I felt eyes watching me from hiding. They were demonstrating firsthand that curiosity mattered more to them than their lives.
Haa, so they still couldn't suppress their curiosity?
I put down the child who'd been staring blankly from my arms as though unable to understand any of this, then looked up at the sky and lost myself in thought for a while.
After I'd spent quite some time thinking, I felt someone tugging at my clothes. Hmm? What is it?
“Mister, mister, are you a dragon?”
When I looked down, the little elf, only half my height, was gazing up at me with curious eyes. Seeing those bright, clear eyes without a hint of fear or reluctance, I chuckled, stroked the child's head, and spoke.
“Yes, I'm a dragon. A Red Dragon. My name's Rainisis. What's your name, little one?”
Apparently, the child didn't like being called ‘little one.’ Puffing out those cheeks, the child complained.
“Reisa isn't little! I'm Reisa Anidenraji. I'm 37 now! And I'm a proper lady!”
I chuckled. At 37, you're still a ‘little one,’ only about 5 by elf standards? I picked Reisa up again and put her on my shoulders. Haha, this is the first time I've played with children since playing with my little nieces and nephews before my reincarnation. As Reisa played with my hair, twisting it and trying to braid it, I spoke to her.
“Reisa, shall I show you something fun?”
“Yes! Show me!”
Hmm, what would be good? They said elves were good at handling spirits? Then shall I use my spirit arts for the first time in a while and put on a little performance? Good, Sylph! Undine! Spark! Come out!
I summoned 3 spirits at once and had them put on a dazzling show. Undine took in Spark's electricity and gave off brilliant flashes, while Sylph carried her this way and that. Perhaps because they held electricity, the water droplets crackled and threw off sparks as they whirled on the wind, radiating iridescent light.
Reisa watched in rapt fascination, making a sound of ‘Oooh.’ The other elves were probably quite surprised to see this too. None of them could handle spirits this well. Controlling 3 spirits simultaneously was particularly difficult, so they were probably watching a show they'd see only a few times in their long lives.
While handling 3 kinds of spirits, an ordinary spirit practitioner had to keep monitoring and directing the natural power supplied to them throughout the whole body, concentrating with an intensely serious expression and muttering. I was doing it with a beaming smile instead, so the elves must have been all the more astonished.
In the midst of that, I heard someone approach and address me.
“Um...... Excuse me, great one.”
Hmm? I looked toward the voice. There stood the female elf who'd challenged me and an elf entering old age with a thick head of white hair. He must be the chief? With a wave of my hand, I sent the spirits back to the Spirit Realm. Reisa said, ‘Aww. What a shame,’ and rested her chin on my head.
Heh, every little thing this child does is adorable.
I looked at the chief and spoke.
“Are you the chief? It was rather difficult to meet you, but we've met now, so that's settled. My name's Rainisis. I'm of the Red Dragon clan, and since I've inherited the lair and territory of the Black Dragon elder who passed away 200 years ago, I've come to introduce myself.”
Since Reisa was on my shoulders, I couldn't bend at the waist and merely inclined my head. The female elf who'd harassed me stared with eyes wide in shock and surprise, while the chief looked deeply apologetic.
“Oh dear! Please, you needn't speak so respectfully. However old I may be, I can't match your age as an adult dragon, Lord Rainisis.”
“But you've at least got more experience of the world than I have, haven't you? That's the reason I'm showing you respect, so please don't worry about it.”
I gave him a warm smile. At least I've got no grievance against the chief? The female elf's eyes were full of confusion as she watched me.
I widened my eyes slightly, as though demanding how she dared stare at me so freely. Receiving my heated look, she instantly lowered her eyes again.
I smiled at the chief and spoke.
“I haven't come for a particularly long discussion, but given where we are, could we move somewhere else?”
“Ah, yes...... Then this way......”
The chief led me to his house. On the way, I took Reisa off my shoulders and carried her in my arms. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck.
Perhaps because he thought I was growing impatient, he hurried to bring out tea with a rich fragrance. Though he'd misunderstood, I wanted to put him at ease, so I reassured him with a gentle smile and a sip of tea.
An elf really is an elf. Bringing out tea like this, unlike the dwarves? Palten brought out wine.
“Hmm, this is good tea.”
“Thank you for the compliment. But what brings you here......?”
He asked very courteously. Hearing him, I closed my eyes briefly and thought. The tea was so delicious that I was considering letting it earn them a little forgiveness. It was an exceptionally fine tea, with a fragrance, flavor, and refinement I'd never experienced before. As repayment for that pleasant experience, and because I had no grievance against the elves themselves, I decided to simply forgive what his daughter had done while blinded by pride and conceit.
Well, that doesn't mean my personal grudge has vanished. It just means I won't let private feelings intrude on an official relationship.
