when I received my citizenship, and several times since, and he was a fairly affable old man.
At least on the surface.
So I wasn't particularly worried.