第１２５５堀：種族の居場所 (Part1)
Side: Hovis
I’ve been following Yuki-sama around, and it turns out we’re going to be hearing about some incredibly rare races from some… very, very elderly people.
The races they mentioned were so rare that most of them were completely new to us. I glanced over at Orelia and Yayui to see if they’d heard of them, but they both just shook their heads.
I never knew there was such a thing as a Gemstone Tribe; I’d never even heard of them in fairy tales. Then again, I used to think Fairies were just fairy tales too, until I came to Weed and saw them for myself. That was quite a shock.
“What are the characteristics of the Gemstone Tribe and other stone-related races?” Yuki-sama asked.
“It is difficult to generalize, but for the most part, they possess a stone of their own—usually on their forehead, back, or chest,” the Grand Master explained.
“A stone of their own?”
“Indeed. It signifies which gemstone race they belong to. For instance, a member of the Ruby Tribe would often have a large ruby embedded in their forehead. Though, rumors say those with such obvious stones have long since been hunted to extinction.”
I can see why. A race with a giant gem in their forehead basically looks like walking money. It’s no wonder they were hunted... though it must have been horrible for the ones being chased.
“I see. So they were targeted for the gems. And since we don’t see them around anymore, I assume that if the gem is taken...”
“Yes. As you suspect, most of them die. I have heard that some can regenerate their stones, but naturally, no one who has ever protected them would try to test that theory. Besides, to me, a gemstone has almost no value at all. Certainly not enough to justify taking a life.”
“True. But slave traders and those blinded by greed don’t see it that way.”
“After all, these are gems of a size rarely seen. They would fetch an astronomical price. Is it the karma of humanity to find such value in what is ultimately just a glowing rock?”
“Well, they are an easy-to-understand symbol of wealth, after all.”
Yuki-sama really does say the most incredible things with a perfectly straight face. Anyone else would be salivating at the thought of a giant gemstone, but to Yuki-sama, they’re no different from stones on the side of the road.
As a new page was added to the legendary book of 'Typical Yuki-sama Moments,' the Grand Master proposed a countermeasure.
“For the time being, it should suffice to inform the international students that such races exist, but that treating them as slaves or harming them is strictly forbidden.”
“I agree. And based on what I’ve heard of their habitats, they aren’t in places that are easy to reach anyway. By the way, what about the Spirit Tribe?”
“Spirits are everywhere,” the Grand Master replied. “A ‘Spirit’ is essentially pure mana that has gained a will tied to a specific attribute. I believe there are some in the forest above Weed, are there not? Eris-chan mentioned meeting one.”
“Ah, the Forest Spirit. I’ve met him. What attribute would he be, then?”
“Likely ‘Nature.’ No, wait—‘Plant,’ perhaps.”
“The way you say that makes it sound like there are Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire spirits too.”
“Indeed, there are. However, spirits of the fundamental magical attributes are known as Great Spirits, and they are considered equal to gods.”
Wow, I didn't know things like that existed. Come to think of it, people sometimes say things like 'Oh, Spirits...' when they use magic. I used to vaguely imagine them as things I'd just never seen, but I didn't think they actually existed.
After all, once you study science in Weed, you learn that what people call 'spirits' are often just natural phenomena. Magic isn't affected by whether a spirit is there or not.
In fact, why doesn't Yuki-sama—who comes from a world that is like the child of science—doubt the existence of spirits? As someone who knows science, shouldn't he be the first to deny them?
“Lord Gaul, Coral, do you know of their existence?”
“I know of them,” Gaul answered. “But I have never met one.”
“I haven’t met one either,” Coral added. “I’ve heard that spirits of those simple attributes possess immense power.”
“What about you, Queen Miyabi?”
“Mmm. I encountered spirits of Wind and Water when I traveled with my husband.”
“May I ask where?”
“The Wind Spirit was... if I recall, in a certain valley we passed through during the campaign to subjugate the Demon Lord. The Water Spirit was at the ‘Saint’s Spring,’ where a Saint is said to have rested. It’s in a small country currently under the protection of the Holy Kingdom of Retia.”
The Saint’s Spring? I wondered if I’d heard of it, when...
“I’ve heard of it,” Orelia spoke up. “It’s the lake where Saint Retia, the founder of the Holy Kingdom, stopped to rest, isn’t it?”
“Ho, you are well-informed, Orelia.”
“Ah, forgive me for speaking without permission. It was near my birthplace.”
“Right. Be careful about that. But thank you for the information. So, can one actually meet these spirits if they go looking for them?”
“Who can say? In my case, it would be more accurate to say they came to meet my husband.”
“I see. So, because he was the Hero?”
“Yes. My husband, the Hero Touya, was one of a kind.”
Queen Miyabi looked truly beautiful as she said that with such certainty. It showed just how much she cherished Lord Touya.
“So, there’s no chance for an ordinary person to meet them?”
“Hmm. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but... I’ve never felt the need to seek them out myself.”
“That’s something we’ll have to look into, then,” Yuki-sama mused. “Well, it doesn’t seem like spirits are at risk of being captured. However, if they’re angered, they could cause unexpected damage.”
“Indeed, that is likely. Spirits generally do not take physical form. They are the sort who only show a glimpse of themselves if they feel like it when petitioned. But they are, at their core, masses of high-purity mana. If they turned that into an attack, the power would be devastating. Ah, that reminds me. I once heard that Fairies are beings that exist before they become Spirits...”
“Before? When you say Fairies, do you mean...”
“Elder Narjia and her kin. Well, you should ask them for the details. Though they have physical forms, their bodies are composed almost entirely of mana. In that sense, they are similar.”
“That makes sense.”
Now that she mentioned it, it did. Narjia-sama eats an incredible amount of ice cream, and even when her stomach swells up like she’s pregnant, she acts like it’s nothing at all.
“Finally, what about the Golden Tribe?”
I had never heard of such a race. What kind of people are they? Is their whole body made of shiny gold?
“I have never even heard of them,” Queen Miyabi admitted. “Gaul, Coral, what about you?”
“I haven’t heard of them either.”
“Nor have I. What about you, old man Grand?”
“I met one, once,” the Grand Master said. “They are much the same as the Gemstone or Rock Tribes. It is simply a matter of whether their symbolic element is a gem, ore, or gold.”
I see. So that means... what would happen? A human-like race that produces gold. That sounds like it would cause just as many problems.
“Well, that seems to cover most of them. This is the extent of the information held by the Adventurers' Guild.”
“Thank you. Now, I suppose I’ll need to ask about the races on the If Continent as well.”