Chapter 829: The Two who Returned ⑤

After weeping for a while and seeing Eta and Theta off to work with happy smiles on their faces, Alice turned her gaze to Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, and finished the topic.

[Well, that's why there wouldn't be a problem if you both become adventurers... The explanation got long, but that ends this topic... Unnn?]

Just as Alice was about to say that she was done talking, Aoi-chan modestly raised her hand.

[...Ummm, can I ask a question?]

[...Fumu. Well, I've explained all sorts of things anyway, so sure. I don't mind.]

[Thank you. Errr, as for my question... Earlier, you mentioned that Sieg-san and Luna-san's abilities weren't able to reach Peerage-holders, but how strong are they among the Humans?]

Aoi-chan's question seemed to be a continuation of what Alice said earlier about Bell's strength. Indeed, now that she mentioned it, that's something I'm curious about.

I've heard that they're among the best in the Symphonia Kingdom, but I know how powerful they were among the Humans.

[Let's see. They weren't quite in the Top 5, but they definitely were in the Top 10.]

[I see... Does that mean that there are very few Humans who have power at the level of Peerage-holders?]

[As far as I know, there are only "four Humans" who have power at the level of Peerage-holders.]

What she said was apparently the number that Alice knows of. In other words, I can think of it as the actual number. If that's the case, then there are only four Humans who have power at the level of Peerage-holders... There were fewer than I thought.

Aoi-chan and Hina-chan must have thought the same thing, because curious expressions appeared on their faces.

[Arehh? They're surprisingly few... is what you're probably thinking, but that was inevitable. But you see, it's just my guess, but the information I have suggests that Human Realm has a shorter history than the Demon Realm and the God Realm... So to speak, the Human Realm is a young world.]

[Ahh~~ I've been wondering about that too. Even after I lived for a long time, I didn't know about the existence of the Human Realm until about 19,000 years ago, you know? Even though I knew about the God Realm much earlier...]

[Shallow Vernal-sama probably created the Human Realm around that time. I've done a lot of investigation, but there are no items in the Human Realm that I believe have existed for more than 20,000 years ago. No matter how long I estimate it, the history of the Human Realm is probably less than 20,000 years.]

Alice paused at that moment, looked at each of us once before continuing with her explanation.

[...This is just my conjecture based on the information I've gathered... but the first race to be born in the Human Realm was most likely the humans. And from the humans, the Elves and the Mermaids were born. That's why the ecology and appearance of the Humans tend to be more uniform than that of the Demons.]

[...Is that so. I didn't know that either.]

[And these Humans that hold many similarities between them... I expect that they were probably created based on the humans of Kaito-san's world. Shallow Vernal-sama and Eden-san have apparently known each other for a long time, so it wouldn't be strange if she used the humans from Eden-san's world as a reference to create the humans, before she made various modifications to them.]

[Does that mean that Shiro had a pretty direct relation with the advancement of the Human Realm?]

[Most probably. It isn't natural for various races born from humans, each with their own characteristics, established as their own species, to come together as Humans and build the current civilization within 20,000 years. Having differences like this would normally cause more conflicts among the species.]

[Becoming just like the past Demon Realm huh? Indeed, thinking about it, Shiro didn't make any frequent adjustments... but Shiro was so enthusiastic at that time that it's a little strange.]

[...Only Shallow Vernal-sama would be able to tell you the truth about that.]

Hmmm, I wonder why? I have a feeling that Alice knows something about it... Well, if she doesn't dare say it, it means that it's information she'd rather not make me hear.

[...Well, that's why the Humans are still in their infancy. In fact, even the longest-lived Human is at most "3,000 years old", which is far too young compared to the average age of High-ranking Demons. If the average age level of the entire Humans rises over the next 5,000 years, the number of people at the level of Peerage-holders may increase, but at present, only Special Individuals born through mutation can reach this level.]

[I see.]

[Incidentally, those that currently have power at the level of Peerage-holders... would be the Special Individual Mermaid, Hydra's King, Laguna-san. The first Elf in history to evolve into a Special Individual and the oldest Elf, Fors-san. And then, there's a Special Individual Winged living in the Archlesia Empire and Lilia-san, whom everyone knows very well. Well, as for Lilia-san, she doesn't have any characteristics that make her considered as a Special Individual... But she's simply so talented that she managed to acquire such power.]

[Unnn? Arehh? What about that High-Density Magic Constitution of hers?]

(T/N: For those who forgot, Wingeds are considered as a separate entity from the monsters "Harpies". They're Humans with wings popping out of their back.)

Since all of them except Lilia-san seemed to be the strongest Special Individuals of their respective races, I thought that the flow of conversation would lead to Lilia-san being called the Special Individual Human... but that apparently wasn't the case.

[The High-Density Magic Constitution is indeed rare, but it isn't unique to the Humans. It's a constitution that occurs occasionally in various species, including Demons, so it isn't a special characteristic of Humans. So, in conclusion, she's just a monster of talent, not a special individual.]

[That still sounds amazing.]

[Well, I guess it is... Anyway, Aoi-chan, are you convinced with my answer?]

[Ah, yes! Thank you very much!]

[...Well then, once again, that ends this topic. If you're still thinking about whether or not you should become an adventurer, it might be a good idea to ask Lunamaria-san or others like her who have experience in being an adventurer.]

After nodding her head to Aoi-chan's thanks, Alice concluded the topic and was about to vanish again... but she paused once again.

...Or rather, at that moment, Kuro nonchalantly announced.

[Can't you just teach them the various things they need to know, Shalltear?]

[...Huh? No, why should I...]

[Well, you see, if it's Shalltear, you would know what Aoi-chan and Hina-chan were misunderstanding just like earlier, as well as the differences in perception between the other world and our world, so you're the right person for the job.]

Kuro's strange idea kinda made sense. It's true that the image of adventurers that I and my two kouhais have in our minds is likely different from what they actually are.

However, it's difficult to explain what the differences are. That's why we need someone who has an accurate grasp of both the image of adventurers we have in our minds and the actual activities of adventurers in this world... In other words, Alice.

No, I mean, she definitely knows a lot about our world, and even without that, she's a good explainer, so she's perfect for the role of a lecturer.

[...Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, lend me your ears for a bit.]

[Oiiii, Kaito-san? What are you trying to do? I have a bad feeling about this... You probably heard something strange from Iris, didn't you...]