The duel was over in an instant. The arena fell silent in a moment.

A crossbow. Not a normal arrow-firing crossbow, but one that loaded and fired short javelins.

This was... almost like a ballista, a portable one-man ballista.

But wait, did crossbows really exist in this era? Weren't they more from the Greek-Roman era or the Warring States period? Were they really that advanced already?

No, but the power of that shot seemed a bit strange! It didn't seem like something a person could wield and fire. Javelins! A crossbow firing javelins!

"Phew."

The dwarf representative smiled contentedly as he looked at the fallen elf combatant struck by the crossbow.

"As expected, this is it. Big and beautiful bolts. The thrill just can't be felt with those thin, puny arrows."

"Th-The dwarf has won!"

The slow-to-react referee, the hero, belatedly declared the dwarf's victory, and a huge cheer erupted from the dwarf spectators.

Well, since they said anything goes as long as you don't kill, using a secret weapon like that and ambushing the opponent to win is fine, I guess. Yeah.

"Coward!!"

But the elf representative didn't seem to agree.

"Coward! Hiding your weapon and launching a surprise ranged attack!"

"Hey, it's not cowardly, it's using your head. And this, it's not exactly an all-powerful thing, you know!"

The dwarf representative lifted the crossbow onto his shoulder and said:

"It's a relatively new weapon, so while the power is certain, the accuracy is terrible. If I hadn't braced it on the shield to help aim, I might have only hit once out of ten shots!"

Ah, so the large shield had the purpose of aiming correction, in addition to defense.

He used his head quite well.

"Ugh..."

"And you know, if it's cowardly, then the elves are the cowards first! Constantly firing arrows from afar. We dwarves can't do things like throwing axes, so we just have to take it. But what, cowardly? Coooowaaaardly? Are you saying that with a pierced mouth?"

Well, that's true.

It was the elves who started with one-sided long-range attacks.

Of course, thanks to the dwarves' defensive power, the arrows didn't inflict any critical hits.

"And this, once you fire it, you pretty much have to discard it, so rapid fire is difficult."

The dwarf representative placed the front of the crossbow on the ground, stepped on it to fix it, and then pulled the bowstring taut with all his might to lock it in place.

The entire process took about 5 seconds. Even with the dwarf's strong strength, that brief moment was a critical time loss in such an important duel.

Ultimately, the weapon was essentially useless after the initial loaded shot.

It really was just an ambush trap, this crossbow.

"If he managed to win with such a problematic weapon, shouldn't we praise him instead?"

"Ugh..."

The elf representative was about to say something again, but

"That's enough."

I cut in before that.

"Don't degrade yourself further. The match is decided. Since I said anything goes as long as you don't kill, there's no problem with him bringing out this new weapon and winning."

After all, the dwarves probably have even more secret weapons they haven't revealed yet.

If they had used the enchantments utilizing the magic stones more actively, they might have been able to guide the duel even more smoothly.

Ah, they might have already been using them on their armor and shields.

Honestly, it's quite amazing that they withstood becoming a porcupine of arrows with just their living bodies. They must have been using enchantments to increase their armor's defense, right?

Of course, they might not have. The dwarves did sustain significant injuries, after all.

The truth is unknown. Well, investigating the dwarves' equipment further might reveal it, but it's too much trouble.

"Ugh..."

At my words, the elf representative could no longer continue speaking and, with great difficulty, bowed his head and said,

"I... accept the defeat..."

Good, they should have done that sooner!

"Alright! The winner of the duel is the dwarves! The winner of the 1st Dwarf-Elf Race Battle is decided as the dwarves!"

With my shout, cheers erupted from the dwarf side, and even mournful cries could be heard from the elf side.

The victor and the vanquished. Joy and sorrow. Light and darkness. The arena was filled with the contrasting atmospheres.

Well, that was quite entertaining.

So, then...

"Elves. Do not be saddened."

I said with a smile.

"There will be next time for you."

It would be a shame to end this entertaining event just like that, wouldn't it?

My words spread murmurs among the elves.

"Let's see. With the time perception of the dwarves and elves... Hmm. Holding it every 10 years would be good, don't you think?"

This time, thermurs grew louder from the dwarves as well.

"Un. That seems appropriate. Then, dwarves and elves. To ensure that the two races do not wage war against each other in the future, let us hold 5 duels here every 10 years."

The voices of the dwarves and elves merged into one.

Fierce duels, as if trying to take each other's lives. Bloody battles where they use all the means at their disposal to bring down the opponent.

Witnessing such a sight in front of my eyes, how could I not enjoy it?

It was like the gladiators of the Roman era.

I cast a spell over the entire arena.

On this dueling ground, no one will be able to take a life.

Instead, they will fall unconscious with considerable pain.

And if I also cast an indestructible magic to this building, this dueling ground would become quite useful, even without my supervision.

"I have cast a spell on this dueling ground. No one will die on this ground, so it can be used conveniently in the future."

I approached the representative of the dwarves and said,

"The winner of the clan battle will be granted the authority to manage this arena and the surrounding area, as well as the privilege to be mentioned first whenever the names of the dwarves and elves are spoken."

The quick-witted dwarf representative seemed to understand what I was saying.

"And also."

I briefly teleported to the side of Yggdrasil.

"Yggdrasil, may I borrow a branch for a moment?"

[Ah, yes. How is the matter going?]

"It's going quite entertainingly, so I'll tell you all about it when it's over."

After cutting off an appropriate-sized branch, I returned to the dueling ground.

"You just disappeared..."

"It was just a teleportation, so don't worry about it."

"Teleportation, you say..."

It's like the magic of moving to a known coordinate.

By the way, I have perfectly memorized the coordinates of the children who cannot move from one place like Yggdrasil. I can teleport to them anytime.

"I just went to the World Tree for a moment. Let's see... Do you have the jewel you wanted to give to the elves?"

"Ah,... I had entrusted it to one of my subordinates..."

"Bring it. I have a use for it."

At my words, the dwarf representative quickly ran somewhere and returned with something from another dwarf.

A fist-sized diamond in a leather pouch. The surface was smoothly polished, giving it a raw, uncut appearance.

Hmm. If I refine this beautiful gem a little more, it will be reborn in an even more magnificent form.

The shape is similar to the diamond embedded in the hero's sword. A round brilliant cut.

Honestly, if a diamond is not in this shape, it's a bit of a shame!

The blade of magic energy circled around the floating raw gem, carving it. The fragments of the raw gem scattered, and the beautiful gem hidden within was revealed.

By carefully carving the large diamond raw gem while preserving most of it, a shining gem slightly smaller than my fist floated quietly in the air.

"Oh.... Oh my... Ooooh..."

The dwarf representative, looking at the gem, even shed tears.

"How beautiful... The true eye of Sagarmatha. An eye that holds the light..."

Now, it's not over yet.

I placed the beautifully carved diamond on the branch I had taken from Yggdrasil, and enveloped them both in magic.

The branch then transformed into a different form according to my will.

That form was... a trophy. A victory trophy.

The dwarves and elves, back to back, supporting a large diamond. Of course, due to the difference in height, the dwarves were standing on a small rock, but...

I wrapped the sacred eye of the mountain in the branch of the World Tree, added detailed decorations made of mithril, and cast a spell to prevent it from being destroyed.

Ah, just in case, I'll also add a tracking spell to prevent it from being stolen.

"The winner of the clan battle will be granted the authority to possess this trophy. The duration is 10 years, until the next clan battle is held."

"Ooh... Ooooh..."

The dwarven representative seemed to have even forgotten the language, shedding tears of emotion.

Good. I've prepared the stage, so now go and have some fun, dwarves and elves.