I briefly felt a chill at the back of my neck, but there was never a moment when I lost touch with Arwen during our conversation. Although I tried to act like an adult, I found Arwen's occasional childish complaints endearing, and Arwen seemed to have a favorable opinion of me in her own way.
Later, I found out that Arwen was also a bookworm who loved books very much. As an ancient elf, she knew much more than I did about a variety of subjects. They say that adult elves are like walking libraries, and I realized that this was no exaggeration. She not only answered all of my questions in detail, but also provided additional explanations that left me amazed.
However, that wasn't the end of it. Arwen showed me how wide the gap between elves and humans really was.
"Hmm... I didn't know this book would be here. It's been 80 years since it was published."
"80... 80 years? Has it been that long?"
"It was a famous book among our elves. I believe it's also kept in our sanctuary."
Arwen had read books that had been out of print for years, and even remembered them in great detail. She had lived almost ten times longer than me, and her knowledge and experience were far beyond my comprehension. Even finding a book that had been published more than 20 years ago was a difficult task, as they were rarely published or circulated. Even in a library, it was hard to find them in obscure corners.
As a result, unless it's a book that has become a worldwide hit like Xenon's Biography, it requires a complicated process to purchase even a single copy.
However, Arwen not only read the book thoroughly when it was first published but also remembers everything about it. Thanks to her, I looked at Arwen with new respect. I had been using informal language with her because of her childish behavior, but now I thought I should start using polite language with her.
"Well, there's no need to change your speech for me. Wouldn't it be more comfortable for you to do that?"
"...Yes, it would be. But it's still amazing,"
"From a human perspective, that may be true. But for us elves, it's just natural. Whether it's our sanctuary or our powerful army. It's not a big deal to remember some stories in a book."
Indeed, the peculiar traits of the elves never go away. Arwen expressed her pride, tilting her nose up, as I genuinely admired her.
However, this pride and self-confidence were not arrogance, as these two qualities only arise as true meanings when they harm others or oneself. In Arwen's case, it was closer to pure pride.
Of course, she looked like a cute girl, so it seemed like a child was joking around. She was undoubtedly much older than me, but her childish behavior made her look like an immature child.
As if telling me to envy her, I poked a fact while watching Arwen, who was still fluttering about.
"Those elves suffered a great humiliation in the racial war 500 years ago, didn't they?"
Arwen remained silent in response.
As I hit her with a fact based on historical truth, Arwen's smile shattered like glass. Elves have a tradition of valuing history, and to them, the racial war was the ultimate disgrace. However, history is something they must learn.
"... Our ancestors were foolish."
Arwen turned her head slightly and muttered timidly, but it seemed that the concept was firmly planted in her mind as she didn't deny it. I chuckled at her reaction, and then brought up a positive topic to lighten the mood. If I only spoke ill of the elves, Arwen might come to dislike me.
"Still, the elves have made great progress by taking it as a lesson. Although there have been some turbulent incidents in between, they are now actively exchanging with neighboring countries. I heard that the current Elven Queen has launched a full-scale open-door policy, didn't you?"
This was a fact I learned from Cindy. In the past, the elves believed themselves to be a chosen race of the gods and kept their distance from other races. To be precise, they did not interfere with the affairs of other races. They couldn't do anything about it even if they tried, and they didn't feel the need to do so. In fact, it was a valid point.
However, the situation changed as the civilizations of other races developed to a level comparable to that of the elves, and the racial war broke out. Elves became aware that they were mere mortals living in this world and began to actively engage with their surroundings.
"Y-yes. Alvenheim used to operate as if it was completely disconnected from its surroundings until just 100 years ago. But it completely changed after the queen ascended to the throne."
When mentioning the achievements of the Elf Queen, Arwen felt proud for some reason. It is estimated that she admires the Elf Queen like Cinderella. I smiled softly at Arwen who was ecstatic once again.
As she was much older than me, it was natural for her to act like an adult, but because of her appearance, she seemed like a child pretending to be an adult.
"Arwen seems to have a favorable view of the Elf Queen. The Elf I know feels the same way."
"That Elf is undoubtedly young and has a proper perspective. Well, the new Queen has ruled well overall."
"That being said, about 80 years ago, I heard that they suffered a significant diplomatic defeat. They imposed tariffs incorrectly and suffered significant economic losses."
It is true that the newly crowned Elf Queen ruled well overall, as Arwen mentioned.
However, there were many shortcomings due to her being a very young queen for an Elf, and one of them was the tariff issue I mentioned earlier.
The Minerva Empire used the tariff issue to cunningly take money from Alvenheim in a way that was close to fraud in diplomacy. If the queen had been more experienced or a little more careful, she would have noticed that it was almost a scam, but the Elf Queen couldn't.
The force that should have intervened at this point was the Council of Elders, and I suspect that they deliberately let it slide. So far, Elf kings have failed to overcome pressure from the Council of Elders and have stepped down from their positions.
"Well, there was nothing we could do about that! But since then, no problems have arisen, right?"
Arwen exclaimed in surprise at first, then her voice gradually lowered. Judging from her gloomy expression under her robe, it seemed that it was time to stop joking.
