Chapter 29: Subrace (4)
The elves started to flourish quickly.
Using bows and arrows made from trees to hunt animals in the forest and cultivating various trees to expand the great forest, they quickly broadened their territory under the shade of Yggdrasil.
Some newcomers from outside the great forest appeared, wanting to join the elves, and eventually, they were transformed into elves by Yggdrasil and joined the ranks.
With the great forest, where Yggdrasil is located, as their base, the prosperity of the elves took its first steps.
However, there were also elements of anxiety lurking among the elves.
Those who had settled around Yggdrasil early on and were transformed into elves by me began to create distinctions from those who joined later.
They claimed to be purer and nobler elves, since they had been around the World Tree from the very start.
The discrimination began for such first-come, first-served reasons, but as time passed, various other excuses started piling up.
They insisted that elves transformed by me had longer and more beautiful ears, better sensitivity, and a stronger connection with spirits.
This difference arose from the gap in magical proficiency between Yggdrasil and me… but honestly, it should have been just a minor difference. It seemed they were just itching to find excuses to discriminate.
Anyway, while it was still a trivial difference, over time, it could lead to a significant rift among the elven race.
Should I let it be? Or should I step in?
If they were humans… I probably would have intervened without a second thought. Hmm… I guess this is why Yggdrasil said I was too biased.
If I just let it be, those claiming to be noble might become High Elves, while those who rebel and flee could end up as Dark Elves… Hmm, I can’t just stand by and watch.
So, I went to Yggdrasil and said,
“Are you really planning to let their disputes slide?”
[I do feel the need to intervene… but even if I scold them, it only lasts a moment before they start fighting again… How can I make them stop squabbling?]
What if I just tell them fighting is bad? They’re not kids; would that even work?
Well, maybe it’s okay to throw some tough love their way.
There’s a myth in another world. You know, the one about the sun goddess who got fed up with tyranny and locked herself in a cave, causing the world to lose its light?
Wouldn’t it be alright to do something similar?
“How about this?”
It might be a bit harsh for them, but for those stirring up trouble within the same elven race, it could be a fitting solution.
“After scolding them, pay them no mind. Ignore them completely until they come to realize their wrongdoings and reflect on them.”
[Ignore them? But those kids can’t survive without my nurturing! They’re fragile!]
“Exactly! That’s why it will work effectively. If they don’t realize their mistakes on their own, it’ll become a direct threat to their survival. Just be careful; if you keep using this method, it might backfire, so save it for this time only.”
[Hmm… Alright, I’ll trust you. But what if they keep fighting without realizing their mistakes?]
“Then I’ll step in and show them what they’re doing wrong, how they can come back. If I pressure and scold them, don’t you think they’ll eventually get it?”
Is this some kind of carrot and stick policy? No, it feels more like both are sticks.
Well, at least I’m the one proposing a solution.
[Okay, I’ll leave the kids in your hands.]
“Leave it to me.”
And thus, Yggdrasil began to scold the elves.
[Why are you dividing yourselves like this? All of you are under my shade! I can’t stand it anymore! I won’t listen to your voices until you realize your mistakes and swear not to repeat them!]
Yggdrasil’s stern voice rippled through the elves, leaving them in a state of shock.
Though they had started hunting with bows, they were still at the novice level, unable to start a proper fire, mostly gnawing on raw meat… Their main food source was Yggdrasil’s fruits.
The elves had naively thought Yggdrasil would withhold the fruits, but…
Days passed, and their “wouldn’t happen” came true, delivering a great shock.
“World Tree! We were wrong! It’s all because of those impostors!!!”
“What?! You guys ignored us! Yggdrasil said we are elves too! Then why are you ignoring us?!”
“What did you just say? I can’t hear the words of those with short ears.”
Wow. Talk about a hate fest.
But this isn’t the time to just sit back and watch.
The elves began blaming one another and squabbling when Yggdrasil stopped bearing fruits.
No physical confrontations had erupted yet… but at this rate, it was just a matter of time.
It’s time for me to jump in.
I leaped into the crowd of elves gathered in the square, and they were taken aback by my sudden appearance.
“Stop.”
I said in a low voice and cranked up the gravity a bit, pinning the elves down.
