Chapter 96: Elves and Dwarves (3)
Alright, let’s have a quick chat before the representatives of the elves and dwarves get here.
“Kyuu?”
I’m talking about this tiny little mouse-like creature that’s adorably faking cuteness right in front of me.
I gently pushed the tip of the creature’s nose, which was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
Well, sure, it looks cute.
What’s really bizarre is that this small, cute creature is a naturally occurring deity. Isn’t that just odd?
“Kii!”
The creature screeches in anger. But let’s be real, it’s still just cute.
As I softly scratched the head of the angry little beast with my index finger, it seemed to feel better and calmed down quickly.
Even though it’s pretending to be all cute, this creature used to turn into all sorts of animals and wreak havoc… it was a deity born from the faith of beastmen.
Why are beastmen so different from other humans? Why do they have animal features?
The beastmen, curious about their origins, wanted to find out more, but… they couldn’t uncover anything.
Well, maybe it’s better that way. I mean, if they found out their ancestors were just humans messing with beasts, they might just want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Anyway, since they couldn’t find the truth, they imagined it themselves.
They imagined the original beast that was in love with humans, who then attacked them and had a child.
And thus, they came up with a myth about the ancestor deity that birthed half-beast, half-human beastmen.
So ultimately, it all spiraled into confusing stories about beasts transforming into gods.
Plus, since the oral tales highlighted their mysterious powers, it seems the intelligence of these deities turned into something akin to a total buffoon!
Thanks to that, this silly creature, who would act like a monster while transforming into various beasts, got taken down by the hero.
It was even a deity, but it only had slightly more strength than regular monsters. I only noticed it had an ounce of divinity just in time to prevent it from completely turning the hero into a world-slaying deity.
After giving this incomprehensible beast god a “little chat,” I tamed it and took it along.
Sure, I plan to tidy up the mythology of the beastmen later and turn it into a real god. For now, it’s serving as the hero’s mount and bait.
At least it’s adorably cute as a pet. Yup.
“You really seem to like that little guy.”
“Well, it’s a young god that’s barely old enough to sit up. So of course, it’s cute.”
As long as I don’t let its true beastly nature out, it’s endlessly adorable! Hmm… I guess a tamed beast is still a beast.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Anyway, after enjoying some quality time with the now-silent little beast, I found myself waiting for the elves and dwarves only to realize they were facing off with their armies.
I specifically said to bring the representatives, but why has this turned into an all-out war?
Plus, the mood between both sides is tense. It feels like if I blink for even a second, arrows will start flying.
Honestly, these guys are impossible to deal with.
“Both sides, step back and create some distance.”
In the end, it turned out to be my job to sort out the mess.
“At this point, wouldn’t it just be easier to battle it out right here? At this distance, they wouldn’t be able to shoot their arrows as impressively as they boast.”
“Interesting. While the elves are skilled with bows, it seems you underestimate their close combat capabilities.”
The elves and dwarves totally ignored my wise words and started glaring at each other.
Here are the dwarves with their heavy metal armor, axes, and shields all equipped, and the elves all dressed lightly, holding bows.
Oh, the elves in front are beginning to unravel their bowstrings, and their bows are transforming into staves. Quite fancy, huh?
Plus, they’re summoning spirits to imbue their staffs. Impressive! They’re turning their staves into deadly weapons with the power of spirits.
With those kinds of weapons, even the towering dwarves would struggle to keep up!
But,
“Do my words mean nothing?”
I could only sigh at the sight of both races looking ready to punch each other.
Seeing them on the brink of battle, I felt a bit irritated and decided to crank up the gravity in the area where both armies and their representatives were.
“Cut it out, you morons.”
“Grk?!”
“What the heck is this?!”
“It’s the wrath of the goddess, you foolish beings.”
With a simple spell, I increased the gravity in a specific area, causing the very air to weigh down on them. But trust me, it won’t feel light for them.
It’ll feel like they had a few hefty dumbbells tied to them. Moving around? Good luck with that!
“Ugh, ugh… you are…!”
“For now, I am the representative of the Goddess of Life. The goddess’s proxy.”
“The goddess’s proxy…?”
