'Being a noble has its pros and cons, especially when you're like Baron Endrik who has to answer to a noble like Limosa.' He continues to leaf through the pages of the notebook, until I get to a topic that I find more interesting, the Astro.
The Astro is the source of power of every living being on our planet, Arthia, this power remains in both fauna and flora, and if sufficiently concentrated, it can also give life to inanimate things, such as rocks.
Even a mouse has a little Astro inside him, but he won't become as strong as a human unless there is someone's hand on the outside. As far as history can tell, this star has been around since the dawn of this world and over thousands of years it has become a part of us. Apparently these Astros are tiny particles, invisible to the human eye, that hover in the air.
The first living beings to have received the Astra was the flora, some trees and plants evolved to become superior beings, such as Ents or treants, but it is difficult to find them because they blend with the nature around them and with humans not they really have a good relationship.
Elements such as earth or fire have also absorbed the Astra, but since they are not living things, they have not evolved as well as the flora. But some of them have awakened their knowledge, becoming sentient beings, we have given them the name of elementals.
The fauna has also absorbed the Astra just like the flora, but with one more fact. Apparently this power has crept more into the fauna thanks to the flora itself. The Astra has also diffused within the oxygen and we who breathe it have been most influenced by this power. Thanks to this, combined with the fact that we are a species with a superior intellect compared to simple animals, we have managed to develop a greater number of magic, as we call these powers.
For example, an Ent can only use nature magic, a fire elemental only fire magic, etc...
We, on the other hand, can use various types of spells, and also create new ones, even if the more we go on, the more complicated it becomes to create new ones.
For animals it is more of a mystery how they evolved, not all of them have been able to do it, but those who have succeeded over time have evolved into beasts called Noterozo. These are nothing but animals but capable of using the Astra, but have retained the animal instincts and habits of normal animals. But the amazing thing is that they also managed to develop various types of magic, of course they can't use the more complex ones, but still they can use different types.
And finally there are the other humanoid species, which have had a mysterious evolution that humans have not yet managed to understand. Beings like Astali, commonly known as Elves, look nearly identical to humans, but different. A slimmer body is thin, most of them are just over two meters tall and have pointed ears.
And they have an even closer bond with the Astra than with humans, they have a longer life, which can easily reach a thousand years, but have a lower birth rate. Human beings may be one hundred and twenty years old at most, but they are more. A female elf can have a maximum of two elves in her lifetime, while humans can have five to seven children. They too, like the Ents, do not have friendly relations with humans, but at least they trade and some even live with us.
Then there are the Tabaxi, or Beastmen, humanoids with bestial features. There are many theories about their evolution, but none can really be considered 100% true, their life varies from the type of animal they evolved from, the Tabaxi that evolved from turtles can live even beyond five hundred years, while those that evolved from canids about 120. Their height also varies according to the species, they can significantly exceed 2 meters or even be less than 1.5 m. They have a higher birth rate than humans, plus they don't have a good idea of the latter, but they aren't as secretive as elves.
'In retrospect, we humans are very much hated by most other races.' I reflect on our bad reputation. There are also mixed races, i.e. union between the various species, half-elves, demi-humans and others.
'Well, in retrospect, it doesn't surprise me that other species hate us, knowing that a realm like ours is completely normal.' The kingdom of Hecate is not a good kingdom, it is very corrupt and above all it always wants to try to expand to other kingdoms, for example we have been at war for more than a century with the kingdom next to ours, the Noleurian kingdom, which is from other part of the Narrow Sea to the west. Instead in the East we have problems with other races, such as the Orcs, another race that has evolved mysteriously. They have no gender since they derive from mushrooms, well they are mushrooms with too many muscles, an ogre can release spores from his body during his life and these, settling on the ground, can then grow and then be born into other ogres, for this reason they have a very high reproduction, but at most they can reach sixty years. They are a race with which it is almost impossible to deal or trade, they are driven by the pure instinct to fight and become stronger, for this reason they are always looking for trouble with very powerful enemies.
'Even a barbarian like an ogre can use the Astra, albeit unknowingly, but he can do it... I'm completely empty.' Well yes, me Darion, I'm the most loser human being on this planet, most likely. I don't have any kind of Astra particle, and I can't understand how it's possible, even a simple citizen has a minimal amount in his body, but I'm dry. 'What miserable life will I have in the future? Is that why Gilberta doesn't look at me and doesn't speak anymore?'
'Even that slimy viscount has a little Astra in him, and quite a lot since he's of noble blood.' I don't know how I can sense people's Astra since I'm completely empty, this makes me more nervous. "If I could only have a large amount of Astra, I could have a long life."
It is true that each race has a specific lifespan, but thanks to the Astra we can make ourselves longer-lived than normal, it depends on the quantity and refinement that one possesses, for this reason nobles live longer than ordinary citizens. They apparently possess more than ordinary commoners.
"But that's not why I'm going to give up, if it doesn't cheer me up, who will?" I close the notebook and put it back in the drawer. I go to train, doing the usual exercises. It is true that I am a mere hostler , but the baron is a good fellow, so he has his servants fed properly, and with wholesome food and proper training, I am developing a good physique.