Hermione resigned herself to Glenn helping her bathe. Now lying on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
She should have known. She really should have known! Glenn had absolutely no concept of the differences between men and women, nor any understanding of personal boundaries!
And to make matters worse, he had zero sense of shame!
In Glenn's eyes, bathing was just a practical task. Helping Hermione bathe was no different from washing himself. He had earnestly and meticulously scrubbed the little girl until she was spotless.
Helping the little girl bathe—he had been completely serious about it.
As for the faint stirrings in his heart, Glenn didn't quite understand them. At that moment, his sole focus had been to wash the little girl clean. His determination and steadfast will allowed him to ignore those feelings entirely.
With a resilient soul, Glenn's resolve was unshakable.
"Ahhh~" Hermione covered her face with both hands, writhing and rolling around on the bed in frustration.
At this moment, Glenn was not in the room; his grandmother had called him out.
Glenn arrived at a small pavilion by the courtyard. Lin Yingqing sat gracefully at the central stone table, sipping tea in small sips. Her gaze was unfocused, as if lost in thought.
"Grandmother, I'm here," Glenn greeted Lin Yingqing as he entered the pavilion, speaking in Mandarin.
Lin Yingqing was not surprised; her child had already informed her that Glenn understood Chinese.
"Mm, take a seat," Lin Yingqing came back to her senses, nodded, and with a wave of her hand, pulled out another chair by the stone table.
Glenn took a seat.
A teacup appeared out of thin air and filled itself with tea, but Glenn didn't touch it.
Grandmother must have called me here for something important, Glenn pondered silently. I still need to get back to accompany the little girl to sleep, so I'd better resolve this quickly.
Without waiting for Lin Yingqing to ask, Glenn took the initiative, "Grandmother, is there something you wish to ask me?"
Glenn's jet-black eyes stared earnestly at his grandmother. Lin Yingqing met his gaze and immediately felt an odd sensation.
But she quickly snapped out of it, breaking free from the influence of Glenn's eyes.
Her suspicions were confirmed.
"Glenn, you are a 'Magus,' aren't you?" Lin Yingqing set down her teacup and directly posed her question.
"'Magus'? I've never heard of that term before." Searching through his memory, Glenn found nothing. He was certain it was the first time he had heard the word.
"Let me put it in terms you might be more familiar with," Lin Yingqing said softly. "In your homeland, it would be called an Obscurial."
Ah, so that's what it was.
"Yes," Glenn replied calmly, mentally aligning the concepts of "Obscurial" and "Magus."
So this was the term for Obscurial in the Dragon Kingdom.
Lin Yingqing's delicate face showed a trace of worry. She knew that without specialized training, a "Magus" could not survive past the age of ten.
There were exceptions, of course, but even those exceptions would perish within a few years without proper intervention.
If she wasn't mistaken, Glenn's eyes had already been influenced and altered by the "Magus" within him.
Her expression grew complicated as she asked softly, "It seems you are aware of what lies within you. Can you tell me... how did you survive the critical age of ten?"
There was nothing to hide. Glenn recounted in detail how he had tried to control the Obscurial within him, how their home was attacked, and how he had released the violent Obscurial energy before his tenth birthday, with Hermione's unconscious magical outburst aiding him.
After hearing Glenn's account of practicing control over the Obscurial's power and releasing it before it could consume him, Lin Yingqing's worried expression gradually eased, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
This was the correct way for a "Magus" to survive the critical age of ten. Thankfully, Glenn had figured it out on his own; otherwise… all would have been lost.
But then, Lin Yingqing's expression turned icy. It was only now that she learned her child had nearly been frightened to death by an attack from those wretched Death Eaters, and her grandson had faced those despicable beings head-on.
Though injury was impossible—she had crafted protective talismans herself, ensuring that even her brother couldn't harm her family—Glenn had been just a defenseless child at the time!
Voldemort and his Death Eaters, along with their cruel acts, were something Lin Yingqing had only heard of in passing.
But hearing was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was another.
Her gaze turned cold. If not for the Dragon Kingdom's policy of non-interference in other nations' affairs and her own significant position within the country, she would have personally led a team to annihilate Voldemort and his forces, ensuring they were obliterated beyond any chance of reincarnation.
Well then…
If Lin Yingqing, as the Dragon Kingdom's Chief Alchemist, couldn't go, perhaps she could go as Glenn's grandmother and Ellen's mother. And if she brought along her brother and father, they could claim familial reasons for their involvement.
Surely, the former Chairman of the Dragon Kingdom, the current Chairman, the President of the North China School of Sorcery, and the Chief Alchemist herself could eradicate Voldemort's forces entirely, leaving no room for resurgence.
Lin Yingqing's face remained cold as she contemplated. The once gentle and fairy-like demeanor now carried a trace of killing intent, resembling an unyielding warrior.
