Chapter 99
It has been about three years since the elves left the dwarves' country.
It has been just under five years since I returned from the Foudre Empire.
Counting from when I first came to the dwarves' country, it has been... just short of eleven years now.
Trade between the elves and dwarves had taken shape, albeit on a small scale.
Weapons and tools made from monster materials were primarily the responsibility of a master craftsman named Garave, who had once lived in the Kingdom of Rudoria.
I had known his name even before coming to the dwarves' country, and apparently Garave had known of me as well.
Yes, he was that master craftsman who had defeated me several times at competitions in Rudoria.
Garave had volunteered for this undertaking and actively recruited other dwarves as well.
Rajudor, who had been the master of my old friend Kaushman, had also taken an interest in this undertaking.
He had apparently thought there might be more people among the elves with the magical talent to manipulate mana and use magic tools than among the dwarves.
Whether elves actually needed magic tools remained unclear, but these signs of change that I had never anticipated were fascinating.
I truly hoped something would come of it.
And the ones actually making the journey to trade with Mi Forest in the Kingdom of Rudoria were dwarves who had previously handled trade with the Foudre Empire.
They were the ones who had traveled with me through the Foudre Empire.
They claimed they had nothing to do because trade with the Foudre Empire had decreased, but there was no way that the dwarves who carried goods along steep mountain roads and served as the thread connecting the dwarves to the outside world could truly have been idle.
Yet when they learned that I was trying to make trade between the elves and dwarves a reality, they had naturally volunteered to serve as carriers.
Thus, the alcohol brought from Mi Forest wasn't just fruit wine.
They also produced and exported something made by diluting honey with water, infusing it with alcohol, and fermenting it—in other words, mead.
I had sampled a little of both, and the fruit wine and mead were both made with such care that they were astonishingly delicious.
Even the dwarves who were particular about alcohol, or who loved strong liquor, said it would be a shame to distill them and happily drank them as they were.
...With Azvardo chosen as the next king and trade between the elves and dwarves taking shape,
I could say that everything I had to do in the dwarves' country had been taken care of.
I had also enjoyed the hot springs regularly and to my heart's content.
Win's smithing training had reached a stopping point as well, and apparently he had reached the stage where all that remained was to turn out piece after piece, work with actual customers, and hone his skills.
So he agreed
to leave the dwarves' country with me and return to the Kingdom of Rudoria.
I had no complaints whatsoever about spending time in the dwarves' country.
I—and probably Win as well—had spent a truly enjoyable time in the dwarves' country.
But I had a promise to keep.
A promise I had made to Kaeha: that I would be there for her at the end.
Of course, we still had some time.
It wouldn't be only a few years, so it should be more than ten.
But, conversely, that meant we had only that much time.
Twenty years might be possible if we were lucky, but thirty would surely be difficult.
Thus, I would go there and spend the next ten or twenty years.
Yes, beside Kaeha.
I had wondered if Win might want to remain in the dwarves' country, but apparently he had plans of his own.
Win would soon be fully independent, and once that happened, I could no longer dictate his actions.
Honestly, I felt that Kaeha and Win's time was passing far too quickly...
Before leaving the deep forest, I had been the one who grew impatient and restless at the high elves' excessively long lives.
On the morning of our departure, Azvardo gave Win and me a pair of bracelets.
At a glance, they looked like silver, but their shine and hardness were completely different. They were unquestionably mithril.
I hadn't helped with their creation at all, and I couldn't hide my surprise at being given mithril in the first place, since it was supposed to be something the dwarves never allowed outside their borders,
"Don't worry. I got it through the proper procedures and borrowed the king's forge to make them. There's nothing shady about it. Anyone who sees them—even dwarves in a faraway land—will know that you two are our friends and kin."
Azvardo snorted and said this with a slightly smug air.
Ah... What could I say to that?
When I was at a loss for words,
"But I... I haven't done anything like Eisa, so I can't accep—Master, I can't accept it."
Win said, his voice trembling.
But Azvardo—the damn dwarf master—thumped his fist against Win's chest.
Ah, I was a little envious.
"You fool. You're my apprentice too. You're a fine citizen of this country, and one of our kin. ...There's no point comparing yourself to that damn elf."
Whether from pain or something else, Win's face crumpled as the damn dwarf master spoke.
For that matter, why was I being called a damn elf after all that?
"You see, I understand why you'd compare yourself to him when he's your foster parent. I won't say any more in front of him, but I understand your pain. But regardless of that damn elf, I recognize you. Consider this proof."
I didn't understand what Azvardo was saying, but I did understand that now wasn't the time to interrupt.
The damn dwarf master was giving Win something I couldn't give him, something I didn't understand and couldn't put into words.
It was a little complicated, and frustrating, but I said nothing and simply watched over them.
"Listen, Win. You aren't an add-on to your foster parent there. We know that. Come visit us whenever you like. But don't let your skills get rusty. Understood?"
As Azvardo carefully spoke each word, as if making sure they sank in, Win could only nod.
Azvardo laughed, looking amused.
Well, if the two of them were satisfied, that was fine by me.
Azvardo's words were directed at Win, but they were probably also teaching me something I was missing.
I'll take my time and think about it.
I was fully aware that I didn't understand Win's feelings.
Of course, I had never thought of Win as my add-on, but what mattered was how Win himself felt and what he himself thought.
"Eisa, you've been a great help this time as well. The next time we meet, I'll be king, polishing the throne with my backside. It won't suit me anyway, so come laugh at me as hard as you like. Well then, see you."
With those words to see us off, we left the dwarves' country.
Win, who had ridden in the carrier on my back when we first arrived, now walked on his own two feet.
And the view below from the mountain was as magnificent as ever.