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In the pitch-dark, silent room, that ethereal voice drifting through the darkness was the boy's matter-of-fact confession.
Hermione would only occasionally ask a few questions during Glenn's recounting of his experiences. Most of the time, she simply stayed quietly by the boy's side, listening to the memories and past events that had been sealed away by time and fate.
As Glenn spoke, Hermione felt as though she had traveled through time to Glenn's previous life, growing up alongside his former self.
But this wasn't pleasant. The more Hermione listened to Glenn's story, the more distressed and pained she became.
She was a quick-witted girl, one who easily sensed others' emotions and empathized with them.
Even though Glenn, due to his own circumstances, wasn't as sensitive to emotions as ordinary people, and his experiences had left his feelings about that part of his past life numb and indifferent, Hermione could still sense from Glenn's words the... brutality and suffering of his previous existence.
After realizing this, Hermione had tried several times to make Glenn stop this painful reminiscing, but Glenn refused.
"Since I've decided to lay everything bare before you and hide nothing more, I'll continue down this path."
"After all, to be honest, I've already concealed this from you for thirteen years. I don't want to continue this deception any longer."
"Besides, I think you need to understand what kind of person 'Glenn' truly is."
"I'll show you the face I've hidden deep in my heart. From a normal person's perspective—I'm just a villain who's killed countless people. That was who I was, and it's still part of who I am now."
"I know that with your kindness, you surely cannot tolerate such things, so I believe it's better to be honest with you sooner rather than later, to clear up your confusion and leave you enough time to think."
"So continue asking. Don't worry about my feelings—those pale memories from my past life can't make me feel anything."
This was Glenn's response to Hermione's behavior.
"You... you... idiot..."
At some point, Hermione had wrapped her arms tightly around Glenn, burying her face in his chest. Soft sobbing sounds tinged with tears drifted from there, and Glenn could feel the front of his pajamas growing damp.
Without asking or thinking, Glenn knew exactly what that wet patch was.
What else could it be but the little girl's tears?
It couldn't possibly be drool, could it?
After a long while, having seemingly adjusted her mindset, Hermione no longer suggested that Glenn stop his reminiscing. She simply listened quietly to his words, asking about the things she wanted to know.
Time passed like this for a very long while—long enough for Glenn to completely recount all the memories he could recall from his previous life, omitting unnecessary details and bloody scenes, to Hermione.
Glenn could no longer feel anything from those memories, but Hermione could.
Each time she sensed pain and sorrow from Glenn's narrative, her understanding of Glenn became more complete, and the discordant feelings she had buried in her heart and ignored were erased bit by bit.
As pieces of memory and impression were gathered by the girl and placed in the vacant, incomplete spaces in her heart related to "Glenn," Glenn's true image gradually took shape in Hermione's mind.
Hermione's perception of Glenn changed.
But what remained unchanged was the love in her heart for the boy before her—love that continued to swell and expand.
Her love was even stronger than before.
She completely understood Glenn now, understood all of his past behaviors.
It was precisely because he had once had nothing that he cherished the beauty he possessed now.
If the former Glenn had been merely a thoughtless tool existing purely for killing, then the present him was someone who wanted to accomplish something, who had developed self-awareness and turned killing into a tool—a person truly living for certain things.
For protection, to avoid loss, to never again become someone with nothing... Perhaps in Glenn's understanding, he existed for these very things.
So he chose to bear everything alone, using his life, time, and efforts as the price. For the sake of those he wanted to protect, with memories from his past life, knowledge he had learned, power he had mastered, and now with added magic and alchemy, he had constructed an impregnable safe house.
Of course, calling it "impregnable" was an overstatement. There are always greater powers beyond, and no one could be certain that Glenn's constructed safe house wouldn't be destroyed by even more powerful forces.
But Hermione was almost certain that if such a thing were to happen, this big fool would undoubtedly sacrifice his own life, spare nothing, and use his flesh and blood to destroy it.
At the very least, he would completely protect those he wanted to protect.
As for his own fate...
He probably hadn't considered it at all.
The more Hermione understood Glenn, the more she understood this reality.
But understanding didn't mean Hermione approved of Glenn's way of thinking.
Could Hermione tolerate this?
Of course she couldn't tolerate it one bit, you bastard!!!!
Watching Glenn sacrifice everything, even his life, to protect herself and their family—how could Hermione possibly approve of such behavior that showed no care or love for himself?
If such a situation truly occurred around them, Hermione would chisel through the safe house Glenn had built for her, then rush to Glenn's side as quickly as possible, slap him first to express her displeasure, then stand with him to face the crisis together until death.
You want to lock me up and protect me?
Not a chance!
Even if we die, we die together!
Even with seventeen years of memories from your past life, you're still a little brat the same age as me!
Oh, and you're even a few minutes younger than me.
You stinky little brother!
"You are you, Glenn Hawthorne. Even with memories from your past life, that's only part of who you are now. You're still you—the Glenn I've known for these thirteen years."
"So no matter what you did in the past or what kind of person you were, I won't feel differently about it. My feelings for you remain the same—whether it's admiration, approval, affection, or love, none of it will change."
"Oh, of course, now there's also some anger, so put away your unnecessary anxiety, excessive protectiveness, and self-sacrificing thoughts!"
"You idiot, how could I possibly dislike you over such trivial matters? Where did all that cleverness of yours go?"
"Besides, I'm not someone who would just hide behind you and be protected by you. To be honest, I can only be the person you should entrust your back to, someone who advances and retreats with you. So trust your back to me."
"Now, clear your mind and go to sleep. I'm tired too, and I need to properly digest today's events."
After Glenn finished his account, Hermione scolded him thoroughly with an uncompromising, stern tone. Then she secretly wiped away her tears and pulled Glenn close, burying his head in her embrace.
She held him tightly, as if she wouldn't let him escape.
"Alright."
Glenn complied with Hermione's request. Feeling the sensation of Hermione's arms around his hair, the softness of the girl before him, and breathing in her unique, reassuring and comfortable scent, Glenn emptied his mind and stopped thinking about complicated matters.
Then, in the girl's embrace, the boy fell into the most complete and peaceful sleep of his life.
As if he had finally set down some heavy burden that had been hanging over his heart.