Chapter 22: Human (1)
If History was the major I was most interested in when I first arrived at the Academy, then Anthropology became the next major I found myself interested in. This world's anthropology included not only humans, but also various races such as elves, beastmen, dwarves, and demons. As a result, in anthropology classes, we learned about the unique characteristics of each race, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
Halo Academy, on the other hand, used an education method that focused on humans and compared them to other races. This was because it was a human-founded educational institution, and the majority of its students were human. Nonetheless, the people from different races who enrolled in Halo Academy were satisfied. The world is vast, and there are numerous races, but they are well aware that humans have always been at the center of events.
"According to a recent study, humans number approximately 1.6 billion, while the other races total only 800 million. Humans have gained the upper hand due to their large population and ability to develop endlessly. And..."
An elderly gentleman with thick grey brows stood in front of the lecture hall, enthusiastically explaining things. Meanwhile, I sat in the front row listening avidly to all his lectures.
Professor Roy Magnus was the name of the elderly man. He was, as one could guess, an Anthropology Professor. As passionate as Professor Beerus, the Humanities professor, there was not a single moment of boredom in Professor Magnus' class either.
"Of course, other races have their own strengths, so they are constantly keeping humans in check. Dwarves have complete control over the arms trade, and each elven warrior is as powerful as a Knight Commander. The same is true for beastmen. Finally, demons are unrivalled in terms of magic. But what about humans? There is nothing special about us by nature. The event that revealed all these strengths and weaknesses was the Tribal War."
Anthropology, by its very nature, was inextricably linked with the 'Tribal War'. The good and bad sides of each race were revealed in that war, and humans took the initiative in earnest. On this point, I completely agree.
But I had a question that was not related to that. When Professor Roy paused in his explanation to catch his breath, I gently raised my hand. Professor Roy's face lit up as I raised my hand.
"Oh, yes. Student Isaac. What question would you like to ask today?"
"......"
When I heard the professor's words, I smiled bitterly. Anthropology was the second major I was interested in these days after History, so from the first class, I asked questions like this. As a result, Professor Roy had a favorable opinion of me.
Of course, the other students' gazes were inversely proportional to his. It was because I received points for asking a lot of questions. Anyway, I'm going to ask him whatever questions I want.
"Didn't Professor say the number of humans is 1.6 billion? And none of the other races add up to 800 million."
"That's right."
"For the moment, I'm going to talk about elves. Elves have the lowest fertility rate of any race and as a result, they have the smallest population. I've heard that the population of elves is 100 million at the most."
"And there are 250 million dwarves, 350 million beastmen, and 100 million demons. It's a rough calculation."
Professor Roy had explained that the population of elves was quite small, even when measured as a percentage of the total population. Isn't 100 million out of 2.1 billion sufficient? That was true, but when viewed from the perspective of my previous life, there was something clearly odd.
It should not be forgotten that only 'humans' existed on Earth. Considering the racial characteristics of the elves, they are seriously few.
"Yes. In addition, elves can live about 1,000 years, if we consider their longevity. Even if humans live long enough, it is a staggering figure compared to just over 100 years. Even if you roughly calculate it, it is more than 10 times. But even taking this into consideration, I think it's odd that the population of the elves is so small."
"In other words, what you are saying is that despite the number of human deaths during those 1000 years, the small number of elves is strange. Is this what you mean?"
Professor Roy neatly organized the questions I wanted. As I nodded, he made eye contact with Cecily, who was sitting next to me. Professor Roy, who met her eyes for a moment, then turned away and looked around. Except for Cecily, a demon, there were only humans in the classroom.
"Um... that's a pretty interesting question. Since we've only talked about elves first, let's talk about their biological characteristics, then their cultural characteristics. First of all, Isaac. How much do you know about sex?"
"...Huh?"
I was stunned by the surprise question that came in unexpectedly. I'm not sure if it was another question, but when I was suddenly asked about so-called 'Sacred Knowledge,' I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Professor Roy, who asked the question, hurriedly added a further explanation when the atmosphere in the classroom became strange.
"Ah, everyone, don't think strangely. This can only be explained using fragments of Sacred Knowledge. Anyway, student Isaac. The answer to my question?"
"Uh...well, I know everything," I answered, but I couldn't stop my face from blushing in real-time. I hope this was an explanation worth giving an answer to.
{T/N:- He better write and publish Kamasutra too alongside. I wonder how the world would react to that.}
While I was thinking that way, Professor Roy coughed and brought out explanations one by one. "Hmm, then I'll explain. You'll learn this during your Biology class, but there are some students who don't take Biology, so please listen carefully. First of all, human beings...that is, human women...get a chance to have children once a month. But Elves have a very long cycle. According to research, on average, just once a year."
"Woah..."
I was truly amazed by Professor Roy's explanation. That's why the fertility rate had fallen to such an atrocious level. Rather, it was more amazing that they did not go extinct despite having such a long menstrual cycle.
"And one more thing. There is a cultural characteristic of elves. Unlike humans, elves tend to regard sexual intercourse as a sacred 'ritual.' Elven men's s*xual desire is also mild compared to humans. Oh, in this case, it would be better to explain that human s*xual desire is stronger than other races."
"......"
"Because of these aspects, the elf population is small. How is it now? Do you understand?"
Professor Roy's question elicited a slow nod from me. As a mysterious race, the reason for the low birth rate was also mysterious.
Most of all, I felt a bit strange. In my previous life, elves were only described as having a low fertility rate, nothing more. No one was curious because it was a 'common sense' concept with no explanation. It was the same for me too. But not now. I realized again, thanks to the simple and clear explanation, that I had been reincarnated in a fantasy world.
"Thank you. It makes my head feel clearer about it."
"Rather, I'm grateful. I have never seen a student asking such interesting questions. I hope next time you will ask more interesting questions like this."
"Then what about beastmen?"
"Well?"
It was not my question. It wasn't a question from Cecily, who was sitting next to me. At this, I turned my head.
I looked to the side where the sound came from and saw a beautiful woman with auburn hair raising her hand. She had a detached expression that didn't show any emotion, just like her hard tone. Meanwhile, the woman with auburn hair brought up the question she wanted once more as my attention was focused on her.
"I would also like to know why the number of beastmen is small."
"Your name is... Leona."
"Yes, that's me."
"So what are you curious about?"
"Beastmen have a strong s*x drive just like humans, and their menstrual cycle is similar to that of humans. However, the number of beastmen is only 200 million. I wonder why."
Leona's question was also valid. Beastmen had an appearance that resembled a cross between a human and an animal, and they insisted on living a primitive life in the past, but they established their own nation around 300 years ago. But even so, their numbers were surprisingly low when compared to humans. Although their country has not been in existence for long, it is uncommon when considering it fully.
After listening to Leona's words, Professor Roy touched his chin as if thinking for a moment, and then, unlike before, gave a rather ambiguous answer.
"It's a fairly complex matter. There are cultural characteristics unique to beastmen, but during the Tribal War, beastmen were slaughtered by us humans. At least tens of millions of beastmen must have been wiped out of existence. Because of that, they still have a bad relationship with humans."
Professor Roy talked about the worst war crimes ever committed by humans during the Tribal War. Although the Holy Nation 'Savior' had a history of massacring demons indiscriminately, that was limited to only one country, and that incident was a crime committed by the 'Human Alliance.'
When the prisoners they had used as slaves allied with the elves, the Human Alliance killed them all. To my eyes, it was far worse than the Holocaust, the massacre of Jews by Nazi Germany in World War II. Even more worrisome was that they offered a reward for killing each escaped prisoner. Because of this heinous incident, the beastmen population was cut in half and reduced to a quarter. It was a piece of history that demonstrated how cruel humans can be.
"Besides, beastmen are a race that is passionate about battles from birth. From a human point of view, it can be called savage, and from a beastman's point of view, they consider themselves honorable warriors. Due to their cultural characteristics, they are often killed in action rather than by natural death. Even beastmen who die naturally despise themselves for not being able to die with honor."
"......"
"Still, compared to 500 years ago, the population growth rate is similar to or higher than that of humans. I can't give you a clear answer because the answer that Student Leona wants is currently in progress. Keep that in mind."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation." Leona took her seat after her characteristically blunt response. While listening to her words, I suddenly remembered what the relationship between humans and beastmen was like.
'It's quite dangerous... and it's the same for both sides.' The main thing that defined the relationship between humans and beastmen:
Sworn Enemies.
{*T/N:- the raws are 철전지 원수와 노예.}
The beastmen universally despise humans, while humans regard them as insignificant. In particular, I have heard instances where they are frequently sold as slaves on the black market.
Simply put, humans regard beastmen as lesser beings than themselves. Since demons were seen as dangerous public enemies rather than particularly 'inferior,' the same prejudice for them seemed to be rare.
"Isaac. Do humans and beastmen have a bad relationship?" Cecily asked me in a whisper as if she was curious about that part too. Her red eyes were full of curiosity.
To that, I looked at Professor Roy and answered quietly. "Yes. Too many humans still regard beastmen as inferior beings, while the beastmen see humans as the equivalent of demons who slaughtered their own kind without mercy. As the professor said earlier, this is a vicious cycle that has continued since the incident that occurred during the Tribal War."
"Just like we demons were treated as time bombs by all races?"
"Even though demons and beastmen are similar in certain ways, unlike demons, beastmen are treated as slaves by humans only."
"I see."
As a demon who has been severely discriminated against since birth, did she feel a sense of kinship? Cecily nodded her head with a subtle gaze.
Then she lowered her gaze to think about it for a moment and opened her mouth. "Then, wouldn't it be possible to reconcile when another story about humans and beastmen comes out in Xenon's Saga? If it can change the perception of us demons, then nothing's impossible."
"I do not know..."
I thought hard as I rubbed my pen-hook lightly. It was true that the perception of demons had changed through Xenon's Saga, as she said, but even I did not expect it. Even more, humans and beastmen were bound by a chain of 'hate.' As the saying goes, revenge breeds revenge, it was difficult to break this chain of hatred, even if a positive story about beastmen was told in Xenon's Saga.
"Do beastmen also read Xenon's Saga? Because humans are the main characters, there are reviews by dwarves and elves in the newspapers, but no matter how much I search for beastmen, there are none."
"I don't know. Maybe they're just not talking, but actually enjoy reading it?"
"Then what...?" I sighed and answered.
"It's going to be a pretty interesting story."
Unlike what I just said out loud, it was my intention.
'What if they actually do read it?'
Cecily didn't know, but there was a future story arc where Xenon and the Prince of Beastmen develop mutual trust and become friends. It was the story of a human expressing a sincere apology to the beastmen and forming an alliance to fight the Devil.
'It's not realistic at all, huh...' No. There's a living witness right next to me to talk about such a reality. A demon who was despised not only by humans but by all races.
Cecily tilted her head as I glanced at her. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
"...No. Nothing."
"You know that your face is red again, right?"
"......"
"Be honest. You though I was pretty, right?"
I just kept my mouth shut.
Editor and Proofreader:- In Valen's Name
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