Chapter of Explanation.
The idea that Humans can evolve into High Humans has reached the realm of myth rather than legend.
Naturally, there are few who genuinely believe such tales.
However, various traces remain in this world confirming that the species known as High Humans did exist.
The most definitive information is likely found in the documents passed down through generations at the temples.
These documents hold more credibility than any nation that has repeatedly risen and fallen.
When a new nation emerges, it is common practice everywhere to cite past myths to justify their legitimacy.
In such instances, fabricating myths is a commonplace occurrence.
In that sense, the temples, and the Church that governs them, hold significant credibility.
After all, myths themselves are the very reason for the Church’s existence.
Furthermore, when new myths are created that are convenient for the Church, divine punishment from the gods is invariably incurred.
While nations might engage in such practices, the gods do not permit such impropriety within the Church, leading to its natural elimination.
Nonetheless, as organizations mature, corruption is an inevitable part of human society, and it is also a recurring theme in human history that churches are repeatedly subjected to divine retribution.
Therefore, while there remain accounts of High Humans that are considered reasonably accurate, no record exists of their definite presence after the age of myth.
The existence of High Humans is spoken of only within myths.
There are individuals among the heroes described in legends after the age of myth who are rumored to be High Humans, but these are purely speculative.
The gods, for reasons unknown, remain silent on the matter, making confirmation impossible.
To be blunt, High Humans did exist.
However, the gods deliberately did not inform Humans of this.
Since the offspring of High Humans do not necessarily become High Humans themselves, there was no need to teach them.
These speculations regarding High Humans were made, and they were nearly accurate.
However, when it comes to other species, the credibility plummets dramatically.
The only exceptions for which relatively accurate oral traditions are said to remain are among the Dwarves, who intermingled with Humans relatively early on.
In addition, the existence of High Elves, whose presence had been confirmed historically, is acknowledged.
This is because their existence has been confirmed even after recorded history, leaving no grounds to deny it.
Such were the circumstances of the higher species spoken of among Humans.
Kousuke was listening to these stories from Silvia and Floria while petting Nana and Wanri. The two had requested a casual chat rather than a formal discussion.
Silvia and Floria were surrounded by wolves on the forty-seventh floor. Not only them, but all the other members were also present. Shurein, Peach, and Colette were in the same situation, and even Haku, who should have been a Dragon, was petting the wolves. In fact, Haku seemed uninterested in Silvia and the others’ conversation and was solely focused on petting the wolves.
It was a rare occasion for everyone to be gathered, but Kouhi was alone in the management layer at present.
“By the way, what do Elves say among themselves about the story of High Elves being a fallen race?” Kousuke asked Colette, who was an Elf. Of course, the reason he could ask such a direct question was that he had heard this story from Colette herself.
“Hmm. Though ‘fallen’ might be a misstatement, they are probably spoken of in a similar way?”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s said that Elves are simply more distant from the spirits compared to High Elves.” Shurein voiced her doubt, finding it a rare pattern to affirm one’s roots in a negative light.
“It’s unusual for you to demean yourselves.”
“I don’t think it’s demeaning. Instead of distancing themselves from the spirits, they’ve become more strongly connected to the material world, and it’s said they can care for the World Tree more deeply.” While the World Tree exists in this world, it inevitably possesses material connections. In that sense, Elves could be said to have a stronger connection to the World Tree than High Elves. Among Elves, there is a sense of pride that High Elves have spiritual connections, while Elves have material connections.
“I see.”
“What about Vampires, then?” Shurein tilted her head at Kousuke’s question.
“What about them? In our case, it’s said there was an individual who became the ancestor of all vampire clans.”
“Oh. What kind of person?”
“They are called the True Ancestor or Progenitor.” Incidentally, the existence of True Ancestor Vampires and Progenitor Vampires is denied by the Church. This is, of course, based on historical records. Their actual existence has not been confirmed even through oral traditions of the Vampires. It is merely said that they possessed powers close to that.
Next, Kousuke’s gaze shifted to Peach. Peach shook her head in response to his gaze. “I understand what you want to ask, but I also don’t know about the higher existence of Succubi~”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right~. After all, Succubi themselves are said to have evolved from other beings.” Succubi are said to have evolved from beings like Incubi or Dream Demons. Beings beyond that are not even passed down within the Succubus clan. Despite the existence of powerful individuals like Peach, the Succubus clan is not known for its combat prowess. There’s a reason for this: the Succubus clan, being involved in tasks that belong to the dark, has suppressed the detailed dissemination of their combat abilities. However, if there were a higher existence of Succubi, such stories would likely be passed down within the clan, but Peach has never heard of any such tales.
“I see.” Kousuke nodded and listened to Peach’s explanation. The reason this discussion started was that after it was discovered that Silvia also had a “Seed of Evolution,” all the members were examined. It turned out that every single member possessed a “Seed of Evolution.” This led to a discussion about what would happen if they evolved, and the conversation flowed in this direction. By the way, Nana and Wanri were also checked, but they did not possess a “Seed of Evolution.” It is unclear whether this is because they are among the strongest existing beings or simply because they do not meet the conditions. One might be surprised that all the members possessed a “Seed of Evolution.” Of course, it is not even known whether the “Seed of Evolution” is truly related to evolution. The current discussion stems from the question of what would happen if they evolved, but ultimately, there was no way to know the specific method. If it were that easy, there would have been evolved individuals already. Unfortunately, no such specific details remain for any species. Kousuke could only feel that it was worthwhile to talk with everyone, as at least he learned about the situation of each species. This was about each species.