Still, I wanted to see her reaction. I showed her a positive aspect to soothe her sad mood.
"Well, you're right. The Elf Queen has never suffered such a big diplomatic loss since that incident. She even embarrassed us. Originally, Elves tend to neglect development in the present, but this Elf Queen was different."
"What do you think is different?"
As I tried to come up with good words, Arwen looked at me with her shimmering gray eyes as if asking when she had never made a sulky expression.
Is this pure child really over 100 years old without any ability to hide her emotions? Humans realize that they age and their personality changes, but Elves may have a slower process.
I faced Arwen's excited face and shrugged my shoulders before expressing my opinion.
"We connect with other countries to constantly seek development. Some of the professors working at the Academy are Elves. As far as I know, Elves have to go through a very difficult process to become a professor. From the perspective of humans, they are certainly talented people that we should seek out."
"Hmm. And?"
Arwen coughed as if to ask me to say more. But unfortunately, my knowledge is limited here.
"I want to say more, but this is as far as my knowledge can go. But even with this alone, it's a big accomplishment."
Elves believe that they are superior to other races and do not try to go outside. Occasionally, a few outliers go out and experience the world, but it is very rare.
But things are different now. Many elf scholars are traveling around the world, acquiring various knowledge, and gradually developing Alvenheim based on that.
However, due to the 'leisurely' characteristic that can be considered one of the traits of the longevity race, the speed of development is slower. Nevertheless, it can be considered a remarkable achievement compared to the past.
"Are you viewing the current elf queen favorably?"
"As a human, I'm not sure, but as a noble, I see her in a positive light. There may be many objections to the policies she has implemented, but it is a socially natural occurrence when you consider the history of humanity. If you look at the policies of the people recorded as heroes, they were often considered unreasonable at the time."
Often policies that were met with strong opposition at the time, referred to as "foresight" or "visionary policies," often shine in the future. This was a phenomenon that Arwen had seen frequently in her past life as well.
However, humans can never be perfect. Even if they enact policies that are close to foresight, there are bound to be side effects. It is likely that the people who object to the policy are worried about these side effects and raise their voices.
"On the other hand, a wise king should understand the cause of the opposition and determine whether it is just an attempt to bring him down politically or a genuine concern for the country. If it's the latter, then he should consider it carefully to avoid future side effects. If it's the former... well, I don't know much about politics, so I'm not sure. There are also many cases where the two are mixed."
"... ..."
Even after my explanation had ended, Arwen continued to stare at me with her bright gray eyes, filled with interest in me.
"...You're amazing. It doesn't even seem like a contract, yet you have such thoughts."
"Anyone can learn it if they study hard enough."
"That's knowledge, not the same perspective as yours. Having knowledge and applying it are vastly different."
"Oh really? I'm not quite sure."
I shrugged off Arwen's compliment.
Thanks to my past life, I probably had a different perspective compared to others. What seemed natural to me was considered groundbreaking in this world.
Even my ordinary writing style from my past life was praised here as a new paradigm.
"Anyway, let's stop here. Why did you come to the bookstore? What book are you planning to buy?"
"I don't have any particular book in mind. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every book in the world is stored in the Sanctuary. I just wanted to visit the bookstore where the exhibition is being held."
"So, how is it? To be honest, it's not great compared to the fame of Xenon's Biography, right?"
"If I were to give an objective evaluation, that's correct. Of course, my standards may have been raised because of the Sanctuary. But storing books is equivalent to storing knowledge. Even though the scale might be small, its significance cannot be underestimated."
Arwen spoke elegantly, revealing her own unique beliefs and racial pride in her answer.
I watched her browsing the books on the shelf and moved on to my next question.
"What about Xenon's Biography?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think about Xenon's Biography, in your opinion as an elf?"
Did she not expect I would ask this question? Arwen seemed slightly surprised when I asked about Xenon's Biography, as if she was pricked by something. Then she turned her gaze away from me and gave a small shrug.
Wondering why she avoided my gaze for a moment, I turned my head in the direction her eyes moved. As expected, there was nothing but empty space. She really did avoid my gaze. When Arwen and I met eyes again, she quietly opened her mouth.
"...It's interesting."
"What?"
"I said it's really interesting."
A positive response came out of her mouth. However, she seemed a little embarrassed, judging by the slight blush on her face. Even so, it was a pleasant thing for the original author. I smiled and bent my knees slightly to match Arwen's eye level. When Arwen was surprised that her eye level was the same as mine, I quietly asked while looking straight into her gray eyes.
"What part did you find interesting? It doesn't seem like it would be very interesting for an elf."
"W-what are you talking about! Although the protagonist is a human, it is similar to the creation of another world. And we elves were also moved by the poignant story of Kair and Elisha."
Arwen, who was fervently devoted to Xenon's Biography, mentioned Kair and Elisha. Love stories are indeed something that everyone, regardless of gender or race, can relate to. I smiled at her childish appearance and asked subtly.
"Then, would you like the two of them to be together?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course, they should be together. Wouldn't that make the relationship between us and humans a little closer?"
"Hmm... is that so?"
Unfortunately, that was the case.
"I hope so."
Kair is dead.