Master and Slaves

Since there is magic, of course such races exist.

"Ah— the only intelligent beings capable of speech were humans."

"......Hiroyuki-dono, were there no mythical beasts such as dragons either? They should also be able to understand speech."

"Yeah, probably not."

"What do you mean by ’probably’?"

"I don’t know what mythical beasts are like. But dragons definitely don’t exist."

"No magic, no dragons, only humans. My, my, such a world existed."

"What a mysterious world."

Mateus and Helene looked at each other again, this time smiling.

No, no— to me, this world is the mysterious one.

"Indeed. Then let us begin with the races. The human race... you already understand, of course."

"Yes."

Of course. I am one.

"Then let us start with the elves. It is said that elves originally share the same origin as spirits. Therefore they are said to be able to use Spirit Magic from birth. However, they cannot use Mechanical Magic or Holy Magic. They are intelligent and strong in magic, but in return their physical bodies are weaker than those of humans. Above all, their lifespan of roughly a thousand years is their greatest characteristic. The most striking feature of their appearance is their long, pointed ears. Otherwise they resemble humans, but overall they are tall and slender. They also have little body hair. They take great pride in their own race and tend to look down on others. Of course I do not say this of every individual...... The race that shares the same spiritual origin yet is the opposite of the elves is the dwarves. They have little aptitude for magic. However, their physical bodies are sturdy. In appearance, the males usually have thick body hair and splendid beards. Both males and females are short in stature. Their stubborn temperament seems well suited to craftsmanship, and many of them are artisans."

Mateus briefly explained the races.

Elves and dwarves are fantasy staples, after all.

......It really does feel as if I have entered a game.

"Next are the hobbits. In both appearance and nature they are exactly like ten-year-old children. On top of that they are quick and dexterous, so even when they play pranks you cannot catch them. My, my, they are troublesome."

Mateus frowned.

Had he been pranked by hobbits before?

"Then there are the beastmen, the Vista race. They are swift in movement and strong. However, they can use almost no magic at all. Their most distinctive features are animal ears and tails. Their personalities tend to be warlike."

Hmm. Beast ears. Beast ears, huh.

"Next are the winged people, the Badea race. They are sometimes called a subspecies of elves, but they are closer to humans. They are essentially humans with wings. Their personalities are extremely mild."

Mateus paused and took a sip of the tea Tiria had prepared.

"Now then, up to this point the races are relatively close to humans. Therefore children can be born between them and humans."

"For example, half-elves?"

"Indeed. However, apart from half-elves and half-Badea, the offspring inherit the characteristics of only one of the parent races. Therefore terms such as half-dwarf, half-hobbit, or half-Vista are not used."

"What characteristics do half-elves and half-Badea have?"

"Half-elves possess intermediate traits between humans and elves. In a good sense they take the best of both; in a bad sense they are halfway. Half-Badea are worse. I once heard from one of them that they cannot fly—the greatest advantage of the Badea—yet still have inconvenient wings."

So pure blood is considered better?

"One thing I wondered about—can children not be born between non-human races?"

"Hmm, elves and dwarves would be impossible. Elves and hobbits as well. Dwarves and hobbits also...... Vista and Badea might be possible...... no, no......"

Mateus sank into thought by himself.

What should I do?

I decided to stroke Tiria’s head for the time being.

Startled by the sudden touch, Tiria nevertheless let me do as I pleased, looking content.

Her face melted into a pleasant expression.

Yes, soothing.

"Master, Hiroyuki-sama is troubled."

"Hm? Ah, forgive me. Um, what was it again?"

"About half-bloods."

"Half-bloods? ......Ah, mixed-blood children. I have never heard of mixed-blood children between demihumans."

"Ah, I see. Understood. ......One more thing I would like to ask. Mixed-blood children—you said that. Do you not call them half?"

"Yes. We do not."

"Then why do you say half-elf or half-Badea?"

"Hmm. ’Half’ is an ancient word. I believe it meant ’half.’ However, we no longer use such old words."

Is that how it is?

"Continuing, there are also fairy races, centaur races, lizardman races, and others. However, they cannot interbreed with humans. Conversely, there are beings such as minotaurs, orthros, and sirens that can interbreed with humans but lack the intelligence to speak."

There are quite a few races that can speak.

But beings that can interbreed with humans yet have no intelligence...... somehow that is frightening.

"Is it common to have children with minotaurs or sirens?"

"Absolutely not. Almost all cases involve being kidnapped or assaulted. Unforgivable!"

Helene declared with open anger.

"Inter-species breeding is often the result of such acts, and there is prejudice as well. Therefore half-elves and half-Badea, whose appearances differ especially, are persecuted by both demihumans and humans."

Mateus sighed as if finding it most regrettable.

From the sensibilities of the people of this world, such discrimination is probably normal.

The fact that Mateus questions what is considered normal and sighs over it may be what makes him remarkable.

"Hahaha, the conversation has strayed a little. Then let us continue the explanation of magic."