Fairial

Fairial is a fantasy race resembling classic fairies and one of the recognized peoples of the setting, ranked sixth among the races. Fairials are exclusively female, the smallest of all the races (only about the size of a human's head), and possess four semi-transparent wings. They are egg-born and extremely long-lived, with a lifespan of roughly 1,000 years, earning them the label of a 'Millennium species' alongside elves. Their population is small, and they are raised in a secluded Fairial village or sanctuary that, being female-only, tends to leave its daughters uncomfortable around the opposite sex.

The defining trait of the race is that every Fairial is born with a single innate Relic, (Fairy Avatar / Fairy Incarnation), the only Relic that Fairials can use. It lets a Fairial enlarge herself and the items she is wearing up to a full human-sized body; reverting to the tiny fairy form consumes an enormous amount of calories, which is why Fairials are notorious big eaters. Because possessing this Relic is treated as an intrinsic part of being a Fairial, the race regards a Fairial without a Relic as effectively as good as dead. Fairials are said to genuinely command their Relic and to have a talent for weapons, but are otherwise physically weak.

Culturally, Fairials favor high places (their homes are built up high, reflecting their love of flight) and are near-exclusively associated with the spear-lance as their signature weapon, handling arms with prodigious, almost genius-level skill while remaining feeble in other respects. Their homeland maintains its own martial traditions, including a hereditary 'Royal Fairial Spear Art' and a Fairy Warrior Corps, plus a distinctive Asian-spice-style cuisine. The village is governed by a leader who also holds the title of 'Fairy Empress', the pinnacle first-class explorer of the race.

Within the story the race is embodied chiefly by Mineha, a ten-year-old first-generation Fairial who joins the protagonist Wof's dungeon; her mother Ruriha, the reigning 'Fairy Empress'; and various other Fairials such as an adventurers'-guild receptionist and a professional chef. Fairials are prized and endangered enough that unscrupulous parties speak of selling them to wealthy deviant collectors, underscoring both their rarity and their vulnerability outside their sanctuary.