The Lin family protects its own!
Sensitive to killing intent, Glenn naturally noticed the shift in his grandmother's mood. But he remained unperturbed because he knew exactly who the target of her anger was. He calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip.
It was bitter at first, with a hint of fragrance, followed by a sweet aftertaste.
Delicious.
As always, Glenn's evaluation of tea was simple: it was good.
Lin Yingqing adjusted her emotions. Revenge could come later; her grandson was the priority right now.
"Glenn, you did the right thing. Only by attempting to control the Magus within and releasing its power before it consumes you can you have a chance of surviving the critical age of ten." She gently patted Glenn's head.
It felt nice.
To be sure, she patted again.
Hmm, upon closer inspection, her grandson… seemed even more adorable!
She simply pulled Glenn closer, holding him in her arms while continuing to stroke his head.
Glenn: …As long as you're happy.
"Suppressing the power of the Magus all these years must have been hard on you," Lin Yingqing said softly, her expression filled with heartache as she stroked Glenn's hair.
To suppress such a violent force within oneself, preventing it from harming those around him—Glenn must have endured countless hardships in private, unknown to anyone.
Glenn shook his head and replied softly, "It wasn't hard. It was something I should and must do."
Glenn didn't consider it a hardship. As long as it was worth doing, he would do it, no matter how difficult the process.
Besides, he had a vague sense that the Obscurial's power, if properly trained, could become a strength rather than a curse.
Anything that could enhance his abilities, Glenn would accept without hesitation, especially when it concerned the safety of those around him.
"Grandmother, is this why you called me out?" Glenn asked, feeling the gentle touch of his grandmother's hand on his head.
"Just to confirm. There's something more important," Lin Yingqing said, lifting Glenn and turning him around to sit on her lap, like holding a kitten.
Glenn remained motionless, allowing his grandmother to adjust his posture.
Due to Lin Yingqing's youthful appearance, the two looked more like siblings than grandmother and grandson.
Resisting the mesmerizing pull of Glenn's eyes, Lin Yingqing continued, "Although you've survived the critical age of ten, the power of the Magus remains dangerous. You need to learn to control it properly."
"In the Dragon Kingdom, through the efforts of our predecessors, we've successfully developed a set of techniques specifically for those who harbor the Magus within. The most important task now is for you to learn this technique."
"That's why I called you out," she said with a smile.
Glenn nodded, slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the Dragon Kingdom to have spells—or rather, techniques—tailored for Obscurials.
Glenn indeed needed something to help him master the power of the Obscurial. He had already noticed that his suppression of it was becoming less effective. Its power would occasionally leak out, and his emotions were subtly affected—though not noticeably due to his own nature.
Without hesitation, Glenn asked directly, "Grandmother, when can I start learning?"
Lin Yingqing was momentarily stunned, not expecting her grandson to adapt so quickly. Looking at Glenn's expressionless face, she felt a pang of heartache.
"Does Glenn also have emotional deficits…"
Her understanding of the Magus led her to this suspicion.
She didn't voice her thoughts, instead channeling her feelings into her actions. Her hand, which had paused during their conversation, resumed stroking his head.
Pat, pat~
"If you're ready, I can take you to the library at the North China School of Sorcery tomorrow to retrieve the technique," Lin Yingqing said with a smile, her hand never stopping.
"If Hermione is willing, bring her along. I have a hunch, though no concrete evidence, that she might possess a unique power as well," Lin Yingqing added. "When Hermione's magic burst out back then, it might not have been as simple as just stopping your spiritual energy from dissipating."
As if fearing Glenn would worry, Lin Yingqing quickly added, "If I'm right, the power within Hermione is gentle and beneficial, with no harm whatsoever. Glenn, you don't need to worry."
Glenn nodded, suppressing the unease in his heart. Hearing the first half of his grandmother's sentence had nearly made him lose his composure.
"May I ask what you suspect Hermione's power might be?" Glenn inquired.
Lin Yingqing, having no intention of keeping secrets, replied softly:
"It's the opposite of the Magus within you—Sanctus."
…
After bidding his grandmother farewell, Glenn returned to the bedroom. The little girl was already asleep, her sleeping posture as messy as ever, having turned the bed into a chaotic nest. Now, she was curled up in Glenn's spot.
Glenn lay down gently, but even this slight movement woke the little girl. However, sensing Glenn's presence, she merely half-opened her eyes in a drowsy state and mumbled something incomprehensible.
"It's okay. Go back to sleep," Glenn whispered to comfort her.
The little girl smacked her lips, closed her eyes again, and draped her small hand over Glenn's waist, her leg following suit, before drifting back into her sweet dreams.
Glenn closed his eyes.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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