Ch. 154 - The Headmaster's Grandchild

Glenn is a half-elf, born between an elven mother and a human father. Unlike pureblood elves who live for 200 to 300 years, half-elves have shorter lifespans of around 150 years, but they grow faster than elves, at about the same speed as humans.

Many half-elves have been highly regarded, but it is common for half-elves to be the targets of discrimination in kingdoms where pureblood elves live.

This is because once elven blood is diluted, it will never again approach purity. If a half-elf has a child with another race, the elven blood will be diluted to the point where it can hardly be felt. Even if a half-elf has a child with a pureblood elf, only a half-elf will be born. Moreover, the elven blood of that child will never be more concentrated than that of their half-elf parent.

What is even more cruel is that elves do not often have children with each other. In this way, the number of the elven race, which has continued since ancient times, was steadily decreasing. The longer elves spend researching magic, the more skilled they are at it. In addition to their knowledge and experience, one of their characteristics is that they are more skilled at manipulating magic power than other races.

Having a superior ability to sense magic power is also a great advantage for magic research.

Perhaps this is why they are averse to the dilution of elven blood, or perhaps it is due to their obsession with preserving the pureblood elven race, but it seems that the treatment of half-elves was very harsh.

It is unclear what Glenn’s situation was, but since he was born in an elven kingdom and started living in a human country at a young age, he was probably discriminated against and driven out of his country.

It could be said that it was a natural progression for Glenn to choose a human woman as his marriage partner. The child of a half-elf and a human is, first and foremost, a normal human. Glenn’s only child was also a human male.

His wife, of course, and Glenn’s child, who was born in his thirties, both died before reaching old age. What that child left behind was one boy. Now, Glenn’s family consists of only that grandson. It seems that his elven mother is still alive, but they are separated, perhaps because she remained in the elven country.

Against that background, it seems that Glenn cherished his grandson greatly.

"...That grandson, before anyone knew it, disappeared from view, and it is said that Headmaster Glenn's grandson had locked himself away somewhere in the academy. We don't know what happened, but since Headmaster Glenn also doesn't say anything about it, it eventually became a topic that we don't touch upon,"

Middleton said, roughly telling the past of Glenn and his grandson. Those who were listening to that story all lowered their faces with solemn expressions.

"...I wonder what really happened?"

"That... I would hesitate to ask Glenn-dono about it, after all."

Grantz and Diageo quietly had such a conversation. That was certainly true. After all, he is the grandson of Glenn, one of the world’s leading magicians. It would not be strange if he were already among the senior teachers of Fiddiq Academy.

"...How old is that grandson?"

I asked, feeling curious for some reason. Then, Middleton put his hand on his chin and groaned.

"He should have been a child who was born late. I think he is around the same age as Rox, or maybe a year younger."

When Middleton said that, a voice came from behind him.

"...He is sixteen now, isn't he?"

At that voice, everyone turned around at once.

There, standing with a complex expression, was Glenn. When he noticed that everyone’s eyes were focused on him, Glenn let out a deep sigh and narrowed his eyes.

"I was enjoying watching the wonderful presentations, and I got carried away despite my age…well, it’s not like I was hiding anything, but because I didn't talk about it myself to anyone, I may have caused unnecessary speculation."

Glenn muttered that with a deep sigh. Uncharacteristically for Glenn, negative emotions were mixed in with those words, and those who were sensitive to it stiffened their faces.

He had dismissed the conversations of those who were in positions of representative class for each country as "unnecessary speculation." If it had not been Glenn, such a rude statement could have led to a death sentence.

However, perhaps they felt guilty for having gossiped about a part of him that should not be touched on in his absence, everyone lowered their gaze like students being scolded by a teacher.

With that in the corner of my eye, I looked up at Glenn’s face.

"...Headmaster Glenn. I know this is presumptuous of me. However, if it's alright with you, please tell me about your grandson. If I listen to your story, even if it’s just a little, I might be of some help..."

"...I'm sorry, but could you be silent?"

Interrupting my words, Glenn said that in a cold tone. The atmosphere froze at those words.

However, this is not a matter that should be left alone. Glenn said his grandson is sixteen years old. Therefore, that child is one of the students. For me, that is.

"If a student is troubled or suffering, I cannot remain silent."

That is why, I looked into Glenn’s eyes and clearly said that.

Comments