Falce seemed to hesitate, but she must have realized I wasn't going to budge. Eventually, she gave in, and we set off hand-in-hand.
Though her small stature was merely a side effect of an experiment, she felt so fragile in my grip that I found myself walking with careful, measured steps.
"Hmm... Your hand is quite large. Ah, no, I suppose it's just that my body has shrunk... Goodness, I've had so few opportunities to hold hands with the opposite sex that I find myself becoming strangely self-conscious. It’s a pathetic admission for someone as old as I am, but my opportunities to venture outside were fundamentally rare to begin with, and my interactions with others were limited at best."
"Have you always lived such a research-focused life?"
"Well, I am a shut-in to my core. If I were to trace it back, I suspect my pathological lack of direction was the catalyst. It’s a tale from the distant past now, but when my parents were still alive, they rarely permitted me to leave the house. They knew I’d get stranded if I ventured out alone. Now, that might make it sound as though I were being mistreated, but in truth, it was born of their genuine concern... Though, perhaps the reason I came to be called the Sage of the Forest was simply because I spent so much time lost in the deep woods."
I didn't think it was particularly funny, but Falce spoke with a cheerful air. On second thought, she seemed unexpectedly nervous about the physical contact, and I got the impression she was prattling on just to mask her tension.
Setting that aside, if she considered it the "distant past," her story likely dated back thousands of years. A Normal Elf lives for roughly two millennia, but since High Elves are ageless, it was impossible to pinpoint the era. Still, Alice had mentioned the Human Realm was created within the last twenty thousand years, so it had to be within that window.
"By the way, out of everything you've researched over the years, is there one achievement you'd call your greatest?"
"My, are you quite sane? Broaching such a topic with a researcher is practically a suicidal act. And yet, now that you've asked, my blood is beginning to stir. Let’s see... Of all my past research, the work with the greatest global impact concerned the ecology and evolution of High Elves. I was the first individual in the history of the Elf Race to evolve into a High Elf—I even chose the name myself. You've met a High Elf before, so you understand, but while we are Special Individuals, our outward appearance remains virtually unchanged. Initially, I struggled even to prove that I was different from a Normal Elf. I had to determine if it was a matter of being a Special Individual or something else entirely."
"Ah, I see... Like the way Lilia-san is for humans—someone who just possesses an exceptionally high level of personal talent."
"Exactly... though that Duchess is an altogether too special case. She is an existence whose talent is simply abnormal, without being a Special Individual or a variant race at all. But I digress. As you surmised, it was difficult to prove whether the High Elf—a special existence with almost no physical tells—was a singular miracle reached because I personally possessed the talent to be loved by nature, or if it was a racial evolution that others might achieve later."
It certainly sounded like a daunting task. I couldn't imagine a way to prove it short of another High Elf being born. However, since she spoke of it as completed research with a massive impact, she must have found a way.
"Sorry to interrupt, but are there other High Elves besides you and Sieg-san?"
"There have been three other cases in the past. If you count me as the first, then Sieglinde is the Fifth High Elf to ever exist. However, her evolution was an extreme rarity. Evolution via the Fruit of the World Tree... Certainly, the fruit is brimming with the Magic Power of Nature, but normally it lacks the potency to trigger such a change. Her evolution was likely only possible because of her own innate, peerless talent."
"I see..."
"The requirement for evolving into a true High Elf is a transformation of the internal organs. That is the decisive divide between our races. By absorbing the Magic Power of Nature over countless centuries, the internal organs are eventually transfigured by that power, and one’s constitution becomes akin to that of a Spirit. The technical details are quite extensive—is that alright? I hope I haven't been talking your ear off."
"Oh, it’s fine. I know someone who’s much, much worse than you, so this is nothing by comparison."
"...It feels strange for me to say it, but if they truly are worse than I am, they sound like an incredibly difficult person to deal with..."
"They are an incredibly difficult person."
It was true. At least Falce gave me the chance to actually respond. Compared to Eden once she got going, this was remarkably tame.
Machina: "To think My Beloved Child would go that far... that person must be quite the—Me!?"
Serious-senpai: "No, why are you even surprised? I think the vast majority of readers realized it immediately before the name even came up..."
Machina: "Eh? Even though I filter the content of my speech so much and speak so modestly..."
Serious-senpai: "............What is this woman even saying?"