Ch. 161 - Glenn's Memory

Glenn slumped his shoulders like a criminal confronted with evidence by a detective, his expression dark as he began to speak. I had fully expected him to be angry at me for prying into his private affairs, but it seemed his worry for Solare far outweighed that. Though clearly dejected, he started haltingly recounting his and Solare’s past.

"Before I speak about Solare, I should first tell you about my own past... It happened when I was about five years old..."

"Ah, I apologize, but could you please keep the story of your past somewhat brief?"

"Oh..."

Elven tales of old tended to be long. I had to properly apply what I learned from Owen.

"...Very well, I shall keep it concise."

"Thank you."

After that exchange, Glenn began his story anew.

"The Elven country. Officially, it's called the Elven Kingdom of Aqua Vitae, but it's a nation so small you could hardly even count it as one. Almost only pureblooded elves live there. There, I was born as a half-elf, the child of an elf and a human."

Aqua Vitae. I had heard that name from Owen. He hadn't spoken much about it, perhaps because he had no fond memories of the place, and it seemed the same was true for Glenn.

"Elven blood is... fragile. It thins drastically each time it mingles with that of other races. However, elves are a race that holds their own blood as sacred and takes pride in its purity. Within that society, I lived hiding the fact that I was a half-elf. My human father had already passed away by then, you see. I could just about manage to hide it by pretending to be an elf with slightly shorter ears."

Muttering this, Glenn made a slight gesture as if conscious of his own ears. Now that he mentioned it, they were indeed a bit shorter than a typical elf's, though not enough to be noticeable unless pointed out.

"Did they find out?"

When I asked, Glenn let out a shallow breath and hunched his shoulders.

"...My mother was of noble elven birth, but she held no prejudice against humans. No, perhaps she did at first, but meeting my father changed that. She often told me stories about him. That he was the finest of men, a wonderful person... She told me never to tell anyone, but for my young self, the father I had never met was a figure I could be proud of."

He said this with a nostalgic tone, narrowing his eyes.

"That's why I couldn't bear it when the elven children around me spoke ill of humans."

Glenn just said that much before his expression twisted.

"I ended up saying that there were wonderful humans too. That sparked an argument, and before I knew it, I had told them that my own father was human..."

He explained that because of that incident, his mother was placed under what amounted to house arrest by her own family, and he himself was exiled from the country.

"An elven noblewoman bearing a child with a human... That must have been a shame they felt they had to conceal at all costs. I found myself in a situation where I could have been killed, but we received 'mercy'—exile—on the condition that my mother admitted her wrongdoing and submitted quietly to her confinement."

"'Mercy,' you say?"

I muttered, unable to accept Glenn's wording. Shrugging his shoulders at that, Glenn continued.

"With meager travel funds, I reached the nearest human town. But I was just a child of about ten who only knew the Elven kingdom. I was quickly tricked and nearly sold into slavery. Owen saved me from that."

"Owen did?"

I was surprised to hear my mentor's name suddenly come up.

"Yes. Owen was around the same age as me, but he lived in that town with his family. He was far more knowledgeable about the human world than I was. His father was an eccentric fellow too. Apparently, he'd wanted to see the world when he was young and had traveled as an adventurer."

Hearing about Owen's childhood for the first time sparked a different kind of interest. Many questions came to mind, but I would have to save those for another time. Straightening my posture and meeting Glenn's gaze, I saw him nod with a wry smile.

"I spent the next several years in that town. Owen and I became good friends, and he was indignant about the treatment I had received. Owen, who was already engrossed in magic back then, offered to teach me. Having thoroughly inherited the magic his father cultivated over long years of adventuring, Owen was already an exceptional mage. His knowledge and skills were on a different level from mine, who had only learned traditional elven magic in my homeland."

So that was Glenn's first step as a mage. As I listened, thinking that, Glenn furrowed his brows.

"It was around the time we both turned twenty. Owen declared he wanted to research the magic of the Elven kingdom. Even when I objected, he was the kind of man who would carry out anything he set his mind to. He wouldn't listen at all. Left with no choice, I decided to set out on a journey to find my own path as well. I traveled around various countries after that, eventually settling in the Verted Kingdom, which was recruiting officials."

"As an official? Not as a teacher?"

"Correct. At first, the thought of teaching someone never crossed my mind. After all, I was a shameful exile from the elves. Such an existence teaching others was simply unthinkable."

Glenn said this with a self-deprecating laugh.

"From there, I went from a trainee in the mage corps to being recommended as a court mage, eventually catching His Majesty's eye. For some reason, he told me to serve as an advisory mage. Perhaps because it was rare for an elf to be employed in a human kingdom, the king sought my opinion on various matters regarding Verted's magic. Ah, this was not King Middleton but his predecessor, the previous king."

"I see. That's quite a turbulent life, nonetheless."

"It was eventful until things settled down, that's for sure. Though, thanks to coming to the Verted Kingdom, I was able to establish a proper home like this and gain status and honor as a mage. I, once called the shame of the elves, am now the headmaster of the world's foremost magic academy. Impressive, isn't it?"

"Yes."

I nodded, smiling at his chest-puffing boast. However, Glenn's forced cheerfulness only lasted so long.

"Around the time talks began about establishing the Fiddiq Academy, I married my wife, who was a court mage, and we had a child. That child inherited very little elven blood but had a talent for magic. I taught my child, who studied magic with such joy, the magic of various countries. As a result, by the time they reached adulthood, they grew curious about other lands as well."

I nodded deeply in agreement with Glenn's words. Even with incantation phrases, the form of magic changes from country to country. Elven magic may have remained unchanged since ancient times, but in human nations, it likely evolved over the passing years.

Naturally, any mage would start wondering about the origins of magic. At the very least, just hearing this story made me curious about what ancient or primal magic was like.

"...So, did your child become an adventurer?"

When I asked, Glenn nodded with a regretful look.

"Yes. I was thoughtless, I admit. Knowing that both my own family and Owen's had traveled the world safely, I gave my permission too easily... I never imagined it would lead to my child losing their life."

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