After Lilith used her healing magic, the deeply wounded were transferred to barracks to rest. On the other hand, I was not quite sure what to do with the martyrs. They were the first soldiers to ever fight and die for the sake of the New World. I desire to push an agenda to introduce a proper funeral ceremony to bury the dead to pay proper respect for them and their lives. The most suitable way to do so would probably be a burial ceremony.

After inquiring from Lilith, I learned that many monsters and humanoids burry their people. While apparently there also exists several other methods to pay respect to the dead like cremation or mummification among different peoples, burial is the most common one. Lilith also told me that some humanoids, especially the humans, believe that if the body is frozen with magic after death, blocking vital magic leakage caused by the rotting of the corpse, the person can come back to life if a resurrection spell is invented. However, the spell to freeze the body to prevent magic leakage is extremely expensive and rare. Thus, although the resurrection spell is only a fantasy of people wishing to live forever and are afraid of death, Many nobles With financial means to find and hire a magician who can cast the spell to freeze the bodies of their dead relatives pursue this option. As this is but a mere children's tale, I will not pursue such method. Even if this held a bit of a truth, we would still not be able to freeze the bodies of the dead soldiers, since we do not have anyone who can use such magic.

With the wounded being tended to, and the rest of soldiers resting in their rooms, I decided to turn my glances to the elves. I was without a doubt unable to speak their language, and they were without a doubt understand the language I spoke. I tried to communicate with them by using the languages of the monsters inhabiting the New World. The goblin tongue, the orc tongue, troll tongue were all useless. I could see the nervousness in the eyes of the elves as human looking dungeon master tried to communicate with them in the languages of many different monsters. What made the situation much more confusing for them was probably the fact that it was not only a human speaking a monster language to try to communicate with the elves, but it was also that each and every type of monster whose language was spoken to them by the human was present and surrounded them.

They were captured and threatened, and some were killed by a village of goblins. What's more, they were kept in captivity by a horde of monsters. They were enslaved and beaten. Now, it was not so different. There were different types of monsters here, but they were still monsters and they still held them captive. It was surprising for sure that these monsters bore no hostility. Yet it was impossible for them to feel safe around them. Wasn't it these goblins and dims that started a war with the other ones to steal them?

Despite all this, why was there a human in front of them trying to speak to them? What was the human trying to communicate? It seemed from the actions of the monsters around them and that one which who spoke to the human, that the human was the chief of this monsters. Never listening to his orders given in their own language. Elves could not make sense of this.

I knew these were what they were probably thinking because I would have thought the same thing if I were in their shoes. I had to find a different way to communicate with them.

Lilith came back and called my attempt to communicate with the elves using different monster tongues.

“HHhhhh.”

“What are you laughing for?” Lilith was amused at the sight of me trying to catch the language frequency with the elves.

“Practically no humanoid would speak the language of monsters. Especially the prideful elves.”

“I do not know how I'm supposed to talk to them.”

“As I told you, master, there is one way, but you do not want to pursue that. Maybe you can try and use origin magic. It is essentially how all the monsters you summon learn to speak. And it was also how I got to learn Echese.”

I gave it a thought. Indeed, it makes sense. I have Talamuth’s knowledge now. Does that not mean that I can use magic to manipulate language?

So far, all magic I used was through imagination: I construct the magic inside me – not in my mind, but somewhere where a thick fog of miasma concentrates. I describe the magic in metaphorical terms and produce something like a blueprint before pouring the magic power I draw from the surroundings of the dungeon into it to make it come to life. It is as if the dungeon is the abode for my magical presence – that I am the dungeon and dungeon is me, and neither of us is ourselves without each other.

I think of a spell to be able to communicate with all races, not to learn the language of the elves. Maybe something like an interpreter or a translator would do. I imagine what I speak is translated automatically and understood by the elves, no matter which language I speak in. An image emerges outlined with traces of magic. I seem to have two options. I'm either going to create a thick miasma around me so whatever I speak is understood by the listener, or I am going to coat every single word I speak with origin magic. This way, no matter how far the listener is, they will be able to understand what I speak of without me having to exert such effort to expand my miasma and myth out them being overwhelmed by it. It is like dipping my words in a sauce of origin magic.

I choose the second option. With this, every single word I speak will be understood, even by the deaf people. Origin magic enables words to be understood without an ear. I will call this spell, Talamuth’s Words, named after the skill granting me the ability to directly command origin magic, Talamuth’s Wisdom. Somehow after creating this magic, I learn of its workings. How efficient it is and how much magic power it needs to be sustained. Apparently, it is a bit tiring to coat every single word with origin magic for longer than 5 minutes. So, that will have to do.

“Elves. Do you understand me?”

As open their eyes wide as they are looking at me in disbelief. I am not quite sure how they hear my voice or what they hear for a fact. But I am pretty sure that it is not a normal language. It should sound more like an echoing gibberish that they are somehow able to understand.

“….”

The Elves open their mouth and tried to speak. Yet, of course, I completely forgot that I also need to understand what they're saying. I will also use Talamuth’s Words for them.

“Now I should also be able to understand what you are saying.”

“What are you going to do to us?” One elf broke the silence. They were past their visible curiosity before a human who could speak with a strange spell for the sole purpose of communicating with them.

“Nothing, really. You are all free to leave – but I want to ask you if you would like to join us. Of course, there are conditions.”

Elves looked suspicious – I was not surprised.

“First, you must not kill anyone in the colony, nor can you kill freely any visitors, may they be humanoid or monsters. Second, you cannot steal. Third, if a war breaks out, we fight and crush the enemy. Other than these, as long as you work for the New World, we will be your home and take care of you.”

Elves were stupefied.

“Do you really mean that we are free to go?”

“Yes, do as you wish. My hope is that you stay.”

“Why is a human with monsters?”

“I am no human – elf.” My words were greeted with fear and surprise, yet I also felt that Elves somehow already knew that. “I am the dungeon master of this very dungeon in which you stand. I saved you from the goblin village and I granted you your freedom. You are slaves no more.”

A short silence followed.