Elves and Dwarves (7)

The elves who had come to the dwarves' country fit in with everyone around them much more smoothly than I'd expected.

It went so smoothly, in fact, that I almost felt a little frustrated.

The first to hit it off with the dwarves was Huresio, the bard.

As soon as he was allowed to act freely, he charged into a tavern, played rousing songs the dwarves would enjoy, livened up the revelry, and captured the hearts of the drunks in no time.

Furthermore, after researching the anecdotes and legends passed down among the dwarves, he turned them into songs and performed them.

There was no way he wouldn't become popular after that.

The painter Rebis was generally absorbed in sketching the dwarven country, but was happy to draw portraits whenever asked and time allowed, and so became friendly with the curious children.

Winning children's hearts also won the favor of adults—more specifically, their grandparents, or even older generations.

Dwarves lived longer than humans, so elderly people with great-grandchildren were hardly uncommon.

Dwarves who were overjoyed to display portraits of themselves alongside their grandchildren and great-grandchildren in frames they had made themselves thanked Rebis again and again.

Even the elven adventurers, who had no particular talent like those two, interacted with the dwarves in their own ways—taking on odd jobs around town and accompanying the warrior band on hunts.

There may have been dwarves who spoke ill of the elves for acting so amicably, but not one had come to my attention.

The familiar image of elves and dwarves who loathed each other had no place here now.

I was genuinely happy about that.

And Airena, the leader of those elves,

"Eisa-sama, regarding trade, the elder of Mi Forest has offered to produce alcohol and engage in trade with the dwarves if that is what you wish, Eisa-sama, to whom the elder owes a great debt."

She told me this unexpected good news.

It was a stroke of luck I never would have expected: even at this stage, a forest was willing to pursue trade with the dwarves.

But one thing did concern me. Mi Forest was a large forest located relatively far east in the Kingdom of Rudoria, home to many elves freed from slavery—or, more specifically, it was where Win had been born.

What sort of debt did the elder of that forest think they owed me?

The ones who had done most of the work to rescue the enslaved elves were Airena and the elven adventurers; I had merely offered a little assistance.

As for taking Win in, I had only done so because I wanted to.

I didn't think they would, but even if they asked me to return him now, I wouldn't have the slightest intention of doing so.

Even if he were to strike out on his own before long.

But Airena must have quickly sensed both my slight unease and what I was thinking.

"The elder of Mi has no ulterior motives. If you hadn't been there then, Eisa-sama, elves and humans would have gone to war in earnest, and many of our people would have died. Quite a few elves are grateful to you for preventing that."

She said this with a wry smile and shook her head.

Mi Forest only felt this especially strongly because so many liberated elves had gathered there.

Hearing that, I had no choice but to accept it.

I already knew from experience that sometimes my actions were taken by others to mean far more than I had intended.

It was a little bitter to look back on, but an important experience for me.

"I see. Then I need to make sure the elves of Mi Forest are glad they accepted this offer."

Airena nodded at my words.

The forest-dwelling elves wanted not metal goods, but weapons and tools made from monster claws, fangs, and bones.

Let's prepare some sample goods for the trade and have Airena and the others deliver them.

However, if we were going to trade on a continuing basis, I could have Azvardo make some of it, but not all of it, and there'd be no point in making it myself.

I would need to find skilled craftsmen willing to do their utmost, knowing that their work would be exported to the elven forest.

Dwarves took pride in metalworking, so there was a good chance they'd be reluctant to work exclusively with monster materials.

That was why it would be best to have several craftsmen rotate through the work, rather than have a single dedicated craftsman.

"But it's truly enjoyable to move toward a goal, even if only little by little, isn't it?"

Airena said that to me with a smile, so I nodded emphatically.

Ah, yes, it really was incredibly enjoyable.

I had thought that an exchange between elves and dwarves was a distant goal, but with everyone cooperating, the shape of what we were aiming for was beginning to come into view.

I could feel us drawing closer to it one step at a time.

Once the craftsmen were chosen, we'd give them the monster materials and ask them to process them, and then we'd take the elves to the hot springs.

After they spent some time relaxing at the hot springs and returned, at least some of the goods should be finished by then.

Then we'd have the samples carried to the forest and work out the detailed terms of the trade.

The dwarves' country and the elves' forest were far apart not only physically; for now, the distance between their hearts was even greater.

But if we have fellow travelers walking toward the same goal, I'm sure we'll be able to cross that distance someday.