I gazed at the tea, gleaming a brilliant emerald green, with a deeply satisfied expression. This world really is nice, with its well-developed varieties of tea? I smiled and spoke.
“I've come to put the past relationship between elves and dragons behind us and build a new one. I imagine you've suffered a great deal at dragons' hands, but I'd like us to have a relationship that benefits us both from now on.”
The chief looked slightly dazed, with a touch of astonishment, just as the dwarves had when I'd told them the same thing.
He probably hasn't seen a dragon like me either. After all, among the many books I'd read were recommended titles(!) such as the Easy Shakedowns of Other Races series, including ‘Dwarves, the Dragon's Eternal Lackeys’ and ‘A Comprehensive List of Everything You Can Get from Elves,’ complete with other dragons' personal accounts, or ‘Their Reactions and the Things You Can Obtain When Storming a Human Royal Castle’ and ‘The Best Method, but Humans Will Hold a Grudge and Your Ears Will Itch a Lot Afterwards.’
Elves in particular were a feast for the eyes, and if taken as slaves, meaning bed slaves rather than ordinary slaves, they supposedly made every day delightful, cooked well, did housework exceptionally, could be shown off to other dragons, and so on...... And so on...... And so on...... Well, they were said to be useful in many ways, in a domestic sense quite different from dwarves. For words like mine to come from the mouth of a dragon, whose view of elves, male or female, young or old, generally remained at about that level, must have been quite surprising, even bizarre. I spoke to the chief, who was too dazed to say anything.
“To be more precise, I've come to make fair ‘trades’ with the elves in my territory. If there's something you want, I'll do what I can to fulfill it. In return, you can fulfill my requests.”
“D-do you mean you'll grant our requests if we make them?”
Oh, he catches on faster than the dwarves. No, is he simply a little calmer? I gave a deep nod and spoke.
“Of course. In return, you'll need to grant my requests too. Ah, I won't ask for anything unreasonable. At most, I'd ask your elf artisans to make something for me. Or perhaps some good liquor or a basket of delicious seasonal fruit? Things of that sort.”
At ‘In return, you'll need to,’ the chief looked deeply disappointed for a moment, but when I followed up with examples, the wrinkles around his eyes smoothed right out. This could almost be called unprecedented treatment.
Elf artisans were outstanding in a different way from dwarves. They made things dwarves couldn't make no matter how hard they tried, so in that sense they could be called even better craftsmen than dwarf artisans.
In particular, one of their most common creations was armor called Elven Plate(Elven Plate), given to traveling elves. While ordinary plate armor made clanging sounds as the joints connecting its pieces struck together during movement, Elven Plate was said to make a delicate chiming sound.
Apparently, dwarves had studied it for decades but could never copy the technique, giving rise to the saying that elf artisans were better craftsmen than dwarves. However, because of the elves' temperament, there couldn't be many artisans among them. A village like this might have 1 or 2, if any. Compared to a dwarf village where every resident could casually make a suit of armor, their numbers were small, but their quality was that much higher. I'd have such artisans make things for me and fulfill their commissions in return. Quite an appealing arrangement, isn't it?
The chief looked at me with almost disbelieving eyes.
Hmm, if you stare so hard that the wrinkles around your eyes smooth out, you'll embarrass me.
If the other members of my clan saw me trading amicably with other races like this, bowing my head and taking a humble stance, they'd probably go wild.
The elf chief blinked at me with wide eyes, then hurriedly bowed his head and spoke.
“Do you truly mean to do that? If you would, we'd be deeply grateful. Those are terms we'd almost want to request ourselves.”
“So you're accepting? Then let's make a contract.”
I gave a slight nod in return to express my assent. Then I took a scroll case containing the contracts I'd prepared from inside my clothes, removed 5 copies, and handed them over.
Well, I could gather all the leaders and make the contract as I'd done at the dwarf village, but they were scattered throughout my territory, so I'd leave all the copies here and have them distribute them themselves.
The contract's contents were identical to those for the dwarf villages. Its chief aim was to consider our mutual interests and ensure neither side lost out.
I'd otherwise have nothing to do but amuse myself blasting magic around, so playing while fulfilling their requests would be much better. They wouldn't ask for anything unreasonable anyway, would they? The conditions even included, ‘I won't fight other dragons or opponents who could endanger my life. I'll also disregard commissions that threaten my life.’ What if they asked me to fight some fellow like a Demon King? I'd be willing to turn their village to ashes. I've made living happily and safely the first aim of my life(?).
The chief quickly read the contract, then took out ink and a pen and signed it. I too picked up the pen and signed, then cut my finger and placed my blood seal(blood stamp) on it, just as at the dwarf village, to show that I'd honor the contract without fail.
“This is an oath completed with dragon blood. Whoever breaks this oath will suffer the punishment of the entire clan. In the name of Rainisis Lu Ikellain.”
And so we completed 2 contracts.