“You heard not to fight, yet you’re still brawling? You fools.”
The elves, immobilized by the sudden increase in gravity, could barely move and were in shock from my unexpected appearance.
Even the elves, who were confident in their sharp senses, hadn’t noticed my presence AT ALL.
What must it feel like to witness something that shouldn’t be there?
“You are…”
The elves I had directly transformed seemed to remember me but couldn’t speak up easily.
If they recalled me shattering rocks with arrows, that might make sense.
But.
“An outsider…?!”
The elves who didn’t know me seemed completely shocked.
Well, that’s understandable. The newcomers transformed into elves would have no clue who I am since Yggdrasil altered them directly.
“Outsider, get lost! This doesn’t concern you elves…”
“You idiot! Do you even know who this person is?!”
“What?! Did you just call me an idiot?!”
And here we go again; they’re bickering among themselves. Even though they’re heavy from the increased gravity, they’re still trying to throw fists.
“Quiet.”
I cranked up the gravity again, and the elves couldn’t hold on anymore and collapsed flat onto the ground.
“Yggdrasil started ignoring you because it was fed up with your fighting, and yet here you are trying to brawl again. Truly, you are foolish.”
“Ugh…”
“Grggh…”
The elves, sprawled on the ground like insects, groaned. They looked somewhat pathetic.
“I came here with a solution to your problem… But in this state, you won’t be able to utilize that solution. What a waste, truly a waste. To think this is how the elven race ends up.”
I sighed softly and released the gravity spell binding them. Slowly, the elves caught their breath and got back up.
“Are you… able to resolve this issue?”
“Of course. Don’t you all know how to fix this problem?”
The problem itself isn’t that tough. If they set their minds to it, it could be resolved quickly.
But they clearly lacked the will to tackle it.
“That is…”
“I don’t know who you are, but this is an internal elf matter. The conflict arises because they don’t treat us equally.”
The voice from someone who didn’t know me—that’s certainly true, they were the first to discriminate.
“We’re all elves living under the shade of the World Tree. Can’t we just get along?”
No one responded.
Such pitiful beings.
“You must understand each other’s feelings first.”
If they could walk a mile in each other’s shoes, maybe they’d get it a bit more.
I used magic. I swapped the races of those divided into two sides, as if choosing teams.
The elves transformed by me became like those transformed by Yggdrasil.
And vice versa—those changed by Yggdrasil became like those transformed by me.
The difference is very subtle, but I’m sure they’d feel it.
“What is this?!”
“Huh…”
The perceptual differences would be stark, but the contrast would also be jarring.
“How does it feel now that you’ve switched places?”
“It’s… really frustrating…”
“I can’t believe there’s this much of a difference…”
Awesome! They’re starting to catch a glimpse of each other’s struggles.
“Will you swear not to fight anymore?”
“Yes! We swear!”
“Could… could you change all of us like this?”
Huh.
Well, it’s not that hard, but what about the new elves coming in?
So, I’m just swapping them all? Yggdrasil would surely throw a fit!
“Yggdrasil personally transformed you. You’re not unhappy about that, are you?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Yggdrasil holds a god-like status among the elves. I wonder what would happen if they voiced dissatisfaction about what Yggdrasil did.
That sounds entertaining, doesn’t it?
“Fine. We won’t fight them anymore.”
“Them? Aren’t you all elven? Get along now. Play nice.”
In any case, after mediating the elf feud, I returned them to their original forms.
The elves, whose senses had dulled back down, seemed a bit wistful.
“Now that you’ve made up, let’s talk about how to appease Yggdrasil.”
I called upon the spirits hovering around us.
The spirit of fire. The spirit of water. The spirit of wind. The spirit of earth. And the spirit of wood.
There were fewer spirits of light and darkness, sadly.
I distributed my magical energy among those spirits, materializing their forms.
“This is…!”
“You can converse with spirits, but you’ve never laid eyes on them directly.”
By sharing my magical power, I can materialize them like this… but there was no being among them that could do this otherwise.
Oh, except for dragons—they can.
“I’ll show you how to harness the power of these spirits.”
Naturally, if you’re elves, you gotta dabble in spirit magic! It’s a must!
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