The representatives of both races seemed to have some backbone, as they began to endure the crushing gravity. Impressive!
“So, are you ready to chat now?”
I asked while gazing at the two representatives straining just to stand upright.
“I have come to put an end to the fight you were about to start, in lieu of the Goddess of Life. Of course, I’ve already spoken with your respective deities, the World Tree Yggdrasil and the sacred mountain Sagarmatha, so your refusal is not an option.”
I laid it out for them.
“Interracial war is forbidden. However, since we can’t erase the tensions, I’ll have representatives from each race compete in a non-lethal contest.”
“A non-lethal contest? This isn’t some childish joke…”
Complained the dwarf representative. I added a bit more gravity to him just for fun.
Suddenly, the dwarf, who managed to stand up just fine, crumbled to his knees on the ground.
“Want to die? I could easily squish you into a puddle of blood right this second.”
“Ugh…!”
Though I must admit, dwarves are sturdy little things. I thought they’d collapse, but they held on like champs.
Now that’s some classic dwarven resilience for you!
“That horn… that silver hair… this insane power… Could it be…”
Hmm? The elven representative seemed to be piecing something together about me.
Hmm… He doesn’t seem very old for an elf, but is he actually older than he looks?
Shouldn’t he be showing some signs of age after all this time?
“Are you the one who taught our elves the art of spirit magic?”
Oh? He actually remembers! That’s impressive memory for you.
Still remembering events from hundreds of years ago.
But now I am not the Goddess of Life or the Creator Dragon God, but a mere proxy, so I can’t really answer that honestly.
Let’s see… How about…
“We are the same being, yet a different person.”
“The same being? A different person…?”
“The one who taught the elves spirit magic was like me, a representative of the Goddess of Life. The Dragon’s Priestess. While the essence is the same, I am a newly born distinct entity.”
Hmm. Would this suffice as a fib? Nah, definitely not enough.
“After all, this body is human. I can’t live for centuries like you elves.”
I pile on more lies.
“Thus, the one who taught your elves spirit magic… was the Dragon’s Priestess from a few generations prior to me.”
“The Dragon’s Priestess…!”
I’m building quite the castle of fibs here.
I’m just a proxy of the goddess, the Dragon’s Priestess is the one who did the real work.
The Goddess of Life is just up in the heavens, keeping an eye on things and showering blessings.
We’ve basically got ourselves a division of responsibilities going on here.
It’s a lot like a two-for-one deal, but!
By dividing these roles, I can step in readily whenever I need to, all while keeping that goddess vibe intact.
Well, it’s a bit of a cheap trick, but still!
“I do have knowledge of what the previous Dragon’s Priestess did, but my personal memories aren’t fully passed down. It’s more like reading someone else’s diary, even if we share similar essences.”
“Same essence but different existence… I see. I apologize for my rudeness until now.”
“That’s enough as long as you get it.”
I continue piling on the lies until I can fool everyone but myself.
“Wait. This Dragon’s Priestess you speak of… has she been active for a long time?”
The dwarf representative, still on his knees, manages to speak through the strain. Hmm. He must really want to get this off his chest.
“Did she by chance provide a lot for the dwarves?”
When the dwarf representative asked, I nodded slightly.
“Well, it was actually one of the previous Dragon’s Priestesses who named the dwarves in the first place.”
I lied that it was something like the ‘Sage of the Underworld.’
“Ah, I see. So that’s how it is. So ‘Silver Wisdom’ must certainly have been the Dragon’s Priestess.”
“Silver Wisdom?”
“It’s a saying among the dwarves. I thought it was just a fleeting idea, but it’s actually referring to the representative of the Goddess of Life…”
Ah, so that’s how that legend was woven into their lore.
“Hmm… I won’t flaunt this openly, so if possible, please keep it under wraps?”
I smiled as I returned the gravity pressing down on them to normal.
Now, even if I ask them to keep it a secret like that… it’s not likely to stay a secret. With the thousands of elves and dwarves here, keeping it quiet is impossible.
And slowly, rumors about the Dragon’s Priestess will surely spread.
Not as just the hero’s companion, but as the Dragon’s Priestess herself!
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