A Grandfather's Lament

...

...

Before he could continue that line of thought, the whirling noises of machine coming to life and the lights turning on broke Hadrian out of his musings.

Looking around, he saw that his grandfather was already wearing a white lab coat, glasses on his nose and a tablet in hand.

"Okay, enkel, let's begin." Zelretch announced as he sat on a chair.

Having already done the process before, Hadrian took off his coat and, next, his shirt.

He folded and left the two items on a table near one of the walls where his two familiars, Ryu and Fou, were sitting on their hindquarters.

Feeling comforted by their presences, the young mage couldn't help but give them a couple of rubs on the head for their support, to which the furry familiars were pleased by.

Hadrian then went to the white operating table, which was just a large block of white marble with a leather cushion to hold the head and upper body in place.

The scan didn't take longer than a few minutes.

During those minutes consisted of Hadrian lying on the table with his eyes close, patiently waiting for the series of lights that were rapidly scanning his body up and down to stop.

Several beeping noises later, the examination was done.

Now, after donning his upper clothes on, Hadrian watched his grandfather read the results on the screen of his monitor.

In the meantime, he was giving his two familiars head rubs and scratching their chins as he waited for the old magician to finish.

His grandfather wore a neutral expression as he was reading the results, and when the old man was like that, Hadrian knew better than to interrupt him from his focused state.

Although, he was surprised when the old magician broke the silence in the room by speaking out loud and with his back to him, not even turning his gaze away from the monitor.

"Enkel?" Zelretch called calmly.

"Yes?"

"Have you told either of your mentors about your recent episode?".

Hadrian paused.

Then, he sighed, using his free right hand to sweep his hair back.

"No, I didn't." Hadrian admitted in a quiet tone.

"Why didn't you?" Zelretch asked right after, his tone calm and neutral.

Hadrian became silent.

In response, the old magician sighed.

Zelretch knew why his grandson didn't answer.

As a matter of fact, he already knew what his grandson would say, that his episode was not that important for him to mention to his mentors, especially to Lorelei Barthomeloi.

And this was where Zelretch disagree.

Stern and frosty her outlook may be, it was obvious to Zelretch, who had known the Queen of the Clock Tower since she was in her teens, that the brown haired woman cared about her student.

The feeling was mutual as Hadrian, her only student, also cared about her well-being as well. It was also the same case to Lord El-Melloi II.

The problem was, his grandson can be as stubborn as a mule when it comes to his problems.

His heir has an unusual tendency to keep his emotions bottled up, preferring to keep to himself and internalized it.

Zelretch had first noticed it when his grandson was very young, specifically after his son-in-law, Arin, didn't return from the war.

Crimson eyes shifted slightly to the right where he can see the image of his heir's thoughtful expression through the glass of a third monitor that was currently turned off.

Looking at him now, Zelretch recalled certain memories into mind.

Before, his grandson was quite a carefree and happy child, always smiling and laughing. Hadrian was the adored child in the Schweinorg family, and he still was. Even the homunculi maids and guards were taken by his charming personality and good manners.

Despite being aware of their true nature as homunculi, the young mage still treated them with respect as if they were humans.

It was what made Zelretch and Lucia infinitely proud of him.

Even at a young age, Hadrian would exude a level of maturity in certain situations that would often caught people by surprise, including Arin, Lucia and Zelretch himself.

As strange as it might seem for a child to act, they had all figured that it was simply one of his endearing qualities that make Hadrian the way he was.

He was the prince of the Schweinorg family, the most ideal and treasured heir that many lords in the other mage families sought after.

After the Moon Holy Grail war though, his grandson changed.

Not significantly, but just enough that it was definitely noticeable.

Hadrian remained mostly the same.

He was still the heir that was adored and cherished by everyone in the Schweinorg family, and the same child that likes a lot of simple things. He remained the same young man who follows his mother's wishes and whims, no matter how ridiculous they might be sometimes.

The same child, who was forced to mature early, was growing into a fine young man with a good heart and head on his shoulders.

But, as proud as Zelretch was of Hadrian, the change was both a fortunate and unfortunate thing to happen.

As a grandfather, it was never easy to watch children mature and lose their innocence, much less the ones related to him by blood.

It was bound to happen, but the circumstances that caused the change in the first place was something that always made Zelretch's chest ache with guilt.

The war had caused his grandson to become reserved and too independent, so much that he doubted Hadrian would ask for help even if he was on the brink of death. With the eccentric servants at his side, the old magician held hope that that part of Hadrian would slowly change in time. And he was still hoping it would. He supposed it was just a matter of when it would happen.

But, it doesn't make it less annoying whenever the old magician sees that side of his grandson.

In the end, Zelretch shook his head with a forlorn sigh.

He would probably be the one to break the news to his mentors, again.

Zelretch would give his grandson a break. Hadrian deserved a reprieve after what he had been through recently.

There was also that task he would need to assign him to. Notifying his heir's mentor would be a small task for him.

Still, his grandson wouldn't get away that easily. A reprimand must take place.

"Your mentors, they have the right to know about this." Zelretch stated.

"I know…" Hadrian responded in a quiet tone.

"I'll let them know since I don't trust that you would." Zelretch sent the young man a knowing look over his shoulder.

"Mhm…" Hadrian nodded his head, humbled by the mild reproach in his tone.

Exhaling through his nose, Zelretch swiveled his chair to face the young mage.

"One way or another, enkel, you're going to learn how to express yourself more. It's not healthy to keep those emotions all bottled up inside." The old magician admonished.

...

...