An Incompetent Explorer Who Failed to Make His High School Debut but Mastered Being a Human Being

Episode 288: Elf ecology

“Eh!? What the hell do you mean!?”

“Umu. It’s necessary to talk about matters concerning our ways.”

I suddenly stand up and shout, but the chief and Sarion don’t move at all and proceed with the conversation.

“First of all, have you noticed anything since your visit to this village?”

What I’ve noticed …

Hmm, even if you say that …

Ah, wait a minute. Maybe …

When I walked through this village, I remembered one thing that caught my attention.

Even if it’s wrong, it’s not like I’m going to die, so I’ll try saying it.

“There aren’t any children?”

“Umu. That’s right. No child has been born in this village for 400 years.”

“F, four hundred years!?”

When I answer while unsure of myself, the chief nods his head in affirmation of my answer and then states a shocking fact.

I was shocked earlier, but it’s no surprise that I’m shocked by the difference in scale.

I thought it was strange when I entered this village. I’ve seen about twenty elves, but I haven’t seen a single elf in the teens or single digits.

I thought that there was something going on, but was that what it meant.

“Are there any other things you notice, from their appearances, including the females?”

“Appearance … is it … Hmm, well, I don’t know.”

Both Sarion and the chief have very androgynous features, and if they wore feminine clothes, I wouldn’t be able to tell if they were women, I could tell that they had thin lines and supple bodies, but I didn’t know anything beyond that, so I gave up.

“I see. Well, that’s fine. Didn’t you feel that the gender gap between women and men was quite small.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true …”

As I thought before, the elves look like men due to their hairstyles and clothes. The women, like Nanami, have flat breasts, so it seems difficult to tell them apart.

“Onii-chan?”

“N, no, it’s nothing, right?”

Nanami stares at me with eyes with no highlights, perhaps because she found out that I was looking at her. I panic and shake my head.

“But, what is this all about?”

“Men’s libido began to decline about 500 years ago, and at the same time their appearances changed into bodies like that of women with thin lines. On the other hand, women gradually lost their well-defined physiques until they became the physiques they have today. It’s safe to say that we’ve lost our sexual desire now.”

I hurriedly return to the topic and he explains the adverse effects of the narrowing of the gender gap.

I feel like it is because the gender gap has become smaller, but if it’s true that sexual desire has disappeared, then it doesn’t matter.

“I see. In that case you will perish …”

“That’s right, it’s the so-called declining birth rate.”

Is that so.

The men become like women, the women become like men and lose their sexual desire, and it becomes a gradual extinction due to no offspring being born. That is the problem of this village.

“But if that’s the case, isn’t it a long way off?”

“Fumu. That may be the case. I’m still worried. Our lifespans have been gradually shortening since about 500 years ago. In the past, we were supposed to live for 1,000 years, but in the current generation, our life expectancy is about 500 years. Recently, it has become more and more common for our generation to have to care for children born later than ourselves. From now on, our numbers will continue to decrease.”

I see. It’s not just a matter of life expectancy being cut in half. Besides, the fact that the youngest ones are dying first makes them feel that there is no future for them, and it makes them feel uncomfortable.

However, it will be difficult for us to find the cause and do something about it.

“Do you want us to find the cause and do something about it?”

“No, this is the main subject, but we know the reason why we are like this.”

To answer my question, the chief shakes his head once before answering.

“Eh, then won’t it take care of itself?”

“No, that’s not how it works.”

They know the cause, but they can’t solve it.

I wonder what exactly that means.

“What do you mean?”

“Umu. The reason why we are like this is because the great tree called the World Tree is dying.”

“World Tree!?”

Once again, I’m surprised by the words that often appear in fantasy worlds.

I didn’t expect to hear the name World Tree in a place like this …

“That’s right. We protect the World Tree, and we are a race that lives alongside the World Tree. When that tree dies, we will perish.”

“I don’t think we can do anything about that …”

They are a race deeply connected to the World Tree. However, if the World Tree is about to reach the end of its lifespan, it doesn’t seem like we can help.

“No, the cause of the World Tree withering and dying is due to the depletion of magical power. If you have a huge amount of magical power like that child, maybe its condition will improve. The others also feel like they have more magic than we do. With those magical powers, at least the contition should be better than now.”

“I see. What you want us to do is restore the magical power of the World Tree.”

Hmm, I think it’s okay to cooperate if it’s just to share magic.

“Umu. What do you think? Can I ask it of you. If it recovers, I’ll share the fruits, leaves, branches, and sap of the World Tree with you.”

Oh, isn’t that an outrageous reward?

“It seems that if it goes well, we can get the World Tree’s precious materials just by sharing some of our magical power with the World Tree, but what should we do?”

I can’t decide on my own, so I ask the other members.

“Looks interesting!! I want to try it!!”

“Nn. Leave it to me.”

“I don’t mind.”

“If it’s not particularly dangerous, we can accept it.”

The members don’t seem to have any particular problems.

“We will accept that request.”

I say such to the chief after gaining the other members’ willing consent.