#389 Arts War

It’s me.

In my world, the Tower of Babel was the catalyst for the collapse of humanity.

Now, this tower I built is about to bring about world peace.

Hades, the god of the underworld, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, were hastily summoned.

“What is this?”

“I, too, wish to know the same.”

At the request of Apollo, the Sun God, an agreement was made on the spot that all three main deities would protect all of humanity.

“Celestial deities oft decide by their whims. Well, we have little cause to contest. Be it a celestial deity or not, one does not retract their word. Hence, I am committed.”

“Once uttered, words cannot be withdrawn, indeed.”

Thus, Hades and Poseidon swore oaths as gods who rule their respective realms.

But let us not forget we’re still at the expo.

So many people also witnessed this divine pledge happening.

“Gods are... Gods are right in front of us...”

“Is this real, or just a fantasy...?!”

“What a sublime spectacle!”

They’re so moved, everyone started praying.

Well, if the main deities of each realm (though one of them is a substitute) were to come together in one place, it’d be quite the sight to behold for many.

I had a hard time explaining to the gods we’re not doing an expo.

“Art thou involved in this endeavor once more, saint? By the way, the scent here is most splendid. Will we get to taste thine cooking once more?”

“Hark, Poseidon. This gathering is intended for mortals, so prithee, intrude not. For a deity to consume the sustenance of humans is akin to an elder seizing a plaything from a child.”

Even gods were lured by the smell of the food wafting from the pavilions...

“Hey-yay!”

“Let’s do our best today-yay.”

In other news, Apollo’s trademark joke has become popular.

Well, no matter how it goes, it’s good the world is getting closer to attaining peace.

The celestial deities, a major cause of anguish in this world, will probably lie low for the time being.

Peace is the best.

I hope all that I do also leads to that.

Alas...

***

“There’s a war going on!”

Things suddenly took a disturbing turn.

We’re still in the middle of the expo period, and people hearing about the divine guests brought in more foot traffic.

“What a perfect day to have a war! A clear, sunny weather is the perfect time for some bloodshed!”

“What are you talking about?!”

This disturbing comment that is inevitably going to get one arrested came from Aileron, the elf.

“What’s wrong, Aileron? It’s hard to ignore you, especially after you said something so threatening!”

I mean, considering her past and all that.

“What do you mean? They’re the ones who asked for a challenge! If so, I must stand tall as a proud artisan.”

“What proud artisan???”

Oh, I guess that means her.

She’s been so obsessed with pottery lately that it’s crazy.

Originally, I had her blast plates as punishment for stealing from my farm.

But now she’s completely absorbed in her work and acts like a full-fledged potter.

She has a pavilion dedicated to pottery at the expo and seems relatively popular.

I was afraid that her ideas would be too unique for anyone to follow, but it seems that’s not the case.

The dishes she bakes have been circulating in the Demon Capital for some time, which has earned her some fans.

“The way the enamel is applied...”

“I can even feel the charm from these distortions...!”

I witnessed this intellectual discussion at Aileron’s pavilion.

Now, this is where it begins.

“...So, who are you arguing with?”

“Dwarves!”

I knew it.

The two peak sub-races: elves and dwarves.

They branched off from the demon race as a result of the defeated factions in the civil war who fled and evolved on their own.

Nowadays, they have forgotten their old rivalries and do not hesitate to trade with each other at reasonable times, but...

A war between the two races is breaking out today.

Just why?

“Speak of the devil, here they are!”

As Aileron had said, a group of dwarves marched proudly into the scene.

At the head of the group is a familiar bearded man.

“If it isn’t Pops Edward!”

“It’s refreshing to see you outside of the farm, Lord Saint.”

He’s the king of the Dwarven Underground Empire.

The trend among dwarves is to call him “Pops” instead of “King.”

We’ve invited them to my farm a few times to do some of the minute jobs only their race can accomplish.

...

Oh, I see. Pops and Aileron got to know each other there.

“You two are such close friends!”

“NO, WE’RE NOT!” 

They may react so, but even their objection is in sync.

“The time will never come when dwarves and elves will understand each other! Especially not with this artistically inclined elf!”

“I should be saying that! True beauty is found in nature, not in your deliberate artifice!”

“Well, you know what? Beauty is born from the accumulation of steady practice and research! Technique! Skill! THAT is the root of beauty!”

Sparks are flying between the elf and the dwarf.

Right. I think they did have this kind of relationship.

Both of them are craftsmen, but they have polar opinions on their definition of beauty. So, every time they meet, they argue like cats and dogs.

“This is the perfect stage for us. I’m going to expose your amateur skills in front of the masses!”

“You’re the one who will be humiliated! I’ll show you the moment when the overvalued artisan race will be unmasked!”

Both of them glare at each other with more hostility than I had imagined.

Is what they mean perhaps...

“You want to stage an art showdown at this expo?”

“CORRECT!”

This... is a showdown of destiny.

The two of them had been arguing for a long time, and now they have the opportunity to make things clear.

Who will reign superior, the beauty of Aileron’s respect for nature or Pop’s skillfully constructed beauty?

A packed expo is the perfect place to decide which art and craft is better.

It’s also the perfect place to have a jury of judges since the purpose of the event is to attract a lot of discerning people.

“I have brought the best of the best from our empire. Let’s see how they compare to your shoddy work!”

“Very well! How about we decide who wins based on votes? This will finally settle the longstanding ambiguity about who is right!”

Ailerons seem to be accepting Pop’s challenge.

I hadn’t the faintest idea at the time...

Hosting an elf vs. dwarf showdown would take the cake at